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 New York, court papers or documents filed with the clerk of the court during a civil lawsuit are generally public records and accessible to the public. These documents include the initial petition or complaint, answers, motions, responses, and other relevant filings such as property inventories in divorce cases and reports from social or home studies in child custody disputes. However, not all documents created during a lawsuit are filed with the court; some may be exchanged between the parties during discovery and are not part of the court's official records. New York's Unified Court System provides electronic access to court records through its eCourts system, although access to certain sensitive documents may be restricted to protect privacy or confidentiality. It's important to note that while most court documents are public, New York law and court rules may limit access to specific types of sensitive information, such as that involving minors, victims of certain crimes, or confidential personal data.