Okla. Stat. tit. 12, Rule 5 – Pretrial Proceedings

Rules for District Courts of Oklahoma.
Rule 5. Pretrial Proceedings.

A. Docket. A pretrial conference shall be held in all civil actions except:
1. 1. where the defendant is in default; or,
2. 2. where the defendant has waived his right to appear or plead; or,
3. 3. in an action for the recovery of money or personal property where the amount or value in controversy is less than $5000.00; or,
4. 4. in actions for forcible entry and detainer where a jury has been waived;
5. 5. actions under the small claims procedure.
  The judge is not required to hold pretrial conference in cases where jury has been waived but he may do so. A judge may hold more than one pretrial conference in any case, or he may excuse a case from the pretrial docket.
B. Notice. At least twenty (20) days' notice of the setting of a case for an initial pretrial conference shall be given to the parties and to the attorneys of record by the court clerk.
C. Scheduling. As soon as any civil case is at issue, the Court may schedule any conference it deems appropriate and enter a scheduling order which establishes, insofar as feasible, the time:
1. 1. to join other parties and to amend the pleadings; and,
2. 2. to file and hear motions; and,
3. 3. to complete discovery; and,
4. 4. to have a medical examination of a party; and,
5. 5. for conferences before trial, a pretrial conference, and trial; and,
6. 6. to file proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law (non-jury); and,
7. 7. for accomplishing any other matters appropriate in the circumstances of the case.
  The scheduling order shall issue as soon as feasible after the case is at issue. A schedule shall not be modified except upon written application by counsel and by leave of the judge assigned to the case upon a showing of good cause.
D. Judge Presiding. Unless waived by the parties, the pretrial conference shall be conducted by the judge who will try the case. Unless waived by the parties, the judge shall take an active part in the conference and shall conduct it in an informal manner in chambers whenever possible.
E. Scheduling and Pretrial Conferences; Objectives. The scheduling and conduct of the conferences and the scheduling of matters to be accomplished should be designed to:
1. 1. expedite the disposition of the action;
2. 2. establish early and continuing control so that the case will not be protracted because of lack of management;
3. 3. discourage wasteful pretrial activities;
4. 4. improve the quality of the trial through more thorough preparation; and,
5. 5. facilitate the settlement of the case.
F. General Guidelines for Conducting Pretrial Conference. The following guidelines should be followed by counsel and District Court in preparing and conducting a complete and adequate pretrial conference:
1. 1. Attorneys shall confer prior to the pretrial conference and prepare a single suggested pretrial order for use during the pretrial conference;
2. 2. Whenever feasible, all amendments to pleadings and stipulations should be filed in the case before the pretrial conference;
3. 3. Stipulate in writing to as many facts and issues as possible;
4. 4. List in writing the facts and law that are disputed;
5. 5. Discuss the possibility of settlement;
6. 6. Attorneys for the parties should be prepared to advise the trial judge at the pretrial conference as to whether a settlement judge is requested.
G. Subjects to be Discussed at Scheduling and Pretrial Conferences. In accordance with the objectives of a scheduling or pretrial conference, the participants under this rule should be prepared to address, or have taken action to:
1. 1. the formulation and simplification of the issues, including the elimination of frivolous claims or defenses;
2. 2. the necessity or desirability of amendments to the pleadings;
3. 3. the possibility of obtaining admissions of fact and of documents which will avoid unnecessary proof, stipulations regarding authenticity of documents, and advance rulings from the Court on the admissibility of evidence;
4. 4. the avoidance of unnecessary proof and of cumulative evidence;
5. 5. the need for orders controlling or scheduling discovery, including orders affecting disclosures and discovery under § 3226 of Title 12 and §§ 3229 - 3237 of Title 12;
6. 6. the need for adopting any special procedures or protocols addressing the discovery of electronically-stored information;
7. 7. the need for including in a scheduling order or other pretrial order any agreements that the parties have reached for asserting claims of privilege or of work-product protection after such information has been produced;
8. 8. the need for orders addressing the preservation of potentially discoverable information;
9. 9. the identification of witnesses and documents, the need and schedule for filing and exchanging pretrial briefs, and the date or dates for further conferences and for trial;
10. 10. the possibility of settlement or the use of extra judicial procedures to resolve the dispute;
11. 11. the form and substance of the pretrial order;
12. 12. the disposition of pending motions;
13. 13. the need for adopting special procedures for managing potentially difficult or protracted actions that may involve complex issues, multiple parties, difficult legal questions, or unusual proof problems; and,
14. 14. such other matters as may aid in the disposition of the action.
H. Final Pretrial Conference. Any final pretrial conference shall be held as close to the time of trial as is reasonable under the circumstances. The participants at any such conference shall formulate a plan that will streamline the trial, including a program for facilitating the admission of evidence. The conference shall be attended by at least one of the attorneys who will conduct the trial for each of the parties, unless a substitute attorney is authorized by the Court, and by any unrepresented parties.
I. Pretrial Orders. After any conference held pursuant to this rule, an order shall be entered reciting the action taken. This order shall control subsequent course of the action unless modified by a subsequent order. The order following a final pretrial conference shall be modified only to prevent manifest injustice. The order shall substantially conform to the form adopted by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The District Court may modify the form if necessary to include additional claims between the parties or as otherwise necessary to fit the needs of the case.
The pretrial order shall include the results of the conference and advice to the court regarding the factual and legal issues, including details of material evidence to be presented. The order shall also present all questions of law in the case. All exhibits must be marked, listed and identified in the pretrial order. If there is objection to the admission of any exhibits, the grounds for the objection must be specifically stated. Absent proper objection, the listed exhibit is admitted when offered at trial or other proceeding. Attorneys for all parties will approve the order. A proposed pretrial order which is submitted electronically or otherwise may be finalized at the pretrial conference or as directed by the court. The final order shall be presented to the District Court for signature. If the applicable jury fee has not been paid at the time of the pretrial conference as required by 28 O.S. § 152.1 (B), then the court may find that the trial will be held without a jury. The contents of the pretrial order shall supersede the pleadings and govern the trial of the case unless departure therefrom is permitted by the Court to prevent manifest injustice.
J. Default. Failure to prepare and file a scheduling order or pretrial order, failure to appear at a conference, appearance at a conference substantially unprepared, or failure to participate in good faith may result in any of the following sanctions:
1. 1. the striking of the pleading;
2. 2. a preclusion order;
3. 3. staying the proceeding;
4. 4. default judgment;
5. 5. assessment of expenses and fees (either against a party or the attorney individually);
6. 6. or such other order as the Court may deem just and appropriate.
K. After Pretrial. After pretrial, if additional exhibits or writings are discovered, the party intending to use them shall immediately mark them for identification and furnish copies to opposing counsel. These shall be deemed admitted unless written objection is served and filed within ten (10) days of receipt, stating the specified grounds for objection. If additional witnesses are discovered, opposing counsel shall be notified immediately in writing and furnished their names, addresses and the nature of the testimony. Copies of the additional documents, exhibits, writings, or list of witnesses shall also be mailed to the Clerk of the Court to be filed in the case. No exhibit or witness may be added to the final pretrial order once the same has been prepared and signed and filed by the Court without a showing to the Court that manifest injustice would be created absent such amendment.
L. Settlement Conferences. The Court, may upon its own motion or at the request of any of the parties, order a settlement conference at a time and place to be fixed by the Court. A judge other than the trial judge will normally preside at such settlement conference. At least one attorney for each of the parties who is fully familiar with the case and who has complete authority to settle the case shall appear for each party. If no attorney has complete settlement authority, the party or person with full settlement authority shall also attend the settlement conference. The settlement conference judge may allow the party having full settlement authority to be telephonically available, if justifiable cause is shown why attendance in person would constitute a hardship. The parties, their representatives and attorneys are required to be completely candid with the settlement conference judge so that he may properly guide settlement discussions, and the failure to attend a settlement conference or the refusal to cooperate fully within the spirit of this Rule may result in the imposition of any of the sanctions mentioned in Paragraph J of this Rule. The judge presiding over the settlement conference may make such other and additional requirements of the parties as to him shall seem proper in order to expedite an amicable resolution of the case. The settlement judge will not discuss the substance of the conference with anyone, including the judge to whom the case is assigned.
1. 1. ADDITIONAL PARTIES to be joined and AMENDED PLEADINGS to be filed by: _______________.
2. 2. Parties shall exchange PRELIMINARY LISTS OF WITNESSES AND EXHIBITS by: _______________.
3. 3. DISCOVERY must be completed by: _______________.
4. 4. DISPOSITIVE MOTIONS will not be considered if filed after: _______________.
5. 5. SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE OR MEDIATION DATE & TIME : _______________.
6. 6. PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCE DATE & TIME: _______________. (Jury Fee must be paid by time of pre-trial conference. 28 O.S. § 152.1 (B))
7. 7. TRIAL DATE: _______________.
8. 8. ESTIMATED TIME FOR TRIAL: _______________.
9. 9. REQUESTED JURY INSTRUCTIONS must be filed by: _______________.
10. 10. PROPOSED FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW (Non-Jury) must be filed by: _______________.
11. 11. TRIAL BRIEF must be filed by: _______________.
12. 12. ADDITIONAL ORDERS:
  MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF ___________________________ shall be completed no later than _________________________.
  THE MEDICAL EXAMINER shall submit the report to counsel requesting the examination, who shall submit a complete copy to all counsel, no later than _________________________.
  No date set by this Order can be changed except for good cause and upon written Order of this Court.
  Dated: ____________
  ______________________
  Judge of the District Court
  We have presented to the Court our views of time requirements established by this Scheduling Order.
  ______________________
  ______________________
  Attorney for Plaintiff
  ______________________
  ______________________
  Attorney for Defendant
  ______________________
  ______________________
  Attorney for _________
  PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCE ORDER
  IN THE DISTRICT COURT
  _________________________ COUNTY
  STATE OF OKLAHOMA
  _______________________ ) _______________________ Plaintiff, ) No._________________ v. ) _______________________ ) _______________________ Defendant. )
  PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCE ORDER
13. 1. Appearances:
14. 2. General Statement of Facts:
15. 3. Plaintiff's Contentions:
16. A. List All Theories of Recovery and the Applicable Statutes, Ordinances, and Common Law Rules Relied Upon.
17. B. List Damages or Relief Sought.
18. 4. Defendant's Contentions:
  List All Theories of Defense and the Applicable Statutes, Ordinances, and Common Law Rules Relied Upon.
19. 5. Defendant's Claims for Relief:
  List Any Claims of Relief Sought (By Cross-Claim, Counterclaim, or Set-Off), and the Applicable Statutes, Ordinances, and Common Law Rules Relied Upon.
20. 6. Miscellaneous:
21. A. Is Jury Waived? (If not, Jury Fee must be paid by time of pre-trial conference. 28 O.S. § 152.1(B))
22. B. Is Additional Discovery Requested?
23. C. A trial brief (is/is not) required by the
  Court.
  Due by: __________.
24. D. Other Matters:
25. 7. Plaintiff's Exhibits:
26. A. List by Number and Description.
27. B. As to Each Numbered Exhibit, State Any Objection and Its Basis.
28. 8. Defendant's Exhibits:
29. A. List by Number and Description.
30. B. As to Each Numbered Exhibit, State Any Objection and Its Basis.
31. 9. Plaintiff's Witnesses: List Names, Addresses, and Substance of Testimony.
32. 10. Defendant's Witnesses: List Names, Addresses, and Substance of Testimony.
33. 11. Requested Jury Instructions Due By: _________
34. 12. Estimated Trial Time:
35. 13. Stipulations:
36. 14. Settlement: Has the Possibility of Settlement Been Explored?
37. 15. TRIAL DATE SET FOR: ______ _.m., ________, 20__.
  Dated: __________________________________
  Judge of the District Court
  Approved:
  ______________________
  ______________________
  Attorney for Plaintiff
  ______________________
  ______________________
  Attorney for Defendant
  ______________________
  ______________________
  Attorney for _________
SCHEDULING ORDER
IN THE DISTRICT COURT, _____________ JUDICIAL
DISTRICT, xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /_______________ COUNTY
STATE OF OKLAHOMA
_______________________ ) _______________________ Plaintiff, ) No._________________ v. ) _______________________ ) _______________________ Defendant. )
SCHEDULING ORDER
IT IS ORDERED that the following must be completed within the time fixed:

Adopted by order of Jan. 22, 1987, eff. Jan. 1, 1987, Amended December 7, 2000 by order 2000 OK 99. (superseded document available) Amended by Order of the Supreme Court, January 12, 2009, 2009 OK 3. (superseded document available) Amended by Order of the Supreme Court, February 9, 2010, 2010 OK 8. (superseded document available) Amended by order of the Supreme Court, 2013 OK 68, eff. August 1, 2013 (superseded document available)