Walla Walla County Superior Court Document Filing Requirements

CRITICAL

Applies to

Declaration of completion

The mediator must file a declaration of completion with the court within seven days after mediation is completed.

Within seven (7) days of completion of mediation, a declaration of completion shall be filed with the court by the mediator.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Motion

Requests for fees exceeding $1,750 must be made by separate motion supported by appropriate affidavits.

If additional fees beyond the $1,750.00 are requested such request shall be by a separate motion supported by appropriate affidavits.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Settlement position statement

Each party must prepare and timely deliver a settlement position statement that is a summary, excludes copies of exhibits and specified reports, and includes the listed case, liability, relief, damages, and settlement-offer information; it is not filed in the court file.

Each party shall prepare a position statement and shall deliver it by 4:00 p.m. two (2) Judicial days in advance to the Department hearing the settlement conference. Position statements shall not be filed in the court file. The position statement is to be a summary only. It is not to include a copy of any exhibits, medical reports, expert witness reports, etc. The position statement shall include the following: a. A brief non-argumentative summary of the case; b. A statement of whether liability is admitted, and if not, the parties’ theory or theories of liability or non-liability; c. A list of the relief requested, including all items of special damages claimed by the plaintiff and a statement of whether any or all of those are admitted by the defendant; d. An explanation of the general damages, including a summary of the nature and extent of any claimed disability or impairment; and e. A statement of what settlement offers have been made thus far, if any.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Pension plan statements

For any pension plan of either party, the most recent employer ERISA statement and a statement of contributions since that statement must be provided.

6. Pension Plans. The most recent employers’ ERISA statement and a statement of contributions since that statement, of any pension plan of either party;

CRITICAL

Applies to

Digital exhibit

A digital exhibit must be filed contemporaneously with a Notice of Digital Exhibit Declaration describing the exhibit and explaining its contents and relevance.

No digital exhibit will be accepted without a contemporaneous filing of a Notice of Digital Exhibit Declaration. The Notice of Digital Exhibit Declaration shall contain a description of the type of digital exhibit, its size or length if applicable, an offer of proof explaining the contents and relevance of the digital exhibit.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Jury instruction

A party proposing an instruction must cite it as “WPI or WPIC Modified.”

proposing the instruction must cite the instruction as follows: "WPI or WPIC Modified."

CRITICAL

Applies to

Digital exhibit service

Must include

certificate of service

The party seeking admission of a digital exhibit must file a certificate of service with the court.

The party shall file a certificate of service with the court.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Complaint

Complaints by GALs or Court Visitors about registry or appointment matters must be in writing and addressed to the Department of Court Services.

Complaints by GALs or CVS regarding registry or appointment matters shall be made in writing and be addressed to the Department of Court Services.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Conformed dissolution decree copy

Each delivered or mailed conformed decree copy must indicate the date the original was filed.

a conformed copy of the decree with the date of filing the original indicated on each copy so delivered or mailed.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Professional services order

An order requiring professional services at public expense must address costs and state the hourly rate and maximum payment.

The issue of costs shall be addressed in the order requiring said services and shall contain an hourly rate and maximum payment if costs are to be at public expense.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Withdrawal report

A GAL/CV who withdraws from the registry while having active or incomplete cases must immediately report that circumstance to the Court Services Director.

A GAL/CV who withdraws from the registry and who still has active or incomplete cases shall immediately report this circumstance to the Court Services Director who will advise the court to reassign such cases.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Guardian ad litem application

Applicants must submit a signed application, the Code of Conduct, and the Release of Information, with all requested items completed and attached.

The applicant shall submit their signed application, Code of Conduct and Release of Information (attachments A, B, C) of this document. All requested items must be filled out and attached with the application when submitted.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Ex parte domestic relations restraining order

An ex parte domestic-relations order restraining a party from the family home or contact with the other party or children may be entered only if the court finds, and the order states, that irreparable injury could result without the order.

Ex parte orders in domestic relations matters which restrain one party from the family home or from contact with the other party or children shall not be entered unless the court finds (and the order provides) that irreparable injury could result if the order is not entered.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Fee request

GAL/CV fee requests submitted to the court must be supported by contemporaneously kept time records distinguishing the specified categories of time.

All fee requests by the GAL/CV submitted to the court shall be supported by contemporaneously-kept time records which distinguish investigative, legal, clerical, travel time, and court time

CRITICAL

Applies to

Mediated parenting plan or child support order

For a parenting plan or child-support order resulting from mediation, the mediator must sign the document and include their WSBA number if applicable, identify it as the result of mediation, and provide the mediation date and mediator or mediation service name.

If the parenting plan or child support order is the result of mediation, the mediator shall affix their signature and WSBA number if applicable to the parenting plan or child support order submitted for court approval, indicating that the parenting plan/child support order is the result of mediation, the date that such mediation occurred, and the name of the mediator and/or mediation service.

WARNING

Applies to

Judgment or decree

A judgment or decree will not be entered by the clerk unless it is signed by the judge or clearly marked “Proposed.”

The clerk will enter no judgment or decree until the same has been signed by the judge or clearly marked as “Proposed.”

WARNING

Applies to

Written request to ask additional general questions

An attorney may ask the court in advance and in writing to pose additional proposed general questions to the jury panel.

In addition, either attorney may request the court in advance in writing to ask additional proposed general questions of the panel.

WARNING

Applies to

Stipulation and order

Parties may seek to opt out of a court-ordered settlement conference by submitting a stipulation and order supported by a mediator’s letter, signed on behalf of all parties, confirming mediation has occurred or is scheduled by the conference date.

The parties may seek an order allowing them to opt out of a court ordered settlement conference by submitting a stipulation and order to the court supported by a letter from a mediator and signed on behalf of all parties that the case has been mediated or that mediation has been scheduled to occur on or before the date of the settlement conference.

WARNING

Applies to

Previously filed declaration or affidavit copy

Previously filed declarations or affidavits supplied only for the court’s convenience must be provided under a coversheet indexing them by original filing date.

Copies of declarations or affidavits previously filed for a motion already ruled upon and supplied only as a convenience to the court and not expected to be reviewed prior to the hearing do not count toward the page limit. Any such copies shall be provided under coversheet indexing same by original filing date.

WARNING

Applies to

Administrative complaint

GALs’ or CVs’ administrative complaints about registry or appointment matters must be in writing, addressed to the Court Services Director, and copied to the Presiding Judge.

Complaints by GALs or CVs regarding registry or appointment matters shall be made in writing and be addressed to the court Services Director. A copy of the complaint shall be provided to the Presiding Judge.

INFO

Applies to

Proposed instructions

Counsel may submit alternative instructions when their form depends on court rulings and may withdraw instructions made unnecessary or inappropriate by those rulings before the court submits its instructions to the jury.

Instructions, the form of which is dependent upon rulings of the court, may be submitted in the alternative and counsel shall have the right to withdraw those instructions made unnecessary or inappropriate by reason of said rulings at any time prior to the submission of the court's instructions to the jury.

INFO

Applies to

Order of appointment

If the parties agree on a GAL from the three names provided, they may present an Order of Appointment to the court.

After reviewing the three names on the list and if the parties agree upon a GAL from that list, they may present an Order of Appointment to the court.

INFO

Applies to

Agreed order or non contested matter

Agreed orders and non-contested matters may be submitted ex parte for review and signature.

Agreed orders and non-contested matters may be submitted ex parte for review and signature.