file/initiate a lawsuit

idiom

: to start a process by which a court of law makes a decision to end a disagreement between people or organizations
When the newspaper refused to admit that the story was false, the actor filed/initiated a lawsuit against the publisher.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Walker’s family may file a lawsuit against the city and officers. Amanda Garrett, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023 Lorenz, who is not eligible to file a lawsuit because his abuse happened in Kentucky, said Friday’s vote represented validation for those abused in Maryland. Lee O. Sanderlin, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2023 Zwerner's attorney announced her intent to file a lawsuit against the school district. C Mandler, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2023 Zwerner's attorney alleged in a letter notifying the district of the intent to file a lawsuit. Beatrice Peterson, ABC News, 22 Feb. 2023 McKeever denied any wrongdoing, and plans to file a lawsuit against the school. Christian Martinezstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2023 Key said the decision to go to the U.S. Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission and file a lawsuit was a last resort. Amy Yurkanin | Ayurkanin@al.com, al, 26 Jan. 2023 Kern, while still cuffed, threatens to file a lawsuit against the police department. Staff Reports, cleveland, 24 Jan. 2023 The claim is the first step needed to file a lawsuit against the city, attorney Carl Douglas said. Taylor Romine, CNN, 21 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'file/initiate a lawsuit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near file/initiate a lawsuit

Cite this Entry

“File/initiate a lawsuit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/file%2Finitiate%20a%20lawsuit. Accessed 1 Jun. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!