Pleading
the act of advocating a cause in a court of law. In the plural, the written statements of parties in a suit at law, containing the declaration and claim of the plaintiff, or the answer or defense of the defendant. Pleadings consist of the declaration, the plea, the replication, the rejoinder, the sur-rejoinder, the rebutter, the sur-rebutter, etc., which are successively filed. Pleadings were formerly made by word of mouth in court.