Utah Courts
URBCP Rule 10 (Rules of Business and Chancery Court Procedure)
URBCP Rule 10 (Rules of Business and Chancery Court Procedure)
Rule 10. Form of pleadings and other papers.
(a) Caption; names of parties; other necessary information.
(1) All pleadings and other papers filed with the court must contain a caption setting forth the name of the court, the title of the action, the file number, if known, the name of the pleading or other paper, and the name, if known, of the judge (and commissioner if applicable) to whom the case is assigned..
(2) In the complaint, the title of the action must include the names of all the parties, but other pleadings and papers need only state the name of the first party on each side with an indication that there are other parties. A party whose name is not known must be designated by any name and the words “whose true name is unknown.” In an action in rem, unknown parties must be designated as “all unknown persons who claim any interest in the subject matter of the action.”
(3) Every pleading and other paper filed with the court must state in the top left-hand corner of the first page the name, address, email address, telephone number, and bar number of the attorney or party filing the paper, and, if filed by an attorney, the party for whom it is filed.
(4) A party filing a claim for relief, whether by original claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim, must also file a completed cover sheet substantially similar in form and content to the cover sheet approved by the Judicial Council. The clerk may destroy the coversheet after recording the information it contains.
(b) Paragraphs; separate statements. All statements of claim or defense must be made in numbered paragraphs. Each paragraph must be limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances; and a paragraph may be adopted by reference in all succeeding pleadings. Each claim founded upon a separate transaction or occurrence and each defense other than denials must be stated in a separate count or defense whenever a separation facilitates the clear presentation of the matters set forth.
(c) Adoption by reference; exhibits. Statements in a paper may be adopted by reference in a different part of the same or another paper. An exhibit to a paper is a part thereof for all purposes.
(d) Paper format. All pleadings and other papers, other than exhibits and court-approved forms, must be 8½ inches wide x 11 inches long, on white background, with a right, left, top, and bottom margin of not less than 1 inch. All text or images must be clearly legible, must be double spaced, except for matters customarily single spaced, must be on one side only, and must not be smaller than 12-point size.
(e) Signature line. The name of the person signing must be typed or printed under that person’s signature. If a proposed document ready for signature by a court official is electronically filed, the order must not include the official’s signature line and must, at the end of the document, indicate that the signature appears at the top of the first page.
(f) Non-conforming papers. The court clerk may examine the pleadings and other papers filed with the court. If they are not prepared in conformity with paragraphs (a) ‑ (e), the clerk will accept the filing but may require counsel to substitute properly prepared papers for nonconforming papers. The clerk or the court may waive the requirements of this rule for parties appearing pro se. For good cause shown, the court may relieve any party of any requirement of this rule.
(g) Replacing lost pleadings or papers. If an original pleading or paper filed in any action or proceeding is lost, the court may, upon motion, with or without notice, authorize a copy thereof to be filed and used in lieu of the original.
(h) No improper content. The court may strike and disregard all or any part of a pleading or other paper that contains redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter.
(i) Electronic papers.
(1) Any reference in these rules to a writing, recording, or image includes the electronic version thereof.
(2) A paper electronically signed and filed is the original.
(3) An electronic copy of a paper, recording, or image may be filed as though it were the original. Proof of the original, if necessary, is governed by the Utah Rules of Evidence.
(4) An electronic copy of a paper must conform to the format of the original.
(5) An electronically filed paper may contain links to other papers filed simultaneously or already on file with the court and to electronically published authority.
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