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Terms Used In Maryland Code, FAMILY LAW 10-313

  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • state: means :

    (1) a state, possession, territory, or commonwealth of the United States; or

    (2) the District of Columbia. See
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle, Part III of this subtitle applies to all proceedings under this subtitle.

(b) An individual or a support enforcement agency may initiate a proceeding authorized under this subtitle by filing a complaint in an initiating tribunal for forwarding to a responding tribunal or by filing a complaint or a comparable pleading directly in a tribunal of another state or foreign country which has or can obtain personal jurisdiction over the defendant.