What should be in a complaint

After receiving the complaint, the defendant must respond with an answer. Traditionally, in accord with federal courts' system of notice pleading , complaints like other pleadings did not need to be very specific, and did not need to specify the facts the plaintiff intends to prove.

The Supreme Court introduced a heightened standard for complaints in with the case Bell Atlantic v. This case requires that a complaint must allege "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.

Complaints must be served on defendants. Small claims court is quicker and easier and is designed for non-attorneys. To learn more, click to visit Small Claims. Your complaint is your story. Because every story is different, every complaint is different. So if you intend to represent yourself in a district or justice court civil case, you will need to write your own complaint, which will be specific to your case.

Or you can hire an attorney to write a complaint for you. Click to visit Lawyers and Legal Help. For tips on creating your own court documents, click to visit Basics of Court Forms and Filing and Researching the Law.

Where can I find an example of a complaint to look at? Your local law library is a terrific place to look for examples of complaints. The librarian should be able to direct you to examples of very simple complaints on various topics. You can use these examples as a starting point when you sit down to write your own complaint.

For example, your law library has a series of books called American Jurisprudence Pleadings and Practice Forms. These books have example complaints on hundreds of topics. Try to find a complaint that involves a situation that is as close to yours as possible.

You also might be able to find examples in other cases filed with the court. You might be able to find a complaint that was drafted by an attorney that you could use as a starting point to draft your own. You could get a copy of the complaint from the court clerk for a small copy charge. Read any examples carefully! Examples are a great place to start. But tailor your complaint to YOUR case! What must the complaint look like? If you are filing in the district court, study Rule 7. Click to visit District Court Rules.

The justice courts other than Las Vegas do not have specific rules regarding how documents should look. If you follow the district court rule, your documents should be acceptable. Click to visit Justice Court Rules. What must the complaint say?

In the body of your complaint, you must at least give fair notice about the nature and basis or grounds of your claim and general notice about the type of case. Taylor v. If you are unsure or have difficulty writing, call us first to discuss your complaint.

We can also arrange for translation and interpreter services. Accessibility Navigation Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to secondary navigation. Search Menus. Contact Us. Search the site Search query. England This advice applies to England: England home Advice can vary depending on where you live.

Dos and don'ts of making a complaint about a health service This advice applies to England Print. Did this advice help? Yes No. Why wasn't this advice helpful? It isn't relevant to my situation. It doesn't have enough detail. I can't work out what I should do next. I don't understand. You've reached the character limit. Thank you, your feedback has been submitted. Page last reviewed: 20 February