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California Courts provide fill-in-the-blank forms for certain types of cases.
PLD-PI-003 Answer - Personal Injury, Property Damage, Wrongful Death
For other types of cases, you may use the Answer template listed above. You can save the samples to your laptop or device and put in your own information.
Note that the template simply provides the general format for the answer. You will need to edit the document to tailor it to your own circumstances and set of facts, and you may wish to do additional research prior to writing and filing these documents.
If you have difficulty or questions, feel free to ask our staff. We cannot give legal advice, but we can help you find resources to enable you to fine tune your research.
Your Answer should include a number of sections, which will be provided on the template and court forms provided by the court.
The Caption - The heading of the legal document, where you list information such as the name of the court, party names, case number, and the name of the action. Refer to the complaint's caption to in your answer.
The Body - This is where you respond to the allegations in the complaint. Warning: If you do not deny an allegation in the complaint, the court may deem it admitted. Proceed cautiously and be sure to carefully review the complaint and your answer.
Affirmative Defenses - If you have any affirmative defenses to assert, be sure to include these following the body of your answer.
Prayer, Date, and Signature Lines - In the prayer for relief, you let the judge know what result you want if you win the case, such as reimbursement for court costs or attorney's fees.
Verification - You must verify the Answer if the Complaint was verified. This simply means that you declare, under oath, that the information in the Answer is true. This may be in a separate document, or at the bottom of the Answer.
Exhibits - Exhibits are not required, but may be attached to the Answer. Any exhibits should be placed after the Answer, and should be marked.
You will want to file your responses in the same court where the Plaintiff filed the Complaint. This Guide focuses on cases filed in San Diego County Superior Court.
With any response, you will file in the same courthouse that the complaint was filed in. You will take your original, plus two copies, to the clerk's office.
You will have to pay a filing fee with your response, but you also have the option to request a fee waiver.
All responses must be properly served on the plaintiff.