DC Superior Court General Civil Case Cover Sheet - Preparation Worksheet - District of Columbia

District of Columbia Litigation & Court Documents Updated September 4, 2026 Free Word and PDF

D.C. SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL ACTIONS INFORMATION-SHEET PREPARATION AID

DO NOT FILE THIS PAGE AS THE INFORMATION SHEET. Complete and file the
current official Civil Division — Civil Actions Branch Information Sheet,
Form CV-496
. The live D.C. Courts form page and PDF control.

1. Current filing set

The D.C. Courts' current Civil Actions instructions require:

  • ☐ Complaint
  • ☐ One prepared summons for each defendant
  • ☐ One Civil Actions Branch Information Sheet
  • ☐ Current filing payment or a fee-waiver application, as applicable

Current official form page:
https://www.dccourts.gov/court-resources/search-forms/information-sheet-civil-actions

Current official English PDF:
https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/Information_Sheet_Civil_Actions.pdf

2. Caption and filer information

Transcribe the case information into the official form:

Official field Entry
Plaintiff(s) [________________________________]
Defendant(s) [________________________________]
Case number, if assigned [________________________________]
Date [__/__/____]
Defendant sued in official capacity ☐ Yes ☐ No
Filer name [________________________________]
Firm name [________________________________]
Telephone [________________________________]
D.C. Bar number [________________________________]
Relationship to lawsuit ☐ Attorney for plaintiff ☐ Self-represented ☐ Other: [________________]

3. Case type and demand

Select the option that matches the official form and the actual pleadings:

  • ☐ Non-jury
  • ☐ Six-person jury
  • ☐ Twelve-person jury

Demand: $[________________________________]

Other relief or information requested by the current form:
[________________________________]

4. Related cases

The official form asks for pending cases related to the new action.

Case number Judge Calendar number
[________________________________] [________________________________] [________________________________]
[________________________________] [________________________________] [________________________________]

☐ No pending related case identified after review.

5. Nature of suit

The official form directs the filer to check one box only. Review its
current printed choices and select the closest accurate category. Its current
category groups include:

  • ☐ Contract
  • ☐ Collection / insurance subrogation
  • ☐ Employment dispute
  • ☐ Real property
  • ☐ Administrative proceeding or agency appeal
  • ☐ Malpractice
  • ☐ International or foreign judgment
  • ☐ Civil asset forfeiture
  • ☐ Name change / vital-record amendment
  • ☐ Tort
  • ☐ General civil
  • ☐ Product liability
  • ☐ Civil I / complex civil
  • ☐ Mortgage foreclosure
  • ☐ Statutory claim
  • ☐ Tax-sale foreclosure
  • ☐ Vehicle
  • ☐ Traffic-adjudication appeal
  • ☐ Foreign judgment
  • ☐ Other exact current form choice: [________________________________]

Selected official label: [________________________________]

Pleading paragraph or requested relief supporting that selection:
[________________________________]

Do not invent an A-01, B-01, or similar docket code. Form CV-496 uses printed
descriptive checkboxes, not the alphanumeric code table formerly presented at
this URL.

6. Signature

Official field Entry
Filer or attorney printed name [________________________________]
Signature [________________________________]
Date [__/__/____]

7. Filing and privacy check

Before filing, check the live Civil Actions page for current methods, payment,
hours, addresses, and system links. The current page lists mail, in-person,
drop-box, and electronic filing through eFileDC. Do not use the former
CaseFileXpress directions preserved in older drafts of this template.

For an electronic filing, confirm that private information has been redacted
as directed by the current court page before upload:

  • ☐ No Social Security or taxpayer-identification numbers
  • ☐ No driver's-license or identification numbers
  • ☐ Birth dates reduced to the permitted form
  • ☐ Minor names reduced to initials
  • ☐ Financial account numbers reduced to the permitted last four digits

8. Final control check

  • ☐ The live form page still identifies CV-496 as the Civil Actions Information Sheet.
  • ☐ The downloaded PDF title and revision footer were checked.
  • ☐ Every entry matches the complaint and current official form.
  • ☐ One nature-of-suit box only is selected.
  • ☐ The complaint, summonses, information sheet, and any payment or waiver item are assembled under current instructions.
  • ☐ This preparation aid is not included as a substitute court filing.

Sources and references

  • D.C. Courts, Civil Actions:
    https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-divisions/civil-division/civil-actions

  • D.C. Courts, Information Sheet (Civil Actions):
    https://www.dccourts.gov/court-resources/search-forms/information-sheet-civil-actions

  • Official Form CV-496 (February 2023):
    https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/Information_Sheet_Civil_Actions.pdf

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About this template

Last updated
September 4, 2026
Last reviewed
October 23, 2026
Jurisdiction
District of Columbia
Category
Litigation & Court Documents

These are the filings that drive a lawsuit through the system: complaints, answers, motions, briefs, discovery requests and responses, and post-judgment papers. Each has its own format requirements under federal and state procedural rules, and each has a deadline that cannot be missed without consequences. Clean, procedurally correct filings move a case forward; sloppy ones invite motions to strike, amended responses, and avoidable delays.

Not legal advice

This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.

Checked against the law it cites

A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on October 23, 2026.

D.C. Superior Court Civil Actions Branch filing instructions (checked October 23, 2026): "To start a Civil Actions case, you must file a Complaint, a Summons, and a case Information Sheet with the court."

D.C. Superior Court Form CV-496 (Information Sheet) (checked October 23, 2026): "CIVIL DIVISION - CIVIL ACTIONS BRANCH INFORMATION SHEET"

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