Monday, November 12, 2012

What is the difference between a "plaint" and "suit"?

Well, because your question is posted under "Law and Politics," I will assume that you are speaking about the terminology in those genres.  I also am going to limit my answer to their usage in the United States of America in regards to the difference between a "plaint" and a "suit." 


Please realize that the word "plaint" is not used much in American Law.  Instead, we have a definition for "complaint" and a "plaintiff."  The good news is, it pretty much means the same thing.  A complaint is the very first paperwork or document that is put on file with the court (usually by the Clerk), and it is done by the person/business/organization that is claiming their right against another person/business/organization.  The person who is filing the complaint, in United States Law, is called the plaintiff.  The person/business/organization on the defensive (who didn't put in the complaint) is called the defendant.


The word "suit," again, used less often in the United States, is just a shortened form of the word lawsuit.  Further, it's a really general term for ANY legal filing.  The word "lawsuit" is a very common term, again, for any legal filing that involves a case to be figured out within a court of law.

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