The allegations or denials in a verified pleading must, in form, be stated to be made by the party pleading. Unless they are stated to be made upon the information and belief of the party, they must be regarded for all purposes, including a criminal prosecution, as having been made upon the knowledge of the person verifying the pleading. An allegation that the party has not sufficient knowledge or information to form a belief with respect to a matter, must, for the same purposes, be regarded as an allegation that the person verifying the pleading has not such knowledge or information.
R 3023.Construction of verified pleading
Article 30. Remedies and Pleading · Last amended 1963 · Last verified July 21, 2026
In one sentenceProvides that every allegation or denial in a verified pleading is treated as made on the personal knowledge of the person who signed it, unless the pleading itself states the matter is alleged on information and belief, exposing a knowingly false verified statement to perjury liability.
Full Text of CPLR 3023
Plain-English Summary
CPLR 3023 fixes how a verified pleading's allegations and denials are read. In form, they must be stated as made by the party pleading, and unless the pleading itself flags a matter as alleged on information and belief, every allegation and denial is regarded — for every purpose, including a criminal prosecution — as made on the personal knowledge of whoever verified it. That last phrase matters: a verifier who signs off on a false statement without the information-and-belief qualifier faces the same exposure as someone who swore to a fact they claimed to know firsthand.
The section also covers the flip side. An allegation that the party lacks sufficient knowledge or information to form a belief about a matter is read, for the same purposes, as an allegation that the verifier personally lacks that knowledge or information — the statement about ignorance is itself taken at face value, reinforcing how that kind of allegation operates as a denial under CPLR 3018(a).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does signing a verified pleading expose me to perjury liability?
Yes, for matters not qualified as alleged on information and belief — CPLR 3023 treats those allegations and denials as made on the verifier's personal knowledge, including for purposes of a criminal prosecution.
What does it mean that a verified allegation is treated as made on personal knowledge?
It means the law reads the statement as if the verifier personally knew it to be true, unless the pleading expressly says the matter rests on information and belief instead.
How do I qualify a statement in a verified pleading as based on information and belief?
The pleading itself must state that the particular matter is alleged on information and belief; without that qualification, CPLR 3023 treats it as made on the verifier's personal knowledge.
What does an “insufficient knowledge or information” allegation mean in a verified pleading?
CPLR 3023 treats it as an allegation that the verifier personally lacks the knowledge or information needed to form a belief about that matter.
Who is treated as making the allegations in a verified pleading — the party or the attorney who drafted it?
CPLR 3023 requires the allegations and denials to be stated, in form, as made by the party pleading, regardless of who drafted the language.
Amendment History
Add, L 1962, ch 308, eff Sept 1, 1963.
Source & verification. Provision text, History, and Advisory
Committee Notes are reproduced verbatim from the Consolidated Laws of New York.
Last verified July 21, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: verified pleading personal knowledge New Yorkperjury verified complaint New Yorkinformation and belief verified pleading