Prayer Definition and Legal Meaning

On this page, you'll find the legal definition and meaning of Prayer, written in plain English, along with examples of how it is used.

What is Prayer?

History and Meaning of Prayer

In the legal sense, prayer is not related to the act of religious prayer. Instead, it refers to a request made in a legal pleading to a court, typically seeking specific relief or remedy. A prayer is the specific request or demand made by the plaintiff in a lawsuit.

Examples of Prayer

Here are a few examples of how prayer might appear in legal pleadings:

• "The plaintiff respectfully prays for judgment against the defendant in the amount of $10,000."
• "The plaintiff requests this court to order the defendant to cease and desist from infringing on its trademark, as well as award damages for past infringement as the court sees fit."
• "The plaintiff prays for a preliminary injunction to prevent the defendant from demolishing the building in question until the lawsuit is resolved."

Legal Terms Similar to Prayer

Here are a few related legal terms that might come up in the context of prayer:

• Relief: This refers to the specific remedy that a plaintiff seeks in a lawsuit. It could be something like a monetary award, an injunction, or a declaratory judgment.
• Complaint: This is the initial legal document that a plaintiff files to begin a lawsuit.
• Damages: This refers to the amount of money that a plaintiff seeks to compensate them for the harm they suffered as a result of the defendant's actions.
• Injunction: A court order that requires a party to stop doing a specific action or to perform a specific action.