Does it matter what a document that starts a lawsuit is called?

Question

Does it matter if it is called a petition or something else besides a "complaint," which is the name of the document specified in the Federal Rules of Civil Proceedure as being the pleading that starts a lawsuit?

Answer 1

yes it matters, the law is very detailed and explicit. So, do you just want to file a complaint or do you want to petition the court for damages.

Answer 2

Not really.  The courts, including the federal courts, regularly "re-denominate" pleadings to comport their title with their content.  In practice, it makes some minor difference because it is a shorthand way of previewing the content for the reader.