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Starting a Federal Civil Lawsuit: Home

Overview

This guide will provide you with a general overview of starting a Federal Civil Lawsuit. This guide is not comprehensive of all of the information needed to file a federal lawsuit. This guide is intended to provide you with the core essentials to consider before starting a federal civil lawsuit and to assist you with initiating a federal lawsuit. We have numerous materials at the law library that can assist you with more detailed information. In addition to this guide, the law library houses extensive resources for detailed research on federal civil procedure. There are legal terms that may be unfamiliar to you, so we have created a glossary to help you better understand the terms. This guide will cover:

California Federal Courts - Limited Jurisdiction

This guide is tailored with information for to file a civil lawsuit in Federal Southern District Court of Southern California. If you are in a different Federal District, please make sure that you are familiar with rules and procedures for the district court that you are filing in. If you use the wrong districts rules, your lawsuit may be impacted. 

Southern District - 3 Courthouses - two in San Diego, the James M. Carter & Judith N. Keep United States Courthouse and The Honorable Edward J Schwartz Court House, and one courthouse in El Centro. 

                                                               Federal Courthouse of the Southern District of California, tall concrete and glass building with light blue sky and lush green tree                                                               

James M. Carter & Judith N. Keep United States Courthouse 

221 West Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101
 (619) 557-5600

 

                                                                                   

Honorable Edward J Schwartz Court House

333 West Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101
 (619) 557-5600

                                                                                      

El Centro United States Courthouse 

2003 W. Adams Ave, Ste 220
El Centro, CA 92243
 (760) 339-4242

Other Federal Districts

Responding to a Federal Civil Lawsuit

If you are being sued in federal court, this guide is not tailored to you. Please visit the Southern District Courts website. Additionally, here is a link to the Southern Districts Courts handout for Pro Se Defendants. We also have resources at the law library that may be helpful.

Bankruptcy Court - San Diego

Please be aware that there is a separate Federal Courthouse in San Diego for Bankruptcy - The Jacob S. Weinberger United States Courthouse located at 325 West F Street San Diego, California 92101 (619) 557-5620 

Special Jurisdiction Federal Courts (Not located in San Diego, CA)

United States Court of Federal Claims - For specific claims against the United States, such as:

  • Federal tax disputes 
  • Taking of private property (by the government)
  • Military and civilian pay
  • Breaches of contracts involving the federal government
  • Patent and copyright infringement by the federal government
  • Bid protests
  • Vaccine injuries (cases filed under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program)

Here is a link to the US Court of Federal Claims Pro Se Information page.

United States Tax Court - You may only start a case if you have received one of the notices below, from the IRS:

  • A notice of deficiency
  • A notice of determination, or
  • A notice of certification. 

Here is a link to the US Tax Courts Guide for Petitioners: Starting a Case.

US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

You may file an appeal in the US Court of Veterans Appeals for a decision about your VA benefits AFTER you have received a final decision from the Board of Veterans Appeals. Click here for more information from the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims about the process.