How to Fill Out LACIV 109: Civil Case Cover Sheet Addendum

LACIV 109, the Civil Case Cover Sheet Addendum and Statement of Location, is a mandatory Los Angeles Superior Court local form that tells the clerk which courthouse district should hear your new civil case. You file it at the start of a lawsuit, together with your complaint, the summons, the Judicial Council Civil Case Cover Sheet (CM-010), and your filing fee or fee waiver order. Without it, the clerk will not accept the filing. The form applies to every civil case type, from auto tort to unlawful detainer, with one special rule: class actions must be filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in the Central District regardless of where the underlying events occurred.1Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. Civil Case Cover Sheet Addendum and Statement of Location

What You’ll Need Before You Start

Fill out the Judicial Council Civil Case Cover Sheet (CM-010) first. LACIV 109 builds directly on it. Step 1 of the local form asks you to match the case type you already selected on CM-010 to a corresponding entry in its table, so an inaccurate CM-010 will produce an inaccurate LACIV 109.

You also need the physical address that justifies your courthouse choice. Depending on the case, that may be where an injury happened, where the defendant lives, where a contract was signed or performed, or where real property or a vehicle sits. Have the full street address, city, and ZIP code ready before you begin.

Filling Out the Form Step by Step

The form moves through five numbered steps.

Step 1: Match Your Case Type

In Column A, find the case type that matches what you checked on CM-010. The categories are broad (auto tort, breach of contract, unlawful detainer, and so on), so there should be a clean match. If nothing lines up, your CM-010 selection is probably off. The two forms must agree.

Step 2: Select Your Type of Action

Column B breaks each broad category into specific actions. Check one box only. Within “Auto Tort,” for example, you’ll see separate options for uninsured motorist claims and personal injury claims. Pick the single option that most closely describes your lawsuit.

Step 3: Identify the Reason for Your Courthouse Location

Column C shows numbered reasons tied to each type of action. These reasons explain which courthouse locations are proper for that kind of case. The eleven possible reasons are:

  • Reason 1: Class actions, which must be filed at Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Central District.
  • Reason 2: Permissive filing in the Central District.
  • Reason 3: Location where the cause of action arose.
  • Reason 4: Location where bodily injury, death, or property damage occurred.
  • Reason 5: Location where performance was required or the defendant resides.
  • Reason 6: Location of the property or where a vehicle is permanently garaged.
  • Reason 7: Location where the petitioner resides.
  • Reason 8: Location where the defendant or respondent functions wholly.
  • Reason 9: Location where one or more parties reside.
  • Reason 10: Location of the Labor Commissioner Office.
  • Reason 11: Mandatory filing location for hub cases (unlawful detainer, limited non-collection, and limited collection cases).

Circle the number listed in Column C for your action type. Not every reason is available for every case, because the form narrows your options based on what you picked in Step 2.1Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. Civil Case Cover Sheet Addendum and Statement of Location

Step 4: State the Reason and Address

Check the box for the reason number you circled, then enter the full street address, city, state, and ZIP code that supports your choice. For an injury at an intersection, use the nearest street address. For a contract dispute, the address might be where the contract was signed or where the defendant lives. Class action filers can leave the address field blank.

Step 5: Certify the Assignment

Write in the name of the courthouse district where you are filing, then sign and date the form. The certification reads: “I certify that this case is properly filed in the ______ District of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles,” and it references Code of Civil Procedure section 392 and following sections along with LASC Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(E).1Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. Civil Case Cover Sheet Addendum and Statement of Location You are personally vouching that the location is correct under the venue rules. A wrong assignment can trigger a transfer and delay.

Picking the Right Courthouse District

Venue rules in Code of Civil Procedure sections 392 through 395 decide which district is proper. The general default is where the defendant resides, but exceptions push many cases elsewhere. Personal injury and wrongful death cases can go either where the injury occurred or where the defendant lives.2California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 395 Contract cases can go to the county where the obligation was to be performed or where the contract was signed.

Consumer transaction cases follow stricter rules. A lawsuit on a vehicle financing contract under Civil Code section 2984.4 must be filed in the court nearest to where the buyer signed the contract, where the buyer lived when the contract was signed, where the buyer lives now, or where the vehicle is permanently garaged.3California Legislative Information. California Civil Code CIV 2984.4 Retail installment sales under Civil Code section 1812.10 follow a similar pattern. If several locations could work, pick the one closest to the relevant address.

How to File the Form

Attorneys handling non-complex civil cases at LASC must file electronically through an approved Electronic Filing Service Provider (EFSP). The court does not accept electronic filings directly; everything goes through an independent EFSP under Code of Civil Procedure section 1010.6(e). A list of approved providers is posted on the LASC website.4Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. Civil eFiling Frequently Asked Questions

Self-represented litigants are not required to e-file, though they can choose to.4Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. Civil eFiling Frequently Asked Questions If you are filing on your own, you can bring paper documents to the filing window of the courthouse that will hear the case.

There is no separate fee for LACIV 109. It travels with the complaint, which carries the civil filing fee, and a fee waiver covers the entire initial packet.

Mistakes That Get Your Filing Rejected

The clerk will bounce a filing with errors on this form. The common ones:

  • Case types that don’t match between LACIV 109 and CM-010.
  • A blank or incomplete address in Step 4 (required for everyone except class action plaintiffs).
  • A courthouse district that doesn’t correspond to the stated reason and address. Check the court’s district map before filing.
  • More than one box checked in Step 2. The form requires exactly one type of action.
  • An unsigned or undated certification in Step 5.

If your filing is rejected, the EFSP or clerk will usually tell you why. Fix the identified issue, make sure the rest of the form is still accurate, and resubmit. For e-filers, a rejected filing does not count as timely filed. The filing date is the date the corrected version is accepted, so handle rejections quickly if a statute of limitations is running.