Rule 72. Trial Court and Clerks
Effective July 1, 2016
(A) Trial courts always open.
The trial courts shall be deemed always open for the purpose of filing any pleading or other proper paper, of issuing and returning process and of making and directing all interlocutory motions, orders, and rules. Terms of court shall not be recognized.
(B) Trials and hearings--Orders in chambers.
All trials upon the merits shall be conducted in open court and so far as convenient in a regular courtroom in or outside the county seat. All other acts or proceedings may be done or conducted by a judge in chambers, without the attendance of the clerk or other court officials and at any place either within or without the circuit; but, no hearing other than one ex parte, shall be conducted outside the state without the consent of all parties affected thereby.
(C) Clerk’s office and orders by clerk.
The clerk’s office with the clerk or a deputy in attendance shall be open during business hours on all days except Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, but the circuit court judge may provide by local rule or order that its clerk’s office shall be open for specified hours on Saturdays or particular legal holidays other than New Year’s Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. All motions and applications in the clerk’s office for issuing process, including final process to enforce and execute judgments, and for other proceedings which do not require allowance or order of the court are grantable of course by the clerk; but the clerk’s action may be suspended or altered or rescinded by the court upon cause shown.
(D) Notice of Orders or Judgments.
Immediately upon the notation in the Chronological Case Summary of a ruling upon a motion, an order or judgment, the clerk shall serve a copy of the entry in the manner provided for in Rule 5(B) upon each party who is not in default for failure to appear and shall make a record of such service. Such service is sufficient notice for all purposes for which notice of the entry is required by these rules; but any party may, in addition, serve a notice of such entry in the manner provided in Rule 5 for the service of papers. In cases of consolidated proceedings involving ten (10) or more parties, the trial judge may provide by order for alternative method of notice to designated liaison parties who undertake responsibility for forwarding notice to all parties.
It shall be the duty of the attorneys, and parties not represented by an attorney, when entering their appearance in a case or when filing pleadings or papers therein, to have noted on the Chronological Case Summary and on the pleadings or papers so filed, their mailing address, and an electronic mail address. Service at either address shall be deemed sufficient.
(E) Effect of Lack of Notice.
Lack of notice, or the lack of the actual receipt of a copy of the entry from the Clerk shall not affect the time within which to contest the ruling, order or judgment, or authorize the Court to relieve a party of the failure to initiate proceedings to contest such ruling, order or judgment, except as provided in this section. When the service of a copy of the entry by the Clerk is not evidenced by a note made by the Clerk upon the Chronological Case Summary, the Court, upon application for good cause shown, may grant an extension of any time limitation within which to contest such ruling, order or judgment to any party who was without actual knowledge, or who relied upon incorrect representations by Court personnel. Such extension shall commence when the party first obtained actual knowledge and not exceed the original time limitation.