A complaint is considered verified if, in the complaint, the plaintiff swears under penalty of perjury that everything is true and correct. Sometimes the verification will be separate from the complaint; other times it will be included at the end of the Complaint itself.
Verification. (a) Generally. A verification is a statement under oath that the pleading is true to the knowledge of the deponent, except as to matters alleged on information and belief, and that as to those matters he believes it to be true.
Verification of complaints is largely optional under the CPLR. There are some statutes, however, that require a verified complaint in certain circumstances. See New York Statute Search; see also Overview – Initiating a Special Proceeding.
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.
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.
If it is verified, the plaintiff makes assertions under the pains and penalties of perjury. A verified complaint also forces the defendant to respond to the lawsuit with a verified answer. This tactic forces the defendant to immediately make statements about the allegations under oath.
Unless a rule or statute specifically states otherwise, a pleading need not be verified or accompanied by an affidavit.
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The Verified Complaint is the document your spouse and your spouse's lawyer have written up to give to the court to explain why he or she should be given a divorce from you. In New York State, because of the way the laws are written, you must have “grounds” in order to get divorced.