Disclaimer: The information on this web page is provided as a service and a convenience by the Connecticut Judicial Branch. It is not intended as legal advice to any person. If you have questions about the use of these forms, your legal rights, or particular issues in your case, it is strongly recommended that you talk to an attorney.
Due to the changing nature of the law, the forms and information found on this web site will change from time to time. It is up to you to follow the current procedures and to file the correct, up-to-date forms. Each court location has a Clerk's Office and many locations also have a Court Service Center that can give you help and information about court procedures. Please note, however, that Clerk's Office and Court Service Center personnel cannot provide you with legal advice.
Instructions
or find additional information at the
Law Libraries. Court Staff
can help you understand the legal process, and while they may give you
procedural information, they cannot give you legal advice.To respond to a foreclosure lawsuit you first have to fill out the following forms:
By filing an
Appearance form you are telling the court that you are acting as your own
attorney and giving the court your mailing address. Once you file an
Appearance, all court notices and papers filed about your case that are
filed after your Appearance will be sent to the address on your Appearance.
The Appearance form is due by the return date which is listed on the top
right corner of the Summons. The Summons is one of the forms that started
the case against you. By filing an Appearance form you are telling the court
that you are acting as your own attorney and giving the court your mailing
address. It is best to file an Appearance as early as possible. It is
important to fill out this form in order to receive any court notices, and
to give the other parties to your case a correct address for correspondence
about the case.
The Foreclosure Mediation Certificate can be turned in
with the Appearance form but must be filed no later than 15 days from the
return date on your Summons. The Foreclosure Mediation Certificate asks for
information to try to allow you into the Foreclosure Mediation Program, a
program to help homeowners settle their foreclosure cases. You have to
answer 5 questions including if the home is your primary residence, do you
occupy the property, is the property a 1-, 2-, 3- or 4-family residence, if
you are the borrower, and is the foreclosure a mortgage foreclosure. If the
answer to all 5 questions is “yes”, you may be qualified for the Foreclosure
Mediation Program. If the court decides you are qualified for the program,
it will send you a notice to the address listed on your Appearance form with
the date and time your Mediation is scheduled.
The Answer to Complaint is due within 15 days of the return date listed on
the summons. There are some
exceptions to this 15-day requirement that are in sections 10-6 and 10-8 of
the Connecticut Practice Book.