Marion Superior Court Document Format Requirements

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026CRITICAL

Civil cases

Hard-copy productions must be scanned and produced electronically as single-page 300-DPI TIFF images named to match their Bates numbers, with Acrobat PDF scans expressly permitted.

When the parties produce hard copy (paper) documents, the paper will be scanned and produced electronically as single page TIFF images, 300 DPI, named the same as their Bates number (Acrobat PDF scans will comply with this requirement).

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 4, 2026CRITICAL

Civil cases

All data transfers must be encrypted using secure FTP or another encryption method.

All data transfers need to be done with some sort of Encryption (secure FTP or other mode of encryption such as password protected .ZIP, .RAR files or hard drives).

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 4, 2026CRITICAL

Civil cases

Produced documents must bear unique Bates identifiers: legible page endorsements for TIFFs, filenames for native files, and labels with at least three letters followed by at least seven numbers.

For each Custodial Document, produced as TIFF images, the Producing party should electronically endorse a legible, unique Bates number onto each page at a location that does not obliterate, conceal or interfere with any information from the source document. For documents produced in native format, the Bates number shall be included in the file name of the produced document. Each Producing party should use unique Bates Labels to identify its images and documents. A Bates Label should begin with at least three alphabetical characters and followed by at least seven numbers (e.g., ABC0000001 or ACME00000023 or JUPITER0000004).

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Scanned hard-copy documents must be logically or physically unitized, without merging distinct documents or splitting one document into multiple records.

In scanning hardcopy documents, multiple distinct documents should not be merged into a single record, and single documents should not be split into multiple records (i.e., hard copy documents should be logically or physically unitized).

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

OCR for scanned hard-copy documents must be performed at the document level and supplied in document-level TXT files named for the production number of the document's first page, rather than in data-load or other delimited text files.

For scanned images of hard copy documents, OCR should be performed on a document level and provided in document-level *.txt files named to match the production number of the first page of the document to which the OCR text corresponds. OCR text should not be delivered in the data load file or any other delimited text file.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Produced documents must receive unique Bates identifiers, displayed legibly on each TIFF page and included in native-file names, using labels with at least three letters followed by at least seven numbers.

For each Custodial Document, produced as TIFF images, the Producing party should electronically endorse a legible, unique Bates number onto each page at a location that does not obliterate, conceal or interfere with any information from the source document. For documents produced in native format, the Bates number shall be included in the file name of the produced document. Each Producing party should use unique Bates Labels to identify its images and documents. A Bates Label should begin with at least three alphabetical characters and followed by at least seven numbers (e.g., ABC0000001 or ACME00000023 or JUPITER0000004).

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Confidentiality branding must follow the protective order or, if the order is silent, be agreed by the parties, with Confidential documents branded “Confidential” in the bottom-left corner of every page.

Confidentiality branding should be applied consistent with the Protective Order. If the Protective Order does not address such branding, then confidentiality branding shall be done by agreement of the parties. As an example, for a Confidential document, the documents shall be branded with “Confidential” in the bottom left corner of each page of the Confidential document.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Each production generally must include Concordance data and Opticon image load files, with load file names containing the production-media volume name.

Unless otherwise agreed, each production will include a data load file in Concordance (*.dat) format and an image load file in Opticon (*.opt) format. Load file names should contain the volume name of the production media.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Date and time metadata must be standardized to Eastern Time.

All provided metadata pertaining to dates and times will be standardized to Eastern Time.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Electronically stored information must be De-NISTed by removing listed commercial operating-system and application file information.

Electronic files will be De-NISTed, removing commercially available operating system and application file information contained on the current NIST file list.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Spreadsheet files must be produced natively with TIFF placeholder images.

All spreadsheet (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Corel Quattro, etc.) files shall be produced as native files with TIFF placeholder images.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Photograph files must be produced natively with TIFF placeholder images.

All photographs (e.g., .jpg, .gif) shall be produced as native files with TIFF placeholder images.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Audio, video, and other media files must be produced natively with TIFF placeholder images.

All media files, such as audio and video files, shall be produced as native files with TIFF placeholder images.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Each native-file production must include a TIFF slip sheet and a filename containing the Bates number and, when applicable, the confidentiality designation.

For each native file produced, the production will include a TIFF image slip-sheet indicating the production number of the native file and the confidentiality designation, and stating “File Provided Natively.” The file name of the native will include the Bates number, and if the file is anything other than not confidential, the confidentiality designation must be placed in the file name.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Confidential documents must be branded “Confidential” in the bottom-left corner of each page.

As an example, for a Confidential documents, the documents shall be branded with “Confidential” in the bottom left corner of each page of the Confidential document.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026WARNING

Civil cases

Hard-copy trial exhibits must include copies for every juror and alternate, the witness, counsel for all parties, and two copies for the court.

If you are using hard-copy exhibits, please have enough copies for each juror (including alternate), the witness, counsel for all parties, and two for the Court.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 4, 2026INFO

Civil cases

Redacted spreadsheets may be produced as TIFF images when native redaction tools are unavailable or costly.

If spreadsheet files require redaction, the redacted spreadsheet(s) may be produced as TIFF image(s), if native redaction tools are not available or are costly.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.WARNING?

Civil cases

Format

PDF_A ?

Emails, word processing (e.g., Microsoft Word, WordPerfect), presentations (e.g., Microsoft PowerPoint), and PDF files shall be produced as TIFFs.

Summary: Emails, word-processing files, presentations, and PDFs must be produced as TIFFs.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.WARNING?

Civil cases

Format

PDF_A ?

The Parties shall produce other file types in TIFF format, where possible, and for other file types not suitable for imaging, in a reasonably useable format.

Summary: Other file types should be produced as TIFFs when possible and otherwise in a reasonably usable format.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.WARNING?

Civil cases

Format

PDF_A ?

When the parties produce hard copy (paper) documents, the paper will be scanned and produced electronically as single page TIFF images, 300 DPI, named the same as their Bates number (Acrobat PDF scans will comply with this requirement).

Summary: Hard-copy documents must be scanned as single-page 300-DPI TIFF images named with their Bates numbers; Acrobat PDF scans are permitted.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.WARNING?

Civil cases

Format

DOCX ?

For scanned images of hard copy documents, OCR should be performed on a document level and provided in document-level *.txt files named to match the production number of the first page of the document to which the OCR text corresponds.

Summary: OCR for scanned hard-copy documents should be performed at the document level and delivered in document-level TXT files named for the first-page production number.