Initiating Documents

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FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THESE REQUIREMENTS MAY RESULT IN SANCTIONS.

Civil Case-Initiating Documents

Attorneys filing new civil actions and “miscellaneous” cases in the Central District of California are required by Local Rule 3-2 to file their case-initiating documents electronically, unless exempted from electronic filing pursuant to Local Rule 5-4.2.  Certain proceedings that are administrative or otherwise ancillary to civil actions are filed as “miscellaneous” cases, not full-scale civil actions.  Please visit the Electronic Case Opening page for more information.  (Note that even pro se litigants who have been granted permission to file documents electronically in a particular case may not open new civil actions electronically; such cases must still be presented to the Clerk for filing in paper format or submitted for filing through the Electronic Document Submission System.  After a case has been filed, eligible pro se litigants may then seek leave of Court to file electronically in that case pursuant to Local Rule 5.4.1.1.)

Criminal Case-Initiating Documents

Pursuant to Local Criminal Rule 49-1.2(b)(2), criminal case-initiating documents (such as complaints, indictments, informations, redacted indictments/informations, superseding charging documents) must be filed with the Clerk in paper format, rather than electronically. In addition, conformed, “Filed”-stamped copies of all such documents must be e-mailed to the Court in PDF format by close of business the following business day. E-mails should be directed to the division to which the case is assigned, as follows:

SUBSEQUENT DOCUMENTS E-MAILED TO ANY OF THE ABOVE ADDRESSES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.