Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County Filing Rules

When Rule 615 is invoked, counsel should inform witnesses of its invocation and meaning.

The Joint Case Management Report must address progress since the last conference, upcoming case preparation, witnesses interviewed and to be interviewed, and pending issues.

Self-represented litigants are expected to comply with all court rules.

Lawyers and self-represented litigants are expected to know and follow applicable court rules.

Every motion must be accompanied by a proposed order.

If the specified delivery methods are infeasible by the hearing date, promptly call or email the division and provide a copy of the order.

The Division may be contacted by phone at 602-372-5812.

The Division’s email address is DRJ18@JBAZMC.Maricopa.gov.

The Judicial Assistant may be contacted by phone or email.

Counsel may copy the Court by email on filed documents to support timely delivery and review, particularly Joint Case Management Plans and Reports.

Counsel must make a good-faith effort to resolve discovery disputes before bringing them to the Court.

The Court will schedule oral argument if it believes argument may assist in deciding the matter.

Supplemental briefing may not be filed without leave of Court.

The judge is willing to use settlement conferences or off-the-record conversations with counsel to help resolve disputes efficiently and fairly.

Motions in limine require leave in bench trials, are limited to five per party absent leave for good cause, and should be reserved for extremely prejudicial matters that could cause a mistrial rather than routine evidentiary issues or enforcement of a rule of evidence.

The Joint Case Management Report must be submitted no less than two working days before each Case Management Conference.

Motions requiring an evidentiary hearing should be filed sooner rather than later.

Proposed orders must be submitted in hard copy to the division at least five days before a hearing.

A written request for a court reporter must reach the Court at least three court days before the proceeding begins.

A person generally must file a notice of appearance and answer the complaint within 20 days for in-state matters or 30 days for out-of-state matters.

Hearings will be conducted only by telephone or videoconference.

Motions must comply with applicable procedural rules on format and page length; any deviation requires a prior court order.

Typed documents must use at least 13-point type and double spacing; serif proportional fonts are preferred, while monospaced and sans serif fonts are discouraged.

File the primary motion or fact statement and all cited exhibits together in one PDF, with identifying slip sheets separating the exhibits.

The Court permits hybrid hearings with some participants in person and others participating virtually.

Attorneys generally must electronically file all documents.

(3) You should not upload your exhibits as “supporting” documents to your motion or fact statement when filing in Turbo Court as any bookmarks will not be usable if the exhibits are separated from the main document.

Non-emergency pleadings may not be filed by email.

Motions or filings made fewer than 10 days before a hearing must be emailed to the division in MS Word format.

All exhibits must be submitted through the CaseCenter electronic exhibit portal.

A request or motion to continue the trial date or extend the last day in a complex case must be in writing pursuant to Rule 8.5.

For a first continuance in EDC Court, file a motion stating the opposing side’s position; the continuance is granted if the plea, discovery, and waiver of time are in place.

Motions to continue or extend time must state the other party’s position or efforts to obtain it; otherwise, they may be lodged for response or denied without prejudice if response time is insufficient.

For an extension of response or reply time, parties are encouraged to seek agreement and submit a stipulation.

A written motion or stipulation is required to schedule, reschedule, continue, or vacate a hearing.

Documents required to reach the assigned judicial officer’s inbox may be hand-delivered to the division, mailed to the division, or placed in the Civil Court Administration inbox for routing.

Do not email courtesy copies of non-emergency pleadings.

File all motions electronically and email a division copy with all parties copied.

Parties may email a division copy of motions, copying all parties.

For expedited or emergency consideration, deliver the papers to the Division when filing by hard copy or email; if emailing, also call to alert the Division.

Motions, responses, replies, and other Court-requested filings must be submitted individually.

A single petition may include multiple requested forms of relief for the specified modifications or enforcement.

Motions, responses, replies, and other filings must be submitted individually; combined filings will not be accepted.

Jury exhibit notebooks are encouraged; counsel should discuss their contents and try to agree, with disagreements addressed at the pretrial management conference.

The Court prefers individual submissions and directs that motions be filed separately rather than combined with a response to another party’s motion.

Applicable page limits may not be exceeded without leave of court, and the limits will be strictly enforced.

Page limits may be exceeded only with leave of court.

Page limits are enforced and may not be exceeded without leave of court.

A joint discovery or disclosure dispute statement is limited to three pages and must include a certificate of good faith consultation.

Page limits may not be exceeded without leave of Court.

The Court will likely order parties, to the extent feasible, to serve pleadings, court filings, and discovery materials by mail and email.

Copies of an extension or continuance motion must be provided to the other parties.

For virtual trials, provide exhibits to the court and opposing parties so everyone can access the exhibits to be used.

File the original pleading with the Court and provide additional copies to the opposing party and probation; copies may be mailed, dropped off, or faxed.

When filing anything with the Court, send a copy to the opposing side or its attorney and indicate on the pleading that you did so.

Requests to file a pleading or document under seal must comply with Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure 5.4, including subsections (d) and (e).

To seek sealing under Rule 5.4, e-file a sealing motion, submit a proposed sealing order in Word format, lodge the document with the Clerk, and simultaneously email its electronic copy to Division staff; the order must identify the document and include required findings.

The judge avoids sealing entire files and typically files documents concerning sensitive matters as confidential, allowing case participants and court staff access while shielding them from public disclosure.

Sealed filings are discouraged and require a significant reason to shield records from public view.

Sealed filings are discouraged, and the Court will seal a file only as a last resort.

The court reporter deposit, usually the cost of the first day, must be paid no later than two judicial days before the hearing.

The court reporter fee is $140 for a half-day hearing and $280 for each full day, payable to the clerk at least two judicial days before the proceeding.