As was explained in the first part of the series, the Case Information Statement is a financial form required by the Court. The first four pages ask about general information such as date of the marriage, date of the complaint, names and addresses of the parties and children, income information, etc. It is requested that you provide information pertaining to your income for the previous year as well as more current income and deductions to your income. There is even a section which requests information regarding unearned income from all sources which includes but is not limited to unemployment, disability, social security, interest, dividends, rental income, etc. There is also an entire page devoted to specific questions pertaining to your income such as specific information about bonuses, commissions or other compensation, etc.
The next two pages ask about your expenses. This section is broken down into what is frequently referred to as Schedule A expenses which are shelter expenses, Schedule B expenses for transportation and Schedule C expenses for personal expenses. The Schedule A shelter expenses ask about rent, mortgage, utilities, and other housing-related expenses. The Schedule B transportation expenses ask about the cost of automobile payments, insurance, fuel, etc. The Schedule C personal expenses ask about food, including restaurants and school lunches, clothing, medical expenses, vacations, contributions and other such personal expenses. Further, you are asked to list these expenses as they existed during the marriage in one column and you are to list these expenses as they currently exist. So for instance it may be that during the marriage the couple owned a home and were paying a mortgage. The mortgage amount and all of the housing expenses would be listed in the first column which asks for these expenses as they existed during the marriage. In the second column if one of the parties has moved out of the marital home and is currently paying rent, that individual would list the amount of their rent and other current expenses. Sometimes the expenses in both columns are the same, but sometimes the expenses differ.
The next two pages ask that you list all of the assets on one page and all of the liabilities on the other page. So for instance the assets might consist of the marital home, vehicles, bank accounts, savings, investments, etc. The next page which asks about liabilities would consist of mortgages, car loans or leases, credit card debt, etc. You are asked to provide this information whether those items are in the husband’s name, the wife’s name or in joint names.
The last page gives you an opportunity to explain any special problems and provides a list of documents to be attached to your Case Information Statement. The last page also requires that you certify the information is true and if it is willfully false you are subject to punishment.
Should you be required to complete this form, do not hesitate to contact a Family Law attorney who is familiar with this form and can assist you with its preparation and presentation to the Court for filing.
The Family Court’s Case Information Statement – Part I
