In legal terminology,
a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal
reasons that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are
sufficient to support a claim against the party or parties against whom the
claim is brought (the defendant(s)) that entitles the plaintiff(s) to a remedy
(either money damages or injunctive relief). For example, the Federal Rules of
Civil Procedure (FRCP) that govern civil litigation in United States courts
provide that a civil action is commenced with the filing or service of a
pleading called a complaint. Civil court rules in states that have incorporated
the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure use the same term for the same pleading.
In some
jurisdictions, specific types of criminal cases may also be commenced by the
filing of a complaint, also sometimes called a criminal complaint or felony
complaint. All criminal cases are prosecuted in the name of the governmental
authority that promulgates criminal statutes and enforces the police power of
the state with the goal of seeking criminal sanctions, such as the State (also
sometimes called the People) or Crown (in Commonwealth realms). In the United
States, the complaint is often associated with misdemeanor criminal charges
presented by the prosecutor without the grand jury process. In most U.S.
jurisdictions, the charging instrument presented to and authorized by a grand
jury is referred to as an indictment.
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