Civil Actions

Common civil actions involve claims that the defendant (party being sued) owes money for services or purchases, breached (broke) a contract, or did something else to damage the party who started the lawsuit. The lawsuit may ask for a money judgment, return of property, or an order requiring some action (called "specific performance").
 
Being involved in a civil action can be stressful for both sides of the case. To limit the stress, it is helpful to understand the court process and the stages of a case. We recommend that you talk with a lawyer to get legal advice about your specific situation.
 
Here are some important details about civil actions in MN:

• A civil action is a lawsuit.
• A civil action involves money, injury or damages, return of property, civil rights, or other non-criminal matters.
• A civil action is started by service (delivery) of a summons and complaint on a party or parties.
• A civil lawsuit can be started without filing the summons and complaint in court, so the first set of documents (called “pleadings”) might not include a case number (also called a court file number). If you contact the court in the early stages of a civil lawsuit, they may not find a record of it in their system but that does not mean it is not a valid lawsuit.
• The case must be filed in court within one year of service of the summons and complaint.

 There are important deadlines in civil actions. Some important deadlines include:

• Time to respond with a written answer to the summons and complaint.
• Time to file the case with the court.
• Time to respond to discovery requests (such as interrogatories and requests for production of documents) and pre-trial motions.
• Any specific deadlines the court may include in its orders.

You should carefully read all notices and documents you get in your case. It is a good idea to get legal advice if you are not sure what you should do in your situation, what deadlines apply, or if you have questions about your legal rights and defenses in a civil action. You are not required to have a lawyer, but we strongly recommend that you at least talk with a lawyer to get advice about your legal rights, options, and the decisions that would be in your best interest. A lawyer for the other party is not allowed to give you legal advice.