Also known as: relators · relatrix · relatrices · informant
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
3 senses
The real party in interest in whose name a state or attorney general brings a lawsuit. In qui tam actions the relator initiates the suit on behalf of the government and may share in any recovery.
The applicant who seeks a writ of mandamus, prohibition, or quo warranto in the name of the state.
A person who furnishes information on which a civil or criminal case is based.
Each sense below has its own examples, sources, and questions.
The real party in interest in whose name a state or attorney general brings a lawsuit. In qui tam actions the relator initiates the suit on behalf of the government and may share in any recovery.
A relator initiates a qui tam action in the government's name and may share in recovery. An ordinary informant merely supplies information without filing suit or claiming a share of proceeds.
The applicant who seeks a writ of mandamus, prohibition, or quo warranto in the name of the state.
A relator may seek mandamus when the real party in interest lacks capacity to sue in its own name and the writ is necessary to compel performance of a public duty.
A person who furnishes information on which a civil or criminal case is based.
Rosa Ruiz provided police with specific information that Raymond Ramos carried a handgun in his waistband. An officer conducting a Terry stop reached directly into the waistband and recovered the weapon. The seizure was upheld because the informant's tip supplied the precise location of the suspected firearm.
Informant Renata Russo supplied details about drug activity at a warehouse. Officers corroborated travel logs and meeting times. The court found probable cause under the totality of circumstances even though the informant's past reliability was unproven.
After indictment, prosecutors placed informant Riley Rivera in Ryan Roberts's cell. Rivera listened but asked no questions. The court admitted Roberts's statements because the informant took no action deliberately designed to elicit incriminating remarks.
The government paid informant Rhea Reynolds to share a cell with an indicted defendant. Reynolds asked pointed questions about the charged offense. The court suppressed the resulting statements because the informant deliberately elicited them after indictment.
No. The Sixth Amendment is violated only when the relator deliberately elicits statements rather than merely listening. Passive presence alone does not trigger suppression.