Free Information for Pro Se Litigants - Washington

PRO SE FILING
1. 2. Filing Fee: Cover Sheet: Civil Action filing fee is $350.00 A Civil Cover Sheet (Use Form JS 44 - See Sample #1) is required to be completed, signed and submitted with your documents. A Complaint must be filed along with the other documents outlined herein (See Sample #2). Please follow format in the sample and describe the nature of your complaint starting at paragraph 3 of the sample. Be sure to sign your Complaint. Please fill out the Summons in a Civil Case (Use Form AO 440 - See Sample #3). Provide an original and one copy for each defendant to be served. The Clerk's office will issue the Summons and return them to you. You are responsible for the service of both your Complaint and Summons. You are also responsible for the timely movement of your case once it has been filed.

3.

Complaint:

4.

Summons:

The Civil Cover Sheet (Form JS-44) and Summons (Form AO 440) can be printed and used. Our Local Rules are posted on our website at http://www.waed.uscourts.gov. Copies of the Local Rules are also available by contacting the Clerk's Office at 509-458-3400. It is very important that you give us a telephone number so the court can contact you in the event it is necessary to obtain further information or clarification, or advise you of any changes in hearing schedules. If you do not provide us with a contact telephone number, the court will not be responsible for untimely notification of emergency changes in hearing schedules.

SAMPLES

OJS 44 (Rev. 12/07)

CIVIL COVER SHEET

SAMPLE #1

The JS 44 civil cover sheet and the information contained herein neither replace nor supplement the filing and service of pleadings or other papers as required by law, except as provided by local rules of court. This form, approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States in September 1974, is required for the use of the Clerk of Court for the purpose of initiating the civil docket sheet. (SEE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE REVERSE OF THE FORM.)

I. (a) PLAINTIFFS

DEFENDANTS

(b) County of Residence of First Listed Plaintiff
(EXCEPT IN U.S. PLAINTIFF CASES)

County of Residence of First Listed Defendant
(IN U.S. PLAINTIFF CASES ONLY) NOTE: IN LAND CONDEMNATION CASES, USE THE LOCATION OF THE LAND INVOLVED.

(c) Attorney's (Firm Name, Address, and Telephone Number)

Attorneys (If Known)

II. BASIS OF JURISDICTION
' 1
U.S. Government Plaintiff

(Place an "X" in One Box Only)

III. CITIZENSHIP OF PRINCIPAL PARTIES(Place an "X" in One Box for Plaintiff
(For Diversity Cases Only) PTF Citizen of This State ' 1 DEF ' 1 and One Box for Defendant) PTF DEF Incorporated or Principal Place ' 4 ' 4 of Business In This State Incorporated and Principal Place of Business In Another State Foreign Nation

' 3 Federal Question (U.S. Government Not a Party) ' 4 Diversity
(Indicate Citizenship of Parties in Item III)

' 2

U.S. Government Defendant

Citizen of Another State

' 2 ' 3

' '

2

' 5 ' 6

' 5 ' 6

Citizen or Subject of a Foreign Country

3

IV. NATURE OF SUIT
CONTRACT

(Place an "X" in One Box Only) TORTS PERSONAL INJURY 310 Airplane 315 Airplane Product Liability 320 Assault, Libel & Slander 330 Federal Employers' Liability 340 Marine 345 Marine Product Liability 350 Motor Vehicle 355 Motor Vehicle Product Liability 360 Other Personal Injury CIVIL RIGHTS 441 Voting 442 Employment 443 Housing/ Accommodations 444 Welfare 445 Amer. w/Disabilities Employment 446 Amer. w/Disabilities Other 440 Other Civil Rights PERSONAL INJURY ' 362 Personal Injury Med. Malpractice ' 365 Personal Injury Product Liability ' 368 Asbestos Personal Injury Product Liability PERSONAL PROPERTY ' 370 Other Fraud ' 371 Truth in Lending ' 380 Other Personal Property Damage ' 385 Property Damage Product Liability PRISONER PETITIONS ' 510 Motions to Vacate Sentence Habeas Corpus: ' 530 General ' 535 Death Penalty ' 540 Mandamus & Other ' 550 Civil Rights ' 555 Prison Condition

FORFEITURE/PENALTY

BANKRUPTCY

OTHER STATUTES

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

110 Insurance 120 Marine 130 Miller Act 140 Negotiable Instrument 150 Recovery of Overpayment & Enforcement of Judgment 151 Medicare Act 152 Recovery of Defaulted Student Loans (Excl. Veterans) 153 Recovery of Overpayment of Veteran's Benefits 160 Stockholders' Suits 190 Other Contract 195 Contract Product Liability 196 Franchise REAL PROPERTY 210 Land Condemnation 220 Foreclosure 230 Rent Lease & Ejectment 240 Torts to Land 245 Tort Product Liability 290 All Other Real Property

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

' ' ' ' ' ' '

' 610 Agriculture ' 620 Other Food & Drug ' 625 Drug Related Seizure of Property 21 USC 881 ' 630 Liquor Laws ' 640 R.R. & Truck ' 650 Airline Regs. ' 660 Occupational Safety/Health ' 690 Other LABOR ' 710 Fair Labor Standards Act ' 720 Labor/Mgmt. Relations ' 730 Labor/Mgmt.Reporting & Disclosure Act ' 740 Railway Labor Act ' 790 Other Labor Litigation ' 791 Empl. Ret. Inc. Security Act
IMMIGRATION ' 462 Naturalization Application ' 463 Habeas Corpus Alien Detainee ' 465 Other Immigration Actions

' 422 Appeal 28 USC 158 ' 423 Withdrawal 28 USC 157
PROPERTY RIGHTS ' 820 Copyrights ' 830 Patent ' 840 Trademark

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

SOCIAL SECURITY 861 HIA (1395ff) 862 Black Lung (923) 863 DIWC/DIWW (405(g)) 864 SSID Title XVI 865 RSI (405(g)) FEDERAL TAX SUITS ' 870 Taxes (U.S. Plaintiff or Defendant) ' 871 IRS--Third Party 26 USC 7609

' ' ' ' '

400 State Reapportionment 410 Antitrust 430 Banks and Banking 450 Commerce 460 Deportation 470 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations 480 Consumer Credit 490 Cable/Sat TV 810 Selective Service 850 Securities/Commodities/ Exchange 875 Customer Challenge 12 USC 3410 890 Other Statutory Actions 891 Agricultural Acts 892 Economic Stabilization Act 893 Environmental Matters 894 Energy Allocation Act 895 Freedom of Information Act 900Appeal of Fee Determination Under Equal Access to Justice 950 Constitutionality of State Statutes

V. ORIGIN
' 1 Original Proceeding

(Place an "X" in One Box Only)

Appeal to District Appellate Court

' 2 Removed from
State Court

' 3 Remanded from

' 4 Reinstated or ' 5 Transferred from ' 6 Multidistrict another district Reopened Litigation (specify)

' 7 Judge from Magistrate
Judgment

Cite the U.S. Civil Statute under which you are filing (Do not cite jurisdictional statutes unless diversity):

VI. CAUSE OF ACTION Brief description of cause:

' CHECK IF THIS IS A CLASS ACTION VII. REQUESTED IN UNDER F.R.C.P. 23 COMPLAINT: VIII. RELATED CASE(S) (See instructions): JUDGE IF ANY
DATE

DEMAND $

CHECK YES only if demanded in complaint: ' Yes ' No JURY DEMAND: DOCKET NUMBER

SIGNATURE OF ATTORNEY OF RECORD

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY RECEIPT # AMOUNT APPLYING IFP JUDGE MAG. JUDGE

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SAMPLE # 2
YOUR NAME ADDRESS TELEPHONE NUMBER (START ON LINE 6 OR BELOW. 3" TO 4" FROM TOP OF PAGE.) UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON YOUR NAME Plaintiff, v. NAME OF PARTY YOU ARE SUING Defendant. Plaintiff alleges: 1. The District Court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. ________ ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

(Case Number will be assigned at time of filing) COMPLAINT

________________________. 2. This District Court has venue because Defendant is a resident

of ____________________ County, Washington. 3. information). YOUR SIGNATURE IN INK: _____________________ (See Rule 10, Local Rules of Practice, for further format

SAMPLE #3
AO 440 (Rev. 02/09) Summons in a Civil Action

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
for the

Eastern District of Washington __________ District of __________
) ) ) ) )

Plaintiff

v.
Defendant

Civil Action No.

SUMMONS IN A CIVIL ACTION To: (Defendant's name and address)

A lawsuit has been filed against you. Within 20 days after service of this summons on you (not counting the day you received it) -- or 60 days if you are the United States or a United States agency, or an officer or employee of the United States described in Fed. R. Civ. P. 12 (a)(2) or (3) -- you must serve on the plaintiff an answer to the attached complaint or a motion under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The answer or motion must be served on the plaintiff or plaintiff's attorney, whose name and address are:

If you fail to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint. You also must file your answer or motion with the court.

CLERK OF COURT

Date:
Signature of Clerk or Deputy Clerk

AO 440 (Rev. 02/09) Summons in a Civil Action (Page 2)

Civil Action No. PROOF OF SERVICE (This section should not be filed with the court unless required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(l)) This summons for (name of individual and title, if any) was received by me on (date) .

' I personally served the summons on the individual at (place) on (date) ' I left the summons at the individual's residence or usual place of abode with (name) , a person of suitable age and discretion who resides there, on (date) , and mailed a copy to the individual's last known address; or , who is on (date) ' I returned the summons unexecuted because ' Other (specify): . My fees are $ for travel and $ for services, for a total of $ . ; or ; or ; or

' I served the summons on (name of individual) designated by law to accept service of process on behalf of (name of organization)

0.00

I declare under penalty of perjury that this information is true.

Date:
Server's signature

Printed name and title

Server's address

Additional information regarding attempted service, etc:

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for your use BLANK COPIES OF FORMS that can be printed and completed

OJS 44 (Rev. 12/07)

CIVIL COVER SHEET

The JS 44 civil cover sheet and the information contained herein neither replace nor supplement the filing and service of pleadings or other papers as required by law, except as provided by local rules of court. This form, approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States in September 1974, is required for the use of the Clerk of Court for the purpose of initiating the civil docket sheet. (SEE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE REVERSE OF THE FORM.)

I. (a) PLAINTIFFS

DEFENDANTS

(b) County of Residence of First Listed Plaintiff
(EXCEPT IN U.S. PLAINTIFF CASES)

County of Residence of First Listed Defendant
(IN U.S. PLAINTIFF CASES ONLY) NOTE: IN LAND CONDEMNATION CASES, USE THE LOCATION OF THE LAND INVOLVED.

(c) Attorney's (Firm Name, Address, and Telephone Number)

Attorneys (If Known)

II. BASIS OF JURISDICTION
' 1
U.S. Government Plaintiff

(Place an "X" in One Box Only)

III. CITIZENSHIP OF PRINCIPAL PARTIES(Place an "X" in One Box for Plaintiff
(For Diversity Cases Only) PTF Citizen of This State ' 1 DEF ' 1 and One Box for Defendant) PTF DEF Incorporated or Principal Place ' 4 ' 4 of Business In This State Incorporated and Principal Place of Business In Another State Foreign Nation

' 3 Federal Question (U.S. Government Not a Party) ' 4 Diversity
(Indicate Citizenship of Parties in Item III)

' 2

U.S. Government Defendant

Citizen of Another State

' 2 ' 3

' '

2

' 5 ' 6

' 5 ' 6

Citizen or Subject of a Foreign Country

3

IV. NATURE OF SUIT
CONTRACT

(Place an "X" in One Box Only) TORTS PERSONAL INJURY 310 Airplane 315 Airplane Product Liability 320 Assault, Libel & Slander 330 Federal Employers' Liability 340 Marine 345 Marine Product Liability 350 Motor Vehicle 355 Motor Vehicle Product Liability 360 Other Personal Injury CIVIL RIGHTS 441 Voting 442 Employment 443 Housing/ Accommodations 444 Welfare 445 Amer. w/Disabilities Employment 446 Amer. w/Disabilities Other 440 Other Civil Rights PERSONAL INJURY ' 362 Personal Injury Med. Malpractice ' 365 Personal Injury Product Liability ' 368 Asbestos Personal Injury Product Liability PERSONAL PROPERTY ' 370 Other Fraud ' 371 Truth in Lending ' 380 Other Personal Property Damage ' 385 Property Damage Product Liability PRISONER PETITIONS ' 510 Motions to Vacate Sentence Habeas Corpus: ' 530 General ' 535 Death Penalty ' 540 Mandamus & Other ' 550 Civil Rights ' 555 Prison Condition

FORFEITURE/PENALTY

BANKRUPTCY

OTHER STATUTES

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

110 Insurance 120 Marine 130 Miller Act 140 Negotiable Instrument 150 Recovery of Overpayment & Enforcement of Judgment 151 Medicare Act 152 Recovery of Defaulted Student Loans (Excl. Veterans) 153 Recovery of Overpayment of Veteran's Benefits 160 Stockholders' Suits 190 Other Contract 195 Contract Product Liability 196 Franchise REAL PROPERTY 210 Land Condemnation 220 Foreclosure 230 Rent Lease & Ejectment 240 Torts to Land 245 Tort Product Liability 290 All Other Real Property

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

' ' ' ' ' ' '

' 610 Agriculture ' 620 Other Food & Drug ' 625 Drug Related Seizure of Property 21 USC 881 ' 630 Liquor Laws ' 640 R.R. & Truck ' 650 Airline Regs. ' 660 Occupational Safety/Health ' 690 Other LABOR ' 710 Fair Labor Standards Act ' 720 Labor/Mgmt. Relations ' 730 Labor/Mgmt.Reporting & Disclosure Act ' 740 Railway Labor Act ' 790 Other Labor Litigation ' 791 Empl. Ret. Inc. Security Act
IMMIGRATION ' 462 Naturalization Application ' 463 Habeas Corpus Alien Detainee ' 465 Other Immigration Actions

' 422 Appeal 28 USC 158 ' 423 Withdrawal 28 USC 157
PROPERTY RIGHTS ' 820 Copyrights ' 830 Patent ' 840 Trademark

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

SOCIAL SECURITY 861 HIA (1395ff) 862 Black Lung (923) 863 DIWC/DIWW (405(g)) 864 SSID Title XVI 865 RSI (405(g)) FEDERAL TAX SUITS ' 870 Taxes (U.S. Plaintiff or Defendant) ' 871 IRS--Third Party 26 USC 7609

' ' ' ' '

400 State Reapportionment 410 Antitrust 430 Banks and Banking 450 Commerce 460 Deportation 470 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations 480 Consumer Credit 490 Cable/Sat TV 810 Selective Service 850 Securities/Commodities/ Exchange 875 Customer Challenge 12 USC 3410 890 Other Statutory Actions 891 Agricultural Acts 892 Economic Stabilization Act 893 Environmental Matters 894 Energy Allocation Act 895 Freedom of Information Act 900Appeal of Fee Determination Under Equal Access to Justice 950 Constitutionality of State Statutes

V. ORIGIN
' 1 Original Proceeding

(Place an "X" in One Box Only)

Appeal to District Appellate Court

' 2 Removed from
State Court

' 3 Remanded from

' 4 Reinstated or ' 5 Transferred from ' 6 Multidistrict another district Reopened Litigation (specify)

' 7 Judge from Magistrate
Judgment

Cite the U.S. Civil Statute under which you are filing (Do not cite jurisdictional statutes unless diversity):

VI. CAUSE OF ACTION Brief description of cause:

' CHECK IF THIS IS A CLASS ACTION VII. REQUESTED IN UNDER F.R.C.P. 23 COMPLAINT: VIII. RELATED CASE(S) (See instructions): JUDGE IF ANY
DATE

DEMAND $

CHECK YES only if demanded in complaint: ' Yes ' No JURY DEMAND: DOCKET NUMBER

SIGNATURE OF ATTORNEY OF RECORD

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY RECEIPT # AMOUNT APPLYING IFP JUDGE MAG. JUDGE

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JS 44 Reverse (Rev. 12/07)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ATTORNEYS COMPLETING CIVIL COVER SHEET FORM JS 44
Authority For Civil Cover Sheet
The JS 44 civil cover sheet and the information contained herein neither replaces nor supplements the filings and service of pleading or other papers as required by law, except as provided by local rules of court. This form, approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States in September 1974, is required for the use of the Clerk of Court for the purpose of initiating the civil docket sheet. Consequently, a civil cover sheet is submitted to the Clerk of Court for each civil complaint filed. The attorney filing a case should complete the form as follows: I. (a) Plaintiffs-Defendants. Enter names (last, first, middle initial) of plaintiff and defendant. If the plaintiff or defendant is a government agency, use only the full name or standard abbreviations. If the plaintiff or defendant is an official within a government agency, identify first the agency and then the official, giving both name and title. (b) County of Residence. For each civil case filed, except U.S. plaintiff cases, enter the name of the county where the first listed plaintiff resides at the time of filing. In U.S. plaintiff cases, enter the name of the county in which the first listed defendant resides at the time of filing. (NOTE: In land condemnation cases, the county of residence of the "defendant" is the location of the tract of land involved.) (c) Attorneys. Enter the firm name, address, telephone number, and attorney of record. If there are several attorneys, list them on an attachment, noting in this section "(see attachment)". II. Jurisdiction. The basis of jurisdiction is set forth under Rule 8(a), F.R.C.P., which requires that jurisdictions be shown in pleadings. Place an "X" in one of the boxes. If there is more than one basis of jurisdiction, precedence is given in the order shown below. United States plaintiff. (1) Jurisdiction based on 28 U.S.C. 1345 and 1348. Suits by agencies and officers of the United States are included here. United States defendant. (2) When the plaintiff is suing the United States, its officers or agencies, place an "X" in this box. Federal question. (3) This refers to suits under 28 U.S.C. 1331, where jurisdiction arises under the Constitution of the United States, an amendment to the Constitution, an act of Congress or a treaty of the United States. In cases where the U.S. is a party, the U.S. plaintiff or defendant code takes precedence, and box 1 or 2 should be marked. Diversity of citizenship. (4) This refers to suits under 28 U.S.C. 1332, where parties are citizens of different states. When Box 4 is checked, the citizenship of the different parties must be checked. (See Section III below; federal question actions take precedence over diversity cases.) III. Residence (citizenship) of Principal Parties. This section of the JS 44 is to be completed if diversity of citizenship was indicated above. Mark this section for each principal party. IV. Nature of Suit. Place an "X" in the appropriate box. If the nature of suit cannot be determined, be sure the cause of action, in Section VI below, is sufficient to enable the deputy clerk or the statistical clerks in the Administrative Office to determine the nature of suit. If the cause fits more than one nature of suit, select the most definitive. V. Origin. Place an "X" in one of the seven boxes. Original Proceedings. (1) Cases which originate in the United States district courts. Removed from State Court. (2) Proceedings initiated in state courts may be removed to the district courts under Title 28 U.S.C., Section 1441. When the petition for removal is granted, check this box. Remanded from Appellate Court. (3) Check this box for cases remanded to the district court for further action. Use the date of remand as the filing date. Reinstated or Reopened. (4) Check this box for cases reinstated or reopened in the district court. Use the reopening date as the filing date. Transferred from Another District. (5) For cases transferred under Title 28 U.S.C. Section 1404(a). Do not use this for within district transfers or multidistrict litigation transfers. Multidistrict Litigation. (6) Check this box when a multidistrict case is transferred into the district under authority of Title 28 U.S.C. Section 1407. When this box is checked, do not check (5) above. Appeal to District Judge from Magistrate Judgment. (7) Check this box for an appeal from a magistrate judge's decision. VI. Cause of Action. Report the civil statute directly related to the cause of action and give a brief description of the cause. Do not cite jurisdictional statutes unless diversity. Example: U.S. Civil Statute: 47 USC 553 Brief Description: Unauthorized reception of cable service VII. Requested in Complaint. Class Action. Place an "X" in this box if you are filing a class action under Rule 23, F.R.Cv.P. Demand. In this space enter the dollar amount (in thousands of dollars) being demanded or indicate other demand such as a preliminary injunction. Jury Demand. Check the appropriate box to indicate whether or not a jury is being demanded. VIII. Related Cases. This section of the JS 44 is used to reference related pending cases if any. If there are related pending cases, insert the docket numbers and the corresponding judge names for such cases. Date and Attorney Signature. Date and sign the civil cover sheet.

AO 440 (Rev. 02/09) Summons in a Civil Action

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
for the

Eastern District of Washington

SAMPLE #1
Plaintiff

v.

SAMPLE #3
Defendant

) ) ) ) ) ) )

Civil Action No.

SUMMONS IN A CIVIL ACTION To: (Defendant's name and address)

A lawsuit has been filed against you. Within 20 days after service of this summons on you (not counting the day you received it) -- or 60 days if you are the United States or a United States agency, or an officer or employee of the United States described in Fed. R. Civ. P. 12 (a)(2) or (3) -- you must serve on the plaintiff an answer to the attached complaint or a motion under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The answer or motion must be served on the plaintiff or plaintiff's attorney, whose name and address are: If you fail to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint. You also must file your answer or motion with the court.

CLERK OF COURT

Date:
Signature of Clerk or Deputy Clerk

AO 440 (Rev. 02/09) Summons in a Civil Action (Page 2)

Civil Action No. PROOF OF SERVICE (This section should not be filed with the court unless required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 4 (l)) This summons for (name of individual and title, if any) was received by me on (date) .

I personally served the summons on the individual at (place) on (date) I left the summons at the individual's residence or usual place of abode with (name) , a person of suitable age and discretion who resides there, on (date) , and mailed a copy to the individual's last known address; or , who is ; or

I served the summons on (name of individual) designated by law to accept service of process on behalf of (name of organization) on (date) I returned the summons unexecuted because Other (specify): ; or

; or

.

My fees are $

for travel and $

for services, for a total of $

.

I declare under penalty of perjury that this information is true.

Date:
Server's signature

Printed name and title

Server's address

Additional information regarding attempted service, etc: