Sounds in refers to an underlying legal basis or cause of action in a lawsuit. For example, a tort claim sounds in tort, and a contract claim sounds in contract.
This case from Georgia, shows the use of the phrase “sounds in,” in the context of a fraud claim. The case explains that “a claim ‘sounds in fraud,’ and thus, is subject to the heightened pleading standard for fraud or mistake, when a plaintiff alleges a unified course of fraudulent conduct and relies entirely on that course of conduct as the basis of that claim.”
Similarly, this case from Massachusetts, explains that “a claim for breach of contract ‘sounds in tort,’ when the breach relates to obligations that arise from tort law and not a contractual agreement.”
[Last updated in August of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]