WEST VIRGINIA CIRCUIT CLERK PROCEDURAL MANUAL © West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Building 1 ● Room E-100 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East Charleston, West Virginia 25305 Phone 304.558.0145 ● Fax 304.558.1212 May 2016 Edition SUMMARY TABLE OF CONTENTS PURPOSE OF THE MANUAL LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW OF WEST VIRGINIA COURT SYSTEM CHAPTER 2 CASE NUMBER ASSIGNMENT CHAPTER 3 GENERAL RECORDKEEPING CHAPTER 4 ACCESS TO COURT RECORDS CHAPTER 5 FEES AND COSTS CHAPTER 6 FINANCIAL REPORTS AND ACCOUNTS CHAPTER 7 STATISTICAL REPORTING CHAPTER 8 BONDS CHAPTER 9 JUROR MANAGEMENT AND PAYMENT CHAPTER 10 WITNESSES, ACCOMMODATIONS AND INTERPRETERS CHAPTER 11 SPECIAL PROCEDURES AND PROCEEDINGS CHAPTER 12 FAMILY COURT PROCEEDINGS CHAPTER 13 MENTAL HEALTH CASES CHAPTER 14 GUARDIANSHIP OF MINORS, MINOR SETTLEMENT PROCEEDINGS, AND GUARDIANSHIPS OR CONSERVATORSHIPS OF PROTECTED PERSONS CHAPTER 15 APPEALS APPENDIX A APPENDIX B APPENDIX C APPENDIX D ii TABLE OF CONTENTS PURPOSE OF THE MANUAL .............................................................. xxiii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................. xxiv CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW OF WEST VIRGINIA COURT SYSTEM 1.1 COURT STRUCTURE ................................................................. 1-2 1.1.1 Appellate Courts ............................................................. 1-2 1.1.2 Trial Courts ..................................................................... 1-2 1.2 JUDICIARY .................................................................................. 1-4 1.2.1 Qualifications, Selection and Term ................................. 1-4 1.2.2 Quasi-Judicial Officers .................................................... 1-4 1.3 ADMINISTRATION AND PROCEDURE ...................................... 1-5 1.3.1 State Judicial Administration ........................................... 1-5 1.3.2 Local Court Administration .............................................. 1-5 1.4 THE OFFICE OF THE CIRCUIT CLERK: DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................................ 1-6 CHAPTER 2 CASE NUMBER ASSIGNMENT 2.1 GENERAL PROVISIONS ............................................................. 2-1 2.2 CRIMINAL CASE NUMBERING - ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS .. 2-7 2.3 JUVENILE CASE NUMBERING - ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS .. 2-8 2.3.1 Delinquency and Status Offense Cases ............................ 2-8 2.3.2 Child Abuse and Neglect Cases ........................................ 2-9 2.3.3 Pre-Petition Proceedings Relating to Child Abuse and Neglect ..................................................................... 2-10 2.4 CASE NUMBERING - ADDITIONAL CATEGORIES ................. 2-11 2.4.1 Domestic Violence Cases ................................................ 2-11 2.4.2 Mental Hygiene Cases .................................................... 2-12 2.4.3 Transport Requests for the Voluntary Hospitalization of Minors .......................................................................... 2-12 2.4.4 Modification Petitions in Family Court Cases .................. 2-12 2.4.5 Treatment Court Cases ................................................... 2-13 2.4.6 Personal Safety Order Appeals ....................................... 2-14 CHAPTER 3 GENERAL RECORDKEEPING 3.1 FILING OF DOCUMENTS ............................................................ 3-4 3.1.1 Case Initiation for Civil and Family Court Cases ............... 3-5 3.1.2 Service ............................................................................ 3-6 iii 3.1.3 Checklist for Case Initiation in Civil and Family Court Cases ................................................................................ 3-9 3.1.4 Case Initiation and Service in Criminal Cases .............. 3-10 3.1.5 Case initiation in Juvenile Cases .................................. 3-11 3.1.6 Subsequently Filed Documents in all Cases ................. 3-11 3.1.7 Removal of Filed Documents ........................................ 3-12 3.2 FILING OF DISCOVERY ............................................................ 3-12 3.2.1 Civil Cases ....................................................................... 3-12 3.2.2 Criminal Cases ................................................................ 3-12 3.3 DATE STAMPING ...................................................................... 3-13 3.4 CASE FILES ............................................................................... 3-13 3.4.1 File Folders ...................................................................... 3-13 3.4.2 Maintenance of Case Files .............................................. 3-14 3.4.3 File Control .................................................................... 3-15 3.5 CASE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE ......................................... 3-16 3.6 DOCKETS .................................................................................. 3-16 3.7 INDEXES .................................................................................... 3-17 3.8 ORDERS .................................................................................... 3-18 3.8.1 Order Books .................................................................. 3-18 3.8.2 Format of Orders ........................................................... 3-19 3.8.3 Procedure for Entering an Order ................................... 3-20 3.9 FILING AND SERVICE BY FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION ........ 3-21 3.9.1 Applicable Rules ........................................................... 3-21 3.9.2 Maintenance of Facsimile Machine ............................... 3-21 3.9.3 Requirements for Filing by Facsimile ............................ 3-21 3.9.4 Facsimile Filing Prohibited for Certain Types of Documents .................................................................... 3-22 3.9.5 Receipt of Documents ................................................... 3-22 3.9.6 Transmission Errors ...................................................... 3-22 3.9.7 Payment of Fees ........................................................... 3-23 3.9.8 Fee for Transmission by the Clerk ................................ 3-23 3.9.9 Service by Facsimile ..................................................... 3-24 3.9.10 Commitment to or Release from Custody ..................... 3-24 3.10 CLOSED CASES ....................................................................... 3-25 3.11 SPECIAL PROCEDURES FOR RECORDKEEPING AND DISPOSITION OF A CASE ........................................................ 3-26 iv 3.11.1 Divorces and Annulments ............................................. 3-26 3.11.2 Certificate of Name Change in Divorce ......................... 3-26 3.11.3 Paternity ........................................................................ 3-26 3.11.4 Modification of Child Support Obligations ..................... 3-27 3.11.5 Adoption ........................................................................ 3-27 3.11.6 Juvenile Case Files: Marking Juvenile Records Confidential ................................................................... 3-27 3.11.7 Suspension of Juvenile Driver's Licenses ..................... 3-28 3.11.8 Magistrate Court Appeals ............................................. 3-28 3.11.9 Motor Vehicle Violations ............................................... 3-28 3.11.10 DUI Convictions ............................................................ 3-29 3.11.11 Criminal Convictions -- Criminal Identification Bureau .......................................................................... 3-29 3.11.12 Criminal Convictions -- WV Division of Corrections ...... 3-29 3.11.13 Criminal Convictions -- Regional Jail ............................ 3-30 3.11.14 Probation Violations ...................................................... 3-30 3.11.15 Drug Court Sanctions: Incarceration ............................ 3-30 3.11.16 HIV Test Results - Custodial Agencies ......................... 3-31 3.11.17 Pretrial Risk Assessments ............................................ 3-32 3.11.18 Notice of Appointment of Guardianship or Conservatorship ............................................................ 3-32 3.11.19 Suits Adjudicating Title to Real Property ....................... 3-33 3.11.20 Report of FOIA Requests to Secretary of State ............ 3-33 3.12 SEX OFENDER REGISTRY, CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT REGISTRY AND MENTAL HEALTH REGISTRY ...................... 3-34 3.12.1 Sex Offender Registration ............................................. 3-34 3.12.2 Child Abuse and Neglect Registration .......................... 3-35 3.12.3 Mental Health Registration ............................................ 3-35 3.12.4 Removal From Mental Health Registration ................... 3-39 3.13 ISSUANCE OF PROCESS ........................................................ 3-39 3.13.1 Subpoenas .................................................................... 3-39 3.13.2 Miscellaneous Process ................................................. 3-41 3.14 COPIES ...................................................................................... 3-42 3.14.1 Regular Copies ............................................................. 3-42 3.14.2 Certified Copies ............................................................ 3-42 3.14.3 Attested Copies ............................................................. 3-42 3.14.4 Responses to FOIA Requests ...................................... 3-42 3.14.5 Authenticated Records .................................................. 3-43