Question

Note the pleadings used to commence a civil litigation action in Court. The one filed by the plaintiff? And the one filed by the defendant?

Answer 1

Pleadings are documents filed by the parties in a lawsuit, which briefly explains about the position of both the parties in the litigation. It contains the claims and counterclaims of the defendant and the plaintiff. The documents give an idea about the claims of the opposing parties and what they are supposed to answer.

Pleading is a formal statement requesting the court to either grant a relief or pass verdict in a dispute. Pleadings in a civil litigation are

1. Complaint - the lawsuit is initiated by filing the complaint. The plaintiff will first tell out his complaints in the issue and his thoughts on what actions to be taken.

2. Summons - a summon is notified to the person against whom the petition is filed. It contains the reasons for the case and the defendant is supposed to respond within the time given.

3. Answer - The response by the defendant is the answer given to the summon. The defendant touches on every aspect of the case and tells their version of the facts and the expected judgement.

4. Counterclaim - is an opportunity given to the defendant to say how much the plaintiff is involved or his fault in the dispute.