CIVIL STANDING ORDERS
STANDING ORDER ON SCHEDULING IN CIVIL CASES
(Amended July 30, 2018)
1. Order on Pretrial Deadlines. Except in cases exempted by D. Conn. L. Civ. R. 16,
the Clerk, acting pursuant to the authority of the Court, shall enter in each civil action an Order
on Pretrial Deadlines, which Order shall contain the deadlines listed in paragraph 2 of this
Standing Order. The Clerk shall enter the Order at the time of the filing of the complaint, and the
Order shall control the course of the action until a further Scheduling Order is issued pursuant to
Fed.R.Civ.P. 16(b) and D. Conn. L. Civ. R. 16.
2. Presumptive Deadlines. Unless otherwise ordered by the presiding Judge,
parties in civil cases shall adhere to the following deadlines:
(a) All motions relating to joinder of parties or amendment of the pleadings shall be
filed within the latest of the following: (i) 35 days after the appearance of the last defendant or (ii)
60 days after the filing of the complaint, the filing of a petition for removal, or the transfer of an
action from another District, except that a defendant may file a third-party complaint within 14
days of serving an answer, as permitted by Fed.R.Civ.P. 14(a).
(b) The filing of a motion to dismiss shall not result in a stay of discovery or extend
the time for completing discovery.
(c) Formal discovery pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure may not
commence until the parties have conferred as required by Fed.R.Civ.P. 26(f) and Local Civil
Rule 16 but the parties may commence formal discovery immediately thereafter without awaiting
entry of a scheduling order pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 16(b). Informal discovery by agreement of
the parties is encouraged and may commence at any time. Unless otherwise ordered, discovery
shall be completed within 6 months after the latest of the following: the filing of the complaint, the
106
filing of a petition for removal, the transfer of an action from another District, or the appearance
of the last defendant.
(d) Unless otherwise ordered, all motions for summary judgment shall be filed within
35 days after the deadline for completion of discovery.
3. Modification. A Scheduling Order issued pursuant to this Standing Order may be
modified by a stipulation signed by all parties and approved by the presiding Judge, or on motion
by any party for good cause shown or by the presiding Judge acting sua sponte. The good
cause standard requires a particularized showing that the schedule established by this order
cannot reasonably be met despite the diligence of the party seeking the extension.
107
