JUDGE GROSSMAN’S MOTION CALENDAR
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               MEL GROSSMAN                                 BROWARD COUNTY COURTHOUSE
                   Circuit Judge                                                  201 S.E. 6th Street, Room 790
    Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Florida                                Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

     

    TO:  All Attorneys Practicing in Division 41 / 43
    RE:  Tuesday and Thursday Ex Parte and Uncontested Motion Calendar
    DATE:  January 13, 2000

PLEASE NOTE THESE IMPORTANT CHANGES
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JUDGE GROSSMAN' S EX PARTE AND UNCONTESTED MOTION CALENDAR

             As a result of the success and positive comments received regarding the Thursday
    morning Ex Parte and Uncontested Calendar, Judge Grossman will hear ex parte and
    uncontested  matters on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in room 790.

             This change will further work towards alleviating the backlog in the Probate division
    and to decrease the time it takes for attorneys to receive orders on probate matters. 

    DIVISIONS AFFECTED:

             Please note that this change in the ex parte procedure is for Judge Grossman's
    divisionONLY (41 / 43)     and will now take place on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

    Beginning on May 9, 2000, Judge Seidlin will follow this same procedure. This change
    will not affect the ex parte procedure currently used by Judge Speiser.

    START DATE AND TIME:

    As of January 25, 2000, Judge Grossman's Tuesday and Thursday morning ex parte and
    uncontested calendar will be held from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m..

    MATTERS TO BE HEARD:

    Any uncontested probate matter, with the exception of:

    *Attorney's fees and costs
    *Guardian's fees and costs
    *Discharge of Estates
    *Approval of Minor Settlements
    *Appointments of Guardians unless the applicant  has been investigated and                          approved by  the Court Monitor's Office

    DEADLINE FOR FILING:

             1.          For Tuesday morning's calendar: Any pleadings, petitions, or motions must
    be hand-delivered to the probate clerk's office, or faxed to the probate clerk by 11 a.m.
    on the Thursday immediately prior and must include a completed Ex Parte/Uncontested
    Motion Calendar Request Form (see attached form). 

             2.          For Thursday morning's calendar: Any pleadings, petitions, or motions must
    be hand-delivered to the probate clerk's office, or faxed to the probate clerk by 11 a.m.
    on the Tuesday immediately prior and must include a completed Ex Parte/Uncontested
    Motion Calendar Request Form (see attached form).

             3.          No new files can be opened by fax.  Any attorney who wants to open a new
    file will need to hand-deliver the appropriate pleadings and the appropriate filing fee (method
    of payment will either be money order or office check) to the probate clerk's office by 11 a.m.
    on the Thursday immediately prior for Tuesday's calendar, or on the Tuesday immediately
    prior for Thursday's calendar.

             4.          If the pleadings have been faxed to the clerk, attorneys will need to bring the
    originals with them to court on Tuesday or Thursday morning.

             5.          The fax number for the probate clerk is:  (954) 831-6457.

             NOTE: Any pleadings, petitions, or motions that have been delivered to the
    probate clerk'    s office by U.S. Mail will NOT be considered for the Ex Parte and
    Uncontested docket.  Any pleadings, motions, or petitions that have been mailed
    to the clerk will be clocked in as usual and will come up to the Judge for signature
    during the normal course of business. 

    REQUEST FORM:

             Attorneys will be required to complete the "Ex Parte/Uncontested Motion Calendar
    Request Form" with any petitions or pleadings that have been faxed or hand-delivered to
    the probate clerk's office.  A copy of that form is attached to this memo.

    ESTATE OPENINGS:

             An attorney will be permitted to open a new estate during the ex parte/uncontested
    motion calendar. However, when the Personal Representative of the estate is not a Florida
    resident, a bond in the amount of the assets of the estate will be required. The attorney may
    still appear before the Court on the ex parte/uncontested motion calendar to have the Court
    sign the Order Admitting Will and setting the amount of the bond.  Once the bond has been
    obtained, the attorney should post the bond with the clerk and either appear on a subsequent
    Tuesday or Thursday morning to have the Letters of Administration signed, or wait for the
    clerk to send the Letters of Administration to the Judge for signature.

    LOCATION:

             Upon arriving at the courthouse on Tuesday or Thursday morning, attorneys should
    proceed directly to Judge Grossman's Chambers, Room 790. The files will be in chambers.

    COPIES:

             A clerk will certify copies in chambers.  Attorneys will be limited to five (5) certified
    copies, and should bring all necessary copies with them on Tuesday or Thursday morning. 
    Please bring an office check in the amount of $1.00 for each certified copy being requested.

    CONTESTED MATTERS:

             If the matter is contested, the attorneys will need to contact Judge Grossman's Judicial
    Assistant, Millie Schwartz, at (954) 831-7759 to have the matter scheduled. 

    EMERGENCIES:

             If the matter is a true emergency, and the attorney has missed the morning cutoff
    times for either Tuesday or Thursday morning, the attorney may send a letter to Judge
    Grossman's office for approval to be placed on the ex parte and uncontested docket. 

     

    cc:    Dale Ross, Chief Judge
             Judge Larry Seidlin
             Judge Mark A. Speiser
             Carol Ortman, Trial Court Administrator
             Barbara Morgan, Manager, Probate Clerk's Office