Cause papers
Updated 2026-09-29
Cause papers are the set of formal court documents that start a civil lawsuit, most importantly the writ or originating summons and the statement of claim. Together they set out who is suing whom, and over what.
The statement of claim explains the facts of the case, what went wrong, and the remedy sought, such as damages. It needs to be accurate, since the case is built around what it states.
Once cause papers are prepared, they are formally submitted to the court through e-filing, and a copy must then be properly served on the defendant so they know a claim has been brought against them.
When it matters
Preparing accurate cause papers is one of the first concrete steps in turning a scam loss into a formal legal claim.
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