Court papers, or papers of the court, is a general reference to the documents filed with the clerk of the court during the course of a civil lawsuit. These documents are generally accessible to the public and include the petition or complaint that initiated the lawsuit, the answer filed in response to the lawsuit, motions seeking certain types of relief from the court, responses opposing such motions, and other documents such as each party’s inventory of the property owned by the parties to a divorce and a social or home study analyzing parenting and child custody qualifications in a child custody dispute. Some documents created during a lawsuit are not filed with the court and are therefore not included in the papers of the court.

In Massachusetts, court papers or documents filed during a civil lawsuit are typically public records and accessible to the public. These documents include the initial complaint or petition, answers, motions, responses, and other relevant filings such as property inventories in divorce cases or custody evaluations in child custody disputes. However, not all documents created during a lawsuit are filed with the court; some may be exchanged between parties as part of discovery and are not considered court papers unless submitted to the court. Massachusetts law and court rules also allow for certain documents to be sealed or redacted to protect privacy or sensitive information. Access to court records may be obtained through the Massachusetts Trial Court Electronic Case Access system or by visiting the clerk's office of the relevant court.