Also known as: prays · prayed · praying · prayer · prayers · petition · request for relief
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
To make a formal request to a court or other tribunal for a specified form of relief or remedy.
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Pedro Pacheco drafted a complaint against a city ordinance restricting public protests. In the prayer for relief he asked the court to declare the ordinance unconstitutional and enjoin its enforcement. The court accepted the filing and scheduled a hearing on the requested injunction.
Perry Pratt and his spouse each filed sworn statements that their marriage was irretrievably broken. The court conducted the required hearing and entered a finding that the marriage was irretrievably broken, allowing the dissolution action to proceed.
Piper Patel filed a petition seeking alimony and child support after her spouse stopped providing financial assistance. The court evaluated the parties' respective needs and ability to pay before ordering monthly payments.
Phoebe Park filed a petition in her home state tribunal seeking child support from the child's father who resided in another state. The initiating tribunal forwarded the petition to the responding tribunal that could exercise personal jurisdiction over the father.
Paige Porter filed a verified petition for dissolution of marriage that alleged the marriage was irretrievably broken and supplied the required personal and marital information. The court accepted the petition and set the matter for further proceedings.
Priscilla Parks filed a petition to adopt a child in the county where she resided. The court confirmed that the petition satisfied the state's residency requirement for adoption proceedings and scheduled the necessary hearings.
It means the party is formally requesting that the court grant a specific remedy such as damages, an injunction, or a declaration of rights.
Supporting sources
Yes. A plaintiff who prays for an amount below the jurisdictional threshold may prevent removal to federal court when state law truly limits recovery to the prayed-for sum.
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Yes. Under Rule 54(c) a court may award any relief to which a party is entitled even if the pleadings did not demand that particular remedy.
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…Reasonable information had been denied at the Department of State. Although a respectful memorial had been made to the Senate praying that their Secretary be permitted to give extracts from the executive journals, the request was denied. The applicants therefore summoned witnesses to attend court whose voluntary…