Courtroom 15N
Address
111 S. 10th Street,
Suite 15.148
St. Louis, MO 63102
Phone
(314) 244-7570
Fax
(314) 244-7579
Paralegal
Genevieve Bales
Case Management Team
BriƩany Porter
(314) 244-7930
Kinica BaƩle
(314) 244-7924
Ethany Reid-Iseko
(314) 244-7498
___________________
Law Clerks
Emily Danker-Feldman
Jaime Lally
Claudia Kassner
Requirements
1. Local and Federal Rules
All parties are expected to know and follow the Local Rules of the Eastern District of Missouri,
the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure, and the Federal Rules of Evidence.
2. Informal Matters
I do not have a set time for informal matters, but am generally available. Please notify opposing
counsel and make sure counsel for each party is available before requesting an in-court or Zoom
conference.
3. Rule 16 Conferences and Case Management Orders
Civil cases are usually set for Rule 16 conferences after all defendants have entered and at least
one defendant has answered or filed a motion in response to the complaint. If for some reason a
party believes a conference should be sooner, that party should file a motion. Rule 16
conferences are conducted in person and usually are held in chambers. Any participant who
would prefer that the conference be held by Zoom instead of in person may file a motion
requesting a Zoom conference no later than a week in advance. When a party appears pro se, the
Rule 16 conference is held in the courtroom, on the record. At the Rule 16 conference, the parties
should be prepared to discuss the facts of the case and all other matters set out in the Rule 16
Order, including settlement.
4. Scheduling and Status Conferences
Counsel may request a scheduling or status conference when the need arises by filing a motion
with the parties’ exclusionary dates.
5. Discovery Disputes
All parties are required to make a good faith effort to resolve disputes prior to filing discovery-
related motions. Before filing any such motion, the moving party must confer by actually
speaking with opposing counsel in person or by telephone. If the parties have met and conferred
in accordance with the Local Rules and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and still anticipate
the filing of a motion to compel, the parties shall together contact chambers to seek an informal
resolution prior to filing a motion.
In accordance with Local Rule 3.04(A), any motion to compel must contain a certification that
the moving party has met and conferred with opposing counsel, and motions that do not contain
the required certification will be denied without prejudice. If opposing counsel will not respond
to attempts to resolve the matter, counsel should detail those efforts in the certification.
6. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
The Court will refer most civil cases to ADR. Please be prepared to discuss the appropriate
timing for referral to mediation at the Rule 16 conference. When setting a date for mediation in
the proposed schedule, counsel should consider what discovery they need in order to conduct a
meaningful mediation conference. A list of the Court’s neutrals and the Court’s ADR procedures
can be found at www.moed.uscourts.gov. Please note that once the case has been referred to
ADR, those deadlines are binding and may only be extended by court order.
7. Expert Witnesses
(a) Be prepared at the Rule 16 conference to discuss the types of expert witnesses who are likely
to testify in the case and whether (and when) the names and reports and/or depositions of the
experts will be provided. Parties are allowed to stipulate to different ways of disclosing expert
opinions, but in the absence of a stipulation, the provisions of Rule 26 will be applied.
(b) Treating health care providers who are testifying as to matters contained in their treatment
notes will not be required to prepare reports or provide the other information required by Rule
26(a)(2)(B). In such cases, health care providers will normally be limited to providing opinions
that are related to the treatment and disclosed in their notes. In some cases, providers may be
required to prepare reports (for example, where the provider is testifying as to causation).
8. Final Pretrial Conference
The final pretrial conference is scheduled at the Rule 16 Conference and memorialized in the
Case Management Order. Final pretrial conferences are usually held the week prior to the
scheduled trial date. Counsel should be prepared to argue any motions in limine, so that a ruling
on such motions can be made in advance of trial. For trials in Cape Girardeau or Hannibal, the
final pretrial conference will be held in St. Louis, unless you are notified otherwise. The Court
reserves the right to hold additional pretrial conferences prior to the final conference.
9. Trial Settings
Civil cases are set for trial at the Rule 16 Conference and the date and time selected are
memorialized in the Case Management Order. The date set for trial is a firm date. Most trials are
set for Monday mornings and shall commence at 9:00 a.m. with jury selection.
10. Courtroom Logistics
(a) Available Technology: The Court has evidence presentation equipment, including camera,
VCR, DVD, monitors, and hook-ups for computer-stored evidence or computer presentation. An
explanation on the use of this equipment is available on the Court’s website at
www.moed.uscourts.gov under Courtroom Technology. Please call the Case Management Team
in the Clerk’s office to schedule training before trial. No training will be provided on the day of
trial. Training usually takes no more than 30 minutes, and gives you the opportunity to get
comfortable with the equipment before trial. If you intend to use your computer with the Court’s
evidence presentation system, you must confer with the Clerk’s office before trial to be sure your
settings and connections are appropriate for our system. No later than eleven (11) days prior to
the date set for trial, each party shall notify the Court and opposing counsel of the
anticipated use of evidence presentation equipment.
(b) Decorum: Please stand when the jury enters the courtroom, and at all times when speaking.
Also, cell phone usage, eating or drinking (except water), gum chewing, and audible sound
makers are not allowed. The use of social media will not be allowed in the courtroom. Persons
seated at counsel table shall not make any verbal comments, facial expressions, or other
expressions, verbal or nonverbal, to the jury which would be interpreted as conveying a comment
one way or the other with respect to any testimony, argument, or event that may occur during
trial.
11. Voir Dire/Jury Selection/Jury Instructions
(a) Agreed Statement of the Case: Counsel must supply the Court with a joint brief statement of
the nature of the case to be read to panel members during voir dire. Counsel is expected to agree
on this statement, which should be phrased in neutral terms.
(b) Voir Dire: The Court will introduce counsel, briefly state the general nature of the case, and
ask some general questions directed to the entire panel. Counsel may then inquire into matters
relevant to jury selection, but may not ask unnecessary questions in order to establish rapport,
ask the jurors to make promises, make speeches, argue the case, or anything else that is not
directly designed to elicit relevant information about the potential jurors. In every case, the Court
reserves the right to conduct the entire voir dire.
(c) Jury Selection: After all questioning has been completed, the panel will be removed from the
courtroom and the Court will immediately request the challenges for cause. No challenges for
cause or statements that either the panel or any juror is unacceptable may be made in front of the
jury panel. After for cause challenges to jurors, the parties will make peremptory challenges.
(d) Jury Instructions: Eighth Circuit Model Instructions should be used when possible. The
parties are strongly encouraged to use the Eighth Circuit’s jury instruction builder, available at
https://juryinstructions.ca8.uscourts.gov/. Instructions shall indicate the source of or authority for
the instruction and be numbered at the top. Parties are required to meet and confer regarding jury
instructions and whenever possible submit one package of jury instructions to the Court
electronically on behalf of all the parties. When the Parties cannot submit a single package of
jury instructions, submitted instructions shall also indicate the offering party. A final jury
instruction conference will be held during a break in trial at the Court’s discretion.
12. Trial Procedures
(a) Opening Statements: Opening statements may include exhibits so long as counsel has consent
from opposing counsel and advises the Court in advance.
(b) Evidentiary Objections: No evidentiary objections shall be argued in the presence of the jury.
Counsel must state the legal basis for the objection in a word (or at most, a phrase) without
elaboration or argument (unless called to the bench). For purposes of “making a record,” counsel
may explain their positions and the Court may explain its ruling on the record after the jury has
been excused (or at sidebar).
(c) Recross: Recross is not allowed as a matter of right. It is only allowed if something new is
brought out in redirect. If counsel wishes to recross a witness, counsel must approach the bench
with the request and tell the Court the areas on which recross is sought. The Court will determine
whether the questioning will be allowed.
(d) Closing Arguments: The presumptive time limit in closing arguments is twenty minutes. The
clerk will provide counsel a warning to help with time management if requested.
