What is a Case Date?

A “Case Date” is a new type of court event in family cases. It is designed to help cases proceed efficiently and effectively.  It is imperative that once you receive the Case Date Notice, you read it thoroughly and that you follow the instructions given.  In order to participate in the Case Date and any remote court hearing, you must download Microsoft Teams, which is similar to Zoom.

Below is the link to download it and the sign up is free.

Purposes of a Case Date

You may be familiar with the previous “family short calendar” process. Under that process, on a given day of the week dozens of pending cases were called into court to address specific motions that had recently been filed. Due to the volume of cases, the time the court could spend on each case was limited. Parties and attorneys sometimes had to wait in court for lengthy periods for their cases to be called.

The Case Date is a primary feature of the first phase of a new process to eliminate “family short calendar.” A Case Date provides the parties with designated court time of greater length than was typically available at short calendar.

The Case Date allows the court to take a broader view of the case.  It will most likely address all pending motions in the case, approve agreements on motions, or it may hold a brief hearing on a motion or motions for which there is no agreement.  The court may also make a referral to Family Services for further work with the parties to address any outstanding issues.

You may reach a full resolution and result in a judgment or other final orders by agreement. If the matter does not resolve fully on the Case Date, the court will typically issue a scheduling order for the balance of the case, including the scheduling of a further hearing or trial.

How a Case Date Works

On your Case Date, you will participate remotely in two events, each approximately 45 minutes long. First, you will call a Family Services conference line at a specific time to have a telephone conference with the other party and a Family Relations Counselor. Attorneys for the parties may also participate. The purpose of the conference call is to discuss the case as a whole, not just a particular motion or motions, exploring areas of agreement and identifying issues in dispute.

Shortly after the telephone conference with Family Services, the parties and their attorneys will join a video hearing with a judge. The Family Relations Counselor who conducted the conference with the parties will join the subsequent video hearing for the first few minutes, to relate to the judge the status of the matter.

Conclusion

The Case Date system is designed to help the parties reach a full agreement resolving their issues expeditiously when that is possible. When it is not, the Case Date is intended to allow the court to identify and address the main issues that prevent a prompt resolution, and to chart a course for addressing all the disputed issues fairly and efficiently, without the need for repeated trips to court for hearings on individual motions.

Like most family court proceedings, Case Dates will be conducted remotely until further notice.   The Case Date participation is mandatory and failure to provide requested contact information and/or failure to participate may result in the imposition of sanctions and/or orders being entered against you.

To best prepare yourself, make sure you review all pleadings filed in your case and make notes.  You should also have a current and sworn Financial Affidavit filed with the court prior to the Case Date, as it will help address any financial issues in your case. 

We hope this information is helpful and assists in navigating your upcoming Case Date.