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S.D.N.Y. · Judge Moses · Practice Guide

Hon. Barbara Moses

All local rules for S.D.N.Y., integrated with this judge's published requirements.

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Before You File
Ex parte applications
🏛 S.D.N.Y. local rule

(d) No ex parte order, or order to show cause to bring on a motion, will be granted, except upon a clear and specific showing by affidavit that contains good and sufficient reasons why a procedure other than by notice of motion is necessary and states whether a previous application for similar relief has been made. Local Civil Rule 6.1(d) ↗

Contacting chambers
👤 Judge Moses — standing order

§ 1(a) Motions and Letters. Except as otherwise provided below, communications with the Court (other than during conferences, hearings, or trials) should be by motion or letter, filed on ECF. Except for confidential settlement letters, discussed in § 1(e) below, or as specifically directed by chambers in advance, the Court will not accept letters or motions from counseled parties by email, fax, telephone, or hard copy mailed or delivered directly to chambers. § 1(g) Hand Delivery. Permitted hand deliveries may be left with a Court Security Officer at the Worth Street entrance of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse. If the matter requires the Court's immediate attention, ask the Court Security Officer to notify chambers that an urgent delivery has arrived. § 1(h) Letters or Emails between Parties. Copies of correspondence between the parties or their counsel should not be copied to chambers, or filed on ECF, except as exhibits to otherwise properly-filed documents. § 1(i) Telephone Calls. For scheduling and calendar matters, counsel may call chambers at 212-805-0228. Otherwise, telephone calls are permitted only for urgent matters requiring immediate attention or to obtain permission to submit a document other than via ECF.

Drafting the Motion
Length limits — motion, opposition, reply
🏛 S.D.N.Y. local rule
Motion

(c) Length of Memoranda of Law. If filed by an attorney or prepared with a computer, briefs in support of and in response to a motion (except for motions for reconsideration) may not exceed 8,750 words, and reply briefs may not exceed 3,500 words. Local Civil Rule 7.1(c) ↗

Opposition

(c) Length of Memoranda of Law. If filed by an attorney or prepared with a computer, briefs in support of and in response to a motion (except for motions for reconsideration) may not exceed 8,750 words, and reply briefs may not exceed 3,500 words. Local Civil Rule 7.1(c) ↗

Reply

(c) Length of Memoranda of Law. If filed by an attorney or prepared with a computer, briefs in support of and in response to a motion (except for motions for reconsideration) may not exceed 8,750 words, and reply briefs may not exceed 3,500 words. Local Civil Rule 7.1(c) ↗

Filing & Scheduling
Briefing schedule & hearing date
🏛 S.D.N.Y. local rule
Notice period

Except for letter-motions as permitted by Local Civil Rule 7.1(d), and unless provided otherwise by statute or rule, or by the court in a judge’s individual practices or in a direction in a particular case, motion papers must be served and filed as follows: (a) On all motions and applications under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 through 37 and 45(d)(3), (1) all motion papers must be served by the moving party on all other parties that have appeared in the action, (2) any opposing or response papers must be served within seven days after service of the moving papers, and (3) any reply papers must be served within two days after service of the answering papers. In computing periods of days, refer to Fed. R. Civ. P. 6. (b) On all civil motions, petitions, and applications, other than those described in Rule 6.1(a), and other than petitions for writs of habeas corpus, (1) the moving papers must be served by the moving party on all other parties that have appeared in the action, (2) any opposing or response papers must be served within 14 days after service of the moving papers, and (3) any reply papers must be served within seven days after service of the answering papers. Local Civil Rule 6.1 (introductory clause) and 6.1(a)-(b) ↗

Hearing days

Silent on fixed motion hearing days. Local Civil Rules 6.1, 7.1 (silent) ↗

Proposed orders
🏛 S.D.N.Y. local rule

Local Civil Rule 77.1. Submission of Orders, Judgments and Decrees Proposed orders, judgments, and decrees must be presented as directed by the ECF rules published on the website of each respective court. Local Civil Rule 77.1 ↗

Filing under seal
👤 Judge Moses — standing order

§ 3. Sealing Motions. § 3(a) File the Letter-Motion Electronically. Filing under seal requires permission of the Court, which may be sought via letter-motion. The letter-motion requesting approval of sealed or redacted filings and the document(s) as to which sealing is requested must be filed electronically on ECF in compliance with standing order No. 19-mc-00583 and § 6 of the SDNY ECF Rules & Instructions. § 3(b) File the Letter-Motion in Public View. The letter-motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal, and should not include any of the confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal. § 3(c) File the Document as to which Sealing is Required under Seal. The document(s) as to which sealing is requested must be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF and electronically related to the letter-motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and therefore should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. § 3(d) Redacted Documents. If the letter-motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is otherwise to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document in the proposed redacted form, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document, with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion. § 3(e) Lugosch Standard. To be approved, any sealing or redaction of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve the purpose that requires the sealing or redaction and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents described in Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110, 119-20 (2d Cir. 2006). The parties are cautioned that the designation of documents as "confidential" for discovery purposes does not, without more, justify a sealing or redaction order. If a sealing or redaction request is based on another party's designation of documents or information as "confidential," or if any party opposes the sealing or redaction request, that other party shall respond to the requesting party's letter-motion via ECF on the schedule set forth above in § 2(e). § 3(f) Meet and Confer. The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request. When a party seeks leave to file sealed or redacted materials on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, that party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three court days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the materials. § 3(g) No Leave Required to Comply with Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no leave is required to redact all but the last four digits of an individual's social-security number or taxpayer-identification number, the day and month of an individual's birth, the name of an individual known to be a minor, or all but the last four digits of a financial-account number, consistent with Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2.

The Hearing
Oral argument
🏛 S.D.N.Y. local rule

Silent on oral argument default. Local Civil Rules 6.1, 7.1 (silent) ↗

Discovery
Discovery dispute procedure
👤 Judge Moses — standing order

§ 2(b) Discovery Motions. No discovery dispute will be heard unless the moving party (including a non-party seeking relief from a subpoena) has first conferred in good faith and in "real time" (e.g., in person or by telephone) with the adverse party or parties, in an attempt to resolve the dispute. An exchange of letters or email alone does not satisfy this requirement. Counsel must respond promptly and in good faith to a request from another party to meet and confer in accordance with this paragraph. If the parties have met and conferred but cannot resolve their dispute, the moving party must request a discovery conference with the Court, by letter-motion, as required by Local Civ. R. 37.2. The letter-motion must succinctly set forth the basis of the dispute and the relief sought, certify that the required good faith conference took place, and state: (1) the date, time, and duration of the parties' conference; (2) the names of the counsel who participated; and (3) the position of any relevant adverse party as to each contested issue. None of these requirements may be satisfied by attaching copies of correspondence between counsel. In addition, the letter-motion must set forth verbatim each discovery request and response in contention in accordance with Local Civ. R. 37.1 and 5.1. This requirement may be satisfied by attaching the relevant request(s) and response(s) to the letter-motion. Please do not submit an entire set of discovery requests and responses if only a few are in dispute.

More from Judge Moses’s procedures
👤 Judge Moses — standing order
Adjournment extension procedure

§ 2(a) Requests for Adjournments or Extensions. Requests to adjourn a court conference or other court proceeding or to extend a deadline must be made by letter-motion, after consultation with all affected parties, and must state: (1) the original date of the conference or proceeding; (2) the number of previous requests for adjournment or extension; (3) whether those requests were granted or denied; (4) the reason for the present request; (5) whether all affected parties consent; and (6) if not, the reasons given for refusing. If the requested adjournment or extension affects any other scheduled dates, a proposed Revised Scheduling Order must be attached. Requests for extension of a deadline must be made in advance of the deadline to be extended. Absent unforeseeable emergencies, requests for adjournment of a court conference or other proceeding must be made at least four days in advance of the proceeding to be adjourned, and must include at least two proposed dates, on which all counsel are available, for the adjourned proceeding. Source ↗

Courtesy copies details

§ 1(d) Word Limits; Courtesy Copies; Service. Absent advance permission from the Court, letters and letter-motions may not exceed 2000 words (approximately four pages) in length, exclusive of attachments, which should be kept to a minimum. Please do not try to cheat the word limit by splitting a request into two separate 2000-word letters. If a letter or letter-motion includes more than one attachment or exhibit, a paper courtesy copy of the entire submission, marked as such, must be promptly delivered to chambers by mail, overnight courier, or hand delivery. The courtesy copy should bear the ECF header generated at the time of electronic filing and include tabs for the attachments. In pro se cases, letters and letter-motions filed via ECF by represented parties must also be served on the pro se parties (unless they have consented to electronic service via ECF). Counsel must indicate the mode of service in the letter to the Court and must also file a proof of service. § 2(g) Courtesy Copies. Paper courtesy copies of all formal motion papers, marked as such, must be delivered by hand, mail, or courier promptly after filing. Courtesy copies should bear the ECF header generated at the time of electronic filing and include protruding tabs for any exhibits. Bulky materials should be neatly bound or placed in 3-ring binders with appropriate dividers. Source ↗

Initial conference procedure

§ 6. Conferences and Hearings. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, all conferences, hearings, and other proceedings in civil cases will be held in Courtroom 20A of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, New York, New York 10007. § 6(a) Teleconferencing. If the Court instead schedules a proceeding via teleconference, using its dedicated WEBEX teleconference line, the parties must dial (855) 244-8681 and enter the access code 23141814376# a few minutes before the time scheduled for the proceeding. § 6(b) Video Conferencing. If the Court instead schedules a proceeding via videoconference, the Court will provide the videoconferencing link to counsel, via email, in advance of the conference, and will also provide an audio-only dial-in line, which may be used by the public and will be published on ECF. For video settlement conferences, no public dial-in information will be provided. § 6(c) Junior Lawyers. Normally, the Court applies the "one lawyer per party" rule for conferences, hearings, and motion arguments. However, the Court is willing to vary that rule in order to create opportunities for less experienced lawyers to argue or otherwise participate in courtroom proceedings as to matters they have helped prepare, and firms are encouraged to provide such opportunities for the junior members of their teams. Lead counsel should advise the Court at the outset of a proceeding of any request to permit a second lawyer to handle a portion of that proceeding. Source ↗

Pre settlement requirements

§ 4(c) Pre-Conference Responsibilities. If and when a settlement conference is scheduled, a separate order will issue concerning the conduct of the conference and the parties' pre-conference responsibilities. § 1(e) Ex Parte Settlement Letters. Ex parte letters required by the Court in advance of a settlement conference should be emailed to the chambers email address, which will be provided in the settlement conference scheduling order. Source ↗

Settlement attendance requirements

§ 4(b) Attendance. Settlement conferences are normally held in Courtroom 20A. Unless excused in advance, each party must attend the conference in person, accompanied by that party's lead trial attorney. If a party is a corporation, union, government entity, or other non-natural person, it must send a decision-maker with knowledge of the case, responsibility for determining the amount of any ultimate settlement, and authority to enter into such a settlement. Source ↗

Settlement conference procedure

§ 4. Settlement Conferences. § 4(a) Scheduling. Parties may request a settlement conference before Judge Moses. Settlement conferences are normally held Monday through Thursday, beginning at 2:15 p.m. § 4(b) Attendance. Settlement conferences are normally held in Courtroom 20A. Unless excused in advance, each party must attend the conference in person, accompanied by that party's lead trial attorney. If a party is a corporation, union, government entity, or other non-natural person, it must send a decision-maker with knowledge of the case, responsibility for determining the amount of any ultimate settlement, and authority to enter into such a settlement. § 4(c) Pre-Conference Responsibilities. If and when a settlement conference is scheduled, a separate order will issue concerning the conduct of the conference and the parties' pre-conference responsibilities. Source ↗

Know Before You Go
👤 Judge Moses — deviations that burn people
  • 1. Email meet-and-confer is not good enough. Moses requires that counsel confer in 'real time' (in person or by telephone) before bringing any discovery dispute. An exchange of letters or email alone does not satisfy the requirement, even if extensive. File the discovery conference letter-motion only after a phone or in-person meet-and-confer.
  • 2. The discovery letter-motion has five mandatory contents. The letter-motion requesting a discovery conference must: (a) certify that the real-time conference took place; (b) state the date, time, and duration of the conference; (c) name each counsel who participated; (d) state the adverse party's position on each contested issue; and (e) set forth verbatim each discovery request and response in dispute (or attach the specific requests and responses). Attaching correspondence between counsel satisfies none of these requirements.
  • 3. Do not submit the full RFP/interrogatory set if only a few items are in dispute. Moses's practices expressly warn against this. Submit only the specific requests and responses in contention.
  • 4. 'Confidential' designations alone do not justify sealing. Moses applies the Lugosch standard strictly: sealing or redaction must be narrowly tailored. A protective order confidentiality designation is insufficient, without more, to obtain a sealing or redaction order. Expect to brief the Lugosch factors.
  • 5. Meet-and-confer before filing any sealing motion. The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials must first confer with opposing parties or the third party whose confidential information is at issue to narrow the scope of the request. When filing on the ground that another party requested sealing, that other party then has three court days to file a letter explaining the need.
  • 6. Corporate clients must send a decision-maker to settlement conferences, not just coverage counsel. The required attendee must have knowledge of the case, responsibility for determining the settlement amount, and actual authority to enter a settlement. 'Authority to recommend' is not enough. Secure advance excusal or send the right person.
  • 7. Adjournment requests must include two alternate dates and are due at least four days in advance. Last-minute adjournment requests (absent unforeseeable emergencies) will not be entertained. The letter-motion must also state the number of prior requests, whether they were granted, and whether all parties consent. If the adjournment affects other scheduled dates, attach a proposed Revised Scheduling Order.
  • 8. The six-item adjournment checklist cannot be shortened. Requests to adjourn or extend that omit any of the six required elements (§ 2(a)) risk denial. Treat this as a mandatory-field form: original date, prior-request count, grant/deny history, reason, consent status, and reasons for any non-consent.
content assembled from published local rules & standing orders · click any section in the rail for the full treatment
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