NJ Case Information Statement

Have you ever wondered how courts manage to keep themselves organized?  Most of them use a Case Information Statement (CIS) – a type of a cover sheet filed with the court clerk at the initiation of a civil lawsuit.  A CIS has information which lets the judge and court clerk know what type of a case is being brought by the parties.  The NJ Case Information Statement is the form used by the New Jersey Superior Court for this process.

In many courts, including the New Jersey superior court, the CIS is also used to designate the case to a particular “track” which places limits on how long the period of discovery should be.  Discovery is the pre-trial phase in a lawsuit during which each party obtains evidence from the opposing party by means of discovery devices including requests for answers to interrogatories, production of documents, as well as admissions and depositions.

Taking a closer look at the NJ Case Information Statement, you’ll note that it requires you to fill in general information including the name and contact details of the party and the attorney representing the party, the underlying subject matter of the lawsuit, and the amount of remedies demanded. The form also asks for the county of the venue, the docket number, and the case type number, which you will find on page 2.  For example, if the case is involves a whistleblowing act or invokes the conscientious employee protection act (CEPA), the case number is 616 and the track number is III indicating that 450 days of discovery will be designated to the case.

Other questions that are typically asked on a CIS include whether there are additional parties to be joined, if the lawsuit is a potential class action or another type of complex case, if there are similar actions pending in other court, and if there is a need for a jury.  In family law cases (such as divorce and child custody matters), the questions asked on the Case Information Statement tend to be longer and more detailed, including each party’s employment situation, current income, and assets and liabilities.

One important thing to remember in filling out a NJ CaseInformation Statement form is that you must fill it out completely and have it signed by your attorney, or the pleading may be rejected for filing.  If you are an attorney or are acting pro se, get started filling out your NJ Case Information Statement with PDFfiller now.