Chapter 11. Civil Practice Act · Article 10. Forms · Last amended 1980 · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 9-11-103 offers a sample complaint for suing on a promissory note, alleging that the defendant executed and delivered the note, promised to pay a stated sum with interest by a set date, and has not paid, while seeking judgment for the principal, interest, costs, and attorney fees where the circumstances allow them.
Full Text of § 9-11-103
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IN THE ______________________ COURT OF ______________________ COUNTY
A.B., STATE OF GEORGIA Plaintiff ) ) v. ) ) Civil action C.D., ) File no. ______________________ Defendant ) (Clerk will insert ) number.)
COMPLAINT The defendant C.D., herein named, is a resident of ______________________ (street), ______________________ (city), ______________________ County, Georgia, and is subject to the jurisdiction of this court.
1. Defendant on or about June 1, 1965, executed and delivered to plaintiff a promissory note in the following words and figures: (here set out the note verbatim); (a copy of which is hereto annexed as Exhibit A); whereby defendant promised to pay to plaintiff or order on June 1, 1966, the sum of $10,000.00 with interest thereon at the rate of 6 percent per annum.
2. Defendant owes to plaintiff the amount of said note and interest. Wherefore, plaintiff demands judgment against defendant for the sum of $10,000.00, interest, costs, and attorney fees (where applicable).
______________________ Attorney for plaintiff ______________________ Address
Plain-English Summary
Suits on unpaid promissory notes are among the most common contract cases filed in Georgia, and this form shows how little a plaintiff has to plead to get one started. The complaint opens with the same residency and jurisdiction boilerplate used throughout this article, then narrows to the note itself.
The first numbered paragraph covers the note’s terms: when the defendant executed and delivered it, either the note’s exact words quoted in the complaint or a copy attached as an exhibit, the amount promised, the due date, and the interest rate. The second paragraph states plainly that the defendant owes the note and interest and have not paid, then asks for judgment covering the principal, interest, costs, and — the form adds — attorney fees “where applicable.”
That last phrase matters. It signals that attorney fees are not automatic just because a plaintiff files this complaint; whether they are recoverable depends on conditions found elsewhere in the law, not on anything this form creates by itself.
As with the rest of the article, the statute frames this as a complaint that “may be” written this way, not one that must be. Georgia’s notice-pleading standard asks only for a short, plain statement of the claim, and this template shows how compact that statement can be for a debt resting on a written note.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must the complaint say about the note itself?
The date the defendant executed and delivered it, either the note’s exact wording or a copy attached as an exhibit, the amount promised, the due date, and the interest rate.
What relief does the model complaint seek?
The principal sum, interest, costs, and attorney fees where applicable.
Does the plaintiff have to attach a copy of the note?
The form allows either approach — quoting the note verbatim in the complaint or attaching a copy of it as an exhibit.
Is recovering attorney fees automatic in every suit on a note?
No. The phrase “where applicable” flags that fee recovery depends on conditions found outside this form, not on filing the complaint alone.
Must a plaintiff use this exact wording to sue on a note in Georgia?
No. The statute presents it as an illustrative model consistent with the short, plain statement Georgia’s pleading rules require.
Amendment History
Ga. L. 1966, p. 609, § 103; Ga. L. 1980, p. 649, § 1.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, published by the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Georgia Code Revision Commission / LexisNexis. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
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