Start My Answer
loading...

New Jersey Court Case Search—Find Your Lawsuit

Dena Standley | August 24, 2023

Dena Standley
Legal Expert, Paralegal
Dena Standley, BA

Dena Standley is a seasoned paralegal with more than 20 years of experience in legal research and writing, having received a certification as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal from Southern Technical College.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: New Jersey does not have an online case access tool, so you must call the court clerk or visit the courthouse if you are trying to stay up-to-date on the status of your lawsuit. If you’ve been sued for a debt, you should watch the court records closely and use SoloSuit to respond to the case with a written Answer.

Do you feel your life has come to a standstill because of the debt collection lawsuit you received? You are not alone. Consumers who’ve been sued for debt often despair and wonder what to do to avoid plunging deeper into financial trouble. The New Jersey judicial system helps you feel empowered about your case. The state allows you to access your court records in person at the courthouse where the case is filed.

How does being able to view your court records benefit you? For starters, it helps you stay updated on how your case is progressing, and you will avoid missing important filing deadlines and court dates. You can also check if the information the debt collectors have on you is accurate. If not, you can use it in your favor. Let’s discuss how New Jersey courts work and how you can find your case records.

Sued for debt in New Jersey? Settle your debts with the help of SoloSettle.

Settle with SoloSettle

Make an Offer

Court structure in New Jersey

Understanding New Jersey’s court structure will help you understand which court has jurisdiction over your case. Since debt collection lawsuits are considered civil cases, we will focus on New Jersey civil courts in this section.

New Jersey's civil court structure consists of three levels: Supreme Court, Appellate Division of Superior Court, and Superior Courts. Let's briefly discuss each”

  • Supreme Court: Considered the highest appellate court in the state, this court reviews cases from the lower courts. The justices agree to hear an appeal if the case may cause a conflict with another Appellate Division’s decision and if the matter is of significant public importance.

  • Appellate Division of the Superior Court: This court is the intermediate appellate court, and it hears appeals from the Superior Court. The Appellate division does not conduct new proceedings but only reviews the previous trial judge's decision—by going through the trial documents.

  • Superior Court: Each county in New Jersey has a Superior Court, making it 21 Superior Court divisions in total. These trial courts are the only ones in New Jersey’s judicial system that accepts a jury trial. They preside over exclusive with no monetary limit, special civil part cases involving claims of up to $15,000, security deposit demand case of up to $5,000, and small claims cases up to $3,000.

Your debt collection case will most likely be heard in your county’s Superior Court Law Division under the Special Civil Part Division—small claims section. Any claim above $5,000 is filed in the Civil Division of the Superior Court.

The graphic below further outlines New Jersey’s civil court structure:

New Jersey court structure

If you’ve been sued for a debt in New Jersey, you have 35 days to respond before you lose automatically. If you lose by default, the person or company suing you can garnish your wages or seize your property. You can avoid a default judgment by responding to the case with a written Answer.

Check out this video to learn more about how to respond to a debt collection lawsuit and win:

How to find your court case number in New Jersey

A case number is crucial to remember if you plan to access your court records regularly. This number enables the court clerk to organize the court files and ensure records can be found quickly and easily. The case number is derived from the court or case type, the year the case was filed, the following number of cases admitted, and the county initials.

For example, case number MER-DC-000001-22 is the first court case filed into Mercer County in 2022.

You can find your case number by visiting the courthouse where the case is filed and submitting a written request to the court clerk. All you have to do is provide your name and they should be able to find the case number for you.

Secondly, you can find your case number online by going to the New Jersey Public Access Portal and choosing the party name search option. Fill in the details and click the search button. Your case number will appear together with other case information.

How to access your court court records in New Jersey

New Jersey's organized record-keeping system allows you to access your records within minutes when you physically go to the courthouse or while searching online. Choose the option that most favors your schedule.

Access your case records in-person

Going to the courthouse to request your records guarantees you’ll get a more detailed document than online access in some counties. To find your courthouse location, use this New Jersey court directory. Once on the page, look for your county and click on it. You’ll be redirected to another page with the court contact information.

In the courthouse, the custodian will give you a form to fill out, or you can print the form from home or the office and complete it. The court custodian will use the submitted form to look for your records. Public terminals are also available in some courthouses where you can view your case documents or ask the court custodian to make copies for you after finding them.

Let’s look at a practical example.

Example: Paul had a debt of $1,857 with SaVit Collection Agency. He had repeatedly ignored their attempts to collect until they delivered a lawsuit to his home. Paul used SoloSuit to draft and file a written Answer to the case. Since Paul’s county courthouse was a few minutes from his home, he visited the courthouse frequently to stay up to date on the status of his case. He even submitted a completed form and received copies of his case documents after paying a small fee.


New Jersey does not have an online court case search tool

Unfortunately at this time, New Jersey does not offer an online tool where consumers, like you, can access their court documents. That being said, you can avoid leaving the comfort of you home by calling the court clerk to ask about the status of your case.

While calling the clerk won’t get you any physical records, it will still allow you to check your case status and know if any new action has been taken against you. When you stay updated on the happenings of your lawsuit, you will increase your chances of winning because you’ll give yourself more time to prepare a response to each action.

Like the courthouse addresses, you can find the court clerk’s contact information for your county on the New Jersey court directory.

Let’s take a look at another example.

Example: Simon is being sued in New Jersey by a debt collector for an old credit card debt. The debt is so old that Simon hardly remembers anything about it. After doing some research online, Simons finds out that the statute of limitations on this debt has expired. He uses SoloSuit to respond to the lawsuit, and in his Answer, he uses the expired statute of limitations as one of his affirmative defenses. Since he lives pretty far from the courthouse, Simon calls the court clerk once a week to keep up with the status of his case. After several weeks have passed, Simons finds out the case has been dismissed.


Represent yourself in court with the help of SoloSuit

SoloSuitt helps consumers deal with their debt situation by offering documents for every stage of the debt collection process. We have a Debt Validation Letter that requests the creditor to validate the debt before a lawsuit is file. Our Answer document helps you respond to a pending debt collection lawsuit. In addition, we have a Motion to Compel Arbitration document that forces a credit card debt out of court using the arbitration clause and a tool, SoloSettle that helps you reach a debt settlement with the person or company suing you. Choose the document that best suits your current need.

Decide what to do next

What is the last document you received?

This calculator is for educational purposes only.

Facing financial challenges can be overwhelming, but you don't have to navigate them alone. The Debt Lawyer specializes in offering comprehensive bankruptcy solutions for residents of New Jersey and New York with a team of seasoned team of legal professionals dedicated to providing personalized guidance every step of the way. Whether you're considering filing for bankruptcy or just seeking clarity about your financial situation, you have resources.

Respond with SoloSuit

"First time getting sued by a debt collector and I was searching all over YouTube and ran across SoloSuit, so I decided to buy their services with their attorney reviewed documentation which cost extra but it was well worth it! SoloSuit sent the documentation to the parties and to the court which saved me time from having to go to court and in a few weeks the case got dismissed!" – James

Get Started

We have answers.
Join our community of over 40,000 people.

You can ask your questions on the SoloSuit forum and the community will help you out. Whether you need help now or are just looking for support, we're here for you.

Ask a Question.

>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate

>>Read the NPR story on SoloSuit. (We can help you in all 50 states.)

How to Answer a Summons for debt collection in all 50 states

Here's a list of guides on how to respond to a debt collection lawsuit in each state:

The Ultimate 50 State Guide

Guides on how to resolve debt with every debt collector

Are you being sued by a debt collector? We’re making guides on how to resolve debt with each one.

Resolve your debt with your creditor

Some creditors, banks, and lenders have an internal collections department. If they come after you for a debt, Solosuit can still help you respond and resolve the debt. Here’s a list of guides on how to resolve debt with different creditors.

Settle your medical debt

Having a health challenge is stressful, but dealing medical debt on top of it is overwhelming. Here are some resources on how to manage medical debt.

Guides on arbitration

If the thought of going to court stresses you out, you’re not alone. Many Americans who are sued for credit card debt utilize a Motion to Compel Arbitration to push their case out of court and into arbitration.

Below are some resources on how to use an arbitration clause to your advantage and win a debt lawsuit.

Stop calls from debt collectors

Do you keep getting calls from an unknown number, only to realize that it’s a debt collector on the other line? If you’ve been called by any of the following numbers, chances are you have collectors coming after you, and we’ll tell you how to stop them.

Federal debt collection laws can protect you

Knowing your rights makes it easier to stand up for your rights. Below, we’ve compiled all our articles on federal debt collection laws that protect you from unfair practices.

Get debt relief in your state

We’ve created a specialized guide on how to find debt relief in all 50 states, complete with steps to take to find relief, state-specific resources, and more.

Debt collection laws in all 50 states

Debt collection laws vary by state, so we have compiled a guide to each state’s debt collection laws to make it easier for you to stand up for your rights—no matter where you live.

Statute of limitations on debt state guides

Like all debt collection laws, the statute of limitations on debt varies by state. So, we wrote a guide on each state’s statutes. Check it out below.

Statute of Limitations on Debt Collection by State (Best Guide)

Check the status of your court case

Don’t have time to go to your local courthouse to check the status of your case? We’ve created a guide on how to check the status of your case in every state, complete with online search tools and court directories.

How to stop wage garnishment in your state

Forgot to respond to your debt lawsuit? The judge may have ordered a default judgment against you, and with a default judgment, debt collectors can garnish your wages. Here are our guides on how to stop wage garnishment in all 50 states.

Other wage garnishment resources

How to settle a debt in your state

Debt settlement is one of the most effective ways to resolve a debt and save money. We’ve created a guide on how to settle your debt in all 50 states. Find out how to settle in your state with a simple click and explore other debt settlement resources below.

How to settle with every debt collector

Not sure how to negotiate a debt settlement with a debt collector? We are creating guides to help you know how to start the settlement conversation and increase your chances of coming to an agreement with every debt collector.

Other debt settlement resources

Personal loan and debt relief reviews

We give a factual review of the following debt consolidation, debt settlement, and loan organizations and companies to help you make an informed decision before you take on a debt.

How to repair and improve your credit score

Debt has a big impact on your credit. Below is a list of guides on how to repair and improve your credit, even while managing major debt.

How to resolve student loan debt

Struggling with student debt? SoloSuit’s got you covered. Below are resources on handling student loan debt.

Civil law legal definitions

You can represent yourself in court. Save yourself the time and cost of finding an attorney, and use the following resources to understand legal definitions better and how they may apply to your case.

Get answers to these FAQs on debt collection

How-to debt guides

Learn more with these additional debt resources


Contents