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In legal terminology, a petition is made to the court by a petitioner against a respondent, while a complaint is filed by a plaintiff against a defendant. A petition asks the court to provide a court order, while a complaint seeks damages or to force the defendant to start or stop doing something.

Once you've filed a petition or response, the very next step is to file a disclosure document. It's a fancy way of saying that you let the other party know what you believe all the assets and debts in the case are.

Unless otherwise required by statute, rule or order of the Court or any Justice thereof, the papers on a motion or cross motion must include the original notice of motion, supporting affidavit(s), and proof of service of the motion on all parties, a copy of the notice of appeal or other document which first invoked the ...

If you fill out the petition at the clerk's office, you will be asked for picture identification and to swear if everything on the petition is true and accurate - this is called notarization. If you fill out the petition from the on-line forms you will need to have it notarized before sending it to the court.

Petitions MUST be signed in the presence of a Notary Public or a Family Court Clerk. Once your petition is completed and your signature notarized, you can either mail it to Family Court or submit it in person during our stated business hours. Paternity Petitions must be submitted with a copy of the Birth Certificate.

An Order to Show Cause consists of a top page called an Order to Show Cause (OSC), followed by an Affidavit in Support of the OSC, and copies of any documents that the moving side (movant) thinks would help the Judge make a decision. The OSC tells the court and the other side what the movant wants the Judge to do.