Katie L. Dearing

DIVISION CV-B POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
JUDGE KATIE L. DEARING
Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of the State of Florida
Civil Division CV-B
Hearing Room 701
Duval County Courthouse
501 West Adams Street, Suite 7029
Jacksonville, Florida 32202
Sandra Powell, Judicial Assistant
Email: PowellS@coj.net
Telephone: (904) 255-1246
Zoom ID: 2751507351
Website: http://www.jud4.org/ex-parte-procedures-and-dates
I. INTRODUCTION
Rule 1.010 of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure and the Rules of Judicial
Administration encourage the speedy, just and inexpensive determination of every
action, and impose on the trial court the duty to monitor and manage the docket in
order to achieve this goal. To that end, these policies and procedures are published
to assist counsel appearing in Division CV-B by addressing routine questions and
issues that arise while litigating and trying cases and will be revised/updated
periodically. They are not intended to relax or supplant the Florida Statutes, the
Florida Rules of Court, local rules of Court, administrative orders, case specific court
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orders, the Rules Regulating Florida Bar (including, without limitation, the Rules of
Professional Conduct), or any other substantive or procedural law (collectively, the
“Applicable Law, Rules and Procedures”). All Applicable Law, Rules, and
Procedures are intended to prevail, unless expressly stated otherwise.
II. SETTING MATTERS FOR TRIAL
A. Projected Trial Period: The Court, on its own initiative, for all cases
governed by Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.200, will enter an initial case
management order setting a projected trial date and specifying no less than the
projected pretrial deadlines required in Rule 1.200(d)(2) (A-I), Fla. R. Civ. P.
B. 150 Day Case Management Conference: The Court, on its own
initiative, for all cases governed by Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.200, will enter
an Order Scheduling a Case Management Conference (“150-day CMC”)
approximately 150 days after the action is commenced. The purpose of this 150-day
CMC is to provide counsel for the parties an opportunity to be heard prior to the
Court setting the actual trial period. The parties will be required to confer and advise
the Court whether this CMC is necessary for the Court to fix the actual trial period
or whether the parties have agreed to the projected trial period or a different actual
trial period. If the parties agree that the 150-day CMC is not necessary to set the
actual trial period, the Court will enter an order canceling the CMC hearing upon a
party emailing to the Court’s Judicial Assistant a completed Division CV-B Trial
Set Memorandum. The Trial Set Memorandum form can be found on the Court’s
website, along with available trial dates, at https://www.jud4.org/Ex-Parte-Dates-
Judge-s-Procedures.aspx. The parties shall complete all information in the form,
including the desired mediator and trial date, and submit it as an e-mail attachment
to the Court’s judicial assistant. Any disagreements on mediators or trial dates shall
be included in the email along with each party’s recommendation.
Non-jury trials are set date-certain on the Court’s regular hearing calendar,
not during a jury trial week. The trial set memorandum should advise the Court of
a requested time frame for trial (e.g., 8 months from the date of the trial set
memorandum) and the number of days needed for trial.
C. Actual Trial Period. The Court will prepare the Case Management
Order Setting Trial Period.
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If the case settles after it is set for trial, the parties shall immediately notify the
court so that the trial and all pending hearings may be removed from the
court’s calendar.
III. IN

[Excerpt — full procedures at the official source link.]