Answer: A document filed by the defendant with the court responding to the plaintiff’s complaint.[1]
Civil Action: A lawsuit filed with a court to demand a legal solution to a private dispute.[2]
Complaint: The first document filed by the plaintiff in a case. It describes what the plaintiff claims the defendant did wrong that caused the plaintiff some harm.
Court Docket: An official court record of what has happened in a legal case. The docket is a public record and can often be viewed online from the court’s website.[3]
Default Judgment: A judgment granted by the court for failure to file a pleading by a specific deadline or a failure to appear in court when required.[4]
Defendant: The person being sued in the lawsuit and who the plaintiff claims did something wrong.
Magistrate: A court official appointed by a judge with authority to administer and enforce the law in a case.[5]
Motion: A written request asking the court to take some form of action (for example, to dismiss a complaint).[6]
Plaintiff: The person or company who files the lawsuit with the court.
Pleadings: Written documents filed by the plaintiff or defendant that give information to the court about the dispute.[7]
Poverty Affidavit: A written, sworn statement that you have a low income and do not have enough money to pay court filing fees.[8]
Pro Se: A person who does not have an attorney representing them in their case and who appears in court by himself or herself.[9]
Summons: A court order requiring a person to appear or respond in writing to the complaint. Failure to appear in a civil case can result in a default judgment; failure to appear in a criminal case can result in being arrested.[10]
[1] http://www.acba.org/Public/For-Media/Legal-definitions.asp at page 1.
[2] http://www.acba.org/Public/For-Media/Legal-definitions.asp at page 3.
[3] http://www.acba.org/Public/For-Media/Legal-definitions.asp at page 7.
[5] http://clevelandmunicipalcourt.org/judicial-services/magistrates
[7] http://www.acba.org/Public/For-Media/Legal-definitions.asp at page 18.
[8] https://lasclev.org/selfhelp-povertyaffidavit/
[9] "Pro Se." West's Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2. 2008. The Gale Group 22 Jul. 2014 http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Pro+Se
This article was written by Legal Aid Paralegal Kristen Simpson and appeared in The Alert: Volume 30, Issue 2. Click here to read a full PDF of this issue!