If you want to initiate or open a divorce case, use the Complaint/Counter-Complaint for Absolute Divorce (CC-DR-020) or Complaint/Counter-Complaint for Limited Divorce (CC-DR-021). If you want to respond to a divorce case that your spouse has opened, use the Answer (CC-DR-050) and Counter-Complaint (CC-DR-020/021).
A pleading must be in writing and must be signed by all persons joining in it. All pleadings filed in proceedings under the Probate Code must be verified. If two or more persons join in a pleading, it may be verified by any of them.
The complaint should conclude with a paragraph in which the plaintiff sets forth all the relief against the defendant that he or she is seeking from the court. In certain circumstances, the complaint must be verified, which means signed in a certain format under oath, before a notary. CPLR 3020.
Unless a rule or statute specifically states otherwise, a pleading need not be verified or accompanied by an affidavit.
Typically, a plaintiff verifies a complaint by attaching a page at the end containing a statement made under oath that: The plaintiff has reviewed the complaint. The plaintiff knows or believes that all allegations that the plaintiff has personal knowledge of to be true.
Enter the Case Number Enter your case number using one of the following formats: 99-12345. -cv-12345.
File a Notice of Intention to Defend: You must file this within 15 days of receiving the summons. The Notice is on the bottom half of the summons. Once you have responded, the Court will send the plaintiff a copy of this notice. File a Counterclaim, Cross-claim, or a Third-Party Complaint.
On a separate page or pages, write a short and plain statement of the answer to the allegations in the complaint. Number the paragraphs. The answer should correspond to each paragraph in the complaint, with paragraph 1 of the answer corresponding to paragraph 1 of the complaint, etc.