# New Jersey — Medical malpractice certificate/affidavit of merit requirements by US state — quoted from the state statute or court rule

For New Jersey, document required is affidavit of an appropriate licensed person; filing deadline is within 60 days following the date of filing of the answer to the complaint by the defendant; who must sign is the person executing the affidavit shall meet the requirements of a person who provides expert testimony or executes an affidavit as set forth in section 7 of P.L.2004, c. 17 ( C.2A:53A-41 ); consequence of non-compliance is it shall be deemed a failure to state a cause of action; statute or rule citation is N.J. Stat. § 2A:53A-27, recorded from its source on 2026-09-02.

- **State:** New Jersey _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Document required:** affidavit of an appropriate licensed person _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_
- **Filing deadline:** within 60 days following the date of filing of the answer to the complaint by the defendant _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_
- **Who must sign:** the person executing the affidavit shall meet the requirements of a person who provides expert testimony or executes an affidavit as set forth in section 7 of P.L.2004, c. 17 ( C.2A:53A-41 ) _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_
- **Consequence of non-compliance:** it shall be deemed a failure to state a cause of action _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_
- **Statute or rule citation:** N.J. Stat. § 2A:53A-27 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> In any action for damages for personal injuries, wrongful death or property damage resulting from an alleged act of malpractice or negligence by a licensed person in his profession or occupation, the plaintiff shall, within 60 days following the date of filing of the answer to the complaint by the defendant, provide each defendant with an affidavit of an appropriate licensed person that there exists a reasonable probability that the care, skill or knowledge exercised or exhibited in the treatment, practice or work that is the subject of the complaint, fell outside acceptable professional or occupational standards or treatment practices. The court may grant no more than one additional period, not to exceed 60 days, to file the affidavit pursuant to this section, upon a finding of good cause.

## Where each value comes from

This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.

### Document required

> In any action for damages for personal injuries, wrongful death or property damage resulting from an alleged act of malpractice or negligence by a licensed person in his profession or occupation, the plaintiff shall, within 60 days following the date of filing of the answer to the complaint by the defendant, provide each defendant with an affidavit of an appropriate licensed person that there exists a reasonable probability that the care, skill or knowledge exercised or exhibited in the treatment, practice or work that is the subject of the complaint, fell outside acceptable professional or occupational standards or treatment practices. The court may grant no more than one additional period, not to exceed 60 days, to file the affidavit pursuant to this section, upon a finding of good cause.

### Filing deadline

> In any action for damages for personal injuries, wrongful death or property damage resulting from an alleged act of malpractice or negligence by a licensed person in his profession or occupation, the plaintiff shall, within 60 days following the date of filing of the answer to the complaint by the defendant, provide each defendant with an affidavit of an appropriate licensed person that there exists a reasonable probability that the care, skill or knowledge exercised or exhibited in the treatment, practice or work that is the subject of the complaint, fell outside acceptable professional or occupational standards or treatment practices. The court may grant no more than one additional period, not to exceed 60 days, to file the affidavit pursuant to this section, upon a finding of good cause.

### Who must sign

> In the case of an action for medical malpractice, the person executing the affidavit shall meet the requirements of a person who provides expert testimony or executes an affidavit as set forth in section 7 of P.L.2004, c. 17 ( C.2A:53A-41 ).

### Consequence of non-compliance

> If the plaintiff fails to provide an affidavit or a statement in lieu thereof, pursuant to section 2 or 3 of this act, 1 it shall be deemed a failure to state a cause of action.

## Source

- https://codes.findlaw.com/nj/title-2a-administration-of-civil-and-criminal-justice/nj-st-sect-2a-53a-27/
- https://codes.findlaw.com/nj/title-2a-administration-of-civil-and-criminal-justice/nj-st-sect-2a-53a-29/

Last verified: 2026-09-02. Review by: 2027-09-02.
Part of [Medical malpractice certificate/affidavit of merit requirements by US state — quoted from the state statute or court rule](https://referencesource.org/medical-malpractice-certificate-of-merit-by-state/).