General Civil Case Cover Sheet

GENERAL CIVIL CASE OPENING AND FORM-SELECTION WORKSHEET

IMPORTANT USE LIMIT

The New York State Unified Court System maintains a statewide forms hub and a
separate Supreme Court forms page. Those pages identify official documents
such as Requests for Judicial Intervention and addenda and the Redaction Cover
Page. This worksheet does not reproduce those forms and must not be uploaded,
filed, or presented as a substitute.

Complete the activation record from current official sources, then transfer
the verified information to the exact official document or filing fields.

1. COURT AND FILING ACTIVATION

☐ Every source is an official current court, clerk, or government source
☐ County and case-type instructions were checked, not inferred from another county
☐ Fees were checked for the actual filing date; no amount was copied from this worksheet
☐ Filing and service events were separately calendared
☐ No confidential personal information is stored in this planning copy

2. FIRST-PAPER REQUIREMENTS UNDER 22 NYCRR § 202.5

Section 202.5(a)(1) requires the party filing the first paper, upon payment of
the proper fee, to obtain an index number from the county clerk and affix it to
the paper. Later papers must display that index number. The outside cover and
first page also must identify the county of venue, briefly describe the paper,
and identify the assigned judge when there is one.

Use this checklist for the actual initiating paper; it is not itself the first
paper:

☐ Correct county clerk and court identified
☐ Proper current fee or signed fee-waiver order prepared
☐ Index number obtained or clerk/NYSCEF acquisition step confirmed
☐ Full caption used; no improper “et al.” substitution
☐ County of venue shown
☐ Nature of the paper briefly described
☐ Assigned judge shown if already assigned
☐ Paper signed under the current signing rule
☐ Required proof of service attached or filing sequence confirmed
☐ Formatting, margins, print size, bookmarks, and local technical rules checked
☐ Confidential personal information omitted, redacted, or handled under the approved process

Index and Filing Record

3. OFFICIAL DOCUMENT SELECTION

Do not combine these documents into a generic substitute. Select only the
documents required by the current rules and instructions for the actual event.

Under 22 NYCRR § 202.3(b), assignment to an individual judge occurs upon the
filing of a Request for Judicial Intervention under the applicable procedure.
Do not treat the RJI as a universal commencement cover sheet or file it before
the triggering event identified by the current official instructions.

4. CASE-OPENING DATA INTAKE

Parties and Caption

Claim and Venue Data

Filing and Service Logistics

5. SIGNATURE AND CERTIFICATION CHECK

22 NYCRR § 130-1.1-a requires every pleading, written motion, and other paper
served on another party or filed or submitted to the court to be signed by an
attorney or by an unrepresented party. By signing, the signer makes the
certifications stated in that rule. The current rule does not require this
worksheet's former separate “proper venue and classification” certification.

For each actual document:

☐ Required signer identified
☐ Signature and printed/typed name placed where required
☐ Attorney or party completed the inquiry required by the signing rule
☐ Initiating-pleading certifications reviewed
☐ Any additional document-specific verification, affirmation, affidavit,
notarization, or counsel certification confirmed from the controlling source
☐ Electronic-signature method and audit record comply with the current filing instructions

6. FINAL TRANSFER AND QUALITY CONTROL

☐ Exact official form or NYSCEF event opened from the current official source
☐ Data transferred without changing official field labels or required language
☐ County, court, case type, and filing method match the activation record
☐ Index number and caption match across every filing
☐ Fixed fee amounts were not carried forward from an old template
☐ Required addenda and notices are attached
☐ Redaction and sealing review completed
☐ Signature and proof-of-service requirements completed
☐ Filing receipt and rejected-document notices saved
☐ Deadline calendar updated after filing and service
☐ This internal worksheet was not filed

Completion Record

CURRENT OFFICIAL SOURCES

• New York State Unified Court System forms hub
• New York Supreme Court forms, including RJI materials
• 22 NYCRR Part 202 — Uniform Civil Rules for Supreme and County Court
• 22 NYCRR Part 130 — signing, costs, and sanctions

This file remains at its existing path for URL continuity. It is a preparation
worksheet only; the controlling filing is the current official document or
electronic filing event selected for the actual matter.