LFLR 4. Case Schedule Order and Other Orders Issued at the Time of Filing

    (a) Case Schedule Order. At the time a family law petition is filed, the clerk shall issue a case schedule or a notice. The case schedule contains a list of mandatory deadlines. Failure to comply with the case schedule may result in fines, penalties, or dismissal of the case. The court, either on its own motion or on a motion of a party, may change deadlines for good cause shown.
    (b) Service. The petitioner must serve all other parties the following documents:
            (1) Case Schedule
            (2) Summons
            (3) Petition
            (4) Automatic Temporary Order Setting Financial Restraints (if applicable, as outlined in LFLR 4(h) below)
            (5) Proposed Parenting Plan (if applicable)
            (6) Proposed Child support Order and Worksheet (if applicable)
If service of items 1 through 3 is not completed after 60 days, parties may be ordered to appear to show the court why the case should not be dismissed
    (c) Confirmation of Issues. (Reserved)    
    (d) Parentage Cases; Confirmation of Completion of Genetic Testing; Form. (Reserved)
    (e) Status Conference; When parties are required to appear. (Reserved)
    (f) Changing Case Schedule Deadlines. The assigned judge, either on their own motion or on motion of a party, may issue an amended case schedule. Notwithstanding LFLR 5(d)(1)(B), in the course of hearing a motion on adequate cause, commissioners may amend the adequate cause deadline in order to proceed with that hearing.
    (g) Completion of Discovery. By the deadline in the case schedule, all discovery must be completed as required by LCR 37(g).
    (h) Automatic Temporary Order Setting Financial Restraints. When a dissolution, legal separation or invalidity case is filed, the court, on its own motion, shall issue an automatic temporary order. The temporary order shall be in a form approved by the UFC/Family Law Committee. A copy of the order shall be available on the Clerk’s website: kingcounty.gov/dept/dja/courts-jails-legal-system/court-forms-document-filing/forms.
          (1) The petitioner shall serve a copy of the order on the respondent. Respondents are subject to the order from the time they are served. Petitioners are subject to the order from the date of filing.
          (2) The order shall remain in place until further order of the court or entry of final orders in the case.
          (3) If the order is violated, either party may seek a finding of contempt and/or requests fees.
    (i) Court Review Deadline. Court staff will review cases for compliance with case schedule deadlines. See LFLR 7.

[Adopted effective September 1, 2004; amended effective September 1, 2007; September 1, 2008; September 1, 2018; September 1, 2024.]