the court’s name and division (Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Ocala,
Orlando, or Tampa), the parties’ names and designations
(plaintiff or defendant), the case number if known, and a
descriptive title, such as “Complaint.” Here is an example of a
caption you would see at the top of a complaint:
Subject-Matter Jurisdiction. A complaint must include a short
statement of the basis for subject-matter jurisdiction, which is
what gives the court, as a federal court, the authority to hear and
resolve your claim. As explained in the above section, “Is This
the Right Court to Decide My Dispute?” your action must
involve a right in the United States Constitution, a federal law,
the United States of America or one of its agencies as a party, or
a dispute between citizens of different states with an amount in
controversy that is more than $75,000. You must tell the court
which category matches your facts and how it matches those
facts so the court knows it can hear and resolve your claim.
Claim or Claims. A complaint must include a short statement
of the claim or claims showing you are entitled to relief. In this
section, you must include the core facts that support each
element of your claim. When you write your claim, you must
explain what happened by stating facts, not conclusions or what
relief you want. For example, do this, “The Commissioner of
the Social Security Administration issued a final decision
denying my claim for disability benefits on July 27, 1997”; not
this, “The Commissioner of the Social Security Administration
denied me my right to benefits.” A complaint is no place for a
citation to a case, an argument, a long diatribe, or a rambling
narrative.
Demand for Relief. A complaint must include a demand for
judgment stating the relief sought, such as damages (money), a
court order, and possibly a jury trial (you usually must ask for
one in your complaint if you want one).
If you are seeking a temporary restraining order (an immediate
order prohibiting the other side from doing something or
requiring the other side to do something), you must follow the
Local Rules and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure addressing
a temporary restraining order. If you are seeking a preliminary
injunction (an order at the beginning of the action prohibiting a