This interview makes a motion to stay in the Massachusetts Appeals Court.

A motion to stay asks the Appeals Court to stop the enforcement of a decision by another judge. It makes it so you can keep everything as-is, without paying money or having another consequence, until the appeals court judge can decide if the trial court judge made a mistake.

When a judge decides to stop a decision, it is called a stay of the judgment.

You can use this motion to make sure that you are not hurt by the trial court judge's decision during the time that it takes for the Appeals Court to listen to your case.

If you are asking the court to pause an eviction case, you should use the Appeal or Stay Your Eviction interview instead.

This interview will let you directly send the completed motion to the Appeals Court by email.

Learn how interactive interviews work

More information:

• Rule 6 Motions to Stay

Can I use this tool?

You can use this interview to ask the Appeals Court to pause (stay) your judgment if all of the following apply:

• You have already asked the trial court for a stay of the judgment.
• The trial court has denied your request for a stay.

You also need to file a notice of appeal in the trial court before the Appeals Court will listen to this motion. But if you did not file one yet, this interview can help you make the notice of appeal. You then need to file it in the trial court yourself.

How to select the right court form

Before you start

Before using this interview you must ask for a stay in the trial court.

Gather the relevant court documents, including:

• The trial court's docket
• The complaint
• Any answer
• The judgment
• Filings related to your motion to stay in the trial court

What happens after you finish

After completing this interview, you will get your completed forms ready for filing. This interview may give you more information about what happens next based on your answers. Learn how to file in Massachusetts.

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