Rule 23.030.Removal of Cases from the Oclc
Current through August 1, 2026 · Last verified September 12, 2026
Full Text of Rule 23.030
Plain-English Summary
Removal starts with the OCLC judge. When that judge finds good cause to take a case out of the OCLC, the judge confers with the managing panel. If the panel agrees, the panel then discusses the removal and the return of the case with the presiding judge or designee of the court with venue before anything happens. Nobody is handed a case back without warning.
Where the case lands depends on venue. If venue never changed, the case may be returned to the circuit court where it started. If venue did change while the case was in the OCLC, the case may be returned to the circuit court that has venue now, and it takes a motion and order for a change of venue under ORS 14.110 and 14.120 to send it anywhere else.
Removal returns a case to an ordinary circuit court docket, not to a different kind of court. The file and the case number were never moved in the first place, because assignment to the OCLC gave the case a judge rather than a new venue under UTCR 23.010 and left filing in the court with venue under UTCR 23.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a case be removed from the Oregon Complex Litigation Court?
Yes. If the OCLC judge finds good cause and the managing panel agrees, the case can go back to a circuit court docket. The panel talks the return over with the presiding judge or designee of the court with venue before any action is taken.
Who decides to remove a case from the OCLC?
The OCLC judge makes the finding of good cause, and the managing panel has to agree with it. The rule gives the parties no removal motion of their own, so a party who thinks the case no longer belongs in the OCLC should raise it with the assigned judge.
Where does a case go after it leaves the OCLC?
Back to the circuit court that has venue. If venue never changed, that is the court where the case was filed. If venue changed while the case was in the OCLC, the case returns to the court with venue as it stands then.
What counts as good cause to remove a case from the OCLC?
The rule does not define it, which leaves the judgment with the OCLC judge in the first instance and the managing panel as a check on it. A case that turns out to be smaller than it looked, or that resolves down to a narrow issue, is the kind of case the provision is built for.
Does removal from the OCLC change venue?
No. Removal returns the case to the court with venue; it does not move venue. Changing venue still takes a motion and an order under ORS 14.110 and 14.120.