Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), an officer or employee of any agency of the United States, a state, a territory, a political subdivision of a state or territory, or an Indian tribe, who has legal authority to investigate an official inquiry into a potential violation of the law or prosecute a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding because of an alleged violation of the law.

Legal claim or dispute brought into a court of law. Also called suit .