1. A legal case that is typical or exemplary of a class of similar cases; a case selected to represent the characteristics of a larger group
The court decided to hear this representative case to establish a precedent for all similar disputes.
O tribunal decidiu ouvir este caso representativo para estabelecer um precedente para todas as disputas similares.
2. In class action lawsuits, a case chosen to illustrate the claims of the entire class
The judge selected a representative case from among the thousands of complaints filed.
O juiz selecionou um caso representativo entre milhares de reclamações apresentadas.