Snohomish County Superior Court Document Format Requirements

Format

PDF

Working copies must be merged into one PDF and must visibly display the hearing date and time, case name, case number, and submitting party on page one.

Working copies shall be merged as one PDF and visibly display the hearing date and time, case name, case number and submitting party on page one.

Motion materials may not include audio or video recordings without prior court approval.

Absent prior approval of the court, materials will not include audio or video recordings.

Evidence submitted in support of a motion or reply may not include audio or video tape recordings without prior court approval.

Absent prior court approval, this evidence shall not include audio or video tape recordings.

GR 14 formatting requirements apply to motions and attachments to pleadings and other papers filed with the clerk.

The format requirements of GR 14 shall apply to motions and attachments to pleadings and other papers filed with the clerk.

Format

PAPER

Recorded information submitted in devices or similar media must be transcribed by the filing party and filed as a paper document to become part of the permanent court record.

To make such recorded information part of the permanent court record, they must be transcribed by the filing party and filed as a document in paper format.

The courtroom clerk must receive an original, numbered, cited copy of proposed jury instructions stamped "original" on its first page.

(1) An original, numbered and with citations, and stamped "original" on the first page shall be provided to the courtroom clerk.

The trial judge must receive one numbered, cited copy and one copy without numbering or citations of the proposed jury instructions.

(2) One copy numbered and with citations, and one copy without citations or numbers shall be provided to the trial judge.

Format

DOCX

Unless the court waives the requirement, the trial judge must receive an electronic Word-compatible copy of the proposed jury instructions without citations or numbers.

(3) One copy without citations or numbers in Word compatible electronic format shall be provided to the trial judge, unless this requirement is waived by the court.

Objecting parties must show proposed deletions with strikeout and additions with underlining, unless the rule's alternative procedure applies.

Deletions shall be shown by a strike out and additions shown by underlining; or

Interlineations, corrections, and deletions in signed orders and judgments must be initialed by the judge or commissioner.

Any interlineations, corrections, and deletions in orders and judgments signed by the judge/commissioner must be initialed by the judge/commissioner.

Excluded convenience copies of declarations or affidavits must be accompanied by a coversheet indexing them by docket number and/or original filing date.

Any such copies shall be provided under coversheet indexing same by docket number and/or original filing date.

Format

PAPER

E-mails, text messages, social media posts, and similar evidence must be submitted in paper form and sequentially numbered at the bottom of each page.

(1) E-mails, Text Messages, and Social Media Posts. In accordance with the Administrative Order entitled Procedures for Submission of Evidence in RCW 7.105 Proceedings, e-mails, text messages, social media posts, or other similar evidence shall be presented in paper form and numbered sequentially at the bottom of each page.

A party submitting more than five pages of e-mails, text messages, social media posts, or similar evidence must include a coversheet identifying the items relied upon.

If the submission is more than five (5) pages in length, then that party shall include a coversheet identifying the specific e-mails, text messages, social media posts, or similar items relied upon.

Writings, photographs, and other contents exceeding 25 pages must be presented as a chart, summary, or calculation, with the originals available for examination under ER 1006.

Writings, photographs, or contents (e-mails, text messages, and social media posts included) that exceed twenty-five (25) pages, shall be presented in the form of a chart, summary, or calculation, with the originals available for examination pursuant to ER 1006.

Format

PAPER

Videos, audio recordings, printed photographs, electronic media, and other tangible objects must be submitted in hard copy in an appropriate container rather than electronically.

The following items shall be submitted in hard copy and shall not be submitted electronically: videos, audio recordings, printed photographs, electronic media such as a CD or DVD, or other tangible objects. In these instances, the items should be placed in a manila envelope or other appropriate container and attached to a coversheet that contains the complete caption, a description of the items provided, and the date, time, and location of the hearing.

Required

Always

Except for OFS submissions and extended motions on the motions call calendar, working-copy emails must list hearing location, hearing date, hearing time, case name, and case number in that order.

Unless the working copy is delivered through OFS, or is for an extended motion set on the motions call calendar, the subject line for the e-mails must contain, in this order: Location of hearing (i.e., criminal hearings, criminal motions, or name of Judge), date of hearing, time of hearing, case name, case number.

Electronic working copies must be submitted as either a portable document format PDF or a Microsoft Word document.

Electronic working copies shall be submitted by providing an electronic document in portable document format (.pdf) or as a Microsoft word document (.doc).

The electronic working-copy filename must list hearing date, hearing time, case name, case number, submitting party, and materials title in that order; for extended motions, the motions-call date and time must be used.

The document name must contain, in this order: Date of hearing, time of hearing, case name, case number, party submitting the materials, and the title of the materials. For extended motions set on the criminal motions call calendar, the date and time of the hearing shall be the date and time of the motions call calendar.

Format

PAPER

Videos, audio recordings, printed photographs, CDs, DVDs, and other tangible objects must be submitted in hard copy rather than electronically.

The following items shall be submitted in hard copy and shall not be submitted electronically: videos, audio recordings, printed photographs, electronic media such as a CD or DVD, or other tangible objects.

General or Special Orders must use a bench-approved format that states the request scope, party contact information, statutory or standard references, and relevant beginning and ending dates.

General and/or Special Orders must be submitted in a format approved by the bench specifying at a minimum the scope of the request; names, address and phone numbers of the parties to the request; reference to statutes/standards; relevant time elements (begin and ending dates);

Evidence capable of documentary presentation must be submitted in documentary form to be considered.

Any evidence capable of being offered in documentary form must be offered in documentary form in order to be considered.

Non-printable video, audio, and other evidence must be transferred to a CD/DVD, removable disk, or other storage device for admission at the hearing.

Videos, audio recordings, and other evidence that cannot be printed and presented in paper form must be transferred to CD/DVD, removable disk, or other storage device that may be offered into evidence at the hearing.

Text messages, social media posts, and similar evidence must be presented in paper form and sequentially numbered at the bottom of each page.

Text messages, social media posts or similar evidence shall be presented in paper form and numbered sequentially at the bottom of each page.

When text-message, social-media, or similar evidence exceeds five pages, the relying party must highlight the items used and include a coversheet identifying them.

If a party files or presents text messages, social media posts or similar items of evidence that exceed a total of 5 pages in length, that party shall highlight the specific text messages, social media posts or similar items relied upon and shall file or present them with a Page 1 of 2 ===== PAGE 2 ===== coversheet that identifies the specific messages or posts relied upon.

For video or digital-photograph evidence, the presenting party must also bring the evidence on a removable device admissible at the hearing.

If the evidence consists of video or digital photographs, the party offering the evidence must also bring the evidence on a removable device that can be admitted into evidence at the hearing as an exhibit as set forth in 1C, above.

Exhibits must be consecutively numbered, with petitioner or plaintiff exhibits beginning at 1 and respondent or defendant exhibits beginning at 101.

Consecutively number the exhibits. Petitioner/Plaintiff’s exhibits will start at 1. Respondent/Defendant’s exhibits will start at 101.

If the petitioner or plaintiff has more than 100 exhibits, the parties must agree where that party's numbering should end, and the respondent's or defendant's numbering must begin at 01 in the next hundred-number series.

If Petitioner/Plaintiff has more than 100 exhibits the parties shall agree on the appropriate series of numbers with which Plaintiff/Petitioner’s exhibits should end. Respondent/Defendant’s exhibits will start with the 01 of the next hundred numbers.

Multiple documents cannot be combined into one exhibit, and each separate document must receive a separate exhibit number.

Multiple documents may not be combined into one exhibit. Each separate document must be numbered as a separate exhibit.

Every page of a multipage exhibit document must contain the applicable page-number reference.

Multi-page documents must have page number references indicated on each page.

In jury trials, editable electronic working copies of proposed jury instructions must be provided to the assigned trial judge.

For Jury Trials Only: Working copies of proposed jury instructions shall be provided electronically, in an editable format, to the assigned trial judge.

Each party must provide two separately packaged sets of exhibits—one original set and one bench/working set—including original sealed depositions, with exhibits marked and ordered as required.

Two sets of all exhibits (one set of originals and one set of bench/working copies), in two separate notebooks or packets, including original sealed depositions. The exhibits should be numbered in the upper right corner, organized in numerical order, and comply with requirements listed in Paragraph 2 of this protocol. Each party is responsible for the copying costs of their own exhibits and for making copies of their master set of exhibits for all attorneys and parties.

Each witness must receive an unaltered physical copy of the exhibits the party expects the witness to use.

Each witness must have physical access to a copy of those exhibits that a party expects the witness to refer to in its case-in-chief. The copy of exhibits provided to the witness may not contain any notes, highlighting, post-its, or any other changes.

Format

PAPER

Physical paper exhibit copies must be exchanged at least one week before trial unless a contrary court order is entered.

Absent a court order to the contrary, the parties shall exchange exhibit and witness lists, physical paper copies2 of exhibits numbered as required in Paragraph 3, section e, and a Pre-Trial Conference Summary for Civil Proceedings at least one week before trial.

Format

PAPER

Trial briefs and motions in limine must be filed in paper on the day of trial and remain available electronically subject to the trial judge’s preference.

Trial briefs, including motions in limine, are not considered exhibits, but shall be provided to the Court separately (copy to all parties) on the day of trial in paper form for filing, and be available in electronic format subject to the trial judge’s preference.

Trial exhibits must be numbered in the upper-right corner, organized numerically, and comply with the protocol’s exchange requirements.

The exhibits should be numbered in the upper right corner, organized in numerical order, and comply with requirements listed in Paragraph 2 of this protocol.

Each separate document must be a separately numbered exhibit, multiple documents may not be combined into one exhibit, and every page of a multi-page exhibit must bear page-number references.

Multiple documents may not be combined into one exhibit. Each separate document must be numbered as a separate exhibit. Multi-page documents must have page number references indicated on each page.

Each party must bring two separate sets of all exhibits—one original set and one bench/working set—to the assigned trial department on the trial date, including original sealed depositions.

Two sets of all exhibits (one set of originals and one set of bench/working copies), in two separate notebooks or packets, including original sealed depositions.

Working copies of proposed jury instructions must use an editable electronic format.

For Jury Trials Only: Working copies of proposed jury instructions shall be provided electronically, in an editable format, to the assigned trial judge.

Each remote witness must have physical access to a clean copy of the exhibits expected to be used in that party’s case-in-chief, without notes, highlighting, post-its, or other changes.

Each witness must have physical access to a copy of those exhibits that a party expects to refer to in its case-in-chief. The copy of exhibits provide to the witness may not contain any notes, highlighting, post-its, or any other changes.

Working copies must state the hearing date and time, assigned jurist if any, and department or room number in the upper-right corner.

All working copies shall state, in the upper right corner, the following: the date and time of such hearing, the jurist assigned, if any, and the Department or room number of the department where the motion is to be heard.

Family-law declarations and affidavits must be legibly hand printed or typed in at least 12-point type, double-spaced, and compliant with GR14.

All declarations and affidavits must be legibly hand printed or typed in at least twelve (12) point type, double-spaced, and comply with GR14.

Every page, including attached declarations and affidavits, must be sequentially numbered in the bottom-left corner.

All pages, including attached declarations and affidavits shall be sequentially numbered. Such sequential numbers shall appear in the bottom left corner of the documents.

Responsive or reply materials may not include audio or video recordings without the court’s prior approval.

Absent prior approval of the court, responsive or reply materials will not include either audio or video tape recordings.

The final calendar must follow the format and contain the information shown in attached Form 1.

The calendar shall be in the same format and include the same information as contained in the attached Form 1 which is a sample calendar.

Proposed written decisions must allow adequate space for interlineations or additions.

At the time of oral argument both parties must submit proposed written decisions containing the reasons therefore, supporting their respective positions, and allowing adequate space for interlineations or additions, for immediate entry.

A party presenting digital photographs or audio or video recordings must bring a device capable of playing the evidence in open court.

Any party who wishes to present evidence that consists of digital photographs or audio or video recordings must bring a computer, tablet, smartphone or other device capable of playing the evidence in open court.

For video or digital-photograph evidence, the presentation device must accept the court-provided USB clickshare device and display the evidence on courtroom screens.

If the evidence consists of video or digital photographs, the device must also be able to accept a USB clickshare device (provided by the court) that will play/display the video or photograph to the courtroom screens.

An illustrative exhibit should accompany the master exhibits and use an A or B designation corresponding to the original exhibit number.

Any such exhibits should be provided with the master exhibits and be numbered with an “A” or “B” that corresponds to the original exhibit such as Exh. 4A or Exh. 8B.

Electronic exhibit copies may supplement but cannot replace the required exchange of physical exhibit copies.

The parties may agree to exchange electronic copies of exhibits in addition to exchanging physical copies, but not as a replacement of exchanging physical copies.

Trial briefs, including motions in limine, must not be treated or filed as exhibits.

Trial briefs, including motions in limine, are not considered exhibits

Proposed final orders should use an editable electronic format.

Proposed Final Orders should be provided electronically, in an editable format, to the assigned trial judge after assignment.

Working copies may be submitted in hard copy, PDF, or Microsoft Word format, subject to the stated exceptions.

Working copies may be submitted in either hard copy or electronic copy (as a portable document format (.pdf) or Microsoft word document (.doc)) except as otherwise set forth in this rule as follows:

The parties may exchange electronic exhibit copies in addition to, but not instead of, the required physical copies.

2 The parties may agree to exchange electronic copies of exhibits in addition to exchanging physical copies, but not as a replacement of exchanging physical copies.

When both parties offer portions of the same document, they should combine those portions into one exhibit when feasible.

If each party is offering a portion of the same document, the parties should combine the portions into one exhibit, where feasible.

Proposed final orders should be sent electronically in an editable format to the assigned trial judge after judicial assignment.

Proposed Final Orders should be provided electronically, in an editable format, to the assigned trial judge after assignment.