<P> In England and Wales, the term "claimant" replaced "plaintiff" after the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 came into force on 26 April 1999 . The move, which brings England and Wales out of line with general usage in English - speaking jurisdictions, was reportedly based on an assessment that the word "claimant" is more acceptable as "plain English" than the word "plaintiff". In Scottish law a plaintiff is referred to as a "pursuer" and a defendant as a "defender". </P> <P> The party against whom the complaint is made is the defendant; or, in the case of a petition, a respondent . Case names are usually given with the plaintiff first, as in Plaintiff v. Defendant . </P> <P> The similar term "complainant" denotes the complaining witness in a criminal proceeding . </P>

Who is the plaintiff and who is the defendant in a civil court case