The statement required when an action is commenced without summons, or continued after the service of a summons without pleadings, shall set forth plainly and concisely the claims and defenses in dispute between the parties and the relief sought, including the amount of money demanded, if any. With the permission of the court, amended or supplemental statements may be served and filed at any time.
R 3032.Contents of statement
Article 30. Remedies and Pleading · Last amended 1964 · Last verified July 21, 2026
In one sentenceCPLR 3032 sets out what the statement filed under New York's simplified procedure must contain -- a plain, concise statement of the claims, defenses, and relief sought, including any dollar amount demanded -- and lets a party amend or supplement it with court permission.
Full Text of CPLR 3032
Plain-English Summary
CPLR 3032 governs the one document that stands in for a summons and pleadings under the simplified procedure created by section 3031. The statement has to set out, in plain and concise terms, the claims and defenses the parties are litigating and the relief each side wants, including how much money is being demanded, if any. There's no required form or set of numbered paragraphs -- the point is to tell the court and the other side what's in dispute, not to observe pleading formalities.
The rule also lets a party amend or supplement the statement after it's filed, but only with the court's permission. That's a deliberate difference from the more liberal amendment rights parties have with ordinary pleadings -- because the statement doubles as the joinder of issue and the case moves quickly toward trial, the court keeps a hand on later changes to what's being litigated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What has to be in a statement filed under CPLR 3032?
It must plainly and concisely set out the claims and defenses the parties are disputing and the relief being sought, including the dollar amount demanded if money is at stake.
Can I amend a statement filed under the simplified procedure?
Yes, but only with the court's permission -- section 3032 allows amended or supplemental statements to be served and filed at any time, subject to that approval.
Does a CPLR 3032 statement need to state a dollar amount?
If money is being demanded, yes. The statement must include the amount of money demanded as part of the relief sought.
Is the CPLR 3032 statement the same as a complaint?
No. It replaces the summons and both the complaint and answer with one document each side signs, and it doesn't have to follow the formal structure of a pleading.
Who files the statement required by CPLR 3032?
The statement is the same one required to start or continue an action under section 3031, filed by the parties or their attorneys along with a note of issue.
Amendment History
Add, L 1962, ch 308, eff Sept 1, 1963; amd, L 1964, ch 388, § 13, eff Sept 1, 1964.
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: CPLR 3032 New Yorkcontents of statement simplified procedureamend statement simplified procedure New YorkCPLR 3032 amended statementsimplified procedure statement of claims