John Doe Letter

A John Doe Letter is a legal document used to identify an unknown party in a lawsuit. When a plaintiff wants to sue someone whose name is not known, they file the lawsuit using a placeholder name, like "John Doe" for men or "Jane Doe" for women. This allows the legal process to begin while the plaintiff continues to investigate and gather information to identify the actual defendant. Once the party is identified, the official name can be substituted in the court documents. This process helps ensure that legal rights are protected even when full details are initially unavailable.