Hamilton County Circuit Court Document Format Requirements

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Electronic evidence

Exhibit filenames must be continuous and contain no spaces or periods.

(4) File Name Examples: (File names must be continuous and not have spaces or periods.)

CRITICALCivil cases

Format

PDF

E-filed documents must be PDFs, except that proposed orders may be filed in Microsoft Word; documents should follow the applicable agreement, rules, and any additional format the Court requires.

Each E-Filed document shall be uploaded in a PDF format unless it is a proposed order for a judge to review. The document should be formatted in accordance with the applicable Terms of Use Agreement as well as the TRCP and Local Rules governing formatting of paper documents and in such other and further format as the Court may require from time to time. Proposed orders can be E-Filed in Microsoft Word format.

CRITICALCivil cases

E-Filers must verify that documents are legible; illegible or sideways-scanned documents will be rejected and must be corrected and e-filed again.

The E-Filer is responsible for verifying that the documents to be E-Filed are legible. Documents that are not legible or scanned sideways will be rejected and will require the E-Filer to correct the document and E-File them again.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Electronic evidence

The third filename component must be an extension identifying the file format.

(3) Format of File. The third component of the file name is the extension which shall identify the format of the file as listed above under electronic formats required.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Exhibit

Security features in exhibit files, including passwords and locking or editing restrictions, must be disabled.

Any security features in an exhibit file, such as passwords, locked or editing features, must be disabled.

CRITICALCivil cases

A marked exhibit with disputed admissibility must be marked for identification only; otherwise its admissibility is deemed undisputed.

Any marked exhibit – the admissibility of which the parties dispute – shall be marked for identification only. Unless a marked exhibit is marked for identification only, its admissibility shall be deemed to be undisputed.

CRITICALCivil cases

Documents requiring notarization, an oath, or multiple signatures may be E-Filed only as scanned images of the originals.

A document that is required to be verified by a notary public, sworn to, or made under oath, or one that requires multiple signatures may be E-Filed only as a scanned image of the original.

CRITICALCivil cases

Papers requiring a signature must contain the original signature, preferably in blue ink, unless filed or lodged electronically under the specified rules; a limited exception applies under Tenn. Rule Civ. Pro. 72.

Unless filed or lodged electronically pursuant to these rules or Rule 5A or Rule 5B of the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure, papers to be filed or lodged that require the signature of a party, the party’s counsel, or other individual or entity shall contain the original signature, preferably in blue ink (with a limited exception pursuant to Tenn. Rule Civ. Pro. 72).

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

PDF document

All PDF documents must be flattened.

All PDF documents must be flattened.

CRITICALCivil cases

Verified probate claims must be filed with the Clerk in triplicate and include any supporting documents required by statute.

Verified claims must be filed with the Clerk in triplicate with any required supporting documents as provided by statute.

CRITICAL

Format

PDF

An email filing consists only of PDF attachments; the email body and non-PDF attachments are not considered part of the filing.

(2) For the purposes of this order, “email filing” means only email attachments (the body of an email will not be considered as part of the email filing). All email filings must be saved in portable document (“.pdf”) format. Words or images within the body of an email, or an email attachment that is not saved in .pdf format, will not be considered as part of an email filing.

CRITICALCivil cases

Format

PDF

The email filing cover sheet must be included as the first page of the PDF attachment.

Every email filing must contain the following information in the form of a coversheet, which shall be included as the first page of the email filing .pdf attachment:

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Exhibit

Exhibit files may not exceed 10 MB, including when compressed, and ZIP is the only permitted compression format.

The maximum file size for exhibits is 10.0 megabytes (MB). Exhibits may be compressed in ZIP format only. Any compressed exhibit file shall not exceed 10 MB.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Electronic evidence

Electronic evidence must use a listed file format, and any listed format may be compressed into a ZIP file.

All electronic evidence must be submitted in one of the following formats: - PDF - PNG, GIF, JPB/JPEG - WMV - MP3 -PPT/PPTX Any of the allowable formats can be compressed into a ZIP file.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Electronic evidence

Exhibit filenames must begin with a number for plaintiffs or movants and a letter for defendants or respondents; letters may repeat after the alphabet is exhausted.

(1) The Exhibit Number or Letter. Descriptive Exhibit Name. The first component of the file name shall be a number or letter, depending on the party’s role. (a) Plaintiffs/Movants shall use numbers. (B) Defendants/Respondents shall use letters. If the alphabet is exhausted, then letters will repeat. For Example: “AA” or “AAA.”

CRITICALCivil cases

A document requiring a signature, verification, notarization, acknowledgment, oath, or sworn statement may be e-filed only as a scanned image.

A document that is required to be signed, verified, notarized, acknowledged, sworn to, or made under oath may be E-Filed only as a scanned image.

CRITICALCivil cases

Format

PDF

Email filings consist only of PDF attachments; email-body content and non-PDF attachments are not considered part of the filing.

“Email filing” means only email attachments (the body of an email will not be considered as part of the email filing). All email filings must be saved in portable document format (“.pdf”) format. Words or images within the body of an email, or an email attachment that is not saved in .pdf format, will not be considered as part of an email filing.

CRITICALCivil cases

A proposed order must not be attached as an exhibit to another pleading and must be lodged separately from any objection.

Proposed orders shall not be attached as an exhibit to another pleading, and shall be lodged separately from any objection.

WARNINGCivil cases

Format

PDF

Converted documents must have the .pdf file extension.

Converted Documents must contain the “.pdf” file extension;

WARNING

Email filings should be dark enough and formatted so the clerk’s printed copy is legible.

The email filing should be dark enough and formatted appropriately to be legible on the copy printed by the clerk.

WARNINGCivil cases

Before trial, the parties must meet to examine or exchange all exhibits and must pre-mark them sequentially without party designations if the Court directs.

Before trial, the parties shall meet to examine or exchange all trial exhibits and, if the Court so directs, pre-mark all trial exhibits in sequential order without designation as to plaintiff or defendant.

WARNINGCivil cases

Guardian ad litem reports should be brief and to the point, unless case complexity requires greater detail.

Reports shall be brief and to the point unless the complexities of the case require greater detail.

WARNINGCivil cases

Applies to

Electronic evidence

(2) Descriptive Exhibit Name. The second component of the file name shall be a brief description of the exhibit. It should be sufficiently descriptive to identify the exhibit, and it should not contain any information the filer does not want displayed to the Court or to other parties.

(2) Descriptive Exhibit Name. The second component of the file name shall be a brief description of the exhibit. It should be sufficiently descriptive to identify the exhibit, and it should not contain any information the filer does not want displayed to the Court or to other parties.

WARNINGCivil cases

The Clerk prints email filings on letter-sized paper, and an email filing should be dark and formatted well enough to be legible on the printed copy.

The email filing will be printed out by the Clerk on standard letter-sized paper (8 ½ by 11 inches). The email filing should be dark enough and formatted appropriately to be legible on the copy printed by the Clerk.

WARNINGCivil cases

Applies to

Evidence

The Electronic Evidence Protocol does not apply to evidence impractical or impossible to submit electronically, including specified physical or oversized items.

Evidence that is impractical or impossible to submit in electronic format—such as physical objects, original documents when required and oversized documents not capable of conversion to a format listed below—are not subject to EEP.

INFOCivil cases

A signature reproduced by email is treated as an original signature.

A signature reproduced by email shall be treated as an original signature.

INFOCivil cases

Parties and their attorneys may use Clerk forms, equivalent forms, or forms approved by the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Parties and their attorneys may use the forms available from the Clerk or forms equivalent in content and format thereto. Parties and their attorneys may also use forms approved by the Tennessee Supreme Court, which can be found at tncourts.gov/forms-publications.