plaintiff

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/ˈpleɪntɪf/
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A legal term for the party that starts a civil lawsuit and asks the court for a remedy against a defendant.

Examples

  • The plaintiff asked the court for an injunction.
  • The plaintiff filed a complaint in civil court.
  • The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff.
  • The company became the plaintiff after suing its former supplier.
  • A plaintiff must prove the claim with evidence.

Similar words

civil claimant
petitioner
claiming party
complainant
claimant
suing party

Meanings

Usage

Use the word precisely for civil cases. Check the jurisdiction because some systems prefer claimant, petitioner, or pursuer, and avoid using plaintiff for the prosecutor in an ordinary criminal case.

Common mistakes

Plantiff drops a needed letter and is a misspelling. The word also should not be swapped with defendant, because the plaintiff brings the claim and the defendant answers it.

Etymology

From Anglo-French pleintif, meaning complaining or making a complaint, related to plaint, an expression of complaint. The word originally overlapped with plaintive, but in modern legal English it became the noun for the party who complains to the court in a civil action.

FAQ

What does plaintiff mean?

A plaintiff is the party that starts a civil lawsuit and asks the court for a legal remedy against a defendant.

Is a plaintiff the same as a defendant?

No. The plaintiff brings the case, while the defendant responds to the claim.

Is plaintiff used in criminal cases?

Usually no. In criminal cases, the case is normally brought by a prosecutor or the state, not a plaintiff.

What is the plural of plaintiff?

The plural is plaintiffs.

What is another word for plaintiff?

Depending on the jurisdiction and type of case, related terms include claimant, complainant, petitioner, and suing party.

What does a plaintiff file?

A plaintiff often files a complaint, claim form, or other pleading that starts the civil action.

How do you spell plaintiff?

It is spelled plaintiff, with ai after pl. Plantiff is a common misspelling.

Comments & contributions

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Trusty Pangolin
Jul 4
plantiff is one of those typos that looks right after midnight
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Kind Sparrow
Jun 27
UK readers, watch this in American legal stuff. Claimant feels normal here, but US cases and news reports still say plaintiff all the time. Same basic side of the v., different house style.
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Minty Panda
Jun 20
One annoying court-paper thing: if the defendant files a counterclaim, the original plaintiff may also be called the counter-defendant for that part. They dont stop being the plaintiff in the main case, the labels just stack up.
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