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plaintiff Definition

plain·tiff (plān′tif)

noun

a person who brings a suit into a court of law; complainant

Etymology: ME plaintif < OFr, mournful, making complaint < plaindre < plainte: see plaint

plaintiff Law Definition

n

The party in a civil law case who brings the action in a court of law. See also defendant.
plaintiff in error

Archaic

Archaic. See appellant.

plaintiff Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • sue: The plaintiff sued in the County Court for personal injuries due to the negligence of the defendant.
  • favor: This is a growing area of litigation, which almost always favors the plaintiffs.
  • dismiss: The House of Lords, applying Lord Wilberforce's " aftermath test, " dismissed the plaintiffs ' actions.
  • induce: The basis of the claim was that the power had been exercised to induce the plaintiff to confess.
  • represent: Baron is the attorney representing plaintiffs alleging that the Smith family had illegally diverted asbestos liability funds.
  • award: The Judge awarded the Plaintiffs US$1 million for the lost BOP.

Converse of subject

bring: This action was brought by the plaintiffs against Messrs Ray, late of Clare, bankers.

Adjective modifier

  • injured: If an injured plaintiff is treated in hospital as a private patient he is entitled to recover the cost of that treatment.
  • lead: They made her the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit seeking to legalize abortion.

Modifies a noun

attorney: Leading defense and plaintiff attorneys offer insight into their unique views of the medical malpractice system.

Possessives

  • attorney: The plaintiffs ' attorneys went into some great length to try to explain how the system works with respect to class actions.
  • solicitor: The plaintiff's solicitors were ordered to show cause why they should not have a wasted costs order made against them 17.
  • lawyer: A smart decision plaintiffs ' lawyers try he ran an bulk for bulk's.
  • counsel: He is also plaintiffs ' counsel in human rights cases in the United States, including against the estate of Ferdinand Marcos.
  • claim: The Austrian Supreme Court fully followed the arguments of the defendant and dismissed the plaintiff's claim.
  • father: Plaintiff's father said he went to the police after the accident, and noticed the marks caused by it.

Preposition: in

  • lawsuit: They made her the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit seeking to legalize abortion.
  • suit: The plaintiff in the suit is a graduate student in Mathematics at the University of California at Berkeley named Dan Bernstein.
  • action: The plaintiff in the action is Edward Connelly, who is domiciled in Scotland.
  • case: The first plaintiffs in the case were the personal representatives of Mr Mills, deceased.