Court Opinion
Who's Suing Whom? Terms And Abbreviations In Case Titles
The titles of court cases frequently contain terms and abbreviations that help to indicate the nature of the dispute. The accompanying chart identifies and explains many of the terms that may appear in case titles.
| Term | Definition | Example |
| ad hoc | For this; for this purpose | Capital City Press v. Mouton, Judge ad Hoc |
| ad litem | For the suit; for the litigation | Estate of Langhorn v. Laws, Administrator Ad Litem |
| adm'r | Administrator | Grievance Adm'r v. Lange |
| adm'r de bonis non | Administrator of the remainder of a partially settled estate. | Vogel, Adm'r De Bonis Non v. Wells |
| ad valorem | According to value; a tax imposed on value of property | Aerospace Workers Inc. v. Dept. of Revenue, Division of ad Valorem Taxes |
| a.k.a., a/k/a | Also known as | Luis Barras, a.k.a. Luis Ramos v. State of Texas |
| alter ego | The other self (Alter egoasserts that the defendants are one for purposes of liability) | Ledford v. Mining Specialists, Inc., and Its Alter Ego, Point Mining, Inc. |
| amicus curiae | Friend of the court; one with an interest in the case, but not a party | Livingston v. Guice. United States of America, Amicus Curiae |
| appellant | Party appealing a court's decision to a higher court | Moore, Appellant v. Derwinski, Appellee |
| appellee | Party against whom an appeal is taken | Moore, Appellant v. Derwinski, Appellee |
| certiorari, cert. | Writ requiring a certified record of a case from a court | In re Petition of Johnson for a Writ of Certiorari |
| complainant | One who applies to a court for legal redress | Florida Bar, Complainant v. Clement, Respondent |
| d.b.a., d/b/a | Doing business as | M./t/L. Rendleman d.b.a. Commercial Insulators, Inc. v. Clarke |
| de facto | In fact; in deed; actually | McMullen, a De Facto Guardian v. Muir |
| defendant | Party defending against or denying allegations | Gretencord, Plaintiff v. Ford Motor Co., Defendant |
| defendant in error | Appellee | May v. State of Wisconsin, Defendant in Error |
| duces tecum | A command to produce certain evidence | In re Grand Jury Subpoena Duces Tecum |
| et alius, et allii, et al. | And another; and others | City of Lubbock et alius v. Knox |
| Term | Definition | Example |
| et uxor; et ux. | And wife | Kostohryz et ux. v. McGuire |
| et vir | And husband | Broadwater v. Dorsey et vir |
| ex officio | By virtue of the office | Tenneco Oil Co. v. Stephens, Ex Officio Tax Collector |
| ex parte | By or for one party | Ex parte Johnson |
| ex'r | Executor | Marilyn Haudrich as Ex'r v. Howmedica |
| ex relatione, ex rel. | On information or on behalf of an interested party | State ex rel. Miller v. Miller |
| feme sole | A single woman | Holman, Feme Sole v. Stephen F. Austin Hotel |
| guardian ad litem | Guardian for the suit or litigation (concerning an incompetent or minor) | Grace M., as Guardian ad Litem for Laurie M., a Minor v. Oakland Unified School District |
| habeas corpus | Writ commanding that a person be released from unlawful detention | In re Writ of Habeas Corpus for Martinez |
| in personam | Against the person | Claudio v. United States and Ken's Marine Service, Inc., in personam |
| in re | In the matter of | In re Estate of Lange |
| in rem | Against the thing; against the property | Scindia Steam Navigation Co., Ltd. v. 3,952.536 Metric Tons Peerless Eagle Coal, in rem, et al. |
| inter alia | Among others | Kot v. Inter alia, North East Detective Division |
| inter vivos | Between the living | Rudd v. Ruth inter vivos Family Trust |
| mandamus | Writ commanding the performance of an act or the restoration of illegally deprived rights | Ex parte Sierra Club Petition for Writ of Mandamus v. Alabama Environmental Management Commission |
| n.k.a., n/k/a | Now known as | Bernasek n.k.a. Staron v. Bernasek |
| nunc pro tunc | After a deadline and given retroactive effect | Application of West for Admission to the Bar nunc pro tunc |
| pendente lite | Pending the suit; during the litigation | Parsley, Administrator Pendente Lite v. Harlan |
| petitioner | Party filing a petition | Walton, Petitioner v. Walton, etc., et al., Respondents |
| plaintiff | Party bringing a civil action by filing a complaint | Oetting, Plaintiff v. United States, Defendant |
| plaintiff in error | Appellant | Miles, Plaintiff in Error v. Justice of the Peace Court #13 |
| pro forma | As a matter of form | Pentecostal Church of God of America, a Pro Forma Corporation v. Hughlett |
| pro hac vice | For this occasion | Mohawk Assoc. and Furlough, Inc., as Owner Pro Hac Vice of the Tug Mohawk for exoneration from liability |
| Term | Definition | Example |
| pro se | For one's own behalf; appearing for oneself | Loftin, Individually, pro se v. United States |
| quasi | As if; analogous to | Mount Carbon Metropolitan District, a Quasi-Municipal Corporation, v. Lake George Co. |
| respondent | Appellee | Forehand, Petitioner v. Fogg, Respondent |
| sub nom | Under the name | Jones v. Lujan, sub nom. Hodel |
| versus, vs., v. | Against | Roe v. Wade |
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