Electronic pleading filings at Macomb County Circuit Court from January to June this year have exceeded paper pleading filings received via U.S. mail, according to Circuit Court Chief Judge James Biernat, Jr. and Clerk/Register of Deeds Carmella Sabaugh.
From Jan. 1-June 10, the county clerk’s processed 17,277 electronic filing pleading bundles, and 13,436 U.S. mail and fax paper pleading bundles.
“Our court is making progress in using electronic filing technology to make information available to litigants, attorneys and judges,” said Biernat.
Sabaugh said the fact that e-filings surpassed filings by mail “is an important milestone in our progress.”
“Thanks to the leadership of our chief judges, with the latest progress by Chief Judge James Biernat, Jr., we are improving access to justice, transparency and providing a better way for county clerks to manage workflow,” Sabaugh said.
Macomb County Circuit Court launched an electronic filing system in 2011, under then-Chief Judge Mark Switalski, initially focusing on contract and negligence case types with Judges David F. Viviano and John C. Foster.
All 13 Macomb County Circuit Court judges accept electronic filings, which include all civil cases types, appeals and, as of April, divorce cases without minor children.
The court and clerk plan to launch electronic filing of personal protection orders soon, with help from Turning Point’s PPO Assistance Center, located on the first floor of the Court Building in Mount Clemens.
Sabaugh said electronic filing of PPOs will help victims of domestic abuse by providing for electronic routing of information.
To encourage electronic filing and provide revenue for courts to implement it, a state law went into effect this year requiring litigants to pay an electronic filing fee when filing pleadings, which is $25 for circuit court pleadings.
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