Introduction to the Civil Rules
CIVIL RULES INTRODUCTION TO THE CIVIL RULES
These are the Local Rules of practice for civil proceedings before the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. These rules, promulgated under 28 U.S.C. § 2071 and Fed. R. Civ. P. 83, have been adopted by the judges of the district and apply to all civil proceedings before this court unless otherwise ordered in a specific case.
The judges of this district are committed to assisting the bar and litigants to reduce costs in civil cases. It is the obligation of all counsel, as officers of the court, to work toward the prompt completion of each case and to minimize the costs of discovery. The local rules provide the judges and attorneys with basic tools for the management of civil cases, including discovery. Attorneys and litigants are urged to use these tools creatively and cooperatively to manage civil cases on a cost-effective basis and to develop a cost-effective case management plan in each case.
While no list is exhaustive, attorneys and litigants should consider the following means for reducing costs: (a) limiting discovery and phasing discovery and motions to bring on for early resolution potentially dispositive issues; (b) the availability of judges to resolve discovery disputes by telephone or informal conference; (c) scheduling discovery or case management conferences with the judge assigned to the case as necessary; (d) early referral to mediation through Local Rule 39.1 or other alternative dispute resolution mechanism; (e) the use of an abbreviated pretrial order; and (f) consenting to the assignment of the case to a United States magistrate judge for the conduct of all proceedings pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c). The judges will support the use of these tools and, if necessary, impose them, when appropriate and helpful to reduce costs or more effectively manage and resolve civil cases.
Along with the cost of civil litigation, the judges of this district are very concerned about professionalism among attorneys, especially in the conduct of discovery. The judges of this district expect a high degree of professionalism from the lawyers practicing before them. The orders issued by judges of this district at the outset of a case to govern conduct and scheduling of written discovery and depositions express those expectations. There should be no difference between the professional conduct of counsel when appearing before the court and when engaged outside it whether in discovery or any other phase of a case.
All counsel and unrepresented parties are encouraged to review their assigned judge’s web page for procedural information specifically applicable to each judge. The Local Rules, Electronic Filing Procedures for Civil and Criminal Cases, court forms, instruction sheets, General Orders, and judges’ web pages can be found on the court’s website at www.wawd.uscourts.gov.
LCR 1 SCOPE AND PURPOSE; DEFINITIONS; PROHIBITION OF BIAS
(a) Purpose
These rules should be interpreted so as to be consistent with the Federal Rules and to promote the just, efficient, speedy, and economical determination of every action and proceeding.
(b) Other Local Rules
In addition to these rules, this district has promulgated local rules in the following subject areas: admiralty and maritime, bankruptcy, criminal proceedings, proceedings before magistrate judges, and patent, all of which can be found on the court’s website.
(c) Definitions
(1) “Chief Judge” of this district is the judge who has attained that position pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 136. The Chief Judge shall have precedence and preside at any session that he or she attends. The current Chief Judge of this district is identified on the court’s website.
(2) “Clerk” or “Clerk of Court” refers to the District Court Executive/Clerk of Court or a deputy Clerk of Court.
(3) “Court” refers to the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington and to a Judge, Clerk, or deputy clerk acting on behalf of the Court.
(4) “General Orders” are made by the Chief Judge or by the court relating to court administration and are available on the court’s website.
(5) “Judge” refers to a United States District Judge, a United States Bankruptcy Judge, or United States Magistrate Judge.
(6) “Meet and Confer” means a good faith conference in person or by telephone to attempt to resolve the matter in dispute without the court’s involvement. The court expects a high degree of professionalism and collegiality among counsel during any meet and confer conference.
(7) “Stipulated Motion” is a stipulation (agreement) between or among the parties presented to the court with a proposed order.
(d) Prohibition of Bias
Litigation, inside and outside the courtroom in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, must be free from prejudice and bias in any form. Fair and equal
treatment must be accorded all courtroom participants, whether judges, attorneys, witnesses, litigants, jurors, or court personnel. The duty to be respectful of others includes the responsibility to avoid comment or behavior that can reasonably be interpreted as manifesting prejudice or bias toward another on the basis of categories such as gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation.
LCR 2 RESERVED
LCR 3 COMMENCEMENT AND ASSIGNMENT OF ACTIONS
(a) Civil Cover Sheet Required
Every complaint shall be accompanied by a Civil Cover Sheet, Form JS-44 revised. All civil actions in which jurisdiction is invoked in whole or in part under 28 U.S.C. § 1338 (regarding patents, copyrights and trademarks) shall be accompanied by the required notice to the Patent and Trademark Office, Form AO 120, in patent and trademark matters, and by the required notice, Form AO 121, in copyright matters. These forms are available on the court’s website and on the U.S. Courts website at www.uscourts.gov.
(b) Proceedings In Forma Pauperis (Without Payment of Court Fees)
At the time application is made under 28 U.S.C. § 1915 or other applicable acts of Congress for leave to commence any civil action or to file any petition or motion without being required to prepay fees and costs or give security for them, each petitioner, movant or plaintiff shall:
(1) Complete the in forma pauperis application approved for use in this district for the specific type of case; and
(2) File a written consent that the recovery, if any, in the action, to such amount as the court may direct, shall be paid to the clerk who may pay therefrom all unpaid fees and costs taxed against the plaintiff, and to his attorney the amount which the court allows or approves as compensation for the attorney's services.
(3) In all proceedings in forma pauperis, for a writ of habeas corpus, or under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, the marshal shall pay all fees of witnesses for the party authorized to proceed in forma pauperis, upon the certificate of the judge.
(c) Initial Case Assignment
Unless otherwise provided in these Rules or the General Orders of the Court, all actions, causes and proceedings shall be assigned by the clerk to judges by random selection.
(d) Intradistrict Assignment and Reassignment
(1) In all civil cases in which all defendants reside, or in which all defendants have their principal places of business, or in which the claim arose in the counties of Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Skamania, Thurston, and Wahkiakum, the case will usually be assigned to a judge in Tacoma. In cases where all defendants have their principal places of business, or in which the claim arose in the counties of Island, King, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, or Whatcom, the case will be assigned to a judge in Seattle. A civil action arises where a substantial part of the events or omissions that give rise to the claim occurred or where a substantial part of the property that is the subject of the action is situated. Cases removed from state court will
be initially assigned to the Seattle Division or Tacoma Division according to the county where the action is pending.
(2) In some circumstances, a judge will order that a case that would otherwise be considered a Tacoma case be assigned to a Seattle judge, and vice versa.
(3) See LCR 42 for additional information regarding the intradistrict transfer of cases to facilitate consolidation.
(e) Motions to Recuse
Whenever a motion to recuse directed at a judge of this court is filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 144 or 28 U.S.C. § 455, the challenged judge will review the motion papers and decide whether to recuse voluntarily. If the challenged judge decides not to voluntarily recuse, he or she will direct the clerk to refer the motion to the chief judge, or the chief judge’s designee. If the motion is directed at the chief judge, or if the chief judge or the chief judge’s designee is unavailable, the clerk shall refer it to the active judge with the highest seniority.
(f) Notice of Related Cases
A plaintiff must list all related cases in the Civil Cover Sheet.
(1) Unless an action is listed as related in the Civil Cover Sheet, a party must file a Notice of Related Case alerting the court as soon as it knows or learns that another action that was or is pending in this district may be related to the party’s case. The notice should include the case number, presiding judge, and parties involved in the related case, and an explanation of the relationship between or among the cases.
(2) An action is related to another when the actions: (A) concern substantially the same parties, property, transaction, or event; and
(B) it appears likely that there will be an unduly burdensome duplication of labor and expense or the potential for conflicting results if the cases are conducted before different judges.
(g) Notice of Pendency of Other Action in Another Jurisdiction or Forum
Whenever a party knows or learns that its pending case involves all or a material part of the same subject matter and all or substantially the same parties as another action that is pending in any other federal or state court, before an administrative body, or before an arbitrator, the party must file a Notice of Pendency of Other Action within five days of learning of the other action. The Notice must contain the title and case number of the other action, a brief description of the other action, the title and location of the court or other forum in which the other action is pending, a statement of any relationship between the two actions, a statement regarding whether transfer
should be effected pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1407 (Multi District Litigation Procedures) if the action is pending in another U.S. District Court, and a statement regarding whether coordination between the actions might avoid conflicts, conserve resources and promote an efficient determination of the action.
(h) Transfer or Remand of Actions; Effective Date
Unless otherwise ordered by the court, an order transferring a case to another district or remanding a case shall become effective 14 days after the date the order is filed.
(a) Form of Summons
LCR 4 SUMMONS
It is the obligation of a party seeking the issuance of a summons by the clerk to present the summons to the clerk in the proper form, prepared for issuance, with sufficient copies for service. Forms of summons may be obtained from the clerk.
(b) Reserved
(c) Service with Complaint; by Whom Made
Except as provided for herein, the United States Marshals Service is relieved from any and all civil process serving responsibilities within this district on behalf of private litigants. The private litigant or attorney of record for the private litigant shall make appropriate arrangements with a person authorized to serve process. Upon order of this court or pursuant to an express statutory provision, however, the United States Marshals Service shall make service of civil process on behalf of a private litigant or his attorney of record.
LCR 4.1 SERVING OTHER PROCESS
(a) Service of Other Process by United States Marshals Service
As set forth in LCR 4, the United States Marshals Service is relieved from any and all civil process serving responsibilities within this district on behalf of private litigants but may make service under the circumstances set forth in the rule. The United States Marshals Service shall, however, serve warrants and other process as prescribed in the Supplemental Admiralty Rules.
LCR 5 SERVING AND FILING PLEADINGS AND OTHER PAPERS
(a) Reserved
(b) The Court Authorizes Service Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(b) by Electronic Means
The court authorizes parties to use the court’s Electronic Case Filing System (ECF) to effect service of documents under Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(b). This provision does not alter Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(d); Rule 26 initial disclosures and discovery requests and responses must not be filed until they are used in the proceedings or the court orders filing. If the recipient is a registered participant in the ECF system, service is complete when the document is electronically filed or uploaded to the docket. If the recipient is not a registered participant in the ECF system, the filer must effect service in paper form according to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
(c) Reserved
(d) Electronic Filing and Signing
The court allows papers to be filed and signed by electronic means. Unless otherwise specifically ordered by the court or directed by the clerk, all counsel are required to electronically file documents through the court’s electronic filing system and to comply with the electronic filing procedures for the district. Unrepresented parties may, but are not required to, electronically file documents. The court’s Electronic Filing Procedures for Civil and Criminal Cases can be found on the court’s website at www.wawd.uscourts.gov
(e) Reserved
(f) Proof of Service
Proof of service of all filings required or permitted to be served, other than those for which a method of proof is prescribed in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, shall be made by a certificate or acknowledgment of service on the document itself. Parties should not file a separate proof of service document unless it is necessary. Failure to make the proof of service required by this subdivision does not affect the validity of the service, and the court may at any time allow the proof of service to be amended or supplied unless it clearly appears that to do so would result in material prejudice to any party.
(g) Sealing and Redacting of Court Records
There is a strong presumption of public access to the court’s files. This rule applies in all instances where a party seeks to overcome the policy and the presumption by filing a document under seal.
(1) A party must explore all alternatives to filing a document under seal.
(A) If the party seeks to file the document under seal because another party has designated it as confidential during discovery, the filing party and the designating party must meet and confer to determine whether the designating party will withdraw the confidential designation or will agree to redact the document so that sealing is unnecessary.
(B) Parties must protect sensitive information by redacting sensitive information (including, but not limited to, the mandatory redactions of LCR 5.2) that the court does not need to consider. A party who cannot avoid filing a document under seal must comply with the remainder of this rule.
(2) A party may file a document under seal in only two circumstances:
(A) if a statute, rule, or prior court order expressly authorizes the party to file the document under seal; or
(B) if the party files a motion or stipulated motion to seal the document before or at the same time the party files the sealed document. Filing a motion or stipulated motion to seal permits the party to file the document under seal without prior court approval pending the court’s ruling on the motion to seal. The document will be kept under seal until the court determines whether it should remain sealed.
A party filing a document under seal shall prominently mark its first page with the phrase “FILED UNDER SEAL.”
(3) A motion to seal a document, even if it is a stipulated motion, must include the following:
(A) a certification that the party has met and conferred with all other parties in an attempt to reach agreement on the need to file the document under seal, to minimize the amount of material filed under seal, and to explore redaction and other alternatives to filing under seal; this certification must list the date, manner, and participants of the conference;
(B) a specific statement of the applicable legal standard and the reasons for keeping a document under seal, with evidentiary support from declarations where necessary.
Where parties have entered a litigation agreement or stipulated protective order (see LCR 26(c)(2)) governing the exchange in discovery of documents that a party deems confidential, a party wishing to file a confidential document it obtained from another party in discovery may file a motion to seal but need not satisfy subpart (3)(B) above. Instead, the party who designated the document confidential must satisfy subpart (3)(B) in its response to the motion to seal or in a stipulated motion.
(4) A party must minimize the number of documents it files under seal and the length of each document it files under seal. Where the document to be sealed is an exhibit to a document filed electronically, an otherwise blank page reading “EXHIBIT __ FILED UNDER SEAL” shall replace the exhibit in the document filed without sealing, and the exhibit to be filed under seal shall be filed as a separate sealed docket entry. Where the document to be sealed is a declaration, the declaration shall be filed as a separate sealed docket entry.
(5) Only in rare circumstances should a party file a motion, opposition, or reply under seal. A party who cannot avoid including confidential information in a motion, opposition, or reply must follow this procedure:
(A) the party shall redact the confidential information from the motion, opposition, or reply and publicly file the redacted motion, opposition, or reply; and
(B) the party shall file the unredacted motion, opposition, or reply under seal, accompanied by a motion or stipulated motion to seal the unredacted motion, opposition, or reply in compliance with part (3) above.
(6) When the court denies a motion to seal, the clerk will unseal the document unless (1) the court orders otherwise, or (2) the party who is relying on the sealed document requests in the motion to seal or response that, if the motion to seal is denied, the court withdraw the document from the record rather than unseal it. If a document is withdrawn on this basis, the parties shall not refer to it in any pleadings, motions or other filings, and the court will not consider it. For this reason, parties are encouraged to seek a ruling on motions to seal well in advance of filing underlying motions relying on those documents.
(7) When a court grants a motion to seal or otherwise permits a document to remain under seal, the document will remain under seal until further order of the court.
(8) Parties may file a motion or stipulated motion requesting that the court unseal a document. A non-party seeking access to a sealed document may intervene in a case for the purpose of filing a motion to unseal the document.
(9) When a party files a paper copy of a sealed document, the party shall seal the document in an envelope marked with the case caption and the phrase “FILED UNDER SEAL.” This requirement applies to pro se parties and others who are exempt from mandatory electronic filing and to parties submitting courtesy copies to comply with LCR 10(e)(9).
LCR 5.1 RESERVED
(a) Redacted Filings
LCR 5.2 REDACTION OF FILINGS
Parties shall refrain from including, or shall partially redact where inclusion is necessary, the following personal data identifiers from all documents filed with the court or used as exhibits in any hearing or at trial, unless otherwise ordered by the court:
(1) Dates of Birth - redact to the year of birth (2) Names of Minor Children - redact to the initials (3) Social Security Numbers and Taxpayer-Identification Numbers- redact in their entirety (4) Financial Accounting Information - redact to the last four digits (5) Passport Numbers and Driver License Numbers - redact in their entirety
(b) Reserved
(c) Social Security Appeals and Immigration Cases
Unless the court orders otherwise, in an action for benefits under the Social Security Act and in an immigration action or proceeding relating to an order of removal, to relief from removal, or to immigration benefits or detention, the administrative record must be filed under seal, and the court will maintain it under seal. These actions are entitled to special treatment due to the prevalence of sensitive information and the volume of filings. A party filing any excerpt of the record separately must redact all personal information in accordance with LCR 5.2(a) or move to file the document under seal in accordance with LCR 5(g).
(a) Computing Time
LCR 6 COMPUTING AND EXTENDING TIME
When the Local Rules or a court order permits a party to act within a period of time stated in days or a longer unit of time and the last day of the period is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the time period continues to run until the following day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. If an order of the court sets a specific calendar date by which a party must act, the date is not extended even if it falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday unless otherwise ordered by the court. If access to the electronic filing system is not available due to failure of the court’s filing system(s) for a period longer than two hours, or any period after 5pm, or if the courthouse is closed for unanticipated reasons, filing deadlines are extended to the next business day. If the closure results in a party having additional time to file a response to a motion, then the deadline for the party filing a reply shall be extended by the same number of days.
(b) Motions to shorten time have been abolished.
LCR 7 FORM AND SCHEDULING OF MOTIONS
(a) Reserved (b) Motions and Other Papers
(1) Obligations of Movant. The moving party shall serve the motion and a proposed order on each party that has appeared in the action, and shall file the motion and proposed order with the clerk. The argument in support of the motion shall not be made in a separate document but shall be submitted as part of the motion itself. If the motion requires consideration of facts not appearing of record, the movant shall also serve and file copies of all affidavits, declarations, photographic or other evidence presented in support of the motion.
All motions shall include in the caption (immediately below the title of the motion) the date the motion is to be noted for consideration upon the court's motion calendar. See LCR 7(d) for scheduling motions and briefing deadlines. The noting date is the date by which all briefing is complete and the matter is ready for the court’s consideration, although the court may not issue a ruling on that day. The form for this notation shall be as follows:
NOTE ON MOTION CALENDAR: [insert date noted for consideration]
(2) Obligation of Opponent. Each party opposing the motion shall, within the time prescribed in LCR 7(d), file with the clerk, and serve on each party that has appeared in the action, a brief in opposition to the motion, together with any supporting material of the type described in subsection (1). Except for motions for summary judgment, if a party fails to file papers in opposition to a motion, such failure may be considered by the court as an admission that the motion has merit.
(3) Reply Brief. The moving party may, within the time prescribed in LCR 7(d), file with the clerk, and serve on each party that has appeared in the action, a reply brief in support of the motion, together with any supporting material of the type described in subsection (1).
(4) Oral Argument. Unless otherwise ordered by the court, all motions will be decided by the court without oral argument. Counsel shall not appear on the date the motion is noted unless directed by the court. A party desiring oral argument shall so indicate by including the words “ORAL ARGUMENT REQUESTED” in the caption of its motion or responsive memorandum. If a request for oral argument is granted, the clerk will notify the parties of the date and time for argument.
(5) Decisions on Motions. All motions will be decided as soon as practicable, and normally within thirty days following the noting date. The court encourages counsel to call the assigned judge's courtroom deputy clerk to verify that a motion is scheduled for
determination if a decision on the motion has not been received within forty-five days of the noting date.
(c) Reserved
(d) Noting Dates for Motions and Briefing Schedules
Unless otherwise provided by rule or court order, motions shall be noted for consideration as follows:
(1) Same Day Motions. Stipulated motions (see LCR 10(g)), motions to file over-length motions or briefs (see LCR 7(f)), motions for reconsideration (see LCR 7(h)), joint submissions pursuant to the optional procedure established in LCR 37(a)(2), motions to appoint a mediator (LCR 39.1(c)(3)), motions for default (see LCR 55(a)), requests for the clerk to enter default judgment (see LCR 55(b)(1)), ex parte motions, motions for the court to enter default judgment where the opposing party has not appeared (see LCR 55(b)(2)), and motions for a temporary restraining order (“TRO”) (see LCR 65) shall be noted for consideration for the day they are filed.
(2) Second Friday Motions. Except for same day motions, all other motions shall be noted for consideration on a Friday. Pursuant to a General Order of this court, the following motions may be noted for consideration no earlier than the second Friday after filing and service of the motion:
(A) motions for relief from a deadline; (B) motions for protective orders; (C) motions to seal (see LCR 5(g)).
For any motion brought pursuant to this subsection, the moving party shall ensure that the motion papers are received by the opposing party on or before the filing date. Unless otherwise provided by court rule, any papers opposing motions of the type described in this subsection shall be filed and received by the moving party no later than the Wednesday before the noting date. Any reply papers shall be filed, and shall be received by the opposing party, no later than the noting date.
(3) Third and Fourth Friday Motions. Motions to dismiss, motions for summary judgment, motions seeking a preliminary injunction, motions for class certification, and motions directed toward changing the forum (through remand, transfer, or to compel arbitration) shall be noted for consideration on a date no earlier than the fourth Friday after filing and service of the motion. With the exception of the motions specifically listed in LCR 7(d)(1), 7(d)(2), and 7(d)(3), all other motions shall be noted for consideration on a date no earlier than the third Friday after filing and service of the motion.
Any opposition papers shall be filed and served not later than the Monday before the noting date. If service is by mail, the opposition papers shall be mailed not later than the
Friday preceding the noting date. Any reply papers shall be filed and served no later than the noting date.
(4) Motions in Limine. Except upon a showing of good cause, any motions in limine shall be filed as one motion and shall be noted for consideration no earlier than the third Friday after filing and service of the motion but no later than the Friday before any scheduled pretrial conference. Any opposition papers shall be filed and served no later than the Monday before the noting date. No reply papers shall be filed.
Any motion in limine must include a certification that the movant has in good faith conferred or attempted to confer with other affected parties in an effort to resolve which matters really are in dispute. A good faith effort to confer requires a face-to-face meeting or a telephone conference. If the court finds that counsel for any party, or a party proceeding pro se, willfully refuses to confer, fails to confer in good faith, or fails to respond on a timely basis to a request to confer, the court may take action as stated in LCR 11 of these rules.
(5) If the deadline for a party’s response or reply to a motion falls on a date that is a legal holiday as defined by Fed. R. Civ. P. 6, the party’s response or reply is due on the following day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.
(6) When a motion is filed on a Friday, that day is excluded from the time period under Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(a), so the following Friday is the first Friday after filing. When calculating time periods, parties should refer to LCR 6 and Fed. R. Civ. P. 6.
(7) Cases Involving Prisoners and Detainees. All motions filed in a case in which a party is under civil or criminal confinement shall be subject to the briefing schedule under Rule 7(d)(1) or 7(d)(3), not 7(d)(2).
(e) Length of Motions and Briefs
Except as otherwise provided by court order or rule, the length of motions and briefs shall be as follows:
(1) Motions noted under LCR 7(d)(1), except motions for temporary restraining orders, shall not exceed six pages.
(2) Motions noted under LCR 7(d)(2) and briefs in opposition shall not exceed twelve pages. Reply briefs shall not exceed six pages.
(3) Motions for summary judgment, motions to dismiss, motions for class certification, motions for a temporary restraining order, motions for preliminary injunction, and motions aimed at changing the forum (e.g., motions to remand, transfer, or compel arbitration) and briefs in opposition shall not exceed twenty-four pages. Reply briefs shall not exceed twelve pages.
Absent leave of the court, parties must not file contemporaneous dispositive motions, each one directed toward a discrete issue or claim.
(4) All other motions noted under LCR 7(d)(3) and briefs in opposition shall not exceed twelve pages. Reply briefs shall not exceed six pages.
(5) Any motion in limine noted under LCR 7(d)(4) and any brief in opposition shall not exceed eighteen pages.
(6) The court may refuse to consider any text, including footnotes, which is not included within the page limits. Captions, tables of contents, tables of authorities, signature blocks, and certificates of service need not be included within the page limit.
(f) Motions to File Over-length Motions or Briefs
Motions seeking approval to file an over-length motion or brief are disfavored but may be filed subject to the following:
(1) The motion shall be filed as soon as possible but no later than three days before the underlying motion or brief is due, and shall be noted for consideration for the day on which it is filed, pursuant to LCR 7(d)(1).
(2) The motion shall be no more than two pages in length and shall request a specific number of additional pages.
(3) No opposition to the motion shall be filed unless requested by the court.
(4) If the court grants leave to file an over-length motion, the brief in opposition will automatically be allowed an equal number of additional pages. In all cases, the reply brief shall not exceed one-half the total length of the brief filed in opposition.
(g) Requests to Strike Material Contained in Motion or Briefs; Surreply
Requests to strike material contained in or attached to submissions of opposing parties shall not be presented in a separate motion to strike, but shall instead be included in the responsive brief, and will be considered with the underlying motion. The single exception to this rule is for requests to strike material contained in or attached to a reply brief, in which case the opposing party may file a surreply requesting that the court strike the material, subject to the following:
(1) That party must file a notice of intent to file a surreply as soon after receiving the reply brief as practicable.
(2) The surreply must be filed within five days of the filing of the reply brief, and shall be strictly limited to addressing the request to strike. Extraneous argument or a surreply filed for any other reason will not be considered.
(3) The surreply shall not exceed three pages.
(4) No response shall be filed unless requested by the court. (5) This rule does not limit a party’s ability to file a motion to strike otherwise permitted by the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, including Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(f) motions to strike material in pleadings. The term “pleadings” is defined in Fed. R. Civ. P. 7(a).
(h) Motions for Reconsideration
(1) Standard. Motions for reconsideration are disfavored. The court will ordinarily deny such motions in the absence of a showing of manifest error in the prior ruling or a showing of new facts or legal authority which could not have been brought to its attention earlier with reasonable diligence.
(2) Procedure and Timing. A motion for reconsideration shall be plainly labeled as such. The motion shall be filed within fourteen days after the order to which it relates is filed. The motion shall be noted for consideration for the day it is filed. The motion shall point out with specificity the matters which the movant believes were overlooked or misapprehended by the court, any new matters being brought to the court's attention for the first time, and the particular modifications being sought in the court's prior ruling. Failure to comply with this subsection may be grounds for denial of the motion. The pendency of a motion for reconsideration shall not stay discovery or any other procedure.
(3) Response. No response to a motion for reconsideration shall be filed unless requested by the court. No motion for reconsideration will be granted without such a request. The request will set a time when the response is due, and may limit briefing to particular issues or points raised by the motion, may authorize a reply, and may prescribe page limitations.
(i) Telephonic Motions
Upon the request of any party, and with the court's approval, a motion may be heard by telephone without the filing of motion papers. No request for a telephonic motion shall be considered unless all counsel participate in the call making the request, or unless it is represented by counsel making the call that reasonable efforts have been made to include all counsel in the call, and that such efforts were unavailing. Whether such telephonic motions will be considered, what procedural requirements will be imposed, and the type of relief granted are within the sole discretion of the court.
(j) Motions for Relief from a Deadline
A motion for relief from a deadline should, whenever possible, be filed sufficiently in advance of the deadline to allow the court to rule on the motion prior to the deadline. Parties should not assume that the motion will be granted and must comply with the existing deadline unless the court orders otherwise.
If a true, unforeseen emergency exists that prevents a party from meeting a deadline, and the emergency arose too late to file a motion for relief from the deadline, the party should contact the adverse party, meet and confer regarding an extension, and file a stipulation and proposed order with the court. Alternatively, the parties may use the procedure for telephonic motions in LCR 7(i). It is expected that if a true emergency exists, the parties will stipulate to an extension.
(k) Cross Motions
Parties anticipating filing cross motions are encouraged to agree on a briefing schedule and to submit it to the court for approval through a stipulation and proposed order. The court may order parties filing cross motions for summary judgment to combine their memoranda and forego reply briefs in exchange for an enlarged response brief.
A party filing a cross motion must note it in accordance with the local rules. Even if the motion and cross motion are noted for different days, the court will typically consider them together.
(l) Withdrawing and Renoting Pending Motions
A moving party may renote its own pending motion itself by promptly filing a document titled Notice of Motion Renoted and changing the noting date in CM/ECF before any opposing party files a response to the motion. Once a response has been filed, the motion may be renoted only by filing a stipulation signed by all parties or by order of the court.
The court may renote a pending motion to ensure compliance with applicable court rules or for other reasons.
A moving party may withdraw its own pending motion by filing a Notice to Withdraw Pending Motion. If the noting date for the motion has already passed, the party must also immediately telephone the assigned judge’s chambers to notify his or her staff that the pending motion has been withdrawn; the failure to do so may result in the imposition of sanctions.
(m) Praecipe
Parties are expected to file accurate, complete documents, and the failure to do so may result in the court’s refusal to consider later filed corrections or additions to the record. In the event that an error is discovered, a party should file, as promptly as possible, a praecipe requesting that the court consider a corrected document, which must be filed with the praecipe. The praecipe must specify by docket number the document being corrected and the corrections by page and line number. If the party seeks to add an additional document in support of a previous filing, the praecipe must set forth why the document was not included with the original filing and reference the original filing by docket number.
(n) Notice of Supplemental Authority
Before the court rules on a pending motion, a party may bring to the court’s attention relevant authority issued after the date the party’s last brief was filed by serving and filing a Notice of Supplemental Authority that attaches the supplemental authority without argument.
LCR 7.1 CORPORATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
(a) Who Must File; Copies
Any nongovernmental party, other than an individual or sole proprietorship, must file a corporate disclosure statement identifying:
(1) any parent corporation and any publicly held corporation owning more than 10% of its stock;
(2) any member or owner in a joint venture or limited liability corporation (LLC);
(3) all partners in a partnership or limited liability partnership (LLP); or
(4) any corporate member, if the party is any other unincorporated association
If there is no parent, shareholder, member, or partner to list in response to items (1) through (4), a corporate disclosure statement must still be filed stating that no such entity exists.
LCR 8 PLEADING
(a) Contents of Complaint in Diversity Cases
If plaintiff is asserting that this court has jurisdiction based on diversity, the complaint must identify the citizenship of the parties, and, if any of the parties is a limited liability corporation (LLC), a limited liability partnership (LLP), or a partnership, identify the citizenship of the owners/partners/members of those entities to establish the court’s jurisdiction.
LCR 9 PLEADING ADMIRALTY AND OTHER SPECIAL MATTERS
(a) to (g) Reserved
(h) Admiralty and Maritime Claims
The words "IN ADMIRALTY" shall be typed in capital letters above the cause number on the first page of a pleading setting forth a claim which is cognizable only in admiralty. The words "AT LAW AND IN ADMIRALTY" shall be typed in capital letters above the cause number on the first page of a pleading setting forth a claim for relief within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction that is also within the jurisdiction of the court on some other ground.
(i) Three Judge Court
If the case is such that any party contends that it will require a hearing before a three judge court, the words "THREE JUDGE COURT" shall be typed in capital letters on the first page of the complaint, answer, or other pleading making such allegation immediately below the name of the pleading to the right of the name of the cause, and the original and three copies of the complaint or other pleadings shall be left with the clerk and all other pleadings and papers filed in the cause shall be submitted in quadruplicate, unless the court rules that the cause is not properly before a three judge court.
LCR 10 FORM OF PLEADINGS, MOTIONS AND OTHER FILINGS
(a) through (c) Reserved (d) Size Page size of all pleadings, motions and other filings shall be 8 1⁄2 x 11 inch. (e) Format All pleadings, motions or other filings should include the following:
(1) Margins and Fonts. No less than three inches of space should be left at the top of the first page. All other margins must be at least one inch wide, although formatted lines and numbering, attorney information, the name of the judge(s) to whom copies should be sent, and footers may be placed in the margins. Examples of correctly formatted pages are attached as Appendix A. The text of any typed or printed brief must be 12 point or larger and must, with the exception of quotations, be double spaced. Footnotes must be 10 point or larger and may be single spaced.
(2) Title. Each pleading, motion or other filing shall contain the words "United States District Court, Western District of Washington" on the first page and, in the space below the docket number, a title indicating the purpose of the paper and the party presenting it.
(3) Bottom Notation. At the left side of the bottom of each page, an abbreviated title of the pleading, motion or other filing should be repeated, followed by the case number. The page number should be placed after the abbreviated title or in the middle of the bottom of each page. At the right side of the bottom of each page, the law firm (if any), mailing address and telephone number of the attorney or party preparing the paper should be printed or typed.
(4) Dates and Signature Lines. All pleadings, motions and other filings shall be dated and signed as provided by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11, LCR 11, and the court’s Electronic Filing Procedures. The court might not consider improperly signed or unsigned documents.
(5) Numbered Paper. Each pleading, motion or other filing shall bear line numbers in the left margin, leaving at least one-half inch of space to the left of the numbers.
(6) Citation to the Record. In all cases where the court is to review the proceedings of an administrative agency, transcripts, deposition testimony, etc., the parties shall, insofar as possible, cite the page and line of any part of the transcript or record to which their pleadings, motions or other filings refer. Citations to documents already in the record, including declarations, exhibits, and any documents previously filed, must include a citation to the docket number and the page number (e.g., Dkt. # __ at p. __) and citations to legal authority must include page numbers.
(7) Proposed Orders. Any document requiring the signature of the court shall bear the signature of the attorney(s) presenting it preceded by the words "Presented by" on the left-hand side of the last page and shall provide as follows:
"Dated this ___ day of (Insert Month), (Insert Year). "_______________________________________
"UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE [or UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE]"
(8) Electronic Filing of Documents. All documents filed with the court shall be in accordance with the Electronic Filing Procedures for Civil and Criminal Cases adopted by General Order of the court. The Electronic Filing Procedures are available on the court's web site at www.wawd.uscourts.gov and from the Clerk's Office.
(9) Courtesy Copies. When documents that exceed 50 pages in length are filed electronically, a paper copy of the document shall be delivered to the Clerk's Office for chambers. The judge's copy shall not be delivered directly to chambers unless the judge has so instructed. The copy for chambers shall be clearly marked with the words "Courtesy Copy of Electronic Filing for Chambers."
The copies of all papers must indicate in the upper right-hand corner of the first page the name of the district judge or magistrate judge to whom the copies are to be delivered. Courtesy copies must be delivered to the court no later than 12:00 p.m. on the business day after filing, except that courtesy copies of motions for temporary restraining orders and oppositions must be delivered the same day. Unless the court otherwise directs, the parties shall not provide duplicate copies of state court records in prisoner cases or of an administrative record filed pursuant to LCR 79(h).
In those circumstances where a judge's courtesy copy of a document is to be delivered to the court, it shall contain no items other than 8 1⁄2 x 11 inch paper, unless larger original documents are being filed as exhibits. Copies may not be submitted in three-ring binders, but must be three-hole punched, tabbed, and bound by rubber bands or clips.
The courtesy copy must be identical to the filed copy. For electronic filers, the courtesy copy must be printed from PACER so that the CM/ECF header, which contains the cause number and docket number, appears at the top of each page. Parties should consult their assigned judge’s web page at www.wawd.uscourts.gov for additional guidance regarding courtesy copies.
(10) Marking Exhibits. All exhibits submitted in support of or opposition to a motion must be clearly marked with divider pages. References in the parties’ filings to such exhibits should be as specific as possible (i.e., the reference should cite specific page numbers, paragraphs, line numbers, etc.). All exhibits must be marked to designate testimony or evidence referred to in the parties’ filings. Acceptable forms of markings include highlighting, bracketing, underlining or similar methods of designations but must be clear and maintain the legibility of the text.
(11) Format of Originals. Originals of documents filed