Certified Legal Assistant Certified Paralegal (CLA-CP) Practice Test 2025 - Free Paralegal Practice Questions and Study Guide

The term that refers to the documents initiating a lawsuit, including the complaint and answer, is "pleadings." Pleadings are formal written statements submitted to the court that outline each party's claims and defenses. The complaint, which outlines the plaintiff's allegations and requested relief, and the answer, in which the defendant responds to those allegations, both fall under this classification.

Petitions typically refer to specific requests for court action, often in special proceedings. Summonses are documents that inform a defendant of the legal action and compel them to respond, but they do not contain the substantive claims or defenses. Statements of claim can sometimes be used interchangeably with complaints in specific jurisdictions, but they are not a universally recognized term in all court systems.

Thus, in the context of initiating a lawsuit, "pleadings" accurately captures the essence of the documents involved in laying out the issues before the court.