Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan, Macomb County Filing Rules

The FY20 cost analysis must be attached.

The parties must submit a joint succinct statement describing the case that does not exceed one paragraph.

A party seeking to amend a witness list within 28 days of trial must obtain leave of court.

Deposition objections and supporting legal argument must be submitted to the judge and opposing counsel at least fourteen days before trial, with responses due seven days before trial.

For a jury trial, counsel should, to the extent possible, provide the Court and all counsel completed, typed jury instructions and a proposed jury verdict form.

Dispositive motions must be filed and heard at least 28 days before trial unless the Court permits otherwise.

E-filings may be submitted around the clock except during maintenance, but the Clerk reviews and accepts them only during normal business hours.

Counsel must provide trial witness lists to the court and all counsel 14 days before trial, including witness presentation information and specified details for medical experts.

A motion in limine ordinarily will be heard on the trial date unless a compelling reason supports an earlier hearing.

Responses to deposition objections must be filed with the Judge and opposing counsel 7 days before trial.

Facilitative mediation must occur within 60 days unless the party seeking an extension shows good cause.

The court permits one 60-day extension of Discovery and Case Evaluation Order dates by party stipulation, with counsel preparing the stipulated order.

A motion may be adjourned when the filing party contacts the clerk or secretary.

A criminal adjournment must be timely e-filed by stipulated order with a new date after discussing it with the clerk or secretary.

Granted adjournments must be classified and tracked according to the stated reason.

E-filings may not contain full Social Security numbers; when a number must be referenced, only the last four digits may appear in the format XXX-XX-1234.

Each jury instruction must be placed on a separate sheet.

Electronically filed motions in limine must be numbered.

Counsel must provide a joint case summary no longer than one paragraph and a joint list of trial witnesses.

At the trial judge’s discretion, photocopied Standard Jury Instructions are acceptable if all blanks are completed and the applicable alternatives are selected.

Participation in the electronic-filing pilot program is mandatory for pending C- and N-type cases assigned to participating circuit judges.

At a scheduled hearing, audio or video evidence may be presented using the device brought by the petitioner or respondent.

Civil cases, appeals, and criminal pleadings must be filed electronically.

Criminal-proceeding adjournments require prosecutor stipulation, and the resulting order must be submitted electronically.

After a complaint is filed in the Clerk’s Office, subsequent pleadings must be filed electronically through the Court’s eFiling website.

When a civil case has settled in full, the parties must notify the secretary or clerk.

Law enforcement officers must request immediate emergency Extreme Risk Protection Orders by calling the 16th Judicial Circuit Court at 586-942-0594.

If deposition objections remain unresolved, parties must contact the Judge's secretary to obtain a hearing date.

The clerk or secretary handles motion adjournments.

If counsel cannot resolve deposition objections, they must contact the court clerk or secretary to arrange a pretrial appearance.

The District Court matter fee is generally shared equally unless the referring judge directs otherwise.

If a Case Evaluation Hearing has been scheduled, a $150 adjournment fee must be paid before submitting the order for entry.

When case evaluation is scheduled within 14 days of the order, the adjournment fee must be paid before entry and is allocated pro rata unless otherwise agreed or ordered.

When a Case Evaluation Hearing is already scheduled, the parties must pay a $150 adjournment fee before submitting the order for entry.

If a case evaluation hearing is scheduled within two weeks, the parties must pay a $150 adjournment fee before submitting the scheduling order for entry.

Judge's copies are required for summary disposition motions, motions in limine, and responses to those motions.

A judge’s copy of any pleading filed while a civil trial is in progress is required.

Whenever practicable, exhibit copies should be furnished to the court and opposing counsel for use during trial.

When practicable, proposed-exhibit copies should be furnished to the court and opposing counsel for trial use.

Judge Grillo’s staff will not print required judge’s copies.

Amendments to initiating documents may be served electronically after initial process is served and the defendant registers as a TrueFiling user, subject to the order's restrictions.

An alternate-service request must include a verified motion, proposed order, process-server affidavit describing reasonable service efforts, and postal verification.

A summons-extension request must include a motion and proposed order, be submitted before the original summons expires, and show due diligence by the plaintiff in attempting service.

A request for alternate service must include a verified motion, proposed order, process-server affidavit showing three service attempts, and postal verification.

An alternate-service request must include a verified motion, proposed order, process-server affidavit, and postal verification of at least three service attempts on different days and times.

Except for a self-represented party, full home addresses may not be included in e-filings; when referenced, only the city and state should be used.

For an emergency motion, the movant must e-file it with a TBD date and time, email the clerk and secretary after filing, and await the court's decision.