Rules for District Courts of Oklahoma · Last amended August 1, 2013 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSets the procedure for Oklahoma's summary-judgment and summary-disposition motions — the statements of undisputed material fact, evidentiary support, response deadlines, and the standard that judgment is proper where no substantial controversy exists over a material fact.
a.A party may move for either summary judgment or summary disposition of any issue on the merits on the ground that the evidentiary material filed with the motion or subsequently filed with leave of court show that there is no substantial controversy as to any material fact. The motion shall be accompanied by a concise written statement of the material facts as to which the movant contends no genuine issue exists and a statement of argument and authority demonstrating that summary judgment or summary disposition of any issues should be granted. Reference shall be made in the statement to the pages and paragraphs or lines of the evidentiary materials that are pertinent to the motion. Unless otherwise ordered by the court, a copy of the material relied on shall be attached to or filed with the statement.
The motion may be served at any time after the filing of the action, except that, if the action has been set for trial, the motion shall be served at least twenty (20) days before the trial date unless an applicable scheduling order establishes an earlier deadline. The motion shall be served on all parties and filed with the court clerk.
b.Any party opposing summary judgment or summary disposition of issues shall file with the court clerk within fifteen (15) days after service of the motion a concise written statement of the material facts as to which a genuine issue exists and the reasons for denying the motion; provided, however, that a responsive statement shall not be due from a party earlier than forty-five (45) days after service of the first summons by, or upon, that party. Unless otherwise ordered by the court, the adverse party shall attach to, or file with, the statement evidentiary material justifying the opposition to the motion, but may incorporate by reference material attached to or filed with the papers of another party. In the statement, the adverse party or parties shall set forth and number each specific material fact which is claimed to be in controversy and reference shall be made to the pages and paragraphs or lines of the evidentiary materials. All material facts set forth in the statement of the movant which are supported by acceptable evidentiary material shall be deemed admitted for the purpose of summary judgment or summary disposition unless specifically controverted by the statement of the adverse party which is supported by acceptable evidentiary material. If the motion for summary judgment or summary disposition is granted, the party or parties opposing the motion cannot on appeal rely on any fact or material that is not referred to or included in the statement in order to show that a substantial controversy exists.
c.The affidavits that are filed by either party shall be made on personal knowledge, shall show that the affiant is competent to testify as to the matters stated therein, and shall set forth matters that would be admissible in evidence at trial. The admissibility of other evidentiary material filed by either party shall be governed by the rules of evidence. If there is a dispute regarding the authenticity of a document or admissibility of any submitted evidentiary material, the court may rule on the admissibility of the challenged material before disposing of the motion for summary judgment or summary disposition. A party challenging the admissibility of any evidentiary material submitted by another party may raise the issue expressly by written objection or motion to strike such material. Evidentiary material that does not appear to be convertible to admissible evidence at trial shall be challenged by objection or motion to strike, or the objection shall be deemed waived for the purpose of the decision on the motion for summary judgment or summary disposition. If a trial of factual issues is required after proceedings on a motion for summary judgment or summary disposition, evidentiary rulings in the context of the summary procedure shall be treated as rulings in limine.
d.Should it appear from an affidavit of a party opposing the motion that for reasons stated the party cannot present evidentiary material sufficient to support the opposition, the court may deny the motion for summary judgment or summary disposition without prejudice or may order a continuance to permit affidavits to be obtained or depositions to be taken or discovery to be had or may make such other order as is just. A motion filed pursuant to this paragraph shall not be deemed a consent to the exercise by the court of jurisdiction over the party, or a waiver of the right to file a motion to dismiss the action.
e.If it appears to the court that there is no substantial controversy as to the material facts and that one of the parties is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, the court shall render judgment for said party.
If the court finds that there is no substantial controversy as to certain facts or issues, the court may enter an order specifying the facts or issues which are not in controversy and direct that the action proceed for a determination of the remaining fact or issues. An order denying either summary judgment or summary disposition is interlocutory and is not reviewable on appeal prior to final judgment.
f.The serving of a motion for either a summary judgment or summary disposition of issues before a responsive pleading is served where a responsive pleading is permitted does not preclude the opposing party from amending the pleading without leave of court. If a motion for either a summary judgment or summary disposition is served after the case is at issue, the hearing on the motion and the pretrial conference may, in the discretion of the court, be held at one time. A court may decide a motion for either a summary judgment or summary disposition without a hearing, and where this is done, the court shall notify the parties of its ruling in writing by mail or email.
g.The pleadings or the pretrial conference order may be amended either before or during the hearing on a motion for either summary judgment or summary disposition under this rule, and the court may continue the hearing to a subsequent time. After a court grants a judgment under this rule, neither the pleadings nor the pretrial conference order may be amended by the addition of allegations in regard to any fact which was known to the party and which could have been presented at the hearing on the motion, and a motion for a rehearing or for a new trial on the ground of newly discovered evidence must comply with the provisions of 12 O.S. § 655.
h.Judgments entered on motion for summary judgment or appealable summary disposition are subject to accelerated appellate review under Rule 1.36 of the Oklahoma Supreme Court Rules. The record on appeal will be limited to:
(1)the memorialized entry of judgment; in multi-party or multi- claim cases the judgment or dismissal order must either (1) dispose of all claims and all parties or (2) entirely dispose of at least one claim or one party and contain the express determination that there is no just reason for delay with the express direction by the trial judge that judgment be filed. See 12 O.S. § 994.
(2)pleadings proper as defined by 12 O.S. § 2007(A);
(3)applicable instruments on file, including the motion and response with supporting briefs and materials filed by the parties as prescribed by subsections (a) and (b);
(4)any other item on file which, according to some recitation in the trial court's written journal entry or in some other order, was considered in its decision;
(5)any other order dismissing the claim or determining the issues as to some but not all parties or claims;
(6)any transcripts of the hearing on the motion; and
(7)any motions, along with supporting and responsive briefs, for new trial (re-examination) of summary judgment or appealable summary disposition process.
Amendment History
Amended by order of June 29, 1993; Amended by 2002 OK 69, eff. 10/17/2002. Amended by order
of the Supreme Court, 2013 OK 68, eff. 8/1/2013.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 13 is Oklahoma's summary-judgment rule, and its own version of the federal 'no genuine dispute' standard: judgment is proper where the evidentiary material shows no substantial controversy exists as to any material fact. A party may move for summary judgment or summary disposition of a single issue at any time after the action is filed, though once the case is set for trial the motion must be served at least 20 days before that date unless a scheduling order sets an earlier deadline. The motion must include a concise statement of undisputed material facts, with pinpoint references to the supporting evidentiary material, which is normally attached. The opposing party then has 15 days after service to respond — though never sooner than 45 days after that party was first served with the summons — with its own statement identifying which facts remain in dispute and why. Any fact in the movant's statement that goes unaddressed is deemed admitted, and a party who loses the motion cannot rely on appeal on facts left out of the statements below.
Affidavits must be based on personal knowledge, come from a competent affiant, and set out matters admissible at trial; a challenge to any evidentiary material must come by objection or motion to strike, or it is waived. If the case still goes to trial, evidentiary rulings made during the summary-judgment process carry over as rulings in limine. Where the opposing party shows by affidavit that it cannot yet marshal the evidence needed to respond, Rule 13 lets the court deny the motion without prejudice, order a continuance for discovery or depositions, or enter another order that is just — a mechanism much like the affidavit-based continuance in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(d).
Granting partial summary disposition lets the case proceed on the remaining issues, while denying either summary judgment or summary disposition is interlocutory and cannot be appealed until final judgment. Pleadings or the pretrial order can be amended before or during the hearing, but not afterward to add facts the party already knew about and could have raised — a limit that connects to Rule 17's own treatment of new-trial motions based on newly discovered evidence. A judgment granting summary judgment or an appealable summary disposition gets accelerated appellate review under Oklahoma Supreme Court Rule 1.36, with the appellate record limited to specific items similar to those under Rule 4's dismissal-appeal provision.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's Oklahoma's version of a 'no genuine dispute' summary-judgment standard?
Rule 13 lets the court grant summary judgment or summary disposition of an issue where the evidentiary material shows no substantial controversy exists as to a material fact — the state-court counterpart to the federal 'no genuine dispute' standard.
How long do I have to respond to a motion for summary judgment?
Fifteen days after service of the motion, though Rule 13 says your response is not due earlier than 45 days after you were first served with the summons in the case.
What happens to facts in the movant's statement that I don't specifically dispute?
Rule 13 deems them admitted for purposes of the motion unless you controvert them with your own supported statement of material facts.
I need more discovery before I can respond to a summary judgment motion. What can I do?
File an affidavit explaining why, and under Rule 13 the court may deny the motion without prejudice, order a continuance for more discovery or depositions, or enter another order that is just — similar to the affidavit mechanism in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(d).
Can I appeal right away if the judge denies my summary judgment motion?
No. Rule 13 makes an order denying summary judgment or summary disposition interlocutory — it cannot be reviewed on appeal until after final judgment.
Source & verification. Rule text is reproduced verbatim from the
Rules for District Courts of Oklahoma, promulgated by the Supreme Court of Oklahoma
as an appendix to Chapter 2 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
Last verified August 3, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as:oklahoma summary judgment rulemsj oklahomarule 13 rules for district courtsno substantial controversy oklahoma summary judgment