Terms Used In Iowa Code 611.11

  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
 If there is more than one party plaintiff or defendant, who fail to unite on the kind of proceedings to be adopted, the court, on its own motion, may direct such proceedings to be changed to the same extent as if the parties had united in asking it to be done.