APP-200-INFO - How to Use Form APP-200 in Limited Civil Cases

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How to Use Form APP-200 in Limited Civil Cases

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Form ID: APP-200-INFO
Title: How to Use Form APP-200 in Limited Civil Cases
Effective Date: 2025-01-01
Mandatory Form: no
Info Page: https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/jcc-form/APP-200-INFO
Primary Download URL: https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/app200info.pdf
Form Detail Page:
How to Use Form APP-200 in Limited Civil Cases
(APP-200-INFO)
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Effective: January 1, 2025
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Judicial Council of California,   
New January 1, 2025, Optional Form  How to Use Form APP-200 
 in Limited Civil Cases
APP-200-INFO How to Use Form APP-200 in Limited Civil Cases
GENERAL INFORMATION
1 What does this information sheet cover?
This information sheet tells you about how to use 
Appellant’s Opening Brief—Limited Civil Case  (form  
                 to prepare an opening brief in a limited civil 
case.
A “limited civil case” is a civil case that involves an 
amount of $35,000 or less. If your case involves more than 
$35,000, your case is an “unlimited civil case” and you 
cannot use form APP-200. Also, do not use form APP-200 
in a criminal case.
Do not use form APP-200 if a cross-appeal has been filed 
in your case. A cross-appeal is when both parties have filed 
notices of appeal asking to have the trial court’s decision 
reviewed. For more information about briefs where a cross-
appeal has been filed, see California Rules of Court, rule 
For information about the appeal process in limited civil 
cases in general, you should read Information on Appeal 
Procedures for Limited Civil Cases (form                            
To learn even more, you should read rules                      and 
                     of the California Rules of Court, which set out 
the procedures for appeals in limited civil cases. You can 
get this form and these rules at any courthouse or county 
law library or online at                                            and
2 What is an appeal?
An appeal is a request to a higher court to review a 
decision made by a judge or jury in a lower court. In a 
limited civil case, the court hearing the appeal is the 
appellate division of the superior court and the lower court 
—called the “trial court” in this information sheet and in 
the form briefs—is the superior court.
If you are the party appealing (asking for the trial court’s 
decision to be reviewed), you are called the appellant. If 
you received notice that another party in the case is 
appealing, you are called the respondent.
3 What is a brief?
A “brief” is a written document that tells the appellate 
division (the court reviewing your case): 
The facts in the case;
The law that applies; and
The party’s arguments about the issues being appealed.
If you are the appellant, you will file the first brief, called 
an “opening brief.” If you are the respondent, after the 
appellant files the opening brief, you will have the chance 
to file the “respondent’s brief” to respond to the appellant’s 
arguments in the opening brief. Finally, if the respondent 
files a respondent’s brief, the appellant will then have the 
chance to file a “reply brief” to reply to the respondent’s 
arguments. The reply brief is the final brief unless the 
appellate division orders further briefing.
4 Preparing a brief
If you are represented by a lawyer in your appeal, your 
lawyer will prepare your brief. If you are not represented 
by a lawyer, you will have to prepare your brief yourself. 
If you are the appellant, Appellant’s Opening Brief—
Limited Civil Case (form APP-200) may be used to prepare 
your opening brief. This information sheet explains to 
appellants how to fill out form APP-200. 
If you are the respondent, Respondent’s Brief—Limited 
Civil Case (form                  may be used to prepare your 
respondent’s brief. The information sheet How to Use 
Form APP-201 in Limited Civil Cases (form                         
                            explains how to fill out form APP-201.
If you are the appellant, and you would like to use a form 
to prepare your reply brief, you can use Appellant’s Reply 
Brief—Limited Civil Case  (form                 . The 
information sheet How to Use Form APP-202 in Limited 
Civil Cases (form                             explains how to fill out 
form APP-202.
You or your lawyer do not need to use these forms for your 
briefs. If you choose to draft your own brief, read 
California Rules of Court, rules                      to learn about 
what your brief must contain, how it must be formatted, 
and how and when it must be served and filed.
APP-200-INFO, Page 1 of 5

New January 1, 2025
How to Use Form APP-200 
 in Limited Civil Cases
APP-200-INFO How to Use Form APP-200 in Limited Civil Cases
INFORMATION ABOUT FILLING OUT 
APPELLANT'S OPENING BRIEF— 
LIMITED CIVIL CASE (FORM APP-200)
If you are the appellant, you must prepare and file the first 
brief, called an “appellant’s opening brief.” This brief must 
clearly explain what you believe are the legal errors made 
in the trial court. You or your lawyer may use Appellant’s 
Opening Brief—Limited Civil Case  (form APP-200) to 
prepare this opening brief. This section describes how to 
fill out that form.
5 Attachments, format, and length
Form APP-200 has spaces for you to give information or 
answer questions. If any of these spaces are not big enough 
and you need more space for your response to an item, you 
may check the box in that item stating that you need more 
space. After you check the box, you may continue your 
answer on a separate sheet of paper labeled “Attachment” 
followed by the item number you are filling out. For 
example, an attachment continuing your response to item 4 
would be labeled “Attachment 4” at the top of the page. 
The separate sheets of paper used to continue your answers 
and the proof of service are the only attachments that may 
be included with your brief. Do not attach any other 
documents.
You should format your brief and attachments as follows:
The attachments must be on white paper, 8.5 inches by 
11 inches in size, with 1.5-inch margins on the left and 
right and 1-inch margins on the top and bottom.
In typing the brief and attachments, you may use any 
standard font, but the font must not be smaller than 13 
point. 
You should use normal typeface, but italics, boldface 
type, or underscores can be used for emphasis. Case 
names must also be in italics or underscored. 
If you file the brief in paper form, you should bind the 
brief on the left margin, unless the appellate division has 
a local rule requiring the brief to be bound on the top.
All attachments need to be included at the end of form 
APP-200 in the order of the attachment number. For 
example, you would put Attachment 4 after Attachment 
3. You then need to number the pages of all the 
attachments in order, starting with page 8 (because the 
actual form is 7 pages long). 
Your opening brief, including the form and any 
attachments, may not be longer than 25 pages.
6 Completing the caption (the top part of 
the form)
Name of the parties on appeal. At the top left of the form, 
fill out the name of each party appealing the trial court’s 
decision and the name of each party who is a respondent in 
the appeal.  
Appellate division case number. When you filed the notice 
of appeal in your case, the clerk gave the appeal a case 
number. You can find this number on the notice of briefing 
schedule or another document about your case sent to you 
by the clerk of the appellate division. Write that number in 
the box entitled “Appellate Division Case Number.”
Trial court case number and trial court judicial officer. 
Write the case number your case had in the trial court here. 
You can find this number on any court order from the trial 
court. Also write the name of the trial court judge or other 
judicial officer who made the decision you are appealing.
7 Completing item 1, "Information About 
the Appellant"
In item 1a, type your name. If you are a lawyer filling this 
out for your client, type your name, State Bar number, and 
the name of your law firm.
In item 1b, type your address and contact information if 
you do not have a lawyer. If you are a lawyer filling out 
this form for your client, write your office address, 
telephone number, fax number (if applicable), and email 
address.
8 Completing item 2, "The Order Being 
Appealed as Stated in the Notice of 
Appeal"
In this item, you are telling the appellate division about the 
judgment or order you are appealing. Check the box or 
boxes that describe the judgment or orders you are 
appealing. You may check multiple boxes. For example, if 
you are appealing from the final judgment after a jury trial 
and the trial court’s denial of your motion for a new trial, 
you would check the box at item 2a and 2b.
For more information, see Code of Civil Procedure section 
904.2.
APP-200-INFO, Page 2 of 5

New January 1, 2025
How to Use Form APP-200 
 in Limited Civil Cases
APP-200-INFO How to Use Form APP-200 in Limited Civil Cases
9 Completing item 3, "Timeliness of 
Appeal"
In item 3, you are providing the court with information 
about when the trial court entered the order or judgment 
you are appealing, when notice of that order or judgment 
was served, and when your notice of appeal was filed. This 
information will help the appellate division decide whether 
you filed your notice of appeal in time. 
Usually, under California Rules of Court, rule 8.822, the 
deadline to file a Notice of Appeal is 30 days after you are 
served with either a document called “Notice of Entry” of 
judgment or a file-stamped copy of the judgment or order. 
If neither of these documents is served on you, the deadline 
is 90 days after the judgment or order was made. There are 
very limited exceptions to these deadlines that you can find 
in California Rules of Court, rule          . 
In item 3a, write the date the trial court entered the 
judgment or order you are appealing.
In item 3b, write the date that you were served by the clerk 
or another party with a notice of entry of judgment or a 
copy of the judgment under California Rules of Court, rule 
The time to file a notice of appeal may be longer if certain 
types of motions were filed after the trial court made its 
decision and the motion was denied by the trial court. 
These motions are listed in item 3c (notice of intention to 
move for a new trial, motion for judgment notwithstanding 
the verdict, motion for reconsideration, or motion to vacate 
judgment).
In item 3c, check “yes” if a party filed one of the listed 
motions which was then denied by the trial court. If you 
check “yes,” write the type of motion that was filed, the 
date the motion was filed, the date the trial court denied the 
motion, and the date you were served with a copy of the 
trial court’s denial. 
Finally, in item 3d, list the date you filed your notice of 
appeal. 
10 Completing item 4, "Other Appeals"
In item 4, state whether there have been any other appeals 
in this case. If yes, give the case numbers for those other 
appeals. 
11 Completing item 5, "What Are the Facts 
of This Case?"
In item 5, discuss what happened between the parties to 
cause this lawsuit to be filed. You must only include facts 
that:
Are important to what you think the trial court got 
wrong, and
Were presented to the trial court.
Important: The appellate division will NOT consider 
new evidence, such as the testimony of new witnesses or 
new exhibits, so do not discuss any facts that were not 
given to the trial court. 
For each fact you discuss in item 5, you must tell the 
appellate division where in the record on appeal it shows 
that the fact was presented to the trial court. (For more 
information about the record on appeal, read item 13 on 
form                          .) To do this, when you discuss a fact, 
you must cite the page in the record where it shows that 
fact was presented to the trial court. To cite means to give 
(1) the volume number of the part of the record where the 
fact can be found, (2) the name of the part of the record 
you are citing, and (3) the page number in the record where 
the fact can be found. Here are examples of how to cite to 
different forms of the record:
If the fact you are discussing appears at page 10 of 
volume 2 of the Clerk’s Transcript, you would cite the 
Clerk’s Transcript as “2 CT 10.”
If the fact you are discussing appears at page 15 of 
volume 1 of the Reporter’s Transcript, you would cite 
the Reporter’s Transcript as “1 RT 15.”
If the parties used an appendix on appeal instead of a 
clerk’s transcript, and the fact you are discussing 
appears at page 33 of volume 1 of the appendix, you 
would cite the appendix as “1 AA 33.”
12 Completing item 6, "What Happened in 
the Trial Court?"
In item 6, you will give the appellate division the facts 
about what happened in the trial court. Just like in item 5, 
you must cite to where in the record on appeal a fact you 
give appears. For example, when you are talking about a 
specific document filed in the trial court (such as a 
complaint, a motion, or a court order), cite to where in the 
record that document can be found.
APP-200-INFO, Page 3 of 5

New January 1, 2025
How to Use Form APP-200 
 in Limited Civil Cases
APP-200-INFO How to Use Form APP-200 in Limited Civil Cases
In item 6a, state whether you were the plaintiff or the 
defendant in the trial court. The plaintiff is the party who 
filed the complaint in the case. The defendant is the party 
against whom the complaint was filed. 
In item 6b, describe the legal claims the plaintiff made in 
the complaint. The plaintiff started this lawsuit by filing a 
complaint. The complaint explains how the plaintiff 
believes they have been harmed. The “legal claims” in the 
complaint describe why the plaintiff believes the defendant 
is legally responsible for that harm. The following are 
examples of legal claims:
The defendant drove through a red light and crashed 
into the plaintiff. The legal claim would be for 
“negligence.”
The defendant failed to pay the plaintiff for work the 
plaintiff did under a contract. The legal claim would be 
for “breach of contract.”
In item 6c, describe what the plaintiff asked the trial court 
to do in the complaint to fix the harm they suffered. For 
example, the plaintiff may have asked the trial court to 
order the defendant to pay damages (money) to the plaintiff 
or to issue an injunction (an order requiring the defendant 
either to do something or not to do something).
In item 6d, describe the arguments the defendant made to 
the trial court against the complaint. These arguments are 
the reasons why the defendant believed the plaintiff should 
lose the lawsuit. These arguments can be found either in 
the defendant’s answer or in motions filed by the defendant 
(such as a demurrer or a motion for summary judgment). 
Examples of such arguments could include:
The plaintiff waited too long to bring this lawsuit and 
the claims are now barred by the statute of limitations.
The facts stated in the complaint do not support the 
legal claims.
The plaintiff failed to give evidence supporting their 
legal claims.
In item 6e, state whether the defendant filed a cross-
complaint against the plaintiff or another party. When a 
plaintiff sues a defendant, the defendant can sue the 
plaintiff back, or if the defendant thinks someone else is 
responsible for plaintiff’s harm, the defendant can sue that 
other person and bring them into the lawsuit. This is called 
filing a cross-complaint. If the defendant in this case filed a 
cross-complaint, briefly describe the legal claims made in 
the cross-complaint and what relief the defendant asked the 
trial court to order.
In item 6f, describe the decision of the trial court that you 
are appealing. You should state what the trial court’s 
decision was (for example, an order sustaining defendant’s 
demurrer, an order granting a motion for summary 
judgment, or a judgment after a jury verdict) and describe 
any reasons the trial court gave for its decision. Finally, 
describe what, if anything, the trial court’s decision 
requires the parties to do.
13 Completing item 7, "Your Request of the 
Appellate Division of the Superior Court"
In item 7, tell the appellate division what you would like it 
to do to fix the mistakes you believe the trial court made. 
For example, if the trial court sustained the defendant’s 
demurrer and dismissed your case, you could ask the 
appellate division to reverse the judgment and send the 
case back to the trial court to allow the case to continue.
14 Completing item 8, "What Do You Think 
the Trial Court Did Wrong?"
In item 8, you must clearly explain what you believe the 
trial court did wrong in deciding your case. You must 
include all your arguments in this opening brief. The 
appellate division will only consider arguments made in the 
opening brief. 
It is important to understand that an appeal is NOT a new 
trial. The appellate division will not consider new 
evidence, such as the testimony of new witnesses or new 
exhibits. Instead, the appellate division will review the 
appellate record (the record of what happened in the trial 
court that the parties have given the court) and the trial 
court’s decision to see if certain kinds of legal errors were 
made. The appellate division can only review a case to see 
whether one of the two types of mistakes happened:
A prejudicial error happened in the case before the 
trial court. A prejudicial error is an error that was made 
about either the law or court procedures in the case and 
that caused harm to the appellant.  
Prejudicial error can include things like errors made by 
the judge about the law, errors or misconduct by the 
lawyers, incorrect instructions given to the jury, and 
misconduct by the jury that harmed the appellant. When 
it conducts its review, the appellate division presumes 
that the judgment, order, or other decision being 
appealed is correct. As the appellant, you have the 
responsibility of showing that an error was made and 
that you were harmed by the error in some way.
APP-200-INFO, Page 4 of 5

New/ January 1, 2025
How to Use Form APP-200 
 in Limited Civil Cases
APP-200-INFO How to Use Form APP-200 in Limited Civil Cases
That there was no substantial evidence to support the 
judgment, order, or other decision being appealed. 
Substantial evidence is evidence that is reasonable and 
believable. When it conducts its review, the appellate 
division only looks to see if there was evidence that 
reasonably supports the trial court’s judgment, order, or 
other decision. The appellate division generally will not 
reconsider the jury’s or trial court’s conclusion about 
which side had more or stronger evidence or whether 
witnesses were telling the truth or lying.
The appellate division generally will not reverse the 
judgment, order, or other decision being appealed unless 
the record clearly shows that one of these mistakes was 
made. (Reverse means to change the trial court’s decision.) 
Item 8 is your opportunity to explain to the appellate 
division how the trial court made one of these mistakes and 
how the mistake harmed your case. 
For each argument, you should clearly identify the 
following:
The mistake you believe the trial court made in its 
judgment, order, or other decision you are appealing
The standard of review the appellate division should 
apply in reviewing the argument. The standard of 
review is how the appellate division looks at what 
happened in the trial court to decide if the trial court 
made a mistake.
Some common standards of review are de novo, abuse 
of discretion, and substantial evidence. De novo review 
is used if you are arguing that the trial court applied the 
law wrong. Abuse of discretion review is used if you are 
arguing that the trial court exercised its discretion in an 
absurd or arbitrary way. Substantial evidence review is 
used if you are arguing that the evidence as decided by 
the trial court or jury does not support the trial court’s 
decision.
For more information about standards of review, visit 
the Self-Help Guide to the California Courts website at 
The places in the record on appeal where the facts that 
support your argument can be found. (Please see the 
discussion of cites to the record on appeal in item 11 of 
this information sheet.)
15 Serving and Filing Your Brief
After you have completed your brief, make copies of the 
brief (with all attachments) for your records, each of the 
other parties in the case, and the trial court. 
Serve a copy of the completed form (with all attachments) 
on each of the other parties and the trial court and keep 
proof of this service. There are two forms you may use to 
show proof of service:
Proof of Service (form                ); or
Proof of Electronic Service (form                  ).
You can get more information about how to serve court 
papers and proof of service from What is Proof of Service 
(form                          ) and on the Self-Help Guide to the 
California Courts website at 
After you have served copies of the brief on the other 
parties and the trial court, file the original brief and all 
attachments, along with the proof of service, with the 
appellate division.
Form APP-200 has items for you to make two arguments. 
If you have more than two arguments to make, check the 
box at item 8c and make those additional arguments on a 
separate piece of paper and write “Attachment 8c” at the 
top.
The law that supports your argument. This can take the 
form of statutes, court opinions, court rules, 
constitutional provisions, or other legal authority. You 
may find law that supports your appeal mentioned in the 
documents filed by the parties in the trial court or in the 
trial court’s decisions.
APP-200-INFO, Page 5 of 5

Retrieval chunks

• #1

  Form ID: APP-200-INFO Title: How to Use Form APP-200 in Limited Civil Cases Effective Date: 2025-01-01 Mandatory Form: no Info Page: https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/jcc-form/APP-200-INFO Primary Download URL: https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/app200info.pdf Form Detail Page: How to Use Form APP-200 in Limited …

• #2

  A “brief” is a written document that tells the appellate division (the court reviewing your case): The facts in the case; The law that applies; and The party’s arguments about the issues being appealed. If you are the appellant, you will file the first brief, called an “opening brief.” If you are the respondent,…

• #3

  in the trial court. You or your lawyer may use Appellant’s Opening Brief—Limited Civil Case (form APP-200) to prepare this opening brief. This section describes how to fill out that form. 5 Attachments, format, and length Form APP-200 has spaces for you to give information or answer questions. If any of these s…

• #4

  by the clerk of the appellate division. Write that number in the box entitled “Appellate Division Case Number.” Trial court case number and trial court judicial officer. Write the case number your case had in the trial court here. You can find this number on any court order from the trial court. Also write the na…

• #5

  judgment or order you are appealing. In item 3b, write the date that you were served by the clerk or another party with a notice of entry of judgment or a copy of the judgment under California Rules of Court, rule The time to file a notice of appeal may be longer if certain types of motions were filed after the t…

• #6

  If the fact you are discussing appears at page 15 of volume 1 of the Reporter’s Transcript, you would cite the Reporter’s Transcript as “1 RT 15.” If the parties used an appendix on appeal instead of a clerk’s transcript, and the fact you are discussing appears at page 33 of volume 1 of the appendix, you would c…

• #7

  (such as a demurrer or a motion for summary judgment). Examples of such arguments could include: The plaintiff waited too long to bring this lawsuit and the claims are now barred by the statute of limitations. The facts stated in the complaint do not support the legal claims. The plaintiff failed to give evidenc…

• #8

  court’s decision to see if certain kinds of legal errors were made. The appellate division can only review a case to see whether one of the two types of mistakes happened: A prejudicial error happened in the case before the trial court. A prejudicial error is an error that was made about either the law or court p…

• #9

  is used if you are arguing that the trial court applied the law wrong. Abuse of discretion review is used if you are arguing that the trial court exercised its discretion in an absurd or arbitrary way. Substantial evidence review is used if you are arguing that the evidence as decided by the trial court or jury d…