Rule 23.050.Case Management Conference; Case Management Order
Current through August 1, 2026 · Last verified September 12, 2026
Full Text of Rule 23.050
Plain-English Summary
The case management conference happens within 30 days of assignment of the case to an OCLC judge, or at another time the court orders. Its purpose is stated plainly: identify the essential issues and head off discovery and pretrial procedure that would be unnecessary, burdensome, or duplicative, so the dispute resolves promptly.
The agenda is long and practical. The trial date. Whether more parties are needed, and time limits for third-party complaints or bringing them in. Severance, consolidation, or coordination with other actions. A discovery plan covering document exchange, third-party discovery, common numbering for produced documents and exhibits, a deposition schedule, protective orders and the other limits ORCP 36 C allows, and a date for the close of discovery. A schedule for motion practice and a date for dispositive motions.
Settlement gets its own line. The conference covers mediation or settlement and the identity of the assigned neutral facilitator, and if the case has not settled within 45 days of the trial date it may be sent to a settlement conference before a judge other than the OCLC judge. So do the mechanics of a large trial: technology in discovery and in the courtroom, a master contact list, how the jury will be selected and how disputes over juror questionnaires get resolved, a hearing on scientific evidence if one is needed, further conferences, and trial planning down to timelines for witness examination and evidentiary presentations.
After the conference the judge issues a case management order covering what was addressed and anything else the judge thinks belongs in it. That order is the schedule for the case. The judge can modify or revise it as the case develops, but the parties must not deviate from its deadlines and requirements unless the judge authorizes it.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the case management conference held in an OCLC case?
Within 30 days of the case being assigned to an OCLC judge, unless the court sets another time. It comes early on purpose, so the shape of discovery and the trial date are settled before either becomes expensive.
What gets discussed at an OCLC case management conference?
The trial date, additional parties and the deadlines for adding them, severance or consolidation, a full discovery plan, a motion schedule and a date for dispositive motions, mediation or settlement, courtroom and discovery technology, a master contact list, jury selection and juror questionnaires, a hearing on scientific evidence if needed, and further conferences.
The rule also leaves room for anything else the court or the parties think will manage or speed the case, including a trial plan with timelines for motions in limine, deposition designations, trial memoranda, and jury instructions.
What is a case management order in the OCLC?
It is the order the OCLC judge issues after the case management conference. It captures the matters addressed at the conference plus anything else the judge considers appropriate, and it governs the deadlines and requirements for the case from that point on.
Can a case management order be changed?
Yes, by the judge. The OCLC judge may modify or revise the order as needed to serve the purpose of these rules. What the parties may not do is deviate from the order's deadlines and requirements on their own; that takes the judge's authorization.
What happens if an OCLC case has not settled as trial approaches?
If the case has not settled within 45 days of the trial date, it may be assigned for a settlement conference to a judge other than the OCLC judge. That keeps the judge who will try the case out of the settlement talks.