A complaint, as it applies to legal offences, is a type of document that outlines the specific problems that an individual has that he or she claims another is responsible for. It is most commonly used in civil law as a term that describes the document that outlines the charges that one person is filing against another, similar to the charges that the police file against a person in criminal law. A complaint specifically outlines the details of why the person is allegedly responsible for the situation. It will name specifically what they are responsible for, why and how. It will also list the type of restitution that the complaint filer is requesting. A complaint is the initiation of a lawsuit.