Submitting a Case

Submit a case and its documents in a single request:

• POST /api/v1/partner/cases/create/ — one-shot multipart create + submit. Send a case part (JSON-encoded case payload, including case_type) plus attachments as files parts with optional per-file labels (same order; up to 10 files, 25 MB each, 100 MB aggregate). Accepted file types: PDF, DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, JPG/JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF/TIF, TXT, CSV, MSG, EML. The case is always created when the JSON is valid (HTTP 201); files are best-effort and any rejected file is reported in the response — retry it via POST /api/v1/partner/cases/{case_ref}/files/.
  • Policy Existence (case_type: pe) — when you need to determine whether a defendant has insurance coverage (personal auto, commercial auto, or homeowners).
  • Policy Limit (case_type: pl) — when you already have insurance company and policy/claim information and need the coverage limits (personal auto, commercial auto, CGL, homeowners/renters, and more).

curl

curl -X POST https://api.redfolderresearch.com/api/v1/partner/cases/create/ \
  -H "Authorization: Token <your_token>" \
  -F 'case={"case_type":"pe","is_test":true,"plaintiff_name":"Jane Smith","date_of_loss":"2026-06-20","base_product":["personal_auto_policy_existence"],"search_reason":["defendant_insurance_unknown"],"is_incident_report_provided":false,"is_user_agreeing_to_all_terms_and_conditions":true,"should_exclude_other_insurance_from_search":false,"cc_emails":"paralegal@lawfirm.com","defendant_information":{"first_name":"John","last_name":"Doe","address":"123 Main St","city":"Boise","state_or_province":"ID","postal_or_zip_code":"83702"}}' \
  -F "files=@police_report.pdf" \
  -F "labels=incident_report"

Python

import json

import requests

case = {
    "case_type": "pe",
    "is_test": True,
    "plaintiff_name": "Jane Smith",
    "date_of_loss": "2026-06-20",
    "base_product": ["personal_auto_policy_existence"],
    "search_reason": ["defendant_insurance_unknown"],
    "is_incident_report_provided": False,
    "is_user_agreeing_to_all_terms_and_conditions": True,
    "should_exclude_other_insurance_from_search": False,
    "cc_emails": "paralegal@lawfirm.com",
    "defendant_information": {
        "first_name": "John",
        "last_name": "Doe",
        "address": "123 Main St",
        "city": "Boise",
        "state_or_province": "ID",
        "postal_or_zip_code": "83702",
    },
}

with open("police_report.pdf", "rb") as file_handle:
    response = requests.post(
        "https://api.redfolderresearch.com/api/v1/partner/cases/create/",
        headers={"Authorization": "Token <your_token>"},
        data={"case": json.dumps(case), "labels": "incident_report"},
        files=[("files", file_handle)],
    )

JavaScript

const casePayload = {
  case_type: "pe",
  is_test: true,
  plaintiff_name: "Jane Smith",
  date_of_loss: "2026-06-20",
  base_product: ["personal_auto_policy_existence"],
  search_reason: ["defendant_insurance_unknown"],
  is_incident_report_provided: false,
  is_user_agreeing_to_all_terms_and_conditions: true,
  should_exclude_other_insurance_from_search: false,
  cc_emails: "paralegal@lawfirm.com",
  defendant_information: {
    first_name: "John",
    last_name: "Doe",
    address: "123 Main St",
    city: "Boise",
    state_or_province: "ID",
    postal_or_zip_code: "83702",
  },
};

// fileBlob: a File (from an <input>) or Blob holding police_report.pdf
const form = new FormData();
form.append("case", JSON.stringify(casePayload));
form.append("files", fileBlob, "police_report.pdf");
form.append("labels", "incident_report");

const response = await fetch("https://api.redfolderresearch.com/api/v1/partner/cases/create/", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Authorization": "Token <your_token>" },
  body: form,
});

The API validates submissions based on the product and options selected and returns clear validation messages if anything is missing — see the Conditional Requirements block on the endpoint for product-specific rules (for example, commercial-auto Policy Existence requires is_defendant_transportation_company: true).

Legacy 3-step flow (deprecated)

The original flow — POST /policy_existence_searches/ or POST /policy_limit_searches/, then POST /upload/{ticket_id}/{file_label} per file, then PUT /tickets/{ticket_id}/ready — still works for existing integrations but is deprecated. New integrations should use POST /api/v1/partner/cases/create/.