CM/ECF Civil and Criminal
User Manual
Electronic Means for Filing, Signing and
Verification of Documents
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA
(Revised May 29, 2020)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. REGISTRATION FOR THE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM (“System”)
A. Designation of Cases ................................................................................................................. 1
B. Registration ............................................................................................................................... 1
C. Passwords .................................................................................................................................. 2
II. ELECTRONIC FILING AND SERVICE OF DOCUMENTS
A. Filing ......................................................................................................................................... 3
B. Filing a Civil Complaint ............................................................................................................ 4
C. Filing Criminal Charges ............................................................................................................ 5
D. Service of Filed Documents on Parties ..................................................................................... 5
E. Signatures .................................................................................................................................. 5
F. Orders ........................................................................................................................................ 6
G. Title of Documents .................................................................................................................... 7
H. Certificate of Service ................................................................................................................. 7
I. Filing Deadlines ........................................................................................................................ 7
J. Consents to Proceed before a Magistrate Judge ........................................................................ 8
K. Filing a Social Security Administrative Record ........................................................................ 9
III. CONVENTIONAL FILING DOCUMENTS
A. Conventional Filings ................................................................................................................. 9
B. Service of Conventional Filings .............................................................................................. 10
IV. FILING OF SEALED AND EX PARTE MATERIALS
A. Civil Cases............................................................................................................................... 10
B. Criminal Cases ........................................................................................................................ 10
V. PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE SYSTEM DOCKET
A. Public Remote Access Through Pacer .................................................................................... 11
B. Public Access at the Court....................................................................................................... 11
C. Conventional Copies and Certified Copies ............................................................................. 12
VI. TECHNICAL FAILURES
A. The Court’s System ................................................................................................................. 12
B. The Attorney’s System ............................................................................................................ 12
VII. PRIVACY ...................................................................................................................................... 12
A. Special Notice to Social Security Attorneys…………………………………………13
VIII. FORMS:
Form 1 – Notice of Manual Filing ........................................................................................................ i
Form 2 – Declaration that Party was Unable to File in a Timely Manner ........................................... ii
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Northern District of Indiana Case Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF),
hereinafter referred to as the “System.” The System permits attorneys to file documents with
the court from any location over the Internet. While all parties, including those proceeding pro
se, may register to receive “read only” PACER accounts, only registered attorneys, as officers of
the court, are permitted to file electronically at this time.
I. REGISTRATION FOR THE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM (“System”)
A. Designation of Cases
On November 1, 2003, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana began
using the CM/ECF electronic filing system for all civil and criminal cases. “Electronic
filing” means uploading a pleading or document directly from the registered user’s
computer, using the court’s System, to file that pleading or document in the court’s case
file. Sending a document or pleading to the court via e-mail or facsimile does not
constitute “electronic filing.”
B. Registration
1. Unless otherwise permitted by these procedures or otherwise authorized by the
assigned judge, attorneys admitted to the bar of the Northern District of Indiana
and appearing in an active case in this district (including those appearing pro hac
vice), must register to use the CM/ECF system. An application for CM/ECF
Registration is available on the court’s website at
www.innd.uscourts.gov/admission-practice-and-cmecf-registration.
2. Each attorney registering for the System will receive an internet e-mail message
after the application process is completed. This is to ensure that the attorney’s
internet e-mail address has been entered correctly in the System. After the e-mail
address has been confirmed, a separate internet e-mail message will be sent
indicating that the registration has been approved.
3. Pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure, an attorney’s
registration will constitute a waiver of conventional service of documents
electronically filed and the attorney agrees to accept service of notice on behalf of
the client of electronic service via the CM/ECF system. Other means of electronic
service (e.g. facsimile or authorized e-mail) may be used if the receiving party has
consented to that form of service in writing.
4. Attorneys are responsible for notifying the court when their name, mailing address
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or e-mail address changes, by filing in CM/ECF a Notice of Change of
Address/Information in each pending case before this court. If the attorney has no
pending cases, the attorney should send this court an e-mail or letter indicating
attorney’s bar number, and both the new name or address and the old name or
address, as instructed on the court’s website at
www.innd.uscourts.gov/ChangeOfContactInformation. E-mail should be sent to
[email protected] or a letter should be sent to the court
addressed to:
U.S. District Court
Attn: Attorney Maintenance
204 S. Main St.
South Bend, IN 46601
5. Registered attorneys who leave the employment of the United States Attorney for
the Northern District of Indiana or of the Federal Community Defender for the
Northern District of Indiana and who wish to continue in the practice of law in a
different capacity in this district shall complete a new application for registration
for a new account in the System. The application is available on the court’s website
at www.innd.uscourts.gov/admission-practice-and-cmecf-registration. Those
attorneys’ original accounts for the United States Attorney or the Federal
Community Defender will remain intact with new passwords and will continue to be
administered by staff in those offices.
C. Passwords
Each attorney admitted to practice in this Court pursuant to L.R. 83-5 (including those
admitted pro hac vice) and currently in good standing shall be entitled to one System
password to permit the attorney to participate in the electronic retrieval and filing of
pleadings and other documents using the System. Applications for admission to practice
in the Northern District of Indiana an CM/ECF registration are available on the court’s
website at www.innd.uscourts.gov/admission-practice-and-cmecf-registration.
Attorneys registered to use the CM/ECF system will be able to change their own
passwords. Registration for a password is governed by Paragraph I.B.
In order to allow electronic retrieval of filings by employees of the Social Security
Administration, one read-only system login and password will be issued to the Social
Security Administration in their role as a party in civil cases. This account will have read-
only access and will not allow a user to file electronically in a case. Any filings on behalf
of the Social Security Administration shall be made by attorneys of record for that
agency using their court issued attorney logins and passwords. Other than this
exception for the Social Security Administration, no system login and password will be
issued to a party in a case without prior approval of a judge in the case.
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Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 11 and Fed. R. Crim. P. 49, every pleading, motion, and other
paper (except lists, schedules, statements or amendments thereto) shall be signed by at
least one attorney of record or, if the party is not represented by an attorney, all papers
shall be signed by the party. The paper must state the signer’s address, e-mail address,
and telephone number. An attorney’s/participant’s password issued by the court
combined with the user’s identification, serves as and constitutes the
attorney’s/participant’s signature for Rule 11 and Rule 49 and other purposes.
Therefore, an attorney/participant must protect and secure the password issued by the
court. If there is any reason to suspect the password has been compromised in any way,
it is the duty and responsibility of the attorney/participant to immediately notify the
court by calling the CM/ECF Help Line between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. local time in
order to prevent access to the System by use of the old password. (See Section VI. A.
below for help line numbers.) In the event of the resignation or reassignment of the
person with authority to use the password, the attorney/participant should change the
password immediately.
No attorney shall knowingly permit his or her password to be utilized by anyone other
than an authorized employee of his or her office. Once registered, the attorney shall be
responsible for all documents filed with his or her password.
Attorneys/participants may be subject to sanctions for failure to comply with the
above provisions.
Attorneys may reset forgotten passwords by using the Reset CM/ECF Password link
available under the Attorneys tab on the court’s website at
www.innd.uscourts.gov/PasswordReset.
II. ELECTRONIC FILING AND SERVICE OF DOCUMENTS
A. Filing
1. Unless otherwise permitted by these procedures or otherwise authorized by the
assigned judge, all documents1 submitted for filing in this district in civil and criminal
cases, no matter when a case was originally filed, shall be filed electronically using
the System 2.
2. Electronically filed documents must meet the same requirements of format and
page limits as documents “conventionally filed” (as defined in Paragraph III. A.)
pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure and this court’s Local
1
The requirement that “all documents” be filed electronically includes briefs, and attachments and exhibits used in support of motions.
2
Documents filed in the CM/ECF must be in .pdf format. A document created with almost any word-processing program can be
converted to .pdf format. The .pdf program in effect takes a picture of the original document and allows anyone to open the converted
document across a broad range of hardware and software, with layout, format, links, and images intact. For information on .pdf, users
may visit the websites of .pdf vendors, such as http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/ or http://www.fineprint.com/.
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Rules.
3. Electronically filed documents may contain hyperlink references to an external
document as a convenient mechanism for accessing material cited in the document.
A hyperlink reference is neither validated for content nor considered a part of the
court’s records. The court neither endorses the product or organization at the
destination of a hyperlink reference, nor does the court exercise any responsibility
over the content at the destination. In order to preserve the integrity of the court
record, attorneys wishing to insert hyperlinks in court filings shall continue to use
the traditional citation method for the cited authority, in addition to the hyperlink. A
hyperlink contained in a filing is no more than a convenient mechanism for accessing
material cited in the document and a hyperlink reference is extraneous to any filed
document and is not part of the court’s record.
4. All documents which form part of a single pleading and which are being filed at the
same time and by the same party may be electronically filed together under one
document number, e.g., the motion and a supporting affidavit, with the exception of
memoranda in support. Memoranda in support shall be electronically filed
separately and shown as a related document to the motion.
5. In order to file a document which requires leave of court such as an amended
complaint or a document to be filed out of time, the proposed document shall be
attached as an exhibit to a motion.
6. Filing users must submit in electronic form all documents referenced as exhibits or
attachments, unless the court permits conventional filing. A filing user must submit
as exhibits or attachments only those excerpts of the referenced documents that are
directly germane to the matter under consideration by the court. Excerpted material
must be clearly and prominently identified as such. Filing users who file excerpts of
documents as exhibits or attachments do so without prejudice to their right to
timely file additional excerpts or the complete document. Responding parties may
timely file additional excerpts or the complete document that they believe are
directly germane. The court may require parties to file additional excerpts or the
complete document.
B. Filing a Civil Complaint
All new civil complaints must be filed electronically in CM/ECF, and should be
accompanied by a Civil Cover Sheet (JS-44) and summons forms with the top portion
completed (see Paragraph IV. A. 1. for information regarding filing a civil complaint
under seal). If the complaint alleges a violation of a patent, trademark or copyright, a
completed AO 120 (Patent & Trademark) or AO 121 (Copyright) form should also be
attached. The court may sign, seal and issue a summons on paper or electronically.
However, a party may not electronically serve a summons and complaint. Service of a
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summons and complaint upon parties must be perfected according to Fed. R. Civ. P. 4.
C. Filing a Criminal Charges
All criminal complaints, informations, and indictments shall be filed conventionally on
paper with the court. The court may issue a warrant or summons electronically;
however, they may only be served in accordance with Fed. R. Crim. P. 4(c).
D. Service of Filed Documents on Parties
1. The System will generate a "Notice of Electronic Filing" when any document is filed.
This notice represents service of the document on parties who are registered
participants with the System. Except as provided in Paragraph III.B., the filing party
shall not be required to serve any pleading3 or other documents on any party
receiving electronic notice.
2. The filing party shall also serve those parties not designated or able to receive
electronic notice but nevertheless are entitled to notice of said pleading or other
document in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Local Rules
of the Northern District of Indiana. If such service of a paper copy is to be made, it
shall be done in the manner provided in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedures and the
Local Rules of the Northern District of Indiana.
E. Signatures
1. Pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedures, a filing made in the
court’s System using a person’s electronic filing account, together with the person’s
name on a signature block, constitutes the person’s signature.
2. Civil cases: Documents which must be filed and which must contain original
signatures other than those of a participating attorney or which require either
verification or an unsworn declaration under any rule or statute, shall be filed
electronically, with originally executed copies maintained by the filer. The pleading
or other document electronically filed shall contain “s/” signature(s), as noted in 4.b.
below.
3. Criminal cases: All documents which must contain original signatures other than
those of a participating attorney or which require either verification or an unsworn
declaration under any rule or statute, shall first be filed electronically with a .pdf
version of the document and shall then also be filed conventionally on paper in the
Clerk’s office. The electronically filed document shall be completed and shall contain
an “s/” signature in all places in which the original document contains a signature, as
noted in 4.b. below. The conventionally filed document shall contain original
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The term “pleading” refers only to those documents listed in Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 7(a).
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signatures and shall be accompanied by a copy of the Notice of Electronic Filing
generated when the document was filed electronically. Plea agreements signed by a
defendant are an example of this type of document.
4. In the case of a stipulation or other document to be signed by two or more
attorneys, the following procedure should be used:
a. The filing attorney shall initially confirm that the content of the document is
acceptable to all persons required to sign the document and shall obtain the
physical signatures of all attorneys on the document.
b. The filing attorney then shall file the document electronically, indicating the
signatories, e.g., “s/Jane Doe,” “s/John Doe,” etc.
c. The filing attorney shall retain the hard copy of the document containing the
original signatures.
F. Orders
All orders issued by the court shall be filed electronically by either the office of the clerk
or a judge. Any order or other court-issued document filed electronically without the
original signature of a judge or clerk has the same force and effect as if the judge or
clerk had signed a paper copy of the order and it had been entered on the docket in a
conventional manner. The assigned judge or the clerk’s office, if appropriate, may grant
routine orders by a text-only entry upon the docket. In such cases, no .pdf document
will issue. The text-only entry shall constitute the court’s only order on the matter, is in
fact an order from the judge and carries the same weight and authority as a written
order signed by the judge. The System will generate a Notice of Electronic Filing for text-
only entries as described in these procedures, which will contain language indicating
that no document is attached. Immediately upon the entry of an order or judgment in
an action assigned to the System, the clerk will transmit to filing users in the case, in
electronic form, a Notice of Electronic Filing. Electronic transmission of the Notice of
Electronic Filing constitutes the notice required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 77(d). The clerk will
give notice in paper form to a person who has not consented to electronic service in
accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
PROPOSED ORDERS PROCEDURE
Proposed orders shall not be filed electronically either as a separate document or as an
attachment to the main pleading or other document. Instead, all proposed orders must
be e-mailed to the chambers of the appropriate judicial officer for the case. The
proposed order must be in Word or WordPerfect format. Proposed orders should be
attached to an e-mail and sent to the appropriate judicial officer at the address listed
below. The subject line of the e-mail message should indicate the case title, cause
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number and document number of the motion, e.g., Smith v. Jones 1:02-cv-1234,
motion#___.
Judge Holly A. Brady
[email protected]
Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio
[email protected]
Judge William C. Lee
[email protected]
Judge Damon R. Leichty
[email protected]
Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr.
[email protected]
Judge James T. Moody
[email protected]
Judge Philip P. Simon
[email protected]
Judge Theresa L. Springmann
[email protected]
Judge Joseph S. Van Bokkelen
[email protected]
Magistrate Judge Susan L. Collins
[email protected]
Magistrate Judge Michael G. Gotsch, Sr.
[email protected]
Magistrate Judge Joshua P. Kolar
[email protected]
Magistrate Judge John E. Martin
[email protected]
Magistrate Judge Andrew P. Rodovich
[email protected]
PROPOSED DISCOVERY PLANS/SCHEDULING ORDERS AND FINAL PRETRIAL ORDERS
Unlike proposed orders, Proposed Discovery Plans/Scheduling Orders and proposed Final
Pretrial Orders should not contain a signature line for the Judge. The attorney filing
these documents shall initially confirm that the content of the document is acceptable
to all persons required to sign the document and shall obtain the physical signatures of
all attorneys on the document. The filing attorney then shall file the document
electronically, indicating the signatories, e.g., “s/Jane Doe,” “s/John Doe,” etc. The filing
attorney shall retain the hard copy of the document containing the original signatures.
G. Title of Documents
The person electronically filing a pleading or other document will be responsible for
designating a title for the pleading or other document by using one of the categories
contained in the events listed in the CM/ECF Menu.
H. Certificate of Service
A Certificate of Service is not required when the filing documents are served
electronically with the court’s electronic-filing system. A document to be served by any
other means must include a Certificate of Service.
I. Filing Deadlines
Filing documents electronically does not alter any filing deadlines or any time
computation pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 6. The counties of Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Pulaski
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and Starke are located in the Central time zone and the remaining counties in the
Northern District of Indiana are located in the Eastern time zone. Nevertheless, all
electronic transmissions of documents must be completed (i.e., received completely by
the clerk’s office) prior to midnight Eastern Time, (South Bend/Fort Wayne/Lafayette
time) in order to be considered timely filed that day, regardless of the local time in the
division where the case is pending. Although documents can be filed electronically 24
hours a day, filers are strongly encouraged to file all documents during hours when the
CM/ECF Help Line is available, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time. (See Paragraph VI.
A. below for help line numbers)
J. Consents to Proceed before a Magistrate Judge
Parties to a civil action will receive Magistrate Judge Consent Forms from the court by
electronic means, or by United States Mail if a party is not registered to receive
electronic notices. Completed Magistrate Judge consent forms should be returned by e-
mail OR by United States Mail to the appropriate clerk's office where the case is
pending. Consent forms are also available on the court’s website at
www.innd.uscourts.gov/forms/AttorneyAdmissionForms.
Any party who wishes to consent to jurisdiction by a United States Magistrate Judge
shall sign the form and file it with the Clerk as soon as practicable but in any event
within twenty-one (21) days following the date the Preliminary Pretrial Conference is
held or within 21 days of receipt of the form in cases where no Preliminary Pretrial
Conference is held. In Social Security Appeal matters, consent forms must be returned
within fourteen (14) days of receipt. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as a
limitation of the assigned district judge to refer, in his or her discretion, the case to a
magistrate judge upon consent of all parties even though untimely filed. See General
Order re: Utilization of United States Magistrate Judges (2018-2) on the court’s website
at www.innd.uscourts.gov/sites/innd/files/2018-2.pdf.
Clerk’s Office E-mail addresses:
Hammond
[email protected]
Fort Wayne
[email protected]
South Bend
[email protected]
Lafayette
[email protected]
Mailing addresses:
District Court Clerk’s Office District Court Clerk’s Office
1300 S. Harrison St. 5400 Federal Plaza
Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Hammond, IN 46320
District Court Clerk’s Office District Court Clerk’s Office
204 S. Main St. Rm. 102 230 N Fourth St.
South Bend, IN 46601 Lafayette, IN 47901
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K. Filing a Social Security Administrative Record
1. The United States Attorney’s Office will file the Administrative Record provided by
the Social Security Administration electronically. The System will generate a "Notice
of Electronic Filing" when the document is filed. This notice represents service of the
document on parties who are registered participants with the System and the filing
party shall not be required to serve the document on any party receiving electronic
notice.
2. One (1) courtesy paper copy of the administrative record must be delivered to the
Clerk’s Office in the division where the case is filed for routing to the presiding Judge
in the case. This paper copy will not be returned to the United States Attorney’s
Office. Failure to deliver a paper copy will constitute an improper filing.
3. The United States Attorney’s Office shall also serve those parties not designated or
able to receive electronic notice but nevertheless are entitled to notice of said
document in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Local
Rules of the Northern District of Indiana. If such service of a paper copy is to be
made, it shall be done in the manner provided in the Federal Rules of Civil
Procedures and the Local Rules of the Northern District of Indiana.
III. CONVENTIONAL FILING DOCUMENTS
A. Conventional Filings
As used in these procedures, a “conventionally” filed or submitted document or
pleading is one presented to the Clerk or a party in paper or other non-electronic,
tangible format. The following documents shall be filed conventionally and not
electronically unless specifically authorized by the Court:
1. Exhibits and other documents which cannot be converted to a legible electronic
form. Whenever possible, counsel is responsible for converting filings to an
electronic form. However, if that is not physically possible, counsel shall
electronically file a .pdf document titled Notice of Manual Filing as a notation on the
docket sheet that filings are being held in the clerk’s office in paper. A sample Notice
of Manual Filing is attached as Form 1. If documents are filed in paper format,
counsel must provide an original for the clerk’s office, a copy for the judge and a
copy must be served on all parties in the case. Large documents which do not exist
in an electronic format shall be scanned into .pdf format by counsel, in small batches
if necessary, and filed electronically as separate attachments in the System.
2. Certain documents which are listed in II. E. 2. above.
3. Documents filed by pro se litigants.
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B. Service of Conventional Filings
Pleadings or other documents which are filed conventionally rather than electronically
shall be served in the manner provided for in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and
the Local Rules of the Northern District of Indiana, except as otherwise provided by
order of the Court.
IV. FILING OF SEALED AND EX PARTE MATERIALS
A. Civil Cases
1. New civil cases filed under seal shall be filed conventionally pursuant to L.R. 5-3. Any
distribution to parties must be made conventionally on paper. Attorneys will not
have electronic access to file documents or receive electronic notices for sealed
cases. Until the case is unsealed, all subsequent filings and service made by
attorneys must be made conventionally.
2. In instances where a civil case is not sealed, but a party wishes to file sealed motions
or sealed documents, those documents shall be filed electronically in the CM/ECF
system using the appropriate civil event, either “Sealed Motion” or “Sealed
Document.” These events will produce a publicly viewable docket entry but will not
allow access to the attached .pdf document. Any distribution to parties must be
made conventionally on paper.
3. A civil motion event exists for a “Motion to Seal”, which will not be treated as a
sealed or restricted entry in the CM/ECF system. Filers selecting this event will be
presented with a warning that sealed .pdf documents should not be attached to this
event, but should instead, be electronically filed separately as a “Sealed Motion” or
“Sealed Document” pursuant to Paragraph IV. A. 2. above.
4. Ex parte motions and ex parte documents in non-sealed civil cases shall be filed
electronically in the CM/ECF system using the appropriate civil event, either “Ex
Parte Motion” or “Ex Parte Document.” The docket entries and .pdf documents for
these events will be accessible only to authorized court staff and the filing party.
Other parties and the general public will not see the docket entry or have access to
the .pdf document.
B. Criminal Cases
1. In instances where a criminal case is not sealed, but a party wishes to file sealed
motions or sealed documents, those documents shall be filed electronically in the
CM/ECF system using the appropriate criminal events. A party must file a “Motion to
Seal” or a “Motion to Seal Document,” prior to filing a “Sealed Motion” or a “Sealed
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Document.” Failure to file a “Motion to Seal” or a “Motion to Seal Document” will
result in the striking from the record any “Sealed Motion” or “Sealed Document”
that has been filed. These events will produce a publicly viewable docket entry but
will not allow access to the attached .pdf document. Any distribution to parties must
be made conventionally on paper.
2. Ex parte motions and ex parte documents in non-sealed criminal cases shall be filed
electronically in the CM/ECF system using the appropriate event, “Ex Parte Motion.”
The docket entries and pdf documents for this event will be accessible only to
authorized court staff and the filing party. Other parties and the general public will
not see the docket entry or have access to the .pdf document.
V. PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE SYSTEM DOCKET
A. Public Remote Access Through Pacer
Civil cases: Public remote access to the System for viewing purposes is limited to
subscribers to the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (“PACER”) system. The
Judicial Conference of the United States has ruled that a user fee will be charged for
remotely accessing certain detailed case information, such as docket sheets and filed
documents. PACER users may access the System at the Court’s Internet site at
www.innd.uscourts.gov/case-info/cm-ecf-case-info. Such access to the System through
the Internet site will allow retrieval of the docket sheet and documents on a time
delayed basis. Unless a user has a CM/ECF filing level account, access to the System will
be on a “read only” basis.
Social Security cases: Until further order of the court, only attorneys of record and
employees of the Social Security Administration with access to the login and password
authorized in Paragraph I.C. above may remotely view records in social security cases.
Public remote access will be limited to viewing docket sheets only.
Criminal cases: Public remote access to non-sealed documents in criminal cases will be
limited to documents filed on or after January 1, 2005, pursuant to the Judicial
Conference Policy on Privacy and Public Access to Electronic Criminal Case Files. Public
remote access to documents filed prior to January 1, 2005 will be limited to viewing
docket sheets only.
B. Public Access at the Court
The public will have electronic access to civil and criminal documents filed in the System
and to the System dockets in the Office of the Clerk, for viewing during regular business
hours, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (local time) Monday through Friday. A copy fee for
reproduction is still required in accordance with 28 U.S.C. §1914.
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C. Conventional Copies and Certified Copies
Conventional copies and certified copies of the electronically filed documents may be
purchased at the Office of the Clerk, during business hours listed in Paragraph B. above.
A list of fees is available on the court’s website at
www.innd.uscourts.gov/FeesAndFinance.
VI. TECHNICAL FAILURES
A. The Court’s System
The Clerk shall deem the Public Web site for the Northern District of Indiana to be
subject to a technical failure on a given day if the site is unable to accept filings
continuously or intermittently over the course of any period of time greater than one
hour after 12:00 noon that day, in which case filings due that day which were not filed
due solely to such technical failures shall become due the next business day. Such
delayed filings shall be rejected unless accompanied by a declaration or affidavit
attesting to the filing person’s failed attempts to file electronically at least two times
after 12:00 p.m. separated by at least one hour on each day of delay due to such
technical failure. Questions about CM/ECF may be directed to our Help Line at the one
of the following numbers between 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time:
Fort Wayne 800-745-0265
Hammond 800-473-0293
South Bend 866-217-5925
Lafayette 877-377-1219
B. The Attorney’s System
If the attorney is unable to file a document in a timely manner due to technical
difficulties in the user’s system, the attorney must file a document with the court as
soon as possible notifying the court of the inability to file the document. A sample
document entitled Declaration that Party was Unable to File in a Timely Manner Due
to Technical Difficulties is attached hereto as Form 2.
VII. PRIVACY
Counsel should not include sensitive information in any document filed with the court
unless such inclusion is necessary and relevant to the case. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2
regarding protection of personal identifiers in civil cases and Fed. R. Cr. P. 49.1 regarding
privacy protection in criminal cases.
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A. SPECIAL NOTICE TO SOCIAL SECURITY ATTORNEYS
It is the responsibility of counsel for plaintiff to provide the U.S. Attorneys’ office with
the social security number of the plaintiff upon the filing of a new social security case.
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VIII. FORMS:
Form 1 – Notice of Manual Filing
SAMPLE FORMAT
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA
DIVISION
______________________, )
)
Plaintiff(s), )
)
vs. ) Case No.
)
______________________, )
)
Defendant(s). )
NOTICE OF MANUAL FILING
is in paper form only and is being maintained in the case file in the Clerk’s office.
Attorney for (Plaintiff or Defendant)
Address:
Date:
FORM i
Form 2 – Declaration that Party was Unable to File in a Timely Manner
SAMPLE FORMAT
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA
____________ DIVISION
______________________, )
)
Plaintiff(s), )
vs. ) Case No.
______________________, )
)
Defendant(s). )
DECLARATION THAT PARTY WAS UNABLE
TO FILE IN A TIMELY MANNER
Please take notice that was unable to file
_________________ in a timely manner due to technical
difficulties. The deadline for filing the __________________________ was
_________________. The reason(s) that I was unable to file the
in a timely manner and the good faith efforts I made prior to the filing deadline to both file in a
timely manner and to inform the court and the other parties that I could not do so are set forth
below.
[Statement of reasons and good faith efforts to file and to inform]
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
Respectfully submitted,
s/[Name of Password Registrant]
Name of Password Registrant
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Fax: XXX-XXX-XXXX
E-mail:
[email protected]
FORM ii
