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

1. A. Docket. A pretrial conference shall be held in all civil actions except:

   1. 1. where the defendant is in default; or, 2. where the defendant has waived his right to appear or plead; or, 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. in actions for forcible entry and detainer where a jury has been waived; 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.
2. 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.

3. 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. to file and hear motions; and, 3. to complete discovery; and, 4. to have a medical examination of a party; and, 5. for conferences before trial, a pretrial conference, and trial; and, 6. to file proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law (non-jury); and, 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.

4. 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.

5. E. 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. establish early and continuing control so that the case will not be protracted because of lack of management; 3. discourage wasteful pretrial activities; 4. improve the quality of the trial through more thorough preparation; and, 5. facilitate the settlement of the case.

6. 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. Whenever feasible, all amendments to pleadings and stipulations should be filed in the case before the pretrial conference; 3. Stipulate in writing to as many facts and issues as possible; 4. List in writing the facts and law that are disputed; 5. Discuss the possibility of settlement; 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.

7. G. Subjects to be Discussed at Pretrial Conferences. In accordance with the objectives of a pretrial conference, the participants under this rule should have taken action to:

   1. 1. the formulation and simplification of the issues, including the elimination of frivolous claims or defenses; 2. the necessity or desirability of amendments to the pleadings; 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. the avoidance of unnecessary proof and of cumulative evidence; 5. 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; 6. the possibility of settlement or the use of extra judicial procedures to resolve the dispute; 7. the form and substance of the pretrial order; 8. the disposition of pending motions; 9. 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, 10. such other matters as may aid in the disposition of the action.
8. 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.

9. 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 form adopted by the Oklahoma Supreme Court for pretrial conference orders shall be used by the District Court. If the judge deviates from the form, he or she shall in writing show to the Supreme Court the reasons for such deviation.

   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. The order shall be presented to the District Court for signature. 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. Proposed pretrial order shall not be filed.

10. 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. a preclusion order; 3. staying the proceeding; 4. default judgment; 5. assessment of expenses and fees (either against a party or the attorney individually); 6. or such other order as the Court may deem just and appropriate.
11. 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 if the party requesting the addition of such evidence or testimony was not permitted to add such final pretrial order.

12. 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. Appearances:

       _____________________________________________for the _________________________________

       _____________________________________________for the _________________________________

       _____________________________________________for the _________________________________

    2. 2. General Statement of Facts:

       1. a. What:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ b. Where:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ c. When:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ d. Who:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ e. Other:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

          3.Plaintiff's Contentions:

          	Grounds for Recovery	Applicable Statute, Ordinance, Common Law Rule
          a.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          b.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          c.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          d.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          e.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          f.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          g.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________

          Damages or Relief SoughtAmount

          	Damages or Relief Sought	Amount
          a.	Personal Injuries: (Permanent _____________________ Temporary ______________________) Describe _______________________ ______________________________	_____________________________
          b.	Pain and suffering: (Past ____________________ Future _________________________)	_____________________________
          c.	Medical and hospital expense: (Past ____________________ Estimated Future _________________)	_____________________________
          d.	Loss of earnings and impairment of earning capacity: (Period _______________ Rate _____________ Employer _______________________________)	_____________________________
          e.	Property loss: (Repairable ____________________ Not Repairable ___________________)	_____________________________
          f.	Other: ______________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________	_____________________________
          	Total	_____________________________

       2. 4. Defenses:

          	Grounds for Defense	Applicable Statute, Ordinance, Common Law Rule
          a.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          b.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          c.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          d.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          e.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          f.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          g.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________

       3. 5. Cross Petition (or Counterclaim or Set-Off):

          	Grounds for Recovery	Applicable Statute, Ordinance, Common Law Rule
          a.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          b.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          c.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          d.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          	Damages or Relief Sought	Amount
          a.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          b.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          c.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          d.	_______________________________________	_______________________________________
          	Total:	_______________________________________

       4. 6. Reply:

          1. a. Jury waived: Yes __________ No __________ b.Objection to jurisdiction of court: Yes_________ No __________ Why: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ c. Are parties proper and correctly named or identified: Yes _____________No _____________Objections: _________________________________________________________________ d. Need for guardian ad litem: Yes ______________ No ______________ e. Are all city ordinances, relied on by all parties, pled in full: Yes __________ No __________ N/A __________ f. Are allegations of agency denied under oath: Yes _________ No _________ N/ A _________Or admitted by __________________________ g. Is discovery complete: Yes ___________ No __________Comment:_______________________________________ h. Any amendments to pleadings: Yes ____________ No ____________ Order of Court: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ i. Trial brief required by Court: Yes _____________ No _____________Due by: __________________________________________________ j.What legal issues are to be resolved:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ k. Any novel or unusual points of law involved:________________________________________________________ What are the points: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ When will they be presented: _________________________________Are briefs desirable: ________________________________________Time: ___________________________________________________ l. What fact issues remain to be resolved:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ m. Will a view of the scene be requested or advisable:Yes _____________ No ______________

          2. 8. Plaintiff's Exhibits:

             Number	Title	Objection	Authority Relied Upon
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________

          3. 9. Defendant's Exhibits:

             Number	Title	Objection	Authority Relied Upon
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________	____________________

          4. 10. Maps or diagrams:

             Plaintiff: ___________________________ Defendant: ___________________________

          5. 11. Requested Instructions:

             Numbers of OUJI-CIV: Subjects of Modified Requested Instructions: (a) _____________________________________________________________ (b) _____________________________________________________________ (c) _____________________________________________________________ (d) _____________________________________________________________ Time: _________________________________________________________________

          6. 12. Plaintiff's Witnesses:

             Name	Address	Proposed Testimony
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________

          7. 13. Defendant's Witnesses:

             Name	Address	Proposed Testimony
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________
             ____________________	____________________	____________________

          8. 14. Estimated Trial Time: _______________________________________________

          9. 15. Stipulations:

             a.Ordinances pled are correctly set forth and were in force at time and place of incident involved:
             Yes __________ No __________ N/A ___________ b.Life Expectancy: ___________________________
             Exhibits: (Failure to object to specific exhibits in this Order will result in a waiver of such objection.) c.Identification waived of:
             Pltfs. Exhibits Numbered: ______________________________________________________
             Defts. Exhibits Numbered: ______________________________________________________ d.Identification waived, medical bills: ______________________________________________
             ___________________________________________________________________________ e. Identification waived, repair bills: ______________________________________________
             ___________________________________________________________________________ f. Identification waived, photographs: ______________________________________________
             ___________________________________________________________________________ g. Other: ____________________________________________________________________
             ___________________________________________________________________________
             ___________________________________________________________________________

          10. 16. Settlement: Anticipated _______________ Possible _______________Not Possible __________________________________________________
          11. 17. Other Matters: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

          12. 18. TRIAL DATE SET: ______________________________________________ ________, m.,

              ______________________________, 19 _________

          13. 19. Dated this __________________________ day of __________________________________,

              19 _______.

              __________________________________________
              Trial Judge

              Approved:

              _____________________________________
              _____________________________________

              Attorney for Plaintiff

              _____________________________________
              _____________________________________

              Attorney for Defendant

              _____________________________________
              _____________________________________

              Attorney for

              _____________________________________
              _____________________________________

              Attorney for

          Filed: Yes________________ No_________________

          7.Miscellaneous:

    IN THE DISTRICT COURT, _____________ JUDICIAL

    DISTRICT, _______________ COUNTY

    STATE OF OKLAHOMA

    _______________________		)
    _______________________	Plaintiff,	)	No._________________
    v.		)
    _______________________		)
    _______________________	Defendant.	)

    SCHEDULING ORDER

    THIS ORDER is entered this ____________________ day of ________, 19_____.

    Counsel have discussed with the Court their respective need for adequate discovery time, complexity of legal issues to be addressed, and their caseload in arriving at this agreed Scheduling Order.

    IT IS ORDERED that the following must be completed within the time fixed:

    1.	Neither JOINDER OF ADDITIONAL PARTIES nor AMENDMENTTOTHE PLEADINGS may be filed:	After _____________________
    2.	DISCOVERY: Must be completed by	_____________________
    3.	ALL MOTIONS: Must be filed by	_____________________ or will not be considered
    4.	PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCE DATE & TIME:	_____________________
    5.	TRIAL DATE:	_____________________
    6.	ESTIMATED TIME OF TRIAL:	_____________________
    7.	REQUESTEDJURYIN STRUCTIONS: Must be filed by	_____________________
    8.	PROPOSED FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW: (Non-Jury) Must be filed by	_____________________
    9.	TRIAL BRIEF: Must be filed by	_____________________
    10.	ADDITIONALLY ORDERED: __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

    IT IS ORDERED that no date set by this Order can be changed except for good cause and upon written Order of this Court prior to the date scheduled.

    __________________________________________

    JUDGE

    We have presented to the Court our views of time requirements established by the Scheduling Order.

    ____________________________________________________

    Attorney for Plaintiff(s)

    ____________________________________________________

    Attorney for Defendant(s)

    IN THE DISTRICT COURT, ________________________ JUDICIAL

    DISTRICT, _________________________ COUNTY

    STATE OF OKLAHOMA

    STATE OF OKLAHOMA

    _______________________		)
    _______________________	Plaintiff,	)	No._________________
    v.		)
    _______________________		)
    _______________________	Defendant.	)

    PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCE ORDER

Adopted by order of Jan. 22, 1987, eff. Jan. 1, 1987. Superceded by 2000 OK 99, December 7, 2000. Document Available .