Ch 4 Flashcards
Defendant
Party sued
Plaintiff
Party who files civil action
Counterclaim
Filed when defendant wants to sue the plaintiff
Counter plaintiff
Counter defendant
When a counter claim occurs, the plaintiff becomes the
counter defendant and the defendant becomes the counter
Plaintiff
Third party defendants
Someone has a liability to defendant when defendant
Has liability to plaintiff
Standing to sue
Plaintiff established he Is entitled to have court decide
Dispute
2 requirements to establish standing to sue
1 plaintiff must allege litigation involves case or controversy
2 plaintiff must allege personal stake in resolution
Showing adversarial relationship btw plaintiff and defendant
Personal jurisdiction
Court has authority to all parties in case
Summons
Notice to appear in court
Gives court personal jurisdiction over defendant
No case can proceed forward without existence of both…
Subject matter and personal jurisdiction
Long-arm statutes
Provide for service of process beyond state boundaries
Service of process
Mail delivered summons
3 valid reasons for long-arm statutes
1 defendant has committed tort within the state
2 owns property within state that is subject matter of lawsuit
3 has entered into contract within state or transacted the
Business that is subject matter of lawsuit within state
Extradition
Process of requesting and transporting prisoner from
One state to another
Class-action suit
One or more plaintiffs file suit on their own behalf and on
Behalf of all other persons who may have similar claim
8 parts of pretrial procedure
1 plaintiff files complaint
2 complaints and summons served on defendant
3 defendant files motion or answer with possible
counterclaim and defenses
4 court rules on motions
5 plaintiff files reply to answer
6 attorneys conduct discovery procedures
7 parties may file motions for summary judgement or
Judgement on pleadings
8 court conducts pretrial conference
Sample complaint, what 3 things does it explain?
1 sets parties (plaintiff and defendant)
2 explains how court has subject matter jurisdiction over
The case
3 explains how parties can be served
Pleadings
Legal documents filed with court to begin litigation process
Complaint, where is it delivered
Lawsuits begin with plaintiff filing a pleading with court clerk
Contains allegations by plaintiff and request for relief sought
It’s then delivered to the defendant
Answer
Written response to the complaint by the defendant
Default
Occurs if defendant doesn’t respond to the complaint
The court enters an order of default granting plaintiff
Relief sought by complaint
Discovery process
Designed to ensure that results of lawsuits are based on
merits of the controversy;
not based on skill or cunning Of the counsel
What does discovery ensure?
What does this usually lead to?
Ensures that each side is fully aware of all facts involved
In case and intentions of parties
Usually leads to settlements and avoiding actual court