Rules to Review Before Contacting the Court

• Ex Parte Procedures - King County Local Civil Rule 40.1
• Procedures for motions without oral argument - King County Local Civil Rule 7
• Revision & Reconsideration - King County Local Civil Rule 7
• Trial Continuance - King County Local Civil Rule 40
• Summary Judgments - Civil Rule 56 Motion to Dismiss - Civil Rule 12
• Motion to Set Aside Judgment - Civil Rule 60

Electronic Filing and Service by Attorneys

Counsel should review LGR 30, which requires e-filing of most documents and requires attorneys to “promptly register to accept e-service via the Clerk’s eFiling application” unless a waiver is obtained. Unrepresented parties have the option of utilizing these services. Judge Sutton e-files orders regularly.

E-Working Copies

Judge Sutton’s court is paperless. Any working copies should be submitted via e-working copies through the Clerk’s Office. See the Clerk’s e-Filing Application pursuant to LCR 7(b)(4)(F)(i).

Please note: It is your obligation to make sure Judge Sutton has working copies. It is often helpful if parties jointly provide a working papers submission list to the judge before the noting date. This list should contain all the pleadings related to the motion, their caption, the docket number and date filed. If your pleadings refer to materials which were previously filed within the court record, please reference the pleading by both the document title and sub number (eg: Declaration of Bob Jones, Sub #5) within the court docket. Note that Judge Sutton will not consider any pleadings where working copies are not provided and filed. See LCR 7.

Dispositive Motions and Hearing requests

Dispositive motions are heard on Fridays. Check with the opposing counsel/party before scheduling any hearing in order to make sure that the date is mutually agreeable. Doing so reduces the need to reschedule hearings due to conflicts. Once the court has reserved a date, the moving party will have 2 court days to file their Note for Motion only to confirm. Any request for a dispositive motion hearing must be emailed to the court and include:

• Case number and name
• Names, phone numbers and email addresses of all counsel and parties
• Nature of hearing

The Court typically allots 45 minutes for dispositive motions (each side is allowed 10 minutes for argument). Additional time may be provided on hearings involving multiple parties or complex motions. Please advise the bailiff if additional time is being requested.

Requests for Oral Argument on Non-Dispositive Motions

Most motions do not require oral argument under the Civil or Local Rules. If a party would like to request oral argument, the motion should be noted pursuant to the applicable court rules, simply noting in the upper right-hand corner of the working papers “Oral Argument Requested.” If, after reviewing all briefing, the Court determines oral argument is appropriate, the bailiff will contact the parties and set a mutually acceptable time for oral argument.

Compliance with LCR 7(b)(5)(B)(vii) Consecutive Page Numbering for Attachments is Required 

Attachments or exhibits in excess of 25 pages, including attachments to motions, oppositions, replies, briefs, declarations, and affidavits, shall be numbered consecutively on the bottom center or right-hand corner of each document. This aids the court and the parties in navigating through voluminous documents. The number shall not restart for each attachment but shall run consecutively through all the attachments to the document. You must cite to these page numbers in all motions, oppositions, replies, and briefs. A party may include other citation information, such as exhibit numbers, corresponding exhibit pages or paragraph numbers, in addition to the consecutive page cite. Failure to follow this rule can result in the Court delaying your hearing or matter until all parties have complied.

Digitally Recorded Courtroom

The court proceedings in Department 49 are recorded by FTR Gold equipment which digitally records all proceedings. Please visit this link if you wish to receive a copy of a court hearing from the Clerk’s Office.

If the parties are requesting a court reporter for a hearing/trial, please notify the bailiff as soon as possible.

Civil Trial exhibits

No later than five court days before the scheduled trial date the parties shall upload all exhibits into ShareFile.

ShareFile is a program that allows exhibits to be electronically transferred, viewed, and filed with the Court for purposes of hearings and trial. The ShareFile exhibit system is used for trial, where there is an Order of Pre-Trial Conference entered by a judicial official that requires ShareFile. If you need a sharefile and do not have an such an order, contact the court so the bailiff can arrange to have one set up for your case.

To submit a request via email for access to ShareFile to the Clerk's Office at the following email address(s):

• For Juvenile Court (Non-UFC):     Dja_e-exhibitsjuvenile@kingcounty.gov
• For All Other Matters:                   Dja-e-exhibits@kingcounty.gov

Emails need to include:

1. Case number and caption
2. Participant role in the case - plaintiff, petitioner, respondent, etc.

Upon receipt of the email, the Clerk's Office will grant you access to your folder within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the request, at which point the ShareFile application will send you a link. This link will allow you to access the ShareFile folder created specifically for your case. At this point, files can be easily uploaded to your folder.

You can find ShareFile access information and a training video on the Superior Court Clerk’s website at:  https://www.kingcounty.gov/courts/clerk/documents/Electronic%20Exhibits.aspx

Settled Cases and to Strike a Motion

Please call or email the bailiff immediately if a case settles or if you wish to strike a motion you have filed from the court’s calendar. Trial courts are not notified when a case otherwise resolves through the ex parte department, or when a Notice of Settlement is filed within the Court record.

Weddings

Available at any location by appointment. To schedule, please contact Judge Sutton’s Bailiff by email at sutton.court@kingcounty.gov.