Civil actions are legal cases that involves money, injury or damages, return of property, or civil rights. Civil actions are non-criminal matters. The Minnesota Courts have information about filing a civil action.
There are important deadlines in civil action cases so read the information carefully.
Forms on the Courts website are organized in "packets" and by individual forms. Packets include form instructions and all individual forms. If you are not sure what form you need, start with the Packet and download each individual form in the packet as you need . Make sure you read the form instructions to find the right forms for your case.
Notice about Fillable Smart Forms
Some Minnesota court forms are “Fillable Smart Forms.” For information and help using Fillable Smart Forms, see Technical Support.
A civil action starts with service of the Summons and Complaint on a party. Service means delivery of the papers to the other party. This is what notifies the other party that you have started a court action.
The Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure also has sample forms you can use. These forms are not fillable forms so you will need to edit them to add your information.
If you were served with a Summons and Complaint, you will have 21 days to respond. You must respond in writing. You might have have more time to respond. Read the information on the Court self-help page about civil actions carefully to see if you might have extra time.
After you have served the Summons and Complaint, there might be other forms you will need for your case. For example, you might need to give the court your exhibit or witness list. An exhibit is something you want to show the court, like a picture or a letter. Click the link below to find sample forms for these and more.