Words used in Unlawful Detainer process.

The meaning of a term as explicitly stated in a drafted document.

Answer:

To respond to a pleading or discovery request; a defendant's first pleading that addresses the merits of the case.

Complaint:

The initial pleading that starts a civil action and states the basis for the court's jurisdiction, the basis for the plaintiff's claim, and the demand for relief.

Default:

The omission or failure to perform a legal or contractual duty.

Defendant:

A person sued in a legal proceeding.

Demand:

To claim as one's due; to require; to seek relief.

Eviction:

The act or process of legally dispossessing a person of land or rental property.

Judgment:

A court's final determination of the right and obligations of the parties in a case.

Notice:

Legal notification required by law or agreement.

Plaintiff:

The party who brings a civil suit in a court of law.

Serve:

To make legal delivery of (a notice or process).

Unlawful Detainer:

The unjustifiable retention of the possession of real property by one whose original entry was lawful, as when a tenant holds over after lease termination despite the landlord's demand for possession.

Writ:

A court's written order, in the name of a state or other competent legal authority, commanding the addressee to do or refrain from doing some specified act.