Rule 51.09.Clerk to Transmit File After Change of Venue.

Rule 51.09 makes the transfer ordered under Rules 51.02 through 51.045 happen at the clerk’s desk. Once a judge signs an order changing venue, the clerk of the sending court must get the case record to the clerk of the receiving court so the new court can pick up where the old one left off.

The rule’s text changed effective January 1, 2024, to reflect Missouri courts’ shift to electronic records. Before that date, the clerk’s duty ran to physical papers: transmitting the original documents and a certified transcript of docket entries, or preparing and sending a certified transcript along with original papers not otherwise part of the record. From that date forward, the rule instead directs the clerk to transmit the electronic court file to the receiving clerk, matching how Missouri courts now maintain case records.

Either way, the underlying purpose stays the same: make sure the receiving court has everything it needs to treat the case as its own, which Rule 51.10 confirms once the file arrives.