In most cases, the caption includes the name of the court, the names of the parties, the case number, and, in certain cases, the name of the judge. The caption might be found on any earlier motion or complaint filed in the court matter. Locate this information in your copy. Then copy and paste it into your word processing document.
A caption must accompany your move. A motion's caption is similar to that of a complaint, except that with a move, you do not need to mention all of the plaintiffs and defendants. In the case of many plaintiffs and/or defendants, you may specify merely the first plaintiff and first defendant, followed by "et al." (for other plaintiffs and defendants).
The purpose of the caption is twofold: first, it provides information about what kind of motion it is; second, it gives notice to other parties involved in the litigation.
For example, if you are the plaintiff in a lawsuit and you file a motion for summary judgment without a caption, then everyone should know that you are seeking summary judgment against only yourself. If you include additional parties in the caption, then they will also be given notice that you are filing a motion for summary judgment.
Similarly, if you are the defendant in a lawsuit and you file a motion for summary judgment without a caption, then everyone should know that you are seeking summary judgment against only yourself.
In general, any word or phrase that identifies the nature of the motion is called a "caption-worthy term". For example, "motion to dismiss" is a caption-worthy term because it tells others what kind of motion it is.
To cite a court case or judgment, include the case name, volume and shortened name of the reporter, page number, court name, year, and optionally the URL. In the in-text citation, the case name is italicized, but not in the reference list. For example: "Harrison v. National Car Rental System, Inc., 253 F.3d 1066 (8th Cir. 2001)." If the case has no short name, use the full name instead. For example: "Harrison v. National Car Rental System, Inc., 253 F.3d 1066 (8th Cir. 2001)."
The abbreviation "U.S." may be used in place of "United States" or "U.S.A." to refer to cases from any federal appellate court. Abbreviations for other courts should be used with great caution as they can cause confusion. For example, an author might abbreviate New York Court of Appeals as N.Y.Ct. App. , which would be incorrect because there is no such court. There is only one New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, and it is referred to as N.Y.Sup. Ct. Div.
The United States Supreme Court: Official Citation
Format For Letter To Judge
Create an introduction. The opening lines of your motion should include your name, involvement in the case, and the action you want the court to take. The first line traditionally begins, "Comes now the defendant," followed by your name. Then you request that the court dismiss the plaintiff's lawsuit. If you want the court to issue an order, then you need to include specific language for the court to use in dismissing the case.
Dismissal is a drastic action and should be used only when necessary. Therefore, your introduction should explain why dismissal is appropriate in this case. For example, you may argue that the statute of limitations has expired, there are insufficient parties, or the claim is barred by collateral estoppel.
Present your evidence against the plaintiff. Next, you should present evidence that supports your argument that dismissal is warranted. This may include documents, witnesses, and even expert testimony if applicable. You should always provide the court with the basis for any opinion testimony that you offer. Expert witnesses can help establish facts not readily apparent from the record and give opinions on those facts. In addition, experts can testify regarding industry standards, predict future behavior, or suggest remedies.
In conclusion, dismissal is a severe action and should be used only when necessary. Therefore, your motion should clearly state why dismissal is appropriate in this case. It should also include relevant evidence to support your argument.