General Civil Case Cover Sheet - Preparation Worksheet - Minnesota
MINNESOTA GENERAL CIVIL CASE COVER SHEET
Official-Form Locator and Preparation Packet
DO NOT FILE THIS PACKET. Obtain the current cover sheet, civil-action information form, e-filing screen, local form, or written clerk instruction accepted for the selected filing. This worksheet contains no official case codes or clerk fields.
1. Court and Form Control
| Control item | Verified entry |
|---|---|
| Court name and level | [________________________________] |
| County or other filing location | [________________________________] |
| Division, branch, or assigned program | [________________________________] |
| Clerk office | [________________________________] |
| Filing method | ☐ e-filing ☐ paper ☐ other: [____________] |
| E-filing system and account | [________________________________] |
| Official form or screen title | [________________________________] |
| Form number, if any | [________________________________] |
| Revision or effective date | [________________________________] |
| Official source URL | [________________________________] |
| Source access date | [__/__/____] |
| Clerk confirmation, name, and date | [________________________________] |
| Reviewing Minnesota attorney | [________________________________] |
Required Source Attachment
☐ Current official form attached
☐ Current e-filing screenshots or field list attached
☐ Current local rule or written clerk instruction attached
☐ Current fee or deposit instruction attached
☐ No cover sheet is required; written confirmation attached
No one may transcribe this packet until at least one current accepted source is attached.
2. Filing and Case Control
| Item | Verified entry |
|---|---|
| Filing date | [__/__/____] |
| New action, removed action, appeal, transfer, or other | [________________________________] |
| Existing civil action number, if any | [________________________________] |
| Related action or proceeding | [________________________________] |
| Underlying agency, arbitration, or other matter | [________________________________] |
| Complaint, petition, notice, or initiating document | [________________________________] |
| Concurrent motion or application | [________________________________] |
| Emergency presentation requested | [________________________________] |
| Confidential, sealed, protected, or redacted material issue | [________________________________] |
| Filing deadline and source | [________________________________] |
3. Caption Facts
Transfer the caption exactly from the initiating document and current official form.
| Caption item | Verified entry |
|---|---|
| Plaintiff or petitioner | [________________________________] |
| Defendant or respondent | [________________________________] |
| Additional parties | [________________________________] |
| Party capacities | [________________________________] |
| Entity names checked against formation records | ☐ |
| Minor, protected person, estate, trust, or representative capacity reviewed | ☐ |
| Public body or official capacity reviewed | ☐ |
| Caption matches initiating document | ☐ |
Caption Preview
| Party | Role |
|---|---|
| [PLAINTIFF OR PETITIONER], | Plaintiff / Petitioner |
| v. | |
| [DEFENDANT OR RESPONDENT], | Defendant / Respondent |
4. Attorney and Party Information
| Role | Name | Bar number or self-represented status | Firm | Address | Phone | Filing responsibility | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] |
| [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] |
Lead counsel: [________________________________]
Local counsel: [________________________________]
Service contact distinct from filing contact: [________________________________]
5. Action Classification Transcription
Do not invent or translate a case code. Copy the exact current official label and code, if any.
| Official field | Exact available choices | Selected choice | Factual basis | Attorney approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary action type | [ATTACH OR TRANSCRIBE] | [____] | [____] | [____] |
| Secondary action type | [ATTACH OR TRANSCRIBE] | [____] | [____] | [____] |
| Case track or management type | [ATTACH OR TRANSCRIBE] | [____] | [____] | [____] |
| Subject-matter designation | [ATTACH OR TRANSCRIBE] | [____] | [____] | [____] |
| Other required code | [ATTACH OR TRANSCRIBE] | [____] | [____] | [____] |
Why the selected primary category is the closest available choice: [________________________________]
Clerk guidance for an ambiguous category: [________________________________]
6. Relief and Amount Fields
Complete only the fields appearing on the accepted current form or screen.
| Possible field | Required? | Verified entry | Source field label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monetary relief | ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not shown | [________________] | [________________] |
| Equitable or declaratory relief | ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not shown | [________________] | [________________] |
| Property or possession relief | ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not shown | [________________] | [________________] |
| Amount in controversy | ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not shown | $[____________] | [________________] |
| Punitive or statutory remedy indicator | ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not shown | [________________] | [________________] |
| Other relief field | ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not shown | [________________] | [________________] |
Do not use a cover-sheet amount or checkbox as a substitute for the pleading's allegations, prayer, jurisdictional analysis, or damages review.
7. Jury, ADR, and Case-Management Fields
This packet makes no jury demand, waiver, ADR election, exemption claim, or case-management designation.
| Official field | Exact form choice | Separate filing or source needed? | Completed by | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jury field | [________________] | [________________] | [________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Mediation or ADR field | [________________] | [________________] | [________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Arbitration field | [________________] | [________________] | [________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Special management field | [________________] | [________________] | [________________] | [__/__/____] |
| Related-case field | [________________] | [________________] | [________________] | [__/__/____] |
Separate jury or ADR document reviewed: [________________________________]
8. Fee, Deposit, and Payment Control
| Item | Current amount or instruction | Official source and date | Applies? | Payment evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiating filing fee or deposit | [____] | [____] | ☐ | [____] |
| Concurrent motion or application | [____] | [____] | ☐ | [____] |
| Service or sheriff request | [____] | [____] | ☐ | [____] |
| Technology or e-filing charge | [____] | [____] | ☐ | [____] |
| Waiver, indigency, or other route | [____] | [____] | ☐ | [____] |
| Other | [____] | [____] | ☐ | [____] |
Approved payment method: [________________________________]
Receipt or transaction number: [________________________________]
No amount from an earlier filing, another county, another court level, or an unofficial website may be reused without current confirmation.
9. Service and Process Control
The cover sheet does not select or accomplish service.
| Party to be served | Process document | Address or agent | Proposed method | Authority and approval | Issuance or service status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] |
| [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] | [____] |
Separate summons or process request attached: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Not applicable
Service deadline and source: [________________________________]
10. Attachment and Filing Inventory
| Document | Final? | Signed or authenticated? | Redaction reviewed? | Filing name and order | Accepted or receipt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiating pleading | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | [____] | [____] |
| Current official cover sheet | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | [____] | [____] |
| Summons or process document | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | [____] | [____] |
| Motion, affidavit, or exhibit | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | [____] | [____] |
| Proposed order | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | [____] | [____] |
| Confidential-information or sealing document | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | [____] | [____] |
| Fee-waiver or payment document | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | [____] | [____] |
| Other: [________________] | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | [____] | [____] |
11. Transcription and Filing Verification
| Verification | Initials and date |
|---|---|
| Current accepted form or screen used | [____________] |
| Every field copied from a verified source or fact | [____________] |
| Caption matches initiating document | [____________] |
| Category and code approved | [____________] |
| Jury and ADR treatment separately reviewed | [____________] |
| Fee and payment confirmed | [____________] |
| Service handled separately | [____________] |
| Signer and certification language reviewed | [____________] |
| Redactions and protected information reviewed | [____________] |
| Final filing rendered and compared | [____________] |
| Filing receipt and stamped copy saved | [____________] |
Attorney Filing Checklist
☐ Confirm the selected court, filing location, form, revision, e-filing fields, local instructions, and clerk guidance.
☐ Confirm venue, jurisdiction, caption, parties, capacities, claims, relief, and filing deadline outside this worksheet.
☐ Transcribe only exact current category labels and codes.
☐ Confirm jury, ADR, amount, related-case, confidentiality, fee, service, and certification treatment from current sources.
☐ Use the official form or e-filing interface, not this packet, for the filing.
☐ Save the authority attachments, final filing, acceptance receipt, and stamped copy.
☐ Render-check the completed official filing and attachments.
About this template
- Last updated
- August 27, 2026
- Last reviewed
- August 27, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- Minnesota
- 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 August 27, 2026.
Draft your General Civil Case Cover Sheet - Preparation Worksheet in the editor
Answer a few questions, let the AI editor draft each section from your answers, review it, and download Word and PDF. From $49, one time.