Judge Darrin P. Gayles — United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
District Judge
Practice notes for litigators appearing before Judge Gayles in the S.D. Fla.. Sourced from the judge's individual rules, standing orders, and chambers procedures published by the court.
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Civil Procedures
Proposed Orders
Proposed orders are submitted in Microsoft Word format to gayles@flsd.uscourts.gov.
Formatting
Double-spaced Times New Roman 12-point typeface is required for all motions, responses, and replies.
Joint Motions
Multiple plaintiffs or multiple defendants must file joint motions with co-parties absent clear conflicts.
Hearings
In-person appearance is required for all substantive motions.
Telephone appearance is permitted only with prior Court permission and only for counsel residing outside Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. This applies to status conferences and calendar calls — not substantive motions, which must be in person regardless of location.
Calendar Call
Calendar call is typically held on the Wednesday before the two-week trial period at 9:30 a.m.
Pretrial Conference
The court expressly states that it will not set a pretrial conference.
Discovery
All discovery is referred to the paired magistrate. Judge Gayles's page references "Judge Goodman Discovery Procedures." Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman is not on the current FL-SD magistrate roster. The reference is stale; verify the actual paired magistrate from the case scheduling order.
Compliance Traps
- Out-of-county telephone appearance for status conferences and calendar calls requires prior permission — it is not automatic.
- Substantive motions always require in-person appearance, regardless of counsel's location.
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