CM-010 - Civil Case Cover Sheet

Summary

Civil Case Cover Sheet

Text

Form ID: CM-010
Title: Civil Case Cover Sheet
Effective Date: 2026-01-01
Mandatory Form: yes
Info Page: https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/jcc-form/CM-010
Primary Download URL: https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/cm010.pdf
Form Detail Page:
Civil Case Cover Sheet
(CM-010)
Tells the court some basic information about a case being filed. Filed at the beginning of all civil cases except family law cases.
Get form CM-010
Effective: January 1, 2026
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PDF Text:
Judicial Council of California, courts.ca.gov 
Rev. January 1, 2026, Mandatory Form 
Cal. Rules of Court, rules 2.30, 3.220, 3.400–3.403, 3.740 
Cal. Stds. Jud. Admin., std. 3.10
Civil Case Cover Sheet
CM-010
ATTORNEY OR PARTY WITHOUT ATTORNEY STATE BAR NUMBER:
NAME:
FIRM NAME:
STREET ADDRESS:
CITY: STATE: ZIP CODE:
TELEPHONE NO.: FAX NO.:
EMAIL ADDRESS:
ATTORNEY FOR (name):
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF
STREET ADDRESS:
MAILING ADDRESS:
CITY AND ZIP CODE:
BRANCH NAME:
CASE NAME:
CIVIL CASE COVER SHEET
Unlimited 
(Amount 
demanded 
exceeds $35,000)
Limited 
(Amount 
demanded is 
$35,000 or less)
Complex Case Designation
Counter Joinder
Filed with first appearance by defendant 
(Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.402)
FOR COURT USE ONLY
CASE NUMBER:
JUDGE:
DEPT.:
Items 1–6 below must be completed (see instructions on page 2).
1. Check one box below for the case type that best describes this case:
Auto Tort
Auto (22)
Uninsured motorist (46)
Asbestos
Asbestos (04)
Other PI/PD/WD (Personal Injury/Property 
Damage/Wrongful Death) Tort
Product liability (24)
Medical malpractice (45)
Other PI/PD/WD (23)
Non-PI/PD/WD (Other) Tort
Business tort/Unfair business practice (07)
Civil rights (08)
Defamation (13)
Fraud (16)
Intellectual property (19)
Professional negligence (25)
Other non-PI/PD/WD tort (35)
Employment
Wrongful termination (36)
Other employment (15)
Contract
Breach of contract/warranty (06)
Rule 3.740 collections (09)
Other collections (09)
Insurance coverage (18)
Other contract (37)
Real Property
Eminent domain/Inverse 
condemnation (14)
Wrongful eviction (33)
Other real property (26)
Unlawful Detainer
Commercial (31)
Residential (32)
Drugs (38)
Judicial Review
Asset forfeiture (05)
Petition re arbitration award (11)
Writ of mandate (02)
Other judicial review (39)
Employment Development 
Department (EDD)
EDD decision review (48)
Provisionally Complex Civil Litigation 
(Cal. Rules of Court, rules 3.400–3.404)
Antitrust/Trade regulation (03)
Construction defect (10)
Mass tort (40)
Securities litigation (28)
Environmental/Toxic tort (30)
Comprehensive groundwater adjudication (47)
Insurance coverage claims arising from the 
above listed provisionally complex case types 
(41)
Enforcement of Judgment
Enforcement of judgment (20)
Miscellaneous Civil Complaint
RICO (27)
Other complaint (not specified above) (42)
Miscellaneous Civil Petition
Partnership and corporate governance (21)
Other petition (not specified above) (43)
CM-010, Page 1 of 3

Rev. January 1, 2026
 Civil Case Cover Sheet
CM-010
2. Yes NoIs this case complex under rule 3.400 of the California Rules of Court?
If the case is complex, mark the factors requiring exceptional judicial management:
a. Large number of separately represented parties
b. Extensive motion practice raising difficult or novel issues that will be time-consuming to resolve
c. Substantial amount of documentary evidence
d. Large number of witnesses
e. Coordination with related actions pending in one or more courts in other counties, states, or countries, or in a federal court
f. Substantial postjudgment judicial supervision
3. Remedies sought (check all that apply):
a. monetary
b. nonmonetary; declaratory or injunctive relief
c. punitive
4. Number of causes of action (specify):
5. Is this case a class action suit? Yes No
6. If there are any known related cases, file and serve a notice of related case. (You may use form CM-015.)
Date:
(TYPE OR PRINT NAME)
 (SIGNATURE OF PARTY OR ATTORNEY FOR PARTY)
Plaintiff must file this cover sheet with the first paper filed in the action or proceeding (except small claims cases or cases filed under the Probate 
Code, Family Code, or Welfare and Institutions Code). (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.220.) Failure to file may result in sanctions. 
File this cover sheet in addition to any cover sheet required by local court rule.
If this case is complex under rule 3.400 et seq. of the California Rules of Court, you must serve a copy of this cover sheet on all other parties to the 
action or proceeding.  
Unless this is a collections case under rule 3.740 of the California Rules of Court or a complex case, this cover sheet will be used for statistical 
purposes only. 
NOTICE
INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO COMPLETE THE COVER SHEET
To Plaintiffs and Others Filing First Papers. If you are filing a first paper (for example, a complaint) in a civil case, you must 
complete and file, along with your first paper, the Civil Case Cover Sheet contained on pages 1 and 2. This information will be used to 
compile statistics about the types and numbers of cases filed. You must complete items 1 through 6 on the sheet. In item 1, you must 
check one box for the case type that best describes the case. If the case fits both a general and a more specific type of case listed in 
item 1, check the more specific one. If the case has multiple causes of action, check the box that best indicates the primary cause of 
action. To assist you in completing the sheet, examples of the cases that belong under each case type in item 1 are provided below. A 
cover sheet must be filed only with your initial paper. Failure to file a cover sheet with the first paper filed in a civil case may subject a 
party, its counsel, or both to sanctions under rules 2.30 and 3.220 of the California Rules of Court. 
To Parties in Rule 3.740 Collections Cases. A "collections case" under rule 3.740 of the California Rules of Court is defined as an 
action for recovery of money owed in a sum stated to be certain that is not more than $35,000, exclusive of interest and attorney's fees, 
arising from a transaction in which property, services, or money was acquired on credit. A collections case does not include an action 
seeking the following: (1) tort damages, (2) punitive damages, (3) recovery of real property, (4) recovery of personal property, or (5) a 
prejudgment writ of attachment.  The identification of a case as a rule 3.740 collections case on this form means that it will be exempt 
from the general time-for-service requirements and case management rules, unless a defendant files a responsive pleading. A rule 
3.740 collections case will be subject to the requirements for service and obtaining a judgment in rule 3.740.
To Parties in Complex Cases. In complex cases only, parties must also use the Civil Case Cover Sheet to designate whether the 
case is complex. If a plaintiff believes the case is complex under rule 3.400 of the California Rules of Court, this must be indicated by 
completing the appropriate boxes in items 1 and 2. If a plaintiff designates a case as complex, the cover sheet must be served with the 
complaint on all parties to the action. A defendant may file and serve no later than the time of its first appearance a joinder in the 
plaintiff's designation, a counter-designation that the case is not complex, or, if the plaintiff has made no designation, a designation that 
the case is complex. 
SEE PAGE 3 FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY.
CM-010, Page 2 of 3

For your protection and privacy, please press the Clear 
button after you have printed the form.
Rev. January 1, 2026 Civil Case Cover Sheet
CM-010
CASE TYPES AND EXAMPLES
Auto Tort 
Auto (22)–Personal Injury/Property Damage/
Wrongful Death 
Uninsured Motorist (46) (if the case involves 
an uninsured motorist claim subject to 
arbitration, check this item instead of Auto) 
Asbestos 
Asbestos (04) 
Asbestos Property Damage 
Asbestos Personal Injury/Wrongful Death 
Other PI/PD/WD (Personal Injury/ 
Property Damage/Wrongful Death) Tort 
Product Liability (not asbestos or toxic/
environmental) (24) 
Medical Malpractice (45) 
Medical Malpractice–Physicians & 
Surgeons 
Other Professional Health Care 
Malpractice 
Other PI/PD/WD (23) 
Premises Liability (e.g., slip and fall) 
Intentional Bodily Injury/PD/WD (e.g., 
assault, vandalism) 
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress 
Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress 
Other PI/PD/WD 
Non-PI/PD/WD (Other) Tort 
Business Tort/Unfair Business Practice (07) 
Civil Rights (e.g., discrimination, false arrest) 
(not civil harassment) (08) 
Defamation (e.g., slander, libel) (13) 
Fraud (16) 
Intellectual Property (19) 
Professional Negligence (25) 
Legal Malpractice 
Other Professional Malpractice (not 
medical or legal) 
Other Non-PI/PD/WD Tort (35) 
Employment 
Wrongful Termination (36) 
Other Employment (15)
Contract 
Breach of Contract/Warranty (06) 
Breach of Rental/Lease Contract (not 
unlawful detainer or wrongful eviction) 
Contract/Warranty Breach–Seller Plaintiff 
(not fraud or negligence)  
Negligent Breach of Contract/Warranty 
Other Breach of Contract/Warranty  
Collections (e.g., money owed, open book 
accounts) (09) 
Collections Case–Seller Plaintiff  
Other Promissory Note/Collections Case 
Insurance Coverage (not provisionally 
complex) (18)  
Auto Subrogation 
Other Coverage 
Other Contract (37) 
Contractual Fraud 
Other Contract Dispute 
Real Property 
Eminent Domain/Inverse Condemnation (14) 
Wrongful Eviction (33) 
Other Real Property (e.g., quiet title) (26) 
Writ of Possession of Real Property 
Mortgage Foreclosure 
Quiet Title 
Other Real Property (not eminent  
            domain, landlord-tenant, or  
            foreclosure) 
Unlawful Detainer 
Commercial (31) 
Residential (32) 
Drugs (38) (if the case involves illegal drugs, 
check this item; otherwise, report as 
Commercial or Residential) 
Judicial Review 
Asset Forfeiture (05) 
Petition re Arbitration Award (11) 
Writ of Mandate (02) 
Writ–Administrative Mandamus 
Writ–Mandamus on Limited Court Case 
Matter 
Writ–Other Limited Court Case Review 
Other Judicial Review (39) 
Review of Health Officer Order  
Notice of Appeal–Labor Commissioner 
Appeals 
Employment Development Department (EDD) 
EDD Decision Review (48) (if the case 
involves an Employment Development 
Department decision, check this item 
instead of Wrongful Termination or Other 
Employment)
Provisionally Complex Civil Litigation (Cal. 
Rules of Court, rules 3.400–3.403) 
Antitrust/Trade Regulation (03) 
Construction Defect (10) 
Claims Involving Mass Tort (40) 
Securities Litigation (28) 
Environmental/Toxic Tort (30) 
Comprehensive Groundwater Adjudication 
(47) 
Insurance Coverage Claims (arising from 
provisionally complex case type listed 
above) (41) 
Enforcement of Judgment 
Enforcement of Judgment (20) 
Abstract of Judgment (Out of County) 
Confession of Judgment (non-domestic 
relations) 
Sister-State Judgment 
Administrative Agency Award (not unpaid 
taxes) 
Petition/Certification of Entry of Judgment 
on Unpaid Taxes 
Other Enforcement of Judgment Case 
Miscellaneous Civil Complaint 
RICO (27) 
Other Complaint (not specified above) (42) 
Declaratory Relief Only Injunctive Relief 
Only (non-harassment) 
Mechanic's Lien 
Other Commercial Complaint Case (non-
tort/non-complex) 
Other Civil Complaint (non-tort/non-
complex)  
Miscellaneous Civil Petition 
Partnership and Corporate Governance (21) 
Other Petition (not specified above) (43) 
Civil Harassment 
Workplace Violence 
Elder/Dependent Adult Abuse 
Election Contest 
Petition for Name Change 
Petition for Relief From Late Claim 
Other Civil Petition
CM-010, Page 3 of 3

Retrieval chunks

• #1

  Form ID: CM-010 Title: Civil Case Cover Sheet Effective Date: 2026-01-01 Mandatory Form: yes Info Page: https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/jcc-form/CM-010 Primary Download URL: https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/cm010.pdf Form Detail Page: Civil Case Cover Sheet (CM-010) Tells the court some basic information ab…

• #2

  Petition re arbitration award (11) Writ of mandate (02) Other judicial review (39) Employment Development Department (EDD) EDD decision review (48) Provisionally Complex Civil Litigation (Cal. Rules of Court, rules 3.400–3.404) Antitrust/Trade regulation (03) Construction defect (10) Mass tort (40) Securiti…

• #3

  Unless this is a collections case under rule 3.740 of the California Rules of Court or a complex case, this cover sheet will be used for statistical purposes only. NOTICE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO COMPLETE THE COVER SHEET To Plaintiffs and Others Filing First Papers. If you are filing a first paper (for example, a co…

• #4

  completing the appropriate boxes in items 1 and 2. If a plaintiff designates a case as complex, the cover sheet must be served with the complaint on all parties to the action. A defendant may file and serve no later than the time of its first appearance a joinder in the plaintiff's designation, a counter-designation…

• #5

  Wrongful Eviction (33) Other Real Property (e.g., quiet title) (26) Writ of Possession of Real Property Mortgage Foreclosure Quiet Title Other Real Property (not eminent domain, landlord-tenant, or foreclosure) Unlawful Detainer Commercial (31) Residential (32) Drugs (38) (if the case involves illegal drugs…