Also known as: orators · oratrix · oratrices · petitioner · complainant
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A plaintiff or petitioner in an action in chancery.
Opal Okoro filed a petition seeking to modify an existing custody order. She showed that the child had been integrated into her household with the custodian's consent. The court treated Opal as the orator and granted the modification under the applicable statute.
Odessa Okada, residing in one state, initiated a support proceeding against the respondent in another state. She filed her petition directly in a tribunal that could obtain personal jurisdiction. The court recognized Odessa as the orator and forwarded the matter for enforcement.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Orson Ochoa commenced a parentage proceeding. He provided notice to the woman who gave birth, the presumed parent, and the individual whose parentage was at issue. The court identified Orson as the orator and required compliance with the notice provisions.
Omar Olson sought immediate physical custody after registering a prior determination. The court found he was entitled to custody and ordered the respondent to surrender the child unless certain defenses were established. Omar proceeded as the orator in the enforcement action.
Orla O'Malley filed a support petition in an initiating state that was forwarded to the responding tribunal. Upon receipt the responding court filed the petition and notified Orla of the filing details. The court treated Orla as the orator throughout the interstate proceeding.
Oscar Ortiz, as orator, filed a verified petition in equity seeking to perpetuate testimony for an anticipated action. He identified the expected adverse parties and the facts to be established. The court accepted the filing and scheduled the hearing on the petition.
The term designates the plaintiff or petitioner who initiates an action in chancery. Courts historically used the label to identify the party seeking equitable relief.
Supporting sources
The orator functions as the initiating party who files the petition, just as a petitioner does under the uniform acts. The label is archaic but carries the same procedural function of commencing the proceeding.
Supporting sources
Yes. The orator must give notice to the woman who gave birth, any parent under the act, presumed or adjudicated parents, and any individual whose parentage is to be adjudicated.
A court may grant immediate physical custody upon finding the orator is entitled to it, unless the respondent establishes that the determination was not registered or that the issuing court lacked jurisdiction.
…He brought this civil libel action against the four individual petitioners, who are Negroes and Alabama clergymen, and against petitioner the New York Times Company, a New York corporation which publishes the New York Times, a daily newspaper. A jury in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County awarded him damages of $500,000,…