Rule 8011

 

Rule 8011. Filing and Service; Signature

(a) Filing.

(1) With the Clerk. A document required or permitted to be filed in a district court or BAP must be filed with the clerk of that court.

(2) Method and Timeliness.

(A) In General. Filing may be accomplished by transmission to the clerk of the district court or BAP. Except as provided in subdivision (a)(2)(B) and (C), filing is timely only if the clerk receives the document within the time fixed for filing.

(B) Brief or Appendix. A brief or appendix is also timely filed if, on or before the last day for filing, it is:

(i) mailed to the clerk by first-class mail—or other class of mail that is at least as expeditious—postage prepaid, if the district court's or BAP's procedures permit or require a brief or appendix to be filed by mailing; or

(ii) dispatched to a third-party commercial carrier for delivery within 3 days to the clerk, if the court's procedures so permit or require.

(C) Inmate Filing. A document filed by an inmate confined in an institution is timely if deposited in the institution's internal mailing system on or before the last day for filing. If the institution has a system designed for legal mail, the inmate must use that system to receive the benefit of this rule. Timely filing may be shown by a declaration in compliance with 28 U.S.C. §1746 or by a notarized statement, either of which must set forth the date of deposit and state that first-class postage has been prepaid.

(D) Copies. If a document is filed electronically, no paper copy is required. If a document is filed by mail or delivery to the district court or BAP, no additional copies are required. But the district court or BAP may require by local rule or by order in a particular case the filing or furnishing of a specified number of paper copies.

(3) Clerk's Refusal of Documents. The court's clerk must not refuse to accept for filing any document transmitted for that purpose solely because it is not presented in proper form as required by these rules or by any local rule or practice.

(b) Service of all Documents Required. Unless a rule requires service by the clerk, a party must, at or before the time of the filing of a document, serve it on the other parties to the appeal. Service on a party represented by counsel must be made on the party's counsel.

(c) Manner of Service.

(1) Methods. Service must be made electronically, unless it is being made by or on an individual who is not represented by counsel or the court's governing rules permit or require service by mail or other means of delivery. Service may be made by or on an unrepresented party by any of the following methods:

(A) personal delivery;

(B) mail; or

(C) third-party commercial carrier for delivery within 3 days.

(2) When Service is Complete. Service by electronic means is complete on transmission, unless the party making service receives notice that the document was not transmitted successfully. Service by mail or by commercial carrier is complete on mailing or delivery to the carrier.

(d) Proof of Service.

(1) What is Required. A document presented for filing must contain either:

(A) an acknowledgment of service by the person served; or

(B) proof of service consisting of a statement by the person who made service certifying:

(i) the date and manner of service;

(ii) the names of the persons served; and

(iii) the mail or electronic address, the fax number, or the address of the place of delivery, as appropriate for the manner of service, for each person served.

(2) Delayed Proof. The district or BAP clerk may permit documents to be filed without acknowledgment or proof of service, but must require the acknowledgment or proof to be filed promptly thereafter.

(3) Brief or Appendix. When a brief or appendix is filed, the proof of service must also state the date and manner by which it was filed.

(e) Signature. Every document filed electronically must include the electronic signature of the person filing it or, if the person is represented, the electronic signature of counsel. The electronic signature must be provided by electronic means that are consistent with any technical standards that the Judicial Conference of the United States establishes. Every document filed in paper form must be signed by the person filing the document or, if the person is represented, by counsel.

(Added Apr. 25, 2014, eff. Dec. 1, 2014.)

A prior Rule 8011, Apr. 25, 1983, eff. Aug. 1, 1983, related to motions, prior to revision of Part VIII, Apr. 25, 2014, eff. Dec. 1, 2014.

This rule is derived from former Rule 8008 and F.R.App.P. 25. It adopts some of the additional details of the appellate rule, and it provides greater recognition of the possibility of electronic filing and service.

Subdivision (a) governs the filing of documents in the district court or BAP. Consistent with other provisions of these Part VIII rules, subdivision (a)(2) requires electronic filing of documents, including briefs and appendices, unless the district court's or BAP's procedures permit or require other methods of delivery to the court. An electronic filing is timely if it is received by the district or BAP clerk within the time fixed for filing. No additional copies need to be submitted when documents are filed electronically, by mail, or by delivery unless the district court or BAP requires them.

Subdivision (a)(3) provides that the district or BAP clerk may not refuse to accept a document for filing solely because its form does not comply with these rules or any local rule or practice. The district court or BAP may, however, direct the correction of any deficiency in any document that does not conform to the requirements of these rules or applicable local rules, and may prescribe such other relief as the court deems appropriate.

Subdivisions (b) and (c) address the service of documents in the district court or BAP. Except for documents that the district or BAP clerk must serve, a party that makes a filing must serve copies of the document on the other parties to the appeal. Service on represented parties must be made on counsel. Subdivision (c) expresses the general requirement under these Part VIII rules that documents be sent electronically. See Rule 8001(c). Local court rules, however, may provide for other means of service, and subdivision (c) specifies non-electronic methods of service by or on an unrepresented party. Electronic service is complete upon transmission, unless the party making service receives notice that the transmission did not reach the person intended to be served in a readable form.

Subdivision (d) retains the former rule's provisions regarding proof of service of a document filed in the district court or BAP. In addition, it provides that a certificate of service must state the mail or electronic address or fax number to which service was made.

Subdivision (e) is a new provision that requires an electronic signature of counsel or an unrepresented filer for documents that are filed electronically in the district court or BAP. A local rule may specify a method of providing an electronic signature that is consistent with any standards established by the Judicial Conference of the United States. Paper copies of documents filed in the district court or BAP must bear an actual signature of counsel or the filer. By requiring a signature, subdivision (e) ensures that a readily identifiable attorney or party takes responsibility for every document that is filed.

Changes Made After Publication and Comment. No changes were made after publication and comment.

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