When a pleading needs to be verified, it means that the clerk must certify the pleading.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. The clerk may certify it
• D. It is required only in appellate cases

Answer: (B)

Verification of a pleading means a sworn statement attached to the document in which the party (or someone with knowledge) signs under oath that the facts alleged are true. The clerk does not certify the pleading’s truth; the clerk’s role is administrative—filing, docketing, and keeping records. So saying the clerk must certify is not correct because verification is about the truth of the facts as sworn by the submitting party, not a clerical endorsement. Verification can be required at various stages depending on the rules of the jurisdiction, and it is not limited to appellate cases. A typical example is a statement attached to the pleading where the affiant declares, under penalty of perjury, that the allegations are true to the best of their knowledge.