Pro Se 15
Complaint for Violation of Civil Rights (Non-Prisoner)
Pro Se 15, Complaint for Violation of Civil Rights (Non-Prisoner), is a pleading form from the U.S. Courts for a case in a United States district court. It is one of the Civil Pro Se Forms, which the U.S. Courts page says are limited to types of cases often filed in federal courts by people who represent themselves or who may not have much experience in federal courts.
The 6-page form is titled a Non-Prisoner Complaint. It asks for the parties, whether the suit is against federal officials (a Bivens claim), state or local officials (a § 1983 claim) or both, a statement of the facts, any injuries, the relief requested, and a signed certification under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11.
The U.S. Courts offers it as a PDF and a Word file, effective on December 1, 2016. This page explains the form in plain words and is not legal advice. You can fill it out free in your browser on this page and download the result without an account.
The district and division, the full names of the plaintiffs and defendants without addresses, a yes or no choice for a jury trial, and a case number left for the Clerk's Office. Page 1 has a notice on privacy, exhibits and the filing fee.
Name, address, county, phone and email for each plaintiff, and for up to four defendants, with job or title if known and individual or official capacity.
Whether federal officials (Bivens), state or local officials (42 U.S.C. § 1983) or both are sued, the rights claimed to be violated, and how each defendant acted under color of state, local or federal law.
Where and when the events occurred and the facts, with how each defendant was personally involved and no case or statute citations. Several claims are numbered in separate paragraphs.
Any injuries and the medical treatment required, received or not received, then what you want the court to do, with no legal arguments and the amounts of any actual or punitive damages and their basis.
A certification under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11, then the date, signature and printed name of the plaintiff, or the attorney's details.
Page 1 cites Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2: a filing may include only the last four digits of a Social Security number, the year of birth, a minor's initials and the last four digits of a financial account number.
Enter the district, division and full names of the parties without addresses, choose yes or no for a jury trial, and leave the case number for the Clerk's Office.
Section I.B asks for each defendant's details and, for an individual, a check for individual capacity, official capacity or both. Additional pages can be attached.
Section II asks which officials are sued and, for each type, the rights claimed and how each defendant acted under color of state, local or federal law.
Section III asks for where and when the events occurred and what happened, with no cases or statutes cited. Sections IV and V ask for injuries and relief.
Sign under the Rule 11 certification and print your name. Parties without an attorney also agree to keep their address current with the Clerk's Office.
You get the real form, filled in a browser tab, with nothing standing between you and the finished PDF.
The form is captioned for a United States District Court, district and division. The page says to consult the rules and caselaw that govern in the court where the pleading is filed.
The form says that for the complaint to be filed, it must be accompanied by the filing fee or an application to proceed in forma pauperis. It does not print the fee amount.
Except as noted in the form, it says the plaintiff need not send exhibits, affidavits, grievance or witness statements, or other materials to the Clerk's Office with the complaint.
The page says the forms give no guidance on when pleadings, claims or defenses have to be raised or who has to be sued, and that some have to be raised within a certain period of time.
The page says that if you are not a lawyer and are suing or have been sued, it is best to have or consult a lawyer if possible.
AO 240
28 fields, 2 pages
AO 239
191 fields, 5 pages
Pro Se 14
125 fields, 11 pages
Pro Se 1
76 fields, 5 pages
AO 440
34 fields, 2 pages
The page describes the Civil Pro Se Forms as examples for people who represent themselves or have little experience in federal courts, and says to use the form that fits your case. The form names these parties.
No tool matches that search.
No. The U.S. Courts page says no form provides legal advice or substitutes for having or consulting a lawyer, and that following a form does not guarantee a pleading is legally or factually correct or sufficient.
The form says that under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 a person may sue state or local officials, and under Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 388 (1971), federal officials for the violation of certain constitutional rights. Section II.A has a box for each.
Section I.B asks you to check, for each individual defendant, whether the complaint is brought against them in their individual capacity, official capacity, or both. The form does not define the terms, and this page cannot say which applies.
Yes. The caption has a Jury Trial choice with yes and no boxes.
The form says that, except as noted in it, the plaintiff need not send exhibits, affidavits, grievance or witness statements, or any other materials to the Clerk's Office with the complaint.
The notice on page 1 cites Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2: no full Social Security number or full birth date, no full name of a person known to be a minor, and no complete financial account number.
The U.S. Courts forms include Pro Se 14, Complaint for Violation of Civil Rights (Prisoner). This page cannot say which form fits a case.
