Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court Document Format Requirements

CRITICAL

A document prepared for a judicial officer’s signature must have at least two lines of text on its signature page.

Documents prepared for a judicial officer’s signature must contain at least two (2) lines of text on the signature page.

CRITICAL

Format

DOCX

For covered Benton and Franklin County civil and civil summary judgment matters, proposed orders must be emailed as a WORD version to the specified address at least three calendar days before the hearing, with all parties copied; unlawful detainer matters are excluded.

For matters set on the Benton County and/or Franklin County Civil docket and Civil Summary Judgment docket (except unlawful detainer matters) only, the moving party and any party opposing a motion must email a WORD version of any proposed order(s) to SCProposedOrders@co.benton.wa.us no later than three (3) calendar days before a hearing, and all parties must be copied on any email message sent to that email.

CRITICAL

An objection to a proposed order must be presented on pleading paper in accordance with GR 14.

Be presented on pleading paper in accordance with GR 14;

CRITICAL

The grievance envelope or package must be prominently labeled “Confidential. GAL Grievance.”

The envelope or package shall be prominently labeled “Confidential. GAL Grievance.”

CRITICAL

If no timely objection is received, the party who initially prepared the order must deliver a hard copy to the Judicial Officer through the Court Administration office.

If there are no timely objections received, the party who initially prepared the order shall send it to the Judicial Officer by bringing/delivering a hard copy to the Court Administration office.

CRITICAL

The party who initially prepared the proposed order must send the initial order, alternative order, and objection pleading to the Judicial Officer through the Judicial Assistant in hard copy.

Send the initial order, the proposed alternative order and the pleading outlining the objections to the Judicial Officer via the Judicial Assistant in hard copy;

CRITICAL

Parties must not delete language from standard State forms.

Do not delete language from the standard State forms.

CRITICAL

Declarations and affidavits must comply with GR 14 and be legibly hand-printed or typed in at least 12-point type.

6. Pleading format: All declarations and affidavits must comply with GR 14 (format for pleadings and other papers), be legibly hand-printed or typed in at least twelve (12) point type.

CRITICAL

Format

PAPER

Moving and opposing parties must submit paper versions of proposed orders to the Superior Court Administration office, and may not mark “proposed” anywhere in the document.

4. Paper Submission Only. Both the moving and opposing parties shall submit paper versions of all Proposed Orders to the Superior Court Administration office. Orders must not be marked as “proposed” anywhere in the document (caption, body, footer).

WARNING

The Domestic Case Scheduling Order must use the form available on the Court’s website.

Form: The Domestic Case Scheduling Order (DCSO) shall be in the form available on the Court’s Website.

WARNING

A Read First must be one page and tell the judicial officer whether the motion is proceeding as set, being continued by agreement, subject to a continuance request, accompanied by an agreed order, or accompanied by agreed Final Orders for delivery to Court Administration.

A “Read First” is a one- page document that tells the judicial officer whether the motion will be going as set, will be continued by agreement, if a continuance is requested, an agreed order will be presented, or if agreed upon Final Orders will be delivered to the Court Administration office.

WARNING

A Trial Management Report must generally follow the form prescribed by the Court.

A trial management report will be in generally the following form as prescribed by the court.

WARNING

Hard-copy bench copies must clearly show the hearing date and, if assigned, the specific judge.

The bench copies must be clearly marked with the date of hearing and if a specific judge is assigned.

WARNING

The proposed order sent with the opposing-documents filing email must be in Microsoft WORD format, subject to technology access.

Upon filing the opposing documents with the Clerk, the responding party shall send email confirmation of filing, a copy of the response, any attachments, proof of service, and Microsoft WORD format proposed order (subject to technology access), to the Judicial Assistants at:

WARNING

The proposed order sent with the motion-filing email must be in Microsoft WORD format, subject to technology access.

Upon filing the motion with the Clerk, the moving party shall send email confirmation of filing, a copy of the motion, any attachments, proof of service, and Microsoft WORD format of the proposed order (subject to technology access), to the Judicial Assistants at: Reconsideration-Revision@co.benton.wa.us.

WARNING

Applies to

Order

The required warning in covered orders must be printed in capital letters.

In all supplemental proceedings wherein, an order is to be issued requiring the personal attendance of a party to be examined in open court, and in orders to show cause for contempt, the order must include the following words in capital letters, “YOUR FAILURE TO APPEAR AS ABOVE SET FORTH AT THE TIME, DATE, AND PLACE THEREOF WILL CAUSE THE COURT TO ISSUE A BENCH WARRANT FOR YOUR APPREHENSION AND CONFINEMENT IN JAIL UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE MATTER CAN BE HEARD OR UNTIL BAIL IS POSTED.”

INFO

A Case Schedule should generally use the court-prescribed form available on the Benton/Franklin Superior Court website.

9. Form. A Case Schedule will generally be in the form as prescribed by the court and available on Benton/Franklin Superior Court Website.

INFO

The summary should take the form of a letter.

The summary should take the form of a letter.

INFO

Mandatory court appearances are identified in bold on the Scheduling Order.

Mandatory court appearances are noted in bold on the Scheduling Order.

INFO

Parties may bold or underline added language and strike through inapplicable language.

Parties may bold or underline additional language and strike (by lining through) inapplicable language.