A lawsuit in civil courts is initiated by filing a petition with the court. This petition must contain certain mandatory elements required by law. If the lawsuit is subject to a fee, the petition is registered with the relevant court after the fee and advance expenses are collected; if it is not subject to a fee, only the advance expenses are collected. At this point, your lawsuit is filed. In civil lawsuits, the person filing the lawsuit is called the “plaintiff.” The person on the opposing side of the lawsuit is called the “defendantit