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Variables petitioner and respondent provide detailed information about all parties, except the identity of the state if a state (or one of its subdivisions) is a party, petitioner and respondent variables note only whether a state is a party, not the state's name.
Civil defendants[edit] In a civil lawsuit, a defendant (or a respondent) is also the accused party, although not of an offense, but of a civil wrong (a tort or a breach of contract, for instance). The person who starts the civil action through filing a complaint is referred to as the plaintiff. Defendants in civil actions usually make their first court appearance voluntarily in response to a summons. Historically, civil defendants could be taken into custody under a writ of Caspian ad respondent.