Rule 3 Commencement of Action

A civil lawsuit officially starts the moment someone files a complaint with the court. The complaint is the document that lays out what the person is suing about and what they want the court to do. Once it's filed, the case is considered open and moving forward.

This rule is short, but it matters because it sets the exact starting point for a lawsuit. That start date can affect things like deadlines for serving other documents, how long a case has been going on, and whether certain time limits (like statutes of limitations) have been met. In short, filing the complaint is the official first step that gets a case going in court.