Prepare your response DELETE
Respond to the Notice of Family Claim by using the Response to Family Claim (Form F4) (PDF) (Word). You use this response to say what you agree with or disagree with on the Notice of Family Claim. For example, you might agree with some of the basic information provided (for example, the names of the children) but disagree with the orders the claimaint is asking the court to make.
If you agree with everything in the Notice of Family Claim, you don’t have to fill this form out. If your spouse is asking the court for a divorce and you don’t respond, then it will be an undefended (uncontested) divorce.
The form contains technical instructions to help you fill it out.
The following are some tips to keep in mind as you fill out your form:
- You are the respondent.
- Your spouse is the claimant.
- Use full names, including your middle names.
- If you or your spouse often use an "unofficial alias" (a nickname) or a name other than the name on your marriage certificate, be sure to include the alias as well. Click the "Add AKA/DBA" button and enter the information in the fields provided. Example: If your wife's legal name is Mary Jane Doe, but everyone calls her Janey Doe, click the "Add AKA/DBA" button, and in the fields provided, enter "Janey Doe." (Other examples of aliases include "Tony" for Anthony, "Rick" for Richard, "Tina" for Christina, and so on.)
See our fact sheets Problems using the Supreme Court PDF forms? or Tips for using the Supreme Court Word forms for help using the forms.
If you want to ask for orders yourself, you must fill out and file a Counterclaim (Form F5). See the next step.