The Fourth Appellate District Court of Appeal has announced that, effective April 11, 2016, the Court will require mandatory electronic filing via the TrueFiling system. Pursuant to Division One’s Miscellaneous Order #031516, mandatory e-filing under the new Local Rule will take effect on April 11, 2016 although parties may utilize e-filing on a voluntary basis beginning on April 4, 2016. Divisions Two and Three will follow Division One by requiring mandatory filing through TrueFiling when those Divisions issue their own Miscellaneous Orders announcing the effective dates.

New Local Rule 5 (effective on April 4, 2016) sets forth the required procedures and new formatting requirements to be followed. Each attorney of record and self-represented party is required to register with TrueFiling and maintain the account with a current e-mail address. Registration constitutes consent to electronic service by parties or the Court in the proceedings in which the parties are participating. Each TrueFiling user’s username and password is the equivalent of an electronic signature. For a document signed under penalty of perjury, the TrueFiling user must comply with California Rules of Court, rule 8.77.

Rule 5(II)(b) and (c) require all documents to be filed as text-searchable .pdf files, no larger than 25 megabytes. Document pages must be consecutively numbered using only the Arabic numbering system, beginning with the number one on the cover page of the document. Briefs may not have different numbering systems.

All briefs, motions, appendixes and exhibit volumes need electronic bookmarks that also include a brief description of the bookmarked item. All exhibits and sub-exhibits must be bookmarked and the bookmark description must include the exhibit’s number or letter. Each component of a motion or brief needs to be bookmarked (such as tables, points and authorities, declarations and proof of service, and to the first page of any exhibits or attachments).

Electronic filing via TrueFiling will be accepted in lieu of any paper copies otherwise required under California Rules of Court, and will constitute the official record of the Court.

See Part 1 here.

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