Русско-англо-русский юридический словарь

lower court n. 1) any court of lesser rank, such as municipal or justice court below a superior or county court, a superior or county court below an appeals court, or a federal District Court of Appeals below the U. S. Supreme Court. 2) a reference in an appeal to the trial court which originally heard the case. Typical language in an appeals decision: "In the lower court, the judge ruled Defendant had no basis for...." (TheFreeDictionary)

The appellant in the new case can be either the plaintiff (or claimant), defendant, third-party intervenor, or respondent (appellee) from thelower case, depending on who was the losing party. The winning party from the lower court, however, is now the respondent. (Wikipedia)

He was challenging an earlier ruling by a lower court that refused to consider the matter "trifling". (BBC News)