A kinetic study on aminolysis of 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl X-substituted-benzoates (2a-k) in 80 mol % $H_2O/_20mol%$ DMSO at $25.0^{circ}C$ is reported. The Br${emptyset}$nsted-type plot for the reactions of 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl benzoate (2g) with a series of cyclic secondary amines curves downward (e.g., ${eta}_1=0.25$, ${eta}_2=0.85$ and $pK_a^o=10.3$), which is typical of reactions reported to proceed through a stepwise mechanism with a change in ratedetermining step (RDS). The Hammett plot for the reactions of 2a-k with piperidine consists of two intersecting straight lines, while the corresponding Yukawa-Tsuno plot exhibits an excellent linear correlation with ${ ho}_X=1.15$ and r = 0.59. Thus, it has been concluded that the nonlinear Hammett plot is not due to a change in RDS but is caused by stabilization of substrates through resonance interactions between the electron-donating substituent and the C=O bond. Substrates possessing a substituent at the 2-position of the leaving aryloxide deviate negatively from the curved Br${emptyset}$nsted-type plot for the reactions of Y-substituted-phenyl benzoates (3a-i), implying that the steric hindrance exerted by the substituent at the 2-position is an important factor which governs the reactivity of Y-substituted-phenyl benzoates.