Well-Pleaded Complaint Law and Legal Definition
Well-pleaded complaint refers to an original pleading that sets forth a claim of relief. The following are the grounds set forth in the claim:
1.Court’s jurisdiction;
2.the basis for the relief claimed;
3.a demand for judgment.
In Bilal v. Burns Sec. Services, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19780 (E.D. Tex. Feb. 18, 1991), it was held that the well-pleaded complaint is a hypothetical ideal complaint that presents only the well-pleaded facts on its face.
In addition, the well-pleaded complaint also provides that federal jurisdiction exists only when a federal question is presented on the face of a plaintiff's properly pleaded complaint.
