Rule 2.080.Communication with Court
Current through August 1, 2026 · Last verified September 12, 2026
Full Text of Rule 2.080
Plain-English Summary
The principle here is old and short: nothing reaches the judge that the other side has not seen. When written communication is made to the court, copies must be mailed or delivered to all other parties at the same time, and the original must show that this was done. Simultaneity is the point. Sending your letter today and copying opposing counsel next week does not satisfy the rule.
Three carve-outs exist, and they are narrow. The requirement yields where a statute exempts the communication, and where UTCR 2.100 or UTCR 2.110 applies. Those two rules govern requests to segregate protected personal information, and under both of them you send the other parties the request only, never the information sheet or its attachments. Keeping the protected material from the other side is the whole design, so the copy rule bends to accommodate it.
Section (2) adds a housekeeping requirement that saves everyone time: all written communication to the court must refer to the title of the cause and the case number. A court handling thousands of files cannot route an unlabeled letter, and an unlabeled letter is a letter the judge may never see.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I write to the judge about my case?
You can write to the court, but not privately. Copies of the communication must go to all other parties at the same time, and the original has to show that the copies were mailed or delivered.
Include the title of the cause and the case number so the court can match the letter to the file.
What does showing the mailing on the original mean?
The document you send the court has to carry an indication that copies went to the other parties, and how. A short line at the end of the letter recording the mailing or delivery does the job.
Are there exceptions to copying the other parties?
Three. A statute may exempt the communication, and UTCR 2.100 and UTCR 2.110 each carry their own rules. Those two cover requests to segregate protected personal information, where sharing the material with the other side would defeat the request.
I am asking the court to segregate personal information. Do the other parties get a copy of that?
They get the request and nothing more. Under both UTCR 2.100 and UTCR 2.110 you mail or deliver a copy of the request only, not the information sheet or any attachment to it.
Does this rule apply to a self-represented party?
Yes. The rule speaks to written communication made to the court without limiting itself to lawyers, so a party writing on their own behalf copies the other parties and identifies the case in the same way.