Respond After a Case is Filed
After a case is filed, there are a few documents you may need to file. Complete an Appearance form when you are either opening a new case with the court or are responding to a case that has already been opened to give the court your contact information. When you are responding to a case because you are involved but you didn’t open the case, you will need to complete and file an Appearance form to tell the court who you are and how the court and others can contact you.
To file an Appearance:
- Before completing the Appearance Form, you will need to look up your case. You will need information from your case to complete the case caption found on the top of the court form. If you cannot locate your physical copy, visit mycase.in.gov to do a search.
- Review the Appearance Form Instructions attached below. You will use these instructions to complete the Appearance court form(s).
- File your Appearance form with the court.
If someone takes you to court, there may be times you need to write something called an “Answer.” This is your chance to defend yourself against each claim the other party made about you in the case. You usually need to do this if the case is filed in Superior or Circuit court. Answers are not usually filed in Small Claims court or family court. If you don’t write an Answer when you should, the court might decide the case without you. Right now, this website does not have an Answer form, so it might be a good idea to talk to a lawyer to help you.
The Helpful Tools and Resource section offers information to assist with completing forms, filing forms, and answering questions you may have about what to do after you have filed your forms with the court.
Representing yourself in court should not be taken lightly, and there are many reasons why hiring an attorney is a good idea. If you do choose to represent yourself, click here for what you need to know.