What is Complaint?
[[File:Eo-scale2.png|thumb|right|200px]] In [[legal]] [[terminology]], a '''complaint''' is any formal legal [[document]] that [[wikt:establish|establish]]es the facts and legal reasons for a [[lawsuit]]. A complaint must list the reasons for the [[plaintiff]]'s [[legal case|case]], and it must ask for a specific [[legal remedy]].<ref name=CLS>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/complaint |title=Complaint |publisher=Cornell University Law School|access-date=29 October 2015}}</ref> Once a complaint is filed with the [[court]] a [[summons]] (an order from the court) is notifies the [[defendant]] a lawsuit has been filed against them.<ref name=FindLaw>{{cite web |url=http://injury.findlaw.com/accident-injury-law/starting-a-lawsuit-initial-court-papers.html |title=Starting a Lawsuit: Initial Court Papers |publisher=FindLaw |access-date=29 October 2015}}</ref> Once a [[defendant]] receives notice of a complaint, they must reply within a specified period of time with an [[answer]].<ref name=CLS/> Complaints are [[pleading]]s that must be written carefully to properly state the facts and legal basis for the claim.<ref name=LC>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=261 |title=Complaint |publisher=Law.com|access-date=29 October 2015}}</ref> Usually this requires the help of an [[attorney]].<ref name=LC/> In some [[jurisdiction]]s, specific types of [[criminal case]]s may also be started by the filing of a complaint. This is also called a '''criminal complaint''' or '''felony complaint'''. All criminal cases are [[Prosecutor|prosecuted]] in the name of the [[Authority|governmental authority]]. This is the same authority whose [[criminal law]]s were broken and who enforces [[Criminal law|criminal statutes]]. The government is sometimes called ''the state'', ''the People'' or ''the Crown'' (in [[Commonwealth realm]]s). In the United States, the complaint is often associated with [[misdemeanor]] charges presented by the [[prosecutor]] without the [[grand jury]] process. In most [[US]] jur