When the newspaper refused to admit that the story was false, the actor 'filed/initiated a lawsuit' against the publisher. [=the actor sued the publisher]
They agreed to pay $100,000 to 'settle a lawsuit'. [=to end a lawsuit before the court made a decision about it]
a complex 'lawsuit' [='suit'] that may take years to resolve
(..) Sagman, Bennett, Robbins, Oppenheim and Taff. Sagman, Bennett, Robbins, Oppenheim and Taff. Of course, they handled my tattoo-removal lawsuit. - Oh, that was you. - Imagine. Spelling "mom" with two O's. That's very funny. - What do you do? (..)1990 TvShow: Seinfeld Title: The Stakeout Season: 1 Episode 2