Rule 13.220.Filing of an Award

Filing is the step that turns a private decision into a court record. In all cases, the arbitrator files the award with the trial court administrator, together with proof of service of a copy on each party, within 42 days after the conclusion of the arbitration hearing. The rest of the chapter runs off that filing, because both the judgment on an unchallenged award and the deadline for requesting a trial de novo are measured from it.

Extensions are possible and are handled outside the usual motion practice. The arbitrator may request more time by presenting a written ex parte request to the trial court administrator, who may grant or deny it, subject to review by the presiding judge. The arbitrator must give the parties notice of any extension granted, so an award that arrives late should come with an explanation.

Corrections are narrow. The arbitrator may file an amended award with the trial court administrator and serve it on the parties to correct an obvious error in stating the award, if it is done within the time for filing an award or upon application to the court to amend. This fixes how the award was written down, not how the arbitrator decided.

Exhibits go home. After the award is filed, the arbitrator returns all documents and exhibits to the parties who originally offered them, and delivers all other documents and materials relating to the case to the trial court administrator. The parties must keep the returned exhibits until a final judgment is entered in the case, so do not clear the file when the award arrives.