If there is no pre-printed form for your case, you will need to type your documents on pleading paper, in compliance with California Rules of Court, Rule 2.100-2.119. These instructions will guide you through creating pleadings at home or on the library's public computer terminals using Microsoft Word, versions 2003 and earlier.
You can also download download blank pleading paper, or a pleading pre-formatted for use in Sacramento County Superior Court, for use with most word processors. The pleading paper wizard described in these instructions is only available in MS Word 2003 and earlier.
Microsoft Word, versions 2003 and earlier, have a program that will create pleading paper and format your pleading at the same time. To use the program,
- Open Microsoft Word
- Under the File menu at the top of the screen, choose New. If you are using Word 2003, a bar will appear on the right side of your screen. Click "On my computer" under Templates.
- Click on the Legal Pleadings tab
- Double click on the Pleading Wizard
This will begin the "Pleading Wizard" program, which takes you step-by-step through creating your own pleading paper. A series of screens will pop up; fill in the appropriate information as shown below. These instructions will help you create pleadings that meet the Sacramento County Superior Court guidelines. Check the local rules for the Superior or Federal court in which you are filing, to find the guidelines for papers filed in that court.
This wizard is not available in Microsoft Word 2007. You must download pleading paper using the links below.
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What do you want to do?
Create a new pleading template for another court. |
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What is the name of the court, as it should appear in the pleading?
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO How should the court name be aligned?
Center
Click Next |
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What are the page settings for this court? Font: Times, Courier or Helvetica
Line Spacing: Double
Lines Per Page: 28
Paper Size: 8-1/2" by 11"
Margins: |
Left: 1" |
Top: 1" |
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Right: 0.5" |
Bottom: 1" |
Click Next
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Do you want line numbers to appear on this pleading? Yes
Start pleading at line: 1
Line numbers start at: 1
Show line numbers in increments of: 1
Click Next |
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Do you want a border on this pleading?
Left: Double
Right: Single
Click Next
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Which style would you like for the caption box?
Style 1 Click Next
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What information do you want at the beginning of the pleading?
Attorney and firm names
What information do you want in the Footer?
Summary of pleading title
Page numbers Click Next
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Do you want a signature block? Yes
Sign with: Plain
Include firm name and address? No
Include date line
Click Next |
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Give your template a name, like "Sacramento Court Pleading"
Click Next |
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If you are satisfied with the information you've entered, click Finish. To change your information, click the Back button until you reach the proper screen. After changing the information, click Finish. After clicking Finish, you may get a message that says, "Do you want to overwrite the existing documents?" This message will only appear if the name you assigned to your new pleading template is already in use by another document. Clicking Yes will save your new template and erase the old one. If you click No, you will be prompted to give your template a new name.
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After you click Finish, this wizard will close and a new pleading wizard will open. This new wizard will take you through the steps to fill in the information in the pleading caption. Make sure that you enter the information exactly as you want it to appear.
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Which parties are involved? Select the proper party titles
Click Next |
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What are the names of the plaintiffs / defendants?
Enter the names (do not include addresses) of all parties in your case
Click Next |
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Your case number (i.e., 03FL54321)
Number of firms: 1
Full pleading title:
the name of your document, e.g., Complaint for Damages
Summary of pleading title:
the same as the full title, unless the full title is very long
Click Next |
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What are the names of your firm's attorneys / what is your firm's address?
If you are self-represented, enter your name and address
Click Next
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This will generate Pleading Paper and set up the caption for your document. To add the text of your document, click anywhere in the blank area between the caption and the signature block, and begin typing. The signature block will move down the page, or onto additional pages, to accommodate the length of your document.
Depending on your computer's settings, you may see gray lines around your caption and signature block. These are for formatting only; they will not appear when you print your document. If you want to hide these lines, click on the Table menu at the top of the screen, and select Hide Gridlines.