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Litigation means filing a lawsuit with the court. A lawsuit begins when a petition is filed by one of the parties with the clerk of the court. This petition contains legal and factual bases for asking the court to make a ruling. The person filing the lawsuit selects the proper place to bring the lawsuit. The clerk of a court signs or stamps the court seal upon a citation, which is then served on the respondent, together with a copy of the petition. By providing a copy of the petition, the service also notifies the respondents of the reason for the claims, and that the respondents have been sued. Once the respondents are served with the summons and petition, they are subject to a time limit to file an answer stating their defenses to the claims, and any counterclaims they wish to assert.
You can click here to see a sample Answer to Litigation that a defendant must file.