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About the Judges
Elizabeth Kovachevich
Senior District Judge
Commission Date:
March 09, 1982
Division:
Tampa
Chambers:
.
Courtroom:
.
Judge Initials:
EAK
Chambers Email:
[email protected]
Courtroom Deputy
Law Clerks
Sonya Cohn
(813) 301-6151
Ryan Hedstrom
(813) 301-5730
Mr. Hedstrom works on civil cases ending in odd numbers.
Julie Meisner
(813) 301-5730
Ms. Meisner works on all criminal cases (except 782 cases).
Gregory Pierson
(813) 301-5733
Mr. Pierson works on civil cases ending in even numbers and all 782 cases.
Judge Tabs
Biography
Federal Judicial Service
District Judge, United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Nominated by Ronald Reagan on January 26, 1982, to a seat vacated by Judge George C. Young.
Confirmed by the Senate on March 4, 1982, and received commission on March 9, 1982.
Served as Chief Judge, 1996–2002.
Education
Saint Petersburg Junior College, A.A., 1956
University of Miami, B.B.A., 1958
Stetson University College of Law, J.D., 1961
Professional Career
Research/Administrative Aide, Pinellas County Legislative Delegation, Florida State Legislature, 1961
Private Practice, Saint Petersburg, Florida, 1961–1973
Judge, Circuit Court of Florida, Sixth Judicial Circuit, 1973–1982
Forms
Civil Disclosure Statement – LR 3.03 and FRCP 7.1 (DOC)
Criminal Disclosure Statement – FRCrP 12.4 (DOC)
Uniform Case Management Report (DOC)
Defendant Exhibit Tags (DOC)
Defendant Exhibit Tags (PDF)
Exhibit List (DOC)
Exhibit List (PDF)
Government Exhibit Tags (DOC)
Government Exhibit Tags (DOC)
Joint Exhibit Tags (DOC)
Joint Exhibit Tags (PDF)
Plaintiff Exhibit Tags (DOC)
Plaintiff Exhibit Tags (PDF)
Standing Order - Filing of Documents that Exceed 25 Pages
Preferences
Civil
Jury Trials
All cases set for trial during a monthly trial term will be listed on a trial calendar distributed to all counsel and
pro se parties
the preceding month. The cases will generally be tried in the order they are listed on the calendar. Criminal cases are listed first. Trial dates certain are not granted unless there are exceptional circumstances. Proposed jury instructions and verdict forms are filed at the time of the pretrial conference. Parties should file any proposed voir dire questions five days before jury selection. The jury instructions and verdict form should also be provided to the court on a disk in WordPerfect format (.wpd).
Exhibit lists and witness lists (an original and three copies) must be filed with the courtroom deputy on the morning of trial, before
jury selection
.
Motion Practice
Judge Kovachevich issues a
standing order
in civil cases. This order requires that a party provide copies to her office of all motions, responses or other filings that exceed 25 pages, including exhibits or attachments.
Judge Kovachevich does not regularly hear argument on motions, dispositive or otherwise. Her chambers will set oral argument if she determines it is appropriate.
Discovery
matters are referred to the
magistrate judge
assigned to the case. The court will approve consents to the
magistrate judge
for less than the entire case (i.e. for entry of a final order, not report and recommendation, on motion for summary judgment).
Pretrial Conferences
Judge Kovachevich conducts preliminary pretrial conferences under
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16
as necessary. She refers all cases to the assigned
magistrate judge
to conduct the conference. She requires the parties in a jury trial to bring their proposed jury instructions, jury verdict forms, and trial briefs to the pretrial conference for the
magistrate judge
to review. In a non-jury case, only the trial brief is required.
Settlement
Most civil cases are referred to mediation before trial. Judge Kovachevich does not conduct settlement conferences but often refers cases to a
magistrate judge
to conduct a settlement conference in conjunction with a pretrial conference.
Criminal
Change of Plea
Judge Kovachevich refers changes of plea to the assigned
magistrate judge
.
Discovery
Discovery issues are referred to the assigned
magistrate judge
.
Jury Trials
All cases set for trial during a monthly trial term will be listed on a trial calendar distributed to all counsel and
pro se parties
the preceding month. The cases will generally be tried in the order they are listed on the calendar. Criminal cases are listed first. Trial dates certain are not granted unless there are exceptional circumstances. Proposed jury instructions, verdict forms, and any proposed voir dire questions should be filed five days prior to jury selection. A courtesy copy should be sent to Judge Kovachevich's
chambers
. The jury instructions and verdict form should also be provided to the court on a disk in WordPerfect format (.wpd).
Sentencing
Judge Kovachevich regularly conducts sentencing starting at 10:00 a.m. on Fridays and other days as necessary. Counsel should notify the courtroom deputy in advance if the sentencing is expected to last longer than 30 minutes so the court can set it with ample time to complete the proceeding.
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