Pleadings

A Levels Academy Islamabad

Transcript

00:00Everything is a process.

00:02Losing weight, buying a pet, besieging a castle.

00:06A civil court case is no exception.

00:09And it's important to know what these processes are before heading into the courtroom.

00:13Because knowing is half the battle.

00:16The other half is, well, the battle itself.

00:19So let's start at the beginning of a case and explain the pleadings.

00:23Pleadings are the formal written statements submitted at the opening of a court case.

00:29The first step is the plaintiff, the person suing or accusing, submitting a complaint.

00:34This is what officially starts the case itself, like a kickoff in football.

00:40The complaint is a statement of the plaintiff's cause,

00:43basically their whole reason for bringing the defendant to court.

00:47They then ask for relief or damages as a result.

00:51Now comes the defendant's turn, the person being sued or accused.

00:56They answer with, you guessed it, the answer, official term.

01:02Here, the defendant either admits or denies the facts stated in the complaint,

01:08going on to give any reason why the plaintiff shouldn't win this case.

01:13That's not all the defendant can do, however.

01:16The defendant can also claim or allege, as the lawyers like to call it,

01:20that certain affirmative defenses apply.

01:23Be sure to see the LegalYou video on affirmative defenses to learn more about these.

01:28Meanwhile, the defendant can also make a counterclaim,

01:31which essentially turns the tables on the plaintiff.

01:34Here, the defendant claims they are in fact the ones that have been wronged,

01:38seeking damages as a result.

01:40If a counterclaim is made, the plaintiff must respond to that

01:43by either admitting or denying the allegations.

01:47Now, as the case goes along, the parties may need to change their pleadings

01:51if new information comes to light or if they realize a mistake.

01:55A party changes their pleading by way of an amendment.

01:59Generally, these amendments will be allowed if the new pleading

02:02alleges a claim that the law recognizes,

02:05in which case the suit proceeds accordingly with these changes.

02:09LegalYou provides this and other expert advice

02:12for anyone going into court without an attorney.

02:15And by knowing the procedures beforehand and preparing for them,

02:19any uncertainty will be replaced with confidence.

02:22LegalYou. You can do this.