bill of particulars

bill of particulars. A formal, detailed statement of the claims or charges brought by a plaintiff or a prosecutor, usu. filed in response to the defendant’s request for a more specific complaint. • The bill of particulars has been abolished in federal civil actions and replaced by the motion for a more definite statement. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(e). But it is still used in some states (such as California) and in federal criminal cases. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 7(f).

— Also termed statement of particulars. See MOTION FOR MORE DEFINITE STATEMENT . [Cases: Indictment and Information 121; Pleading 313. C.J.S. Indictments and Informations § 137; Pleading § 531.]

“Although it has been said that the bill of particulars is not a discovery device, it seems plain that it is a means of discovery, though of a limited nature. It is the one method open to a defendant in a criminal case to secure the details of the charge against him.” 1 Charles Alan Wright, Federal Practice and Procedure § 129, at 646–47 (3d ed. 1999).

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词条贡献者

译者筠怡，毕业于法国顶尖的高级翻译学院，擅长翻译各种与产品责任与集体侵权诉讼相关的法律文件。