Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 811.02

  • Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
  • 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.
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Property: includes real and personal property. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • seal: includes the word "seal" the letters "L S" and a scroll or other device intended to represent a seal, if any is affixed in the proper place for a seal, as well as an impression of a seal on the instrument. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
  • Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.

The writ of attachment shall be issued by a judge or other judicial officer on the request of the plaintiff at any time before final judgment and after a summons and a complaint are filed. It shall be directed to the sheriff of some county in which the property of the defendant is supposed to be, and shall require the sheriff to attach all the property of the defendant within the county or so much thereof as may be sufficient to satisfy the plaintiff’s demand, together with costs and expenses. It shall be in the name of the court and be sealed with its seal. If the amount of money sought was excluded from the demand for judgment, as required under s. 802.02 (1m), the court shall require the plaintiff to specify the amount of money claimed and provide that information to the court and to the other parties prior to the court issuing the writ.