Indiana Commercial Courts Handbook
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
INDIANA COMMERCIAL COURTS HANDBOOK Modified July 20, 2020 Table of Contents BACKGROUND OF THE INDIANA COMMERCIAL COURTS .....................4 1. HANDBOOK DEVELOPMENT............................................................................................................ 5 2. HISTORY OF THE INDIANA COMMERCIAL COURT ................................................................................. 6 3. ORDER ESTABLISHING THE INDIANA COMMERCIAL COURT PILOT PROJECT ............................................. 10 4. ORDER ESTABLISHING THE INDIANA COMMERCIAL COURT .................................................................. 12 5. COMMERCIAL COURT RULES ........................................................................................................ 14 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................. 30 § 1.1 JUDGE’S ROLE ....................................................................................................................... 31 § 1.2 COUNSEL’S ROLE ................................................................................................................... 34 § 1.3 APPOINTING A COMMERCIAL COURT MASTER ............................................................................. 36 § 1.4 USING COURT-APPOINTED EXPERTS .......................................................................................... 37 § 1.5 RELATED LITIGATION ............................................................................................................... 38 CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCES................................................. 41 § 2.1 SCHEDULING INITIAL CONFERENCE............................................................................................. 42 § 2.2 ATTENDANCE AT CONFERENCE .................................................................................................. 44 § 2.3 MATTERS TO COVER AT CONFERENCE ........................................................................................ 45 § 2.4 CASE MANAGEMENT ORDER .................................................................................................... 49 § 2.5 HOLDING SUBSEQUENT CONFERENCES ....................................................................................... 50 § 2.6 REFUSAL NOTICE .................................................................................................................... 51 DISCOVERY ...................................................................................... 52 § 3.1 ESTABLISHING SCHEDULE FOR DISCOVERY ................................................................................... 53 § 3.2 DESIGNATING DISCOVERY PROCEDURES ..................................................................................... 55 § 3.3 MANAGING DISCOVERY OF ELECTRONICALLY STORED INFORMATION ................................................ 60 § 3.4 PLACING LIMITATIONS ON DISCOVERY ........................................................................................ 69 § 3.5 RESOLVING DISCOVERY DISPUTES .............................................................................................. 71 § 3.6 ISSUING PROTECTIVE ORDERS ................................................................................................... 72 § 3.7 ISSUING SEALING ORDERS ........................................................................................................ 73 § 3.8 DISCLOSURE AND DISCOVERY OF EXPERT OPINIONS ...................................................................... 74 TRIAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE/ PREPARATION FOR TRIAL ........ 77 § 4.1 MATTERS TO COVER AT CONFERENCE OR CONFERENCES ................................................................ 78 § 4.2 MOTIONS IN LIMINE ............................................................................................................... 82 § 4.3 IND. RULE OF EVID. 702 MOTIONS (DAUBERT OR FRYE MOTIONS) ................................................. 83 2 Table of Contents Commercial Courts Handbook § 4.4 FINAL PRETRIAL HEARING AND FINAL PRETRIAL HEARING ORDER FOR (BENCH/JURY) TRIAL ................. 85 TRIAL ............................................................................................... 86 § 5.1 ADDRESSING ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS .................................................................................... 87 § 5.2 CONDUCT OF TRIAL ................................................................................................................ 88 § 5.3 PRESENTATION OF EVIDENCE .................................................................................................... 89 § 5.4 MANAGEMENT OF JURY TRIAL .................................................................................................. 90 § 5.5 MANAGEMENT OF NONJURY TRIAL ........................................................................................... 96 § 5.6 AWARDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES .................................................................................................. 97 CLASS ACTIONS ................................................................................ 98 § 6.1 PRECERTIFICATION CASE MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................... 99 § 6.2 DETERMINING MOTION FOR CERTIFICATION OF ACTION AS CLASS ACTION ...................................... 102 § 6.3 DETERMINING NOTICE TO BE GIVEN TO CLASS MEMBERS ............................................................ 103 § 6.4 REVIEWING PROPOSED SETTLEMENT ........................................................................................ 106 § 6.5 AWARDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES ................................................................................................ 109 APPENDICES ................................................................................... 111 APPENDIX A - RESOURCE GUIDE FOR MANAGING COMPLEX LITIGATION COVER PAGES .............................. 112 APPENDIX B - COMMERCIAL COURT IDENTIFYING NOTICE..................................................................... 116 APPENDIX C - NOTICE OF CONSENT TO COMMERCIAL COURT DOCKET .................................................... 117 APPENDIX D - STIPULATED NOTICE IDENTIFYING COMMERCIAL COURT DOCKET CASE ................................ 118 APPENDIX E -STIPULATED NOTICE IDENTIFYING COMMERCIAL COURT DOCKET CASE (MULTIPLE PARTIES) ..... 119 APPENDIX F - COMMERCIAL COURT REFUSAL NOTICE .......................................................................... 120 APPENDIX G - COURT ORDER APPOINTING A COMMERCIAL COURT MASTER ............................................ 121 APPENDIX H - COURT ORDER APPOINTING A COMMERCIAL COURT DISCOVERY MASTER ............................ 125 APPENDIX I - ORDER FOR INITIAL CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE ...................................................... 127 APPENDIX J - INITIAL CASE MANAGEMENT PROPOSED ORDER ............................................................... 130 APPENDIX K - STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER .................................................................................. 137 APPENDIX L - ORDER SETTING AND GOVERNING BENCH TRIAL .............................................................. 150 APPENDIX M - ORDER SETTING AND GOVERNING JURY TRIAL ............................................................... 154 APPENDIX N - FINAL PRE-TRIAL HEARING ORDER FOR BENCH TRIAL ....................................................... 158 APPENDIX O - FINAL PRE-TRIAL HEARING ORDER FOR JURY TRIAL ......................................................... 161 APPENDIX P - ESI SUPPLEMENT TO THE PROPOSED INITIAL CASE MANAGEMENT ORDER ............................ 167 APPENDIX Q – SUMMARY OF THE ACADEMY OF COURT APPOINTED MASTERS BENCHBOOK ........................ 171 3 Table of Contents Commercial Courts Handbook Background of the Indiana Commercial Courts 4 Background Commercial Courts Handbook 1. Handbook Development With the consent of the National Judicial College, the Indiana Commercial Courts Working Group developed the Indiana Commercial Courts Handbook (“the Handbook”), based in large part on the National Judicial College’s Resource Guide on Complex Litigation (the “Resource Guide”). The Resource Guide was created to assist state trial judges who are assigned Commercial Court civil cases. The Resource Guide is based upon the Federal Judicial Center’s Manual for Complex Litigation, Fourth. See Appendix A on page 112 for the cover page, copyright, and acknowledgments of the Manual for Complex Litigation. The Handbook has six chapters: (1) General Considerations; (2) Case Management Conferences; (3) Discovery; (4) Trial Management Conference/Preparation for Trial; (5) Trial; (6) Class Actions; and the Appendices, starting on page 111. In Chapter One, the Handbook addresses general considerations such as the judge’s role, counsel’s role, appointing Commercial Court Masters, using court-appointed experts, and the Handbook examines related litigation. Chapter Two assists judges with the processes for scheduling initial conferences; identifies matters to address at those conferences, and provides a checklist of items to cover in the case management order; provides suggestions for later conferences, and how judges must handle refusal notices. Managing discovery in Commercial Court litigation can be challenging; thus, Chapter Three is devoted to the subject. Chapter Three provides ideas for establishing discovery schedules; designating discovery procedures; managing electronic discovery; placing limits on discovery; resolving disputes;