A blue back is a blue-colored cover sheet that New York courts require for legal filings. The backing paper attaches to the rear of court documents and displays essential case information, including the names of the parties, the index number, and the type of motion or pleading being filed. The New York Supreme Court mandates this backing to help clerks organize and identify documents within the court filing system.
Any party filing a motion, pleading, or other legal paper with the New York Supreme Court must include a litigation cover. The requirement also extends to some county courts and surrogate courts across the state. The cover must face in the opposite direction of the rest of the filing documents, a detail that practitioners often overlook when preparing submissions for the first time. If you are preparing related court filings, you may also need a New York Supreme Court judgment form or a court summons form.
The document includes fields for the court name, county, index number, document title, and attorney information. Filers must complete every field before attaching the cover to their submission. The form also contains a non-frivolous declaration that the person filing must sign, affirming the submission has legal merit. An admission of service section helps streamline the process by allowing the opposing party to acknowledge receipt directly on the cover.
The most frequent error is attaching the cover in the same direction as the filing papers. The blue backing must face outward on the reverse side. Other common issues include leaving the index number blank, using the wrong court name, or failing to sign the non-frivolous declaration. Attorneys and self-represented litigants alike should double-check these fields before submission to avoid rejection by the clerk's office. For other legal templates needed for your case, browse the full library of court and business forms available on this site.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Form Name | Blue Back Legal Form |
| Form Length | 1 page |
| Fillable? | No |
| Fillable fields | 0 |
| Avg. time to fill out | 15 sec |
| Court | New York Supreme Court |
| Other names | blue back form, litigation blue back, blueback legal, litigation cover templates |