Rule 1.100 Relief from Application of Court Rules

If following one of these court rules would cause someone real hardship or an unfair result in their specific case, a judge can decide not to apply that rule. This gives judges flexibility to make fair decisions instead of forcing everyone to follow the exact same rules no matter what.

To get this kind of exception, you need to show "good cause." This means you have to give the judge a real reason why applying the rule as written would be unfair or create a hardship for you. The judge looks at your specific situation and decides whether skipping or changing the rule makes sense.

This rule applies to both the statewide trial court rules and local court rules (called SLR) in a specific county. It's meant to be used when strictly following the rule would cause a problem, not just as an easy way to get around the rules whenever someone finds them inconvenient.