Judge Elizabeth Byer Leonard
Individual Rules, Standing Orders & Policies
Communication
Phone
Clerk
Document Format Requirements4 rules
Once the parties have agreed to a date and time, email the Court Coordinator with the agreed date and time and attach an Order Setting Hearing, including email addresses after the Judge’s Signature Line. Make sure you copy all parties on the email with the agreed setting.
Please Note: this Court does not accept ‘Notices of Hearings’ only Orders.
- Notice of hearing
- Order setting hearing
Formatting
- •Submit an order; a notice of hearing alone is not accepted
Prior to trial, email your proposed or suggested charge to the Court Coordinator in Word format.
- File type
- Word
Prior to trial, mark all exhibits with sequential numbers beginning with 1, 2, 3, and so on. Do not use alphabet letters.
- Exhibits
Formatting
- •Do not use alphabetic markings
Document Filing Requirements6 rules
Prior to trial, provide a list of numbered exhibits to the Court Reporter.
Parties shall list each expert’s name, address and topics of the witnesses’ testimony as well as provide all reports to the opposing party or parties by this date.
Defendant(s) shall list each expert’s name, address and topics of the witnesses’ testimony as well as provide all written reports to Plaintiff(s) and Counter-Plaintiff(s) by this date.
Plaintiffs shall list each expert’s name, address, and topics of the witnesses’ testimony as well as provide all written reports to Defendant(s) by this date.
Any challenge to any expert must set out specifically the reason for the challenge.
The answer to any challenge to any expert must include previous trials in which the witness has been recognized as an expert by naming the court, the cause number, the style of the case and the area of expertise and subject on which the witness was recognized as an expert.
Filing & Service rules
Filing Timing and Cure Windows
All amendments must be filed by this date.
All amendments must be filed by this date.
Civil cases
Page 2 | DEADLINE FOR PLEADINGS
Adjournment & Extension Requirements
Both parties must confer with each other before contacting the Court regarding a trial continuance or hearing reset.
Prior to contacting the Court, both parties must confer with each other in order to avoid unnecessary court time.
Page 1 | Requesting a Trial Continuance or Resetting of a Hearing
When the parties agree, file the agreed motion and submit an agreed order for the Judge’s approval; the continuance or reset is not granted until the Judge signs the order.
If both parties are in agreement, please file your agreed motion and submit an agreed order for the Judge’s approval. The Judge may require a hearing. The continuance or reset is not granted until the Judge’s signature is on the order.
Page 1 | Requesting a Trial Continuance or Resetting of a Hearing
A plea or pretrial reset requires the opposing party’s agreement by email; forward that agreement with the request and provide the required reset order.
To request a reset of a plea or pretrial you must get the agreement of the opposing party via email. Forward the agreement to the coordinator with your request and provide the required order resetting.
Page 1 | Requesting a Trial Continuance or Resetting of a Hearing
A deadline requiring postponement of the merits trial will not be extended except for the most extraordinary and unforeseeable reasons, with a limited exception for a meritorious reason first arising after the deadline.
THE COURT WILL NOT EXTEND ANY DEADLINE WHICH MAY REQUIRE POSTPONEMENT OF THE TRIAL ON THE MERITS, EXCEPT FOR THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY AND UNFORESEEABLE REASONS. THE ONLY EXCEPTION: WHEN THE MERITORIOUS REASON FOR SEEKING A DEADLINE EXTENSION ARISES FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER THE DEADLINE ITSELF HAS PASSED.
Civil cases
Page 3 | SCHEDULING ORDER (LEVEL 3)
Parties may modify scheduling-order matters by written agreement without court approval, except for changes to the trial date or deadlines requiring court action.
Exceptions to the scheduling order shall be permitted by written agreement of the parties, without the approval of the Court, except as it relates to the trial date and/or any deadline requiring Court action.
Civil cases
Page 3 | SCHEDULING ORDER (LEVEL 3)
Chambers Communication Rules
To request a hearing, email the Court Coordinator potential dates with all parties copied; the Coordinator will reply all with available dates and times, but the Coordinator should not be copied on discussions about which date is best.
Unless you want a hearing set at the Court’s convenience, you should request potential hearing dates from the Court Coordinator via email, with all parties copied on the email. The Coordinator will then “reply all” with available dates and times. Please do not copy the Court Coordinator with all the discussions of which date is best.
Page 1 | Requesting a Hearing
Docket-status information may be obtained by calling Court Coordinator JoAnn Gonzalez at the listed telephone number.
Information on docket status may be obtained by calling JoAnn Gonzalez, Court Coordinator at (432) 688-4380
Civil cases
Page 3 | DOCKET CALLS