Case Information Statements

New Jersey mandates filing of a Case Information Statement (CIS) in all NJ divorce actions when custody, support, alimony or equitable distribution are involved. Filing amendments of the CIS upon changes of the information reported is also mandated. Failure to timely file CIS can result in the dismissal of your case. Failure to file amendments may result in the court precluding you from entering any evidence concerning the unreported changes.

The Case Information Statement (CIS) sets forth all income, assets, expenses and costs of lifestyle that the parties require for determination of all financial aspects of your life and that of your spouse. It provides the foundation for determining child support, alimony, distribution of debts and distribution of assets. The importance of detailed and accurate preparation of the CIS cannot be stressed strongly enough.

As the basis for all financial aspects of the NJ divorce case, it is relied upon for all steps in the divorce process from settlement negotiations to trial and everything in between. Because of its importance, the filing of timely and accurate amendments becomes just as vital as the original CIS filing itself. It is extremely important to provide your attorney with accurate information that is supported with documentation such as bank statements, charge records, tax returns and much more.

The CIS is broken down into seven parts:

• Part A – Case Information: birthdates, addresses, children, nature of relationship, issues in dispute, financial obligation to children born in or out of this relationship
• Part B -Miscellaneous information: employers, health insurance in use or available
• Part C Various types of income information:
  • C-1 Income Information: last year’s income broken into three columns, yours, joint and other party.
  • C-2 Present Earned Income and Expenses: weekly income and withholding
  • C-3 Current Year to Date Earned Income: gross income to date and deductions
  • C-4 Year-to-Date Gross Unearned Income From All Sources: includes unearned income from sources such as unemployment, disability, interest, dividends, rental income
  • C-5 Additional Information: frequency of pay, annual salary, recent raises, fringe benefits, bonuses, commissions, stock options, alimony or child support, received or paid, all other unearned income and various general information
• Part D-Monthly Expenses: monthly expenses in painful detail sought, in part, to substantiate lifestyle claims
• Part E- Assets and Liabilities: comprehensive listing of assets, seeking how titled, date acquired, value and valuation date for each asset, followed by a comprehensive statement of details of all debt including monthly payments, amount owed, who is responsible for the debt and why they are responsible and not you
• Part F - Statement of Special Problems: allows the opportunity to submit a narrative of any special issues such as medical problems of family members, difficulty in determining value of certain assets or other issues that could affect distribution in the case
• Part G - Required Attachments: checklist of all the attachments required

The Case Information Statement requires careful and precise completion to assure that all future amendments are consistent. This task is very time consuming, requiring the gathering of all of the documentation to support the factual information provided on the Statement.

If you need to discuss your NJ divorce action, call the Law Offices of Peter Van Aulen for a free initial consultation at 201-845-7400.