Judge Carl J. Mazzone
Individual Rules, Standing Orders & Policies
Limits & Logistics
Document Limits
Adjournments
- Trial dates are firm; continuances and extensions are granted only for good cause shown.
- Extensions of court-ordered deadlines must be requested by motion, preferably jointly or without opposition; before filing, counsel must consult opposing counsel and state that position in the motion.
Request must include
Communication
Phone
Court-wideClerk
Page & Word Limits1 rule
Trial briefs shall be submitted fourteen (14) days before trial, and shall be no longer than three (3) pages in length.
- Trial brief
- Up to 3 pages
Document Format Requirements2 rules
Trial exhibits shall be pre-marked with exhibit stickers and exchanged. Plaintiffs shall mark their exhibits using numbers; defendants shall mark their exhibits using letters.
Proposed jury instructions, including the stipulated statement of the case, jury interrogatories, and verdict forms, are to be provided to the Court in a Microsoft Word document via email sent to the Court’s Staff Attorney.
- File type
- Word
- Jury instructions
- Interrogatories
- Verdict forms
Document Filing Requirements5 rules
Parties must exchange, serve, and file witness and exhibit lists containing the specified information, with premarked exhibits using plaintiff numbers and defendant letters, and provide the court copies 14 days before trial.
Court's wording
The parties shall exchange, serve, and file witness lists which shall include the witnesses' names and a very brief statement outlining the substance of each witness' expected testimony. The parties shall exchange, serve, and file a list of trial exhibits. Trial exhibits shall be pre-marked with exhibit stickers and exchanged. Plaintiffs shall mark their exhibits using numbers; defendants shall mark their exhibits using letters. The parties are required to provide the court with a copy of all of the above items fourteen (14) days before trial.
Motions in Limine must be in writing and filed at least fourteen (14) days before trial. A brief in opposition is due seven (7) days after the motion in limine is filed.
A motion for default judgment requires a scheduled default hearing and specified supporting documents to be filed before the hearing.
Court's wording
Upon filing of a motion for default judgment, the Court will schedule a default hearing. The movant must file, prior to the hearing, the following: affidavit of proof of service of the Complaint, affidavit of damages, a proposed judgment entry, and a copy of the letter sent regular and certified mail ten (10) days prior to the hearing date notifying all parties of the hearing and that failure to appear will result in judgment against them, evidence of military service status of the defendant pursuant to the servicemembers’ civil relief act, and the contract(s), assignment(s), or written instrument(s) upon which Plaintiff seeks judgment.
All parties must serve and file a trial brief containing specified claims, facts, legal issues, stipulations, damages, and case-in-chief time estimate.
Court's wording
All parties are required to serve and file a trial brief which shall contain: a succinct statement of their claims (as presented in the pleadings); a brief statement of the essential and material facts; the legal issues involved; the stipulations agreed upon by the parties; the type and amount of damages they are seeking; and an estimate of how long it will take to put on their case in chief.
Joint jury instructions, interrogatories, and verdict forms must be filed 14 days before trial; proposed instructions should be relevant, concise, understandable, neutral, and nonargumentative, with disagreements clearly delineated.
Court's wording
Fourteen (14) days prior to trial, the parties shall file joint jury instructions, interrogatories, and verdict forms. The Court prefers that the jury instructions conform to OJI, or the parties cite to published Ohio cases. The jury instructions shall be relevant to the specific issues to be presented at trial. All instructions should be short, concise, understandable and neutral statements of law. The Court will not consider proposed jury instructions that are deemed argumentative or which otherwise do not conform to the above requirements. If the parties are unable to agree on any of the jury instructions, they shall clearly delineate, in one set of instructions, which instructions are agreed to and which are not.
Filing & Service rules
Filing Timing and Cure Windows
After settlement, parties must notify the court as soon as practicable and submit a joint notice of dismissal identifying the party bearing costs within 30 days.
In the event that a case has settled, the parties are to notify the Court as soon as practicable after a settlement agreement has been reached. The parties are to submit a joint Notice of Dismissal indicating which party will bear the court costs of the action within 30 days of the settlement agreement.
Page 1 | Settlement Conference
The opposition brief is due seven days after the motion in limine is filed.
A brief in opposition is due seven (7) days after the motion in limine is filed.
Page 1 | Motions in Limine
Joint jury instructions, interrogatories, and verdict forms must be filed 14 days before trial.
Fourteen (14) days prior to trial, the parties shall file joint jury instructions, interrogatories, and verdict forms.
Page 1 | Jury Instructions, Interrogatories, Verdict Forms
A motion in limine must be filed at least 14 days before trial.
Motions in Limine must be in writing and filed at least fourteen (14) days before trial.
Page 1 | Motions in Limine
Trial briefs are due 14 days before trial and may not exceed three pages.
Trial briefs shall be submitted fourteen (14) days before trial, and shall be no longer than three (3) pages in length.
Page 1 | Trial Briefs
Adjournment & Extension Requirements
Trial dates are firm; continuances and extensions are granted only for good cause shown.
Trial dates are firm. The Court is not inclined to continue trial dates absent exigent circumstances. Continuances and extensions may be granted only for good cause shown.
Page 1 | Civil Case Management Order
Extensions of court-ordered deadlines must be requested by motion, preferably jointly or without opposition; before filing, counsel must consult opposing counsel and state that position in the motion.
Extensions of court-ordered deadlines may be requested by motion, preferably in the form of a joint or unopposed motion. Prior to filing a motion seeking an extension, you are required to consult with your opposing counsel and state in your motion your opposing counsel's position on the extension request.
Page 1 | Civil Case Management Order