Calvert Cnty. Cir. Ct. Family DCM Plan (introduction)

CIRCUIT COURT FOR CALVERT COUNTY, MARYLAND

Differentiated Case Management Plan for Family Cases

INTRODUCTION

This Family Differentiated Case Management Plan (DCMP) is established in accordance

with Maryland Rule 16-302(b) which requires the County Administrative Judge to develop and,

upon approval by the Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, implement and monitor a

case management plan for the prompt and efficient scheduling and disposition of action in the

Circuit Court. The Rule mandates that a case management plan shall include a system of

differentiated case management in which actions are classified according to complexity and

priority and are assigned to a track based on that classification. This Plan is a guide to case

management envisioned by Md. Rule 16-302(b). The provisions of the Plan are not intended to

be rigid; some deviation from them is to be expected from time to time. Additionally, the Plan

does not purport to override the Maryland Rules or procedural requirements contained in the

Annotated Code of Maryland.

From the commencement of litigation to its resolution, whether by trial or settlement, any

elapsed time other than reasonably required for pleadings, discovery, and court events, is

unacceptable and should be eliminated. To enable just and efficient resolution of cases, the Court,

not the lawyers or litigants, should control the pace of litigation. A strong judicial commitment is

essential to reducing delay and once achieved, maintaining a current docket. (Standard 250, ABA

Standards Relating to Court Delay Reduction)

It is the purpose of this DCMP to provide an effective case management system which will

assure:

1. Equal treatment of all litigants by the court;

2. Timely disposition consistent with the circumstances of the individual case;

3. Enhancement of the quality of the litigation process; and

4. Public confidence in the court as an institution.

Consistent with the Case Time Standards adopted by the Judicial Council, constitutional

requirements and applicable Maryland Rules, it is the goal of this plan to ensure that 98% of family

cases, with the exception of limited divorces, be concluded within 12 months (365 days) of the

filing date; and that 98% of limited divorce cases be concluded within 24 months (730 days) of

the filing date. A concluded disposition is considered by judgment or dismissal. In order to achieve

this goal, the Circuit Court is committed to resolving different categories of family cases, referred

to as case subtypes, within a regular and predictable time frame warranted by the needs of those

cases. For simpler cases, the warranted time frame may be shorter than 12 months.

SECTION I

GENERAL PROVISIONS