Northern District of Illinois Service and Proof of Service Rules
14 rules from official source documents
E-service, mail, personal service, proof of service, certificate, and timing requirements. This page is scoped to Northern District of Illinois; use the court rules overview to switch categories without leaving this court.
- Applies to
- Motion
- Service
- Other to other
Third parties not named in the complaint cannot be named in active concert with defendants unless active concert is proven and they receive advance notice and opportunity to be heard.
Third parties not named in the complaint (e.g., Amazon, eBay, DHgate) cannot be named as in active concert or participation with the defendants unless their active concert or participation is proven and they receive advance notice and an opportunity to be heard before the Court enters any order against them. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 65(d)(2); Lake Shore Asset Mgmt. Ltd. v. Commodity Futures Trading Comm’n., 511 F.3d 762 (7th Cir. 2007).
- Applies to
- Service on chinese entities
- Service
Serving Chinese entities via email is prohibited under the Hague Service Convention.
Serving Chinese entities via email is not permitted. Id. at *6 (the Hague Service Convention "prohibits service by email in China")
- Service
- Electronic service
Motions seeking electronic service must comport with Kangol; serving Chinese entities via email is not permitted.
Any motion seeking electronic service must comport with Kangol LLC, v. Hangzhou Chuanyue Silk Import & Export Co., Ltd., 2026 WL 1502198 (7th Cir. May 29, 2026). Serving Chinese entities via email is not permitted.
- Deadline
- 14 calendar days
- Applies to
- Notice of designation
- Service
- Other to all parties
Notice of Designation for deposition testimony must be served within 14 days of transcript delivery, or on-record designation is waived.
Within 14 days after delivery of the transcript, a designating party may serve a Notice of Designation to all parties of record identifying the specific portions of the transcript that are designated Confidential Information, and thereafter those portions identified in the Notice of Designation must be protected under the terms of this Order. The failure to serve a timely Notice of Designation waives any designation of deposition testimony as Confidential Information that was made on the record of the deposition, unless the Court orders otherwise.
- Deadline
- 14 calendar days
- Applies to
- Notice of designation
- Service
- Other to all parties
Notice of Designation for deposition testimony must be served within the presumptive confidentiality period, or all designation is waived.
Within this time period, a party may serve a Notice of Designation to all parties of record as to specific portions of the testimony that are designated Confidential Information, and thereafter only those portions identified in the Notice of Designation shall be protected by the terms of this Order. The failure to serve a timely Notice of Designation shall waive any designation of testimony taken in that deposition as Confidential Information, unless the Court orders otherwise.
- Deadline
- 3 business days
- Service
- Other to other
Receiving party must notify designating party in writing within 3 business days of subpoena/order to disclose Confidential Information.
If a receiving party is served with a subpoena or an order issued in other litigation that compels the disclosure of any material or document designated in this action as Confidential Information, the receiving party must notify the designating party in writing immediately and in no event more than 3 business days after
- Service
- Other to opposing party
Receiving party must immediately provide written notice to the subpoena or court order issuer that requested material is subject to the protective order.
The receiving party also must immediately inform in writing the party who caused the subpoena or order to issue in the other litigation that some or all of the material the subpoena or order seeks is the subject of this Order.
- Service
- Other to opposing party
Receiving party must promptly deliver a copy of the protective order to the party who issued the subpoena or court order.
The receiving party must also deliver a copy of this Order promptly to the party in the other action that caused the subpoena or order to issue.
- Deadline
- 10 business days
- Applies to
- Stipulations
- Service
- Other to all parties
Parties must serve proposed stipulations and uncontested facts on each other no later than 10 business days before the pretrial order's due date, and confer in good faith no later than 5 business days before the due date.
No later than 10 business days before the proposed pretrial order’s due date, the parties must serve on each other proposed stipulations and uncontested facts.
- Applies to
- Settlement letter
- Service
- Other to opposing party
Parties must exchange settlement letters with opposing counsel prior to the settlement conference.
Plaintiff’s counsel must submit a settlement letter to Defendant’s counsel and the Court, describing the nature of the action, the theory of liability, Plaintiff’s demand and its reasoned basis, an itemization of damages, and Defendant’s counsel must submit a settlement letter to Plaintiff’s counsel and the Court in response to Plaintiff’s demand, describing the theory of defense and Defendant’s offer, including an explanation for it.
- Deadline
- 14 calendar days
- Applies to
- Notice of designation
- Service
- Other to all parties
A Notice of Designation must be served to all parties of record within 14 days after deposition transcript delivery to preserve confidential designation, with failure to do so waiving the designation unless the Court orders otherwise.
Within 14 days after delivery of the transcript, a designating party may serve a Notice of Designation to all parties of record identifying the specific portions of the transcript that are designated Confidential Information, and thereafter those portions identified in the Notice of Designation must be protected under the terms of this Order. The failure to serve a timely Notice of Designation waives any designation of deposition testimony as Confidential Information that was made on the record of the deposition, unless the Court orders otherwise.
- Deadline
- 14 calendar days
- Applies to
- Notice of designation
- Service
- Other to all parties
A Notice of Designation must be served to all parties of record within the applicable time period (14 days after transcript delivery or 60 days after testimony) to designate specific confidential portions of deposition testimony, with failure to do so waiving the designation unless the Court orders otherwise.
Within this time period, a party may serve a Notice of Designation to all parties of record as to specific portions of the testimony that are designated Confidential Information, and thereafter only those portions identified in the Notice of Designation shall be protected by the terms of this Order. The failure to serve a timely Notice of Designation shall waive any designation of testimony taken in that deposition as Confidential Information, unless the Court orders otherwise.
- Deadline
- 3 business days
- Service
- Other to other
Receiving party served with subpoena to disclose Confidential Information must notify designating party in writing within 3 business days.
If a receiving party is served with a subpoena or an order issued in other litigation that compels the disclosure of any material or document designated in this action as Confidential Information, the receiving party must notify the designating party in writing immediately and in no event more than 3 business days after
- Deadline
- 5 business days
- Service
- Other to opposing party
Designating party must respond to confidentiality designation challenge within 5 business days.
The designating party must respond to the challenge within 5 business days.
What rule applies to service for notice of designation in Northern District of Illinois?
The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: recipient: all parties, timing: 14 calendar days. A Notice of Designation must be served to all parties of record within 14 days after deposition transcript delivery to preserve confidential designation, with failure to do so waiving the designation unless the Court orders otherwise.
What service or proof of service rules apply in Northern District of Illinois?
The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: timing: 3 business days after service. Receiving party served with subpoena to disclose Confidential Information must notify designating party in writing within 3 business days.
What rule applies to service for settlement letter in Northern District of Illinois?
The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: recipient: the opposing party. Parties must exchange settlement letters with opposing counsel prior to the settlement conference.
What rule applies to service for motion in Northern District of Illinois?
Proof of service is required for the covered service rule. Third parties not named in the complaint cannot be named in active concert with defendants unless active concert is proven and they receive advance notice and opportunity to be heard.
What rule applies to service for service on chinese entities in Northern District of Illinois?
Proof of service is not required by this specific service rule. Details: method: service by email. Serving Chinese entities via email is prohibited under the Hague Service Convention.
What rule applies to serving the opposing party in Northern District of Illinois?
The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: recipient: the opposing party. Receiving party must immediately provide written notice to the subpoena or court order issuer that requested material is subject to the protective order.
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