Legal Question in Family Law in Illinois

Application to sue or defend as a poor person

The portion of the form which states: �The applicant owns personal property which in the aggregate doe not exceed $______� requires you to insert the total fair market value of all your property not including real estate. Market value is that value which a buyer in the market place would pay for such an item. Used goods usually have a lower market value than people realize.

The portion of the form which states: �Applicant has a meritorious _____� (claim or defense) requires you, if you are filing for divorce, to state that you have a meritorious CLAIM. That is another way of saying that you believe you have good grounds for divorce. If you were the respondent (defendant) to the divorce petition, you would insert DEFENSE, meaning that you have a meaningful legal basis to deny or resist the divorce (or other relief sought by the petition). This entry on the form ensures that, if you are going to be excused from paying filing or appearance fees and other court costs, you have at least a good reason to make a claim or defend against a claim.