Beginning next week, the Missouri judiciary will continue rolling out a new feature designed to give attorneys and the public faster access to new civil cases. This new “Auto Create Case” feature is scheduled to be implemented Friday, April 18 in the first 10 judicial circuits, across the northern half of the state.
For years, Missouri’s e-filing system has allowed attorneys to file cases at nearly any time, night or day. Previously, those cases would stay in a queue until local court staff could manually create new cases and accept the filings during regular business hours. But by automating the process of electronically accepting new petitions filed in 28 designated civil case types, the Auto Create Case feature eliminates both the clerk queue and the wait.
With Auto Create Case, the system automatically creates a new case, accepts the petition, assigns a case number and allows the attorney to continue filing additional documents in the case or begin other time-sensitive work. It also makes the new case available automatically for the public to view.
The feature was in planning and development for more than a year. Its pilot started in October in St. Louis County and moved to eight additional counties in late November.
Beginning April 18, the new feature will be available in:
1st Judicial Circuit (Clark, Schuyler and Scotland counties)
2nd Judicial Circuit (Adair, Knox and Lewis counties)
3rd Judicial Circuit (Grundy, Harrison, Mercer and Putnam counties)
4th Judicial Circuit (Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway and Worth counties)
5th Judicial Circuit (Andrew and Buchanan counties)
6th Judicial Circuit (Platte County)
7th Judicial Circuit (Clay County)
8th Judicial Circuit (Carroll and Ray counties)
9th Judicial Circuit (Linn and Sullivan counties; Chariton County began piloting the feature in November 2024)
10th Judicial Circuit (Marion, Monroe and Ralls counties)
The judiciary plans to make the Auto Create Case feature available throughout the rest of the state over the next several months.
Feedback from the pilot courts is that attorneys should carefully review their filings before submitting them. While attorneys have appreciated the speed at which their new cases have appeared, some have misfiled cases in the wrong division or forgotten to attach their petition, resulting in increased dismissals.
Of particular note for attorneys:
Nothing new is required. Continue using the eFiling System to file new cases.Once you click to “submit” the new filing, it will be accepted as filed automatically.Please note: this means you cannot recall your filing and cannot ask local court clerk staff to “hold” a filing. Do not “submit” without being sure you are filing what you need to file – and in the correct division.Auto Create Case will apply only to initial filings in designated civil case types. It will not apply to subsequent filings.
Original source can be found here.