Form 4-202, Civil complaint. (For use with Rule 3-201 NMRA), is a New Mexico Judicial Branch form on which a plaintiff states a claim against a defendant for money or for personal property. It is used by a person who is starting that claim in the court and county named at the top of the form. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the form itself is published by the New Mexico courts at nmcourts.gov.
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What is 4-202?
Form 4-202, Civil complaint. (For use with Rule 3-201 NMRA), is the New Mexico Judicial Branch's Supreme Court approved form on which a plaintiff states a claim against a defendant for a sum of money or for personal property, and makes two trial choices: jury and audio recording.
The form is a single-page pleading headed CIVIL COMPLAINT, with the bracketed reference [3-201] printed under the form number. Its caption names the court, the county, the case number, the plaintiff and the defendant. Five numbered paragraphs follow:
- 1. A statement that the plaintiff or defendant resides or may be found in the county, or that the cause of action arose there.
- 2. The claim: an amount of money, with interest and court costs, and, if the plaintiff wants property, the value and description of the personal property.
- 3. The event or transaction from which the claim arises.
- 4. Whether trial by jury is demanded.
- 5. Whether an audio recording of the trial is demanded.
The plaintiff then signs and gives a name, address, city, state and ZIP code, and telephone number. The New Mexico courts' forms library groups this kind of document with its Civil forms, which it describes as forms for noncriminal lawsuits between individuals, businesses, or state or local government. The form is not a summons or a notice; it states the claim only.
Who needs to file 4-202?
The plaintiff, the person who is making the claim, completes and signs this complaint. It fits a claim in which the plaintiff wants money from the defendant, personal property from the defendant, or both, and where the plaintiff or defendant lives or can be found in the county, or the event behind the claim happened there.
The form asks each plaintiff to decide two things when it is filed: whether to demand a jury trial, and whether to demand an audio recording of the trial. The printed notes warn that a jury demand carries an additional cost payable upon filing, and that not requesting an audio recording may limit your right to appeal.
The form prints no list of people who are excluded and no rule on representatives or on who else may sign for the plaintiff. The signature block asks for the signer's printed name, address and telephone number, so the person who signs is the person identified there. For questions about whether this claim belongs in your court, contact that court.
When to file 4-202
You complete Form 4-202 when you are ready to state a claim against a defendant in the court and county named on the form. No due date is printed on it.
Two choices must be made before you file, because they are part of the complaint itself. Paragraph 4 asks whether a jury trial is demanded, and the form notes that if a jury is demanded, an additional cost must be paid upon filing. Paragraph 5 asks whether an audio recording of the trial is demanded, and the form notes that if you do not request one, your right to appeal may be limited. For any time limit that applies to your type of claim, check with the court named on the form.
How to fill out 4-202
Complete the court caption
At the top, fill in the name of the court after IN THE, the county, the case number (No.), the plaintiff's name and the defendant's name.
Review paragraph 1 on the county
Paragraph 1 is printed text: it states that the plaintiff or defendant resides, or may be found in, or the cause of action arose in this county. Confirm that it is true for the county you entered.
Enter the money claim in paragraph 2
In the first part of paragraph 2, enter the dollar amount the plaintiff claims from the defendant. The form adds that the plaintiff also claims interest and court costs.
Describe any personal property claimed
If the plaintiff is claiming personal property, enter its value and describe it on the lines provided in paragraph 2.
Explain the event or transaction
In paragraph 3, write the event or transaction from which the plaintiff's claim arises, using the lines provided.
Decide on a jury trial
In paragraph 4, choose whether trial by jury is or is not demanded. The form notes that a jury demand means an additional cost must be paid upon filing.
Decide on an audio recording
In paragraph 5, choose whether an audio recording of the trial is or is not demanded. The form notes that not requesting one may limit your right to appeal.
Add the date and signature block
Fill in the place and date line, sign above Signed, then print your name, address, city, state and ZIP code, and telephone number.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check the caption, the amounts, paragraphs 4 and 5 and the signature block. Download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and file it with the court named on the form, as described under How to submit.
How to submit 4-202
The form prints no filing channel, address or portal. It is addressed to the court and county you write in the caption (IN THE ___ COURT and ___ COUNTY), so the completed complaint is filed with that court. Contact that court for how and where it takes new filings.
- Fee: the form says an additional cost must be paid upon filing if a jury is demanded in paragraph 4. It states no amounts and no payment method; ask the court for the current costs.
- Signature and contact details: the form is signed by the plaintiff, with printed name, address, city, state and ZIP code, and telephone number, so complete that block before filing.
- Where to find the form: the New Mexico Judicial Branch publishes Supreme Court approved forms in its forms library at https://nmcourts.gov/forms-library/, including a Civil category.
FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the court's own filing channels.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the caption incomplete: the court name, county, case number, plaintiff and defendant at the top are all blanks on the form.
- Not choosing in paragraph 4: the form prints "is (not) demanded", so the word "not" must be kept or removed to match your decision on a jury trial.
- Demanding a jury without allowing for the additional cost that, according to the form, must be paid upon filing.
- Not choosing in paragraph 5 on the audio recording, or declining it without knowing that not requesting one may limit your right to appeal.
- Leaving paragraph 2 without an amount or a property description when you are claiming money or personal property; the property line asks for its value and a description.
- Writing only a conclusion in paragraph 3 instead of the event or transaction from which the claim arises.
- Omitting the place and date line, the signature or the printed name, address, city, state and ZIP code, and telephone number in the signature block.
- Overlooking that paragraph 1 says the plaintiff or defendant resides, or may be found in, or the cause of action arose in the county named at the top.
Frequently asked questions
What is Form 4-202, the New Mexico civil complaint?
Form 4-202 is the New Mexico Judicial Branch's Supreme Court approved civil complaint, for use with Rule 3-201 NMRA. A plaintiff uses it to claim money or personal property from a defendant and to say whether a jury and an audio recording of the trial are demanded.
Can I fill out this civil complaint online?
You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not file the complaint; you file it with the court named at the top of the form through that court's own channels.
What does paragraph 2 of the complaint ask for?
Paragraph 2 asks for the amount of money the plaintiff claims from the defendant, and the form states that the plaintiff also claims interest and court costs. It also has a line for personal property: the value and a description of what is claimed.
Does demanding a jury cost extra?
Yes. Paragraph 4 says that if a jury is demanded, an additional cost must be paid upon filing. The form does not print the amount, so ask the court for the current cost before you file.
Why does the form ask about an audio recording?
Paragraph 5 asks whether an audio recording of the trial is demanded. The form warns that if you do not request an audio recording, your right to appeal may be limited, so decide this before you file.
Who signs Form 4-202?
The plaintiff signs on the line above Signed, then prints a name, address, city, state and ZIP code, and telephone number. The form prints no separate rule for anyone signing on the plaintiff's behalf.
Where do I file the civil complaint?
File it with the court and county you write at the top of the form. The form prints no address or portal, so contact that court for how it accepts filings and for the costs that apply.
Is there a deadline to file Form 4-202?
No deadline is printed on the form. It is completed when the plaintiff is ready to state the claim in the named court. For a time limit that applies to your type of claim, check with that court.
Ready to fill out 4-202?
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