Starting a Lawsuit: Initial Court Papers
The legal papers that are filed in court at the beginning of a lawsuit are called "pleadings." Your attorney will explain pleadings to you in the particular context of your case, but the summary that follows will give you a head start in understanding some of the many documents that may become a part of your lawsuit. Please note that some states have different names for some of these documents.
Complaint/Petition
Usually the first document filed in a lawsuit is the Complaint (or Petition), which provides an outline of the plaintiff's case against the defendant. The Complaint is a document that identifies the parties involved, sets out the legal basis for the court's jurisdiction over the controversy, states the plaintiff's legal claims, and relates the facts giving rise to the claims. The Complaint will also contain a section called a demand for judgment or prayer for relief. Here the plaintiff will set forth what he or she wants the court to require the defendant to do, such as pay damages.
The purpose of the Complaint is to provide the defendant with notice of the factual and legal bases of the plaintiff's claims. Generally, the facts set forth in the Complaint are based on the plaintiff's own knowledge. Sometimes the plaintiff will use the phrase, "upon information and belief" before setting forth some facts. This means that the plaintiff has heard about those facts from someone else, or has formed the belief that the events described in the paragraph happened as described. Most states require that the Complaint set forth a short and plain statement of the plaintiff's claims, so don't be surprised if the facts are sketchy, or if they don't seem to tell the whole story.
Summons and Service of Process
The Summons is an order from the court where the lawsuit will be heard or "litigated." It notifies the recipient (the "defendant" in the case) that he or she has been sued, refers to the Complaint or Petition, and sets out the time limit within which the defendant must file an answer or seek to have the case dismissed. It will also describe the consequences of failing to respond in a timely manner: the case may be decided without the defendant and he or she may be bound by the result even if they did not participate. Failing to respond to a lawsuit on time will cause a defendant to be "in default."
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