15th Judicial Circuit Court, Stephenson County, Illinois Filing Rules

Proof of serving or answering discovery must be filed with the Clerk and identify the discovery document, case title and number, service date, and sending and receiving parties.

When a defendant fails to appear or file a written appearance in response to a summons returnable on a date certain, the Court may find the defendant in default on the return date without further notice or proceeding.

The transmission date and time generally determine when an e-filing is filed; pleadings received before midnight on an open-office day are filed that day, while filings on a closed-office day are filed the next business day, subject to Rule 2.13.

All Filers must register through their Vendor, and registrations identify the source of electronically submitted documents.

Counsel and self-represented litigants should mark trial exhibits in advance with available exhibit stickers and identify them by the appropriate party designation.

An agreed or stipulated motion to continue a bench trial requires good cause and, whenever practicable, must be heard at least four days before trial.

Filers must ensure electronic documents and exhibits do not disclose impounded, sealed, or defined private information.

Statutory filing fees must be paid through the EFM to achieve valid filing status unless waived.

Whenever reasonably possible, the attorney or self-represented litigant setting a hearing must make a good-faith effort to coordinate a mutually convenient date and time with the Court and opposing parties; if the Court accepts it, the hearing may be set then.

The Court may decide a motion on submitted briefs without oral argument or a hearing.

Exhibits should be filed with the motion, but parties are discouraged from attaching previously filed pleadings as exhibits.

When practicable, copies of exhibits should be furnished to the Court, opposing counsel, and any opposing SRL no later than when the exhibit is offered in evidence. When practicable, a list of exhibits should be furnished to the Court, opposing counsel, and any opposing SRL no later than the beginning of the hearing.