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.

Examples of file/initiate a lawsuit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The earliest case cited by legal experts dates back to 1842, when a litigant chose to file a lawsuit in federal rather than state court in New York to gain a strategic advantage over his adversary. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2024 The Gainers are focused on burying their loved one but plan to file a lawsuit, the family’s attorney DeWitt Lacy told The Washington Post on Thursday. Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Entirely separate from that process is the right of Jay’s family — more than a dozen of whom gathered Monday for a news conference — to file a lawsuit alleging the man’s civil rights were violated when the officer entered his home and started shooting. Katie Mettler, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 However, Morrissey did file a lawsuit under seal against Lifetime's parent company A&E Television Networks ahead of its release, seeking to halt the release of the documentary. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 That move pushed Attorney General Josh Kaul and Gov. Tony Evers, both Democrats, to file a lawsuit to overturn the law altogether. Journal Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2024 If the Marines denies the claim or the two parties don’t reach agreement on a settlement, then the recruit could file a lawsuit. Emily Brindley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2024 For instance, the building owner could file a lawsuit against Atmos or against contractors or appliance manufacturers, if any of those are found to be responsible for the explosion. Emily Brindley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2024 But not everyone believes that Musk will follow through and file a lawsuit against the ADL. Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2023

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.

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Cite this Entry

“File/initiate a lawsuit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/file%2Finitiate%20a%20lawsuit. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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