In civil actions, special proceedings, and estates, documents filed in paper with the court must include a cover sheet that summarizes the critical elements of the document in a format that the Administrative Office of the Courts prescribes. The clerk of superior court may not reject the filing of a document that does not include a cover sheet. Instead, the clerk must file the document, notify the party of the omission, and grant the party no more than five days to file the cover sheet. Other than dismissing the case, the court should not act on the document before the cover sheet is filed.
N.C. R. Prac. Sup. & Dist. Ct. Civ. P. 5.1
Adopted effective 5/10/2021.
Comment
The North Carolina Judicial Branch will implement Odyssey , a statewide electronic-filing and case-management system, beginning in July 2021. The system will be made available across the state in phases over a five-year period.
Rule 5 of the General Rules of Practice defines filing in those counties with Odyssey. Rule 5.1 defines filing in those counties without Odyssey.
Subsection (b) of Rule 5.1 lists those contexts in which electronic filing exists in the counties without Odyssey.
As Odyssey is implemented, litigants should expect the General Rules of Practice, the North Carolina Business Court Rules, and the Supplemental Rules of Practice and Procedure for the North Carolina eFiling Pilot Project to undergo change.