Local Rule CV-10: Form of Pleadings
E.D. Tex. — Civil rule
LOCAL RULE CV-10 Form of Pleadings
(a) Generally. When offered for filing, all documents, excluding preexisting documentary exhibits and attachments, shall:
(1) be endorsed with the style and number of the action;
(2) have a caption containing the name and party designation of the party filing the document and a statement of the character of the document clearly identifying it (e.g., Defendant John Doe's Answer; Defendant John Doe's Motion to Dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6)). See Local Rule CV-38(a) (cases involving jury demands); see also Local Rule CV-7(a) (each motion must be filed as a separate document, except when the motion concerns a request for alternative relief);
(3) be signed by the lead attorney or with his or her permission;
(4) when filed by paper, be plainly written, typed, or printed, double-spaced, on 8 ½-inch by 11-inch white paper; and
(5) be double spaced and in a font no smaller than 12-point type.
(b) Tabs and Dividers. When filed by paper, original documents offered for filing shall not include tabs or dividers. The copy of the original that is required to be filed for the court's use, if voluminous, should have dividers or tabs, as should all copies sent to opposing counsel. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(a).
(c) Covers. "Blue backs" and other covers are not to be submitted with paper filings.
(d) Deficient Pleadings/Documents. The clerk shall monitor filed documents for compliance with the federal and local rules as to format and form. If a document is identified as deficient as to form, the clerk shall enter a notice on the docket that identifies the perceived deficiency. The filing party will be given a reasonable opportunity, preferably within one day, to cure the perceived deficiency. If the perceived deficiency is not cured in a timely fashion, the clerk shall refer the matter to the assigned district or magistrate judge.
(e) Hyperlinks. Electronically filed documents may contain the following types of hyperlinks:
(1) Hyperlinks to other portions of the same document;
(2) Hyperlinks to CM/ECF that contains a source document for a citation;
(3) Hyperlinks to documents already filed in any CM/ECF database;
(4) Hyperlinks between documents that will be filed together at the same time;
(5) Hyperlinks that the clerk may approve in the future as technology advances.
Hyperlinks to cited authority may not replace standard citation format. Complete citations must be included in the text of the filed document. A hyperlink, or any site to which it refers, will not be considered part of the record. Hyperlinks are simply convenient mechanisms for accessing material cited in a filed document. The court accepts no responsibility for, and does not endorse, any product, organization, or content at any hyperlinked site, or at any site to which that site might be linked. The court accepts no responsibility for the availability or functionality of any hyperlink.