Cambridge Dictionary defines the term “law suit” as “a problem taken to the law court by an ordinary person or an organization rather than the police in order to obtain a legal decision.” For instance, a former employee may bring lawful action against an employer for unfair dismissal, or a consumer may file a dispute against a big business because of damages sustained from using a faulty product.

Filing a claim is more commonly referred to as “suing”. In order to “sue”, you must have been directly affected by the dispute you are suing about. In legal terms, you must have “standing.” Therefore, the first step involved in suing is determining whether or not you have the sufficient grounds to sue another person or a business.

A dispute can only be filed by a natural person or lawful entity with the licit capacity to be a part of the case. These may include a single person, a corporation, a business, the government, or even thousands of people (if plaintiffs are able to convince the court that many people have similar interests in the subject matter of the dispute). Generally, children under the age of eighteen (18) and people who are considered mentally incompetent are deemed to have a “legal disability”, and can only undertake judicial proceedings through a judicial representative.

When suing a person, you should know their legitimate name and any aliases, as well as their address. For businesses, you must determine the type of business.For a sole proprietorship, you bring charges against the person who runs the business, regardless of the actual name of the business. When suing a corporation, you file against the corporation under its legally registered name. For a limited partnership, you must know the full name and address of the limited alliance; name and address of the general or managing partner; and name and address of the agent for service of process.

A recent celebrity case which has received great attention is the action brought against Fox News by Fox Reporter Diana Falzone who accused it of discriminating against her on the basis of her gender and her fight against a chronic disease.