FILING SUIT: The responsibility for filling out your petition rests with you, the plaintiff. If you are under investigation, the criminal process has begun.Pleadings are certain formal documents filed with the court that state the parties' basic positions. In general, Texas has very few official legal forms. Most legal disputes end with settlement. Parties instituting a civil action in a district court are required to pay a filing fee pursuant to Title 28, U.S. Code, Section 1914. This article tells you how to file an answer in a family law case (such as a divorce, custody, paternity, or modification case).