Alaska Court System, CIV-720 Eviction Booklet

Citation: Alaska Court System, CIV-720 Eviction Booklet
Jurisdiction: Alaska (state)
Source: Official source
Original Source: https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/civ-720.pdf ↗

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CIV-720 EVICTION BOOKLET (8/23) 11
 3. How to Ask for Postponement (Delay) of the Eviction Hearing.
If you believe you have a good defense to the eviction, but need a few more
days to gather your evidence or get an attorney, you must ask for a
“continuance” (a postponement or rescheduling). You can use form CIV-733
to do this. You must show the judge that you have a good reason for delaying
the hearing (for example, you need time to speak to your attorney, get
receipts, or locate a witness) and that you have made good efforts to prepare
already.4 The judge will not give you a continuance if it seems like you only
need one because of your own fault in delaying or ignoring the notice and
court case. Depending on the length of the delay you ask for, the court may
require you to deposit cash or a surety bond5 equal to the amount of rent due
during the period of delay.6
To ask for a continuance, file a request (often called a “motion”) with the
court and mail or deliver a copy of it to the plaintiff (landlord). If possible,
you should do this before the hearing. If you cannot, bring it to the hearing
along with copies for yourself and the landlord. Continuances are not
automatic. You must show good reasons why a continuance is necessary.
The judge will decide whether to grant the continuance.
The following instructions are for form CIV-733, Expedited Motion for
Continuance.
a. Fill out the top of the form (the location of the court, the names of the
parties, and the case number) the same way the complaint is filled out.
b. Fill in the date of the eviction hearing.
c. Length of Delay. Check the box or write in how many days you want
to postpone the hearing. If you request more than two days, be
prepared to deposit cash or a surety bond with the court to cover rent
for the