california demand for bill of particulars

For example, you might respond with this level of detail for each incident: “On or about Decemat 7:00 pm the Defendant shoved Plaintiff to the ground in the kitchen of their marital home and struck Plaintiff approximately 12 times with closed fists. For example, if you filed a divorce action based on the ground of cruel and inhuman treatment, you may have just alleged in your petition that you were “subjected to cruel and inhuman treatment during the marriage.” The request for a bill of particulars may say: “Defendant hereby demands a bill of particulars setting forth the specifics of the alleged cruel and inhuman treatment.” In the bill of particulars that you write up, you will explain exactly what you meant by cruel and inhuman treatment, while keeping in mind what you can prove at trial, and the approximate dates that the incidents happened. You need to think about what it is that you need to prove to the judge in order to win your case and then explain in more detail the general allegations that you made in your complaint or petition. When you receive a request for a bill of particulars, you should first read it over very carefully and then read your complaint or petition. If a bill of particulars does not explain enough of the case to support the lawsuit, then the other party might be able to file a motion to dismiss the claim. Once you know what the other side is trying to prove to the judge, you can better prepare for depositions or trial. This way, the parties can start to understand what the other side’s “theory of the case” will be – in other words, what the party is trying to prove to the judge so that s/he can get the outcome and the relief s/he is looking for. If there is a complaint filed by one party and a counter-complaint filed by the other party, both parties may request a bill of particulars against each other. Usually, requests for bill of particulars are sent out before depositions happen, and before other forms of discovery, so that the other party has a more complete sense of the allegations against him/her.

In other words, a bill of particulars is a discovery tool that can be used by a respondent to figure out what the other party is claiming happened. The respondent in a lawsuit might request a bill of particulars if the complaint has general allegations without getting into the specific details that would be necessary for the respondent to properly defend him/herself in the case. A bill of particulars is a written document in which a party has to explain the allegations in his/her complaint, or petition, in more detail.

California demand for bill of particulars