Glossary
Complaint
The document a plaintiff files to start a civil lawsuit. The complaint identifies the parties, lists the facts, names the legal claims, and asks the court for specific relief (money, an order, etc.).
A complaint is the opening document of a civil case. It usually has a caption (court name, parties, case number once assigned), numbered factual allegations, separate "counts" listing each legal claim (e.g., breach of contract, negligence), and a "prayer for relief" stating exactly what the plaintiff wants the court to do.
Complaints have to follow specific procedural rules: what to plead, how to plead it, and what the court can dismiss for failure to state a claim. The defendant has a fixed amount of time after being served to file an answer in response.