Lawsuit is a term for a suit or action between two private entities or persons in a court of law. The definition refers to any proceeding by person or parties against another person or parties in a court of law.

A lawsuit may involve dispute resolution of private law situations between persons, business entities or not for profit entities. A lawsuit may also allow the state or federal government to be treated as if it were a private party, usually in civil cases.

While most Lawsuits are settled before ever reaching a trial they can be very expensive to litigate. Litigation can be even more expensive in cases between the federal government where federal court may apply federal laws or state laws. This is done when the jurisdiction is in question

The phases or procedure of a lawsuit are: Pleading, Pretrial Discovery, Trial & Judgment, Appeal & Enforcement.