RECORD GROUP: 4400
SUBGROUP: County Clerk's Office
SUBSERIES: Monmouth County District Court: Sample Civil Cases
DATES: 1976-1979
VOLUME: 8 Microfilm Rolls

Forms part of the repository's County Clerk's Office subgroup. 500 sample civil cases of the Monmouth County District Court which had responsibility for hearing small claims and landlord/tenant disputes from 1948 until 1983, when a constitutional amendment assigned these matters to the Superior Court (Special Civil Part). Case materials concerning nonpayment of debt or rent, including docket envelopes with annotations, complaints, summons, correspondence, memoranda, motions, orders, briefs, certifications, and interrogatories.

Transferred to the repository by Jane G. Clayton, as Clerk of the Courts. Finding aid and microfilms available in the repository.

History

The Monmouth County District Court had responsibility for hearing small claims and landlord/tenant disputes from 1948 until 1983, when a constitutional amendment assigned these matters to the Superior Court (Special Civil part). Court personnel subsequently began referring to the earlier District Court files as Special Civil as well.

Scope and Content

In 1995, the Monmouth County Archives received approval from the State Archivist to dispose of 272 record cartons of District Court (Special Civil) files for the years 1976 to 1979. This record series has a retention schedule of fifteen years after disposition date. The County Archivist determined that the files had minimal value for genealogical or historical research, although they were somewhat indicative of economic trends and were useful for research in legal history, for example, to see what type of cases came before the court and the type of documentation involved. A sample was taken of the first 100 cases for each year and microfilmed. However, inadvertently, about 100 additional cases from December 1978 were also filmed. The sample of approximately 500 cases represents about 3% of the original total. After microfilming, all the original records were destroyed.

Most of the cases concern nonpayment of debt or rent; occasionally, individuals brought suit to recover expenses caused by another party. Types of documents in a file typically include: docket envelope with annotations on the progress of the case; complaint; summons; interrogatories and answers to interrogatories; certifications; briefs; orders; invoices; correspondence; memoranda; notice of motion for summary judgment and affidavits in opposition to such a motion; stipulation of settlement; and others.

Use

The records are available for use on microfilm without restriction. The records were filmed in the order in which they were found.

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