How Cases Move Through Federal Courts
Civil Cases
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Pleadings
A federal civil case begins when a person, or more likely, that person’s lawyer, files a paper with the clerk of court that says the person was injured by another person’s wrongful act. In legal terminology, the plaintiff files a complaint against the defendant. In most cases, the defendant then files an answer to the complaint. These written statements of the parties’ positions are also called pleadings. In some circumstances, the defendant may file a motion instead of an answer; the motion asks the court to take some action, such as dismiss the case or require the plaintiff to explain more clearly what the lawsuit is about. |
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