16-21A-2. Electronic filing. (1) Documents filed electronically in the circuit courts or magistrate courts, excluding small claims, shall be submitted through the Odyssey® electronic filing system in all counties where available. Any user shall be required to register with the court and designate an email address prior to using the electronic filing system. The presiding judge of a judicial circuit may direct that small claims cases be filed through the electronic filing system except as specifically exempted by these rules or court order.

(2) Effective July 1, 2014, except as specifically exempted by these rules or court order, all filings, notices, petitions, pleadings, motions, briefs or documents, with the exception of small claims, shall be filed electronically for all civil case types. For criminal case types all documents, except the initiating pleading or documents specifically exempted by these rules or court order, shall be filed electronically. Self-represented litigants may file electronically, but shall not be required to file electronically. On a showing of good cause, an attorney required to file electronically may be granted leave of court to file paper documents with the clerk of court. The service of any summons or subpoena shall follow the requirements of § 15-6-4 or 15-6-45(c) as applicable.

(3) Registered users will receive electronic notice when documents are entered into the system. Registration for electronic filing constitutes written consent to electronic service of all documents filed in accordance with these rules and the Rules of Civil Procedure. Electronic service through the electronic filing system shall be deemed service by electronic mail transmission for purposes of calculating any prescribed period.

(4) Documents that will not be accepted for electronic filing, unless otherwise directed to be filed electronically by the court, include:

(a) New criminal case initiating documents;

(b) Motions requesting that a document be sealed and original sealed documents;

(c) Trial or hearing exhibits;

(d) Wills to be retained for safekeeping pursuant to § 29A-2-515;

(e) Oversized documents that cannot be scanned effectively;

(f) Documents not of sufficient graphical quality to be legible when scanned;

(g) Discovery documents as provided by § 15-6-5(g); and

(h) Any other documents directed by the court not to be filed electronically.

(5) A document filed or served electronically has the same legal effect as a paper document.

(6) Any signature on a document filed electronically is considered that of the attorney or party it purports to be for all purposes. If it is established that the documents were transmitted without authority, the court shall strike the filing.

(7) Documents requiring signatures of more than one party may be electronically filed either by (a) submitting a scanned document containing all necessary signatures; (b) identifying on the document the parties whose signatures are required and by the submission of a notice of endorsement by the other parties no later than seven days after filing; or (c) in any other manner approved by the court. When filing documents that require signatures from other parties, it is not permissible to insert a "/s/" for another person's signature.

(8) All paragraphs, excluding attachments, shall be numbered in all documents, except briefs, filed electronically. Reference to material in such documents shall be to paragraph number, not page number.

Source: SL 2014, ch 254 (Supreme Court Rule 13-12), eff. July 1, 2014; SL 2018, ch 292 (Supreme Court Rule 18-01), eff. July 1, 2018; SL 2019, ch 219 (Supreme Court Rule 18-13), eff. July 1, 2018.