United States District Judge
Sarah E. Pitlyk
Chambers 16N
JUDGE’S REQUIREMENTS
Address 1. Local and Federal Rules
111 S. 10th Street, Many answers to frequently asked questions are contained in the
Suite 16.148 Local Rules of the United States District Court for the Eastern
St. Louis, MO 63102 District of Missouri, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the
Phone Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and the Federal Rules of
(314) 244-7805 Evidence. Counsel is expected to know those rules and to follow
them.
JA/Paralegal
Abby Ojolola 2. Self-represented Litigants
Case Management Team Self-represented litigants are expected to follow the Federal Rules of
Nikki Phillips Civil Procedure, the Court’s Local Rules, and these Requirements.
(314) 244-7928 The Court encourages self-represented litigants to consult the Court’s
website for additional information and resources:
Katie Kratzer
(314) 244-7936 https://www.moed.uscourts.gov/self-represented-litigants-srl.
Kayla Zenon 3. Rule 16 Conferences in Civil Cases
(314) 244-7095 The Court typically sets Rule 16 conferences after all defendants
have filed a responsive pleading. If the parties believe a conference
Lauren Rabbitt
(314) 244-7021 should be held sooner, they should contact chambers to request an
expedited conference.
Law Clerks
Hedda Etherington-Hall Absent truly exceptional circumstances, lead counsel must appear for
Eva Nobel the Rule 16 conference. All attending counsel should be prepared to
Court Reporter Kristine discuss the facts of the case and all other matters set out in the
Toennies parties’ joint scheduling plan.
(314) 244-6701
4. Case Management Orders in Civil and Criminal Cases
Counsel should consult the Case Management Order (CMO) and
refer to it throughout the case. If a party seeks to amend part of the CMO that cannot be
amended by stipulation of the parties, see Fed. R. Civ. P. 29, that party must file a motion to
amend the CMO before the applicable deadline. The moving party should solicit the consent of
all other parties and include the term “unopposed” or “consent” in both the body and the title of
the motion, as appropriate. See infra ¶ 10.
5. Sealed Documents
Local Rule 13.05 governs the filing of sealed documents in both civil and criminal cases.
Counsel should review that rule carefully before filing a motion for leave to file under seal. The
Court will deny motions that fail to comply with Local Rule 13.05 or these Requirements.
The Court expects counsel to provide a sufficient legal and factual basis to justify any sealing
request. See, e.g., United States v. Swegan, No. 4:21-cr-00255-SEP (E.D. Mo. Apr. 20, 2023)
(sentencing); LADS Network Sols. v. Agilis Sys., LLC, No. 4:19-cv-00011-SEP, 2022 WL
4534432 (E.D. Mo. Sept. 28, 2022) (civil case).
6. Protective Orders
In civil cases, a proposed protective order that addresses filing materials under seal must require
compliance with Local Rule 13.05.
7. Discovery Disputes
The Court urges all parties to negotiate resolutions to discovery disputes among themselves. If
parties do not agree on a discovery-related matter, they must comply with the requirements set
forth in Local Rule 3.04 before filing any discovery memorandum or motion. Any motion that
fails to comply with that Rule or these Requirements will be denied without prejudice.
Local Rule 3.04 requires parties to meet and confer—which, unless a party is self-represented
and incarcerated, means that the parties must actually speak to each other—in an attempt to
resolve any discovery dispute. If the parties are still unable to reach an agreement without court
intervention, they must jointly file a motion requesting a video conference with the Court. The
motion must concisely summarize the parties’ positions on the issue(s) in dispute and their efforts
to achieve a resolution in no more than three (3) pages.
Any documents (e.g., discovery requests and/or objections) relating to a discovery teleconference
should be emailed to Abby Ojolola at
[email protected].
8. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Parties are encouraged to undertake settlement negotiations at the earliest practicable point in the
litigation. The Court will refer most civil cases to ADR. Most ADR referrals are for a 60-day
period. Plaintiff’s counsel will be designated as lead counsel for purposes of coordinating ADR.
Lead counsel must work with opposing counsel to select a neutral. Counsel should consult the
Court’s website for general information regarding ADR, which includes a list of court-certified
neutrals: https://www.moed.uscourts.gov/alternative-dispute-resolution-adr.
The parties must immediately notify the Court upon reaching a settlement.
9. Motions and Memoranda
All motions and memoranda must comply with Local Rule 4.01 as well as the procedures
outlined in these Requirements.
Citations to the record must be consistent and easily understood and, whenever possible, include
a CM/ECF docket entry number. The Court will not search the electronic record to find
evidence for which the citation is insufficient. When filing numerous exhibits, after a CM/ECF
docket entry number is assigned, the filing party should file an “Exhibit Key,” identifying the
docket entry at which each exhibit appears (e.g., “Exhibit AA appears at Doc. [22-27].”).
Duplicative filings are prohibited. For example, if three defendants intend to move for summary
judgment on the same or similar grounds, their counsel must coordinate to file a single motion
for summary judgment, memorandum in support, and statement of uncontroverted material facts.
10. Unopposed Motions
A joint, unopposed, or consent motion should be so identified in both the body of the motion and
its title in CM/ECF.
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11. Extensions of Time
A party seeking an extension should confer with all other parties and note their positions in the
body of the motion. The title of a motion seeking an extension should indicate if there have been
prior requests, e.g., “Third Request for an Extension.” An extension motion must cite and apply
the applicable legal standard. See, e.g., Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(b); Fed. R. Crim. P. 45(b). Consent of
all parties is not sufficient.
12. Motions to Withdraw
Any motion to withdraw as counsel that will leave an individual unrepresented should be
supported by an affidavit documenting the individual’s consent. If the individual does not
consent, then the attorney seeking to withdraw should request an ex parte hearing on the motion.
13. Electronic Filing
Counsel should convert any word-processed document into a .pdf document by printing or
publishing to .pdf, not by manually scanning a paper copy. The former method generates
searchable optical character recognition (OCR) text; the latter does not.
14. Courtesy Copies
For filings with twenty (20) or more pages total or ten (10) or more pages of exhibits, parties
must provide courtesy copies to chambers. Courtesy copies should include no more than one
motion per binding, and they should bear CM/ECF headers. Parties are encouraged to coordinate
production of courtesy copies once a motion is fully briefed.
15. Courtroom Rules
a) Advocates are expected to be thoroughly prepared for every proceeding.
Counsel must make clients and witnesses aware of all courtroom rules.
b) At all times, parties and advocates are expected to treat each other, Court personnel,
and witnesses professionally and courteously.
c) Upon arrival, lead counsel should report to the Courtroom Deputy and introduce
additional counsel, support staff, and parties. No advocate may speak in Court unless
he or she has entered an appearance in the case.
d) Photographs, audio/video recordings, and broadcasting are prohibited in the
courtroom. Laptops and tablets are not allowed except at counsel tables.
e) No one may eat, drink (except water), chew gum, or wear any audible device. Cell
phones and other electronic devices must be turned off and may not be used
during a court proceeding unless specifically authorized in advance.
f) Everyone must stand when the jury enters or exits the courtroom.
g) When speaking, counsel must stand and speak into a microphone.
16. Additional Sources of Information
• E.D.Mo. Local Rules • The Federal Judiciary Homepage
• The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure • The Federal Judicial Center
• The Federal Rules of Evidence • The U.S. Sentencing Commission
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