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Someone may have filed a lawsuit against you, but that doesn't mean that you have to go to trial – or even that they're entitled to a trial. The complaint may be missing an essential fact or claim necessary to create a cause of action under the law, or it may have been filed in the wrong court, or you may not be responsible for the person's injuries. In these situations, you may want to file a motion to dismiss. These motions can be extensive legal documents accompanied by detailed briefs, but they don't need to be. In many cases, you can draft a simple motion that covers the basic deficiencies in the complaint. [1] X Research source