Court papers use defined terms for people, documents, and stages of a case; the surrounding document and court rule matter more than a word used in isolation.

Names for the people and papers

The North Carolina Judicial Branch’s lawsuit overview describes a plaintiff as a person who files a lawsuit and a defendant as a person against whom a lawsuit is filed. A complaint begins a civil case; an answer responds to the complaint; and a counterclaim is a claim asserted by a defendant against a plaintiff.

Words can describe different questions

  • Jurisdiction: a court’s authority to hear a kind of case or issue
  • Venue: the location where a case is filed or heard under the applicable rules
  • Discovery: the process for obtaining information before trial under the procedural rules
  • Motion: a request for a court order
  • Appeal: a request for review under rules that apply after a decision

These short descriptions do not decide what a filing means, whether a deadline applies, or which court has authority. Read the actual pleading, notice, order, and rule together.

Try the terms on a document packet

For example, imagine a packet containing a complaint, a summons, and a later motion. The complaint states the plaintiff’s allegations; it is not a finding that those allegations are true. The summons and applicable rules concern the response process. The motion asks the court to take an action; an order records what the court has directed. Keep each document and its attachments together, and record when and how it was received.

Copy the court, case number, document title, parties, and any stated hearing or response date into your notes. If a term or date is unclear, mark it as a question for prompt review. Do not calculate a deadline from a general definition or assume the latest document replaces everything received earlier.

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