Briefly explain the steps involved in the pretrial litigation process

What will be an ideal response?

To initiate a lawsuit, the plaintiff must file a complaint in the proper court. The complaint names the parties to the lawsuit, alleges the ultimate facts and law violated, and contains a "prayer for relief" for a remedy to be awarded by the court. Following this, the defendant must file an answer to the complaint and can also file a cross-complaint against the plaintiff to claim damages. The plaintiff replies to the defendant's cross complaint. If other persons have an interest in a lawsuit, they may intervene and become parties to the lawsuit. A statute of limitations establishes the period during which a plaintiff must bring a lawsuit against a defendant. If a lawsuit is not filed within this time period, the plaintiff loses his or her right to sue.