Civil Complaints
What is a Civil Complaint?
The complaint is the document that you file with the magisterial district court to begin your civil action against a person or business. You are listed as the plaintiff and the person you are suing is the defendant.
What information do I need to file a Civil Complaint?
You will need to include on the form the correct name and address of all defendants so they may be properly given notice that a civil action has been filed against them. If notice is not properly served, the case can proceed no further until you provide a valid name and address.
You will also need to include the amount of monetary damages you are requesting as part of your claim. The clerks of the magisterial district court will complete the filing cost and docket number portions of the complaint. Please do not include the filing costs as part of your claim.
Where do I file?
The complaint must be filed with a magisterial district court that has venue over the claim. Venue is the geographic location where either a defendant can be served or where the cause of action occurred. Landlord / tenant complaints are filed where the property is located.
What do I include in the claim?
The first line of the claim has a line for you to fill in the amount you are owed because of the actions of the defendant. Amounts of more than $12,000 cannot be filed with the magisterial district court. Your claim must be on the form, not on attached sheets. For example, the defendant has not paid money owed to you under a contract, or the defendant's vehicle struck your vehicle causing damages.
Include the time, date, and/or place of the contract or accident into the claim.
The complaint is the document that you file with the magisterial district court to begin your civil action against a person or business. You are listed as the plaintiff and the person you are suing is the defendant.
What information do I need to file a Civil Complaint?
You will need to include on the form the correct name and address of all defendants so they may be properly given notice that a civil action has been filed against them. If notice is not properly served, the case can proceed no further until you provide a valid name and address.
You will also need to include the amount of monetary damages you are requesting as part of your claim. The clerks of the magisterial district court will complete the filing cost and docket number portions of the complaint. Please do not include the filing costs as part of your claim.
Where do I file?
The complaint must be filed with a magisterial district court that has venue over the claim. Venue is the geographic location where either a defendant can be served or where the cause of action occurred. Landlord / tenant complaints are filed where the property is located.
What do I include in the claim?
The first line of the claim has a line for you to fill in the amount you are owed because of the actions of the defendant. Amounts of more than $12,000 cannot be filed with the magisterial district court. Your claim must be on the form, not on attached sheets. For example, the defendant has not paid money owed to you under a contract, or the defendant's vehicle struck your vehicle causing damages.
Include the time, date, and/or place of the contract or accident into the claim.