Common Pleas Court On-Line Help
e-Filing Overview
With e-Filing, attorneys, self-represented parties, and others, can create paperless documents and submit them to the Court electronically. The e-Filing system also makes it possible for the Court to file judgments electronically. The filers who participate on cases receive electronic notices of all filings posted to the docket.
The process is as follows:
- A filer (an attorney, for example) sends an e-File submission to the Court.
- Behind the scenes, the e-Filing system performs a virus check on the documents. If a virus is found, the submission is rejected and sent back to the filer prior to it being receipted by the system.
- The submission is reviewed by the Court and Clerk.
- If the filing is approved, the e-Filing system electronically dockets it in the Court's case management system and sends the electronic documents to the Court’s document management system.
- After a submission has been processed, a receipt is returned to the filer. If the submission was to initiate a case, then the receipt includes a new case number and other information.
Filers log in to the e-Filers Interface to create submissions. They use a website to create a filing submission, provide any necessary information about the filing, and upload any associated documents. Once a filer has completed a filing, it is packaged into a submission in LegalXML format. The filer is then asked to review the information in the filing. Once a filer determines that everything in the filing is correct, the filer then submits the total submission package. It is then transmitted to the Clerk Review Interface.
Filers use the e-Filers Interface to:
- Initiate a case by adding case information such as: case title; party names, party addresses. Send follow-up documents (answers, motions, briefs, amended complaints, and so forth) and include the necessary information associated with these documents.
- Receive notifications when a submission is filed to any Franklin County Court participating in the e-Filing System. These Notifications of Electronic filing appear in the filer's account.
- Check case histories. Anyone who has an eFlex account can display a case history and download documents by providing the case number and the last name of the case. Those who are not registered as a participant on the case can only display the history. They cannot download the documents.
- Check the status of their submissions. Each submission has a status that changes continually as the submission is processed, until the moment when the submission is either accepted or rejected.
- Resubmit a filing. When a submission is rejected, the clerk will usually include a note to identify why the submission was rejected. Filers can then resend the submission by using the data and documents in the rejected submission to prepare a new submission.
A clerk uses the Clerk Review Interface to review the submissions received from the e-Filers Interface.
Clerks can use the Clerk Review Interface to:
- Change data entered by the filer. For example, the clerk may choose a different docket code to describe the document submitted or make changes to party address information to follow US Mail addressing requirements.
- Sometimes the clerk may accept a filing but enter a note to inform the filer of some necessary corrections involving the filing. It is important for filers to understand that they should check all receipts for clerk notes.
You can initiate several types of civil cases through the e-Filing system and e-File follow-up filings on those case types. Currently Franklin County Common Pleas Court allows for the following case types:
All civil cases designated as follows shall be mandatory e-File cases: A (professional tort), B (product liability), C (other torts), D (workers’ compensation), E (foreclosure), F (administrative appeal) and H (other civil, including Commercial Docket cases (H4); however excluding Civil Stalking or Sexually Oriented Offense Protection Orders (H2)). Cases subsequently designated as G category cases (complex litigation), as set forth in Local Rule 7.04, shall also be mandatory e-File cases. Cases docketed as EX, JG, LP and MS (except for auto title cases) shall also be mandatory e-File cases.
During the summer of 2011, all pleadings, motions, briefs, memoranda of law, depositions, transcripts, transcripts and records of proceedings, orders and other documents submitted in designated mandatory e-File case types shall be filed electronically through the e-Filing System. The Clerk shall not accept for filing or file any documents in paper format in mandatory e-File case types from litigants represented by counsel.
