--- name: in-fact-check description: > This skill should be used when the user asks to "fact-check an Indiana filing", "verify Indiana citation", "Indiana citation check", "validate Indiana case cite", "Indiana Style Manual check", "check rule citation Indiana", "verify Indiana Code cite", "Indiana neutral-citation", "Indiana Supreme Court Rule on Citation", or any related verification request. Performs four passes: (1) citation verification (every rule, statute, and case cite checked against canonical sources); (2) internal consistency (party names, cause numbers, dates consistent throughout the document); (3) packet consistency (declarations align with arguments; exhibits referenced match exhibits attached); (4) sworn-vs.-argued consistency (verified facts in declarations match factual recitations in the motion). Trigger phrases: "Indiana fact-check", "verify Ind. Trial R. cite", "check IC citation", "Indiana cite verification", "audit Indiana brief". version: 0.1.0 --- # Fact-Check Indiana Court Filings This skill is the **pre-filing audit** for any Indiana court document. It runs four independent passes and reports defects. It does NOT modify the document; it produces an audit report. The audit is mandatory before any high-stakes filing (motion to dismiss, summary judgment, T.R. 59 motion, appellate brief) and recommended before any filing of more than 5 pages. > **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** Generated content is a drafting aid; > verify every citation independently against the current > Indiana Trial Rules, Indiana Code, and case law before filing. ## Pass 1 — Citation verification Every rule, statute, and case citation in the document must be verified against an authoritative source. Indiana citation conventions: ### Rules - **Format**: `Ind. Trial R. 56(C)` or `T.R. 56(C)` - **Source**: `courts.in.gov/rules/trial_proc/` - **Check**: rule number exists, subsection cited is current, rule has not been renumbered (Indiana renumbered T.R. 6 and T.R. 37 most recently — make sure the cited subsection matches current text) ### Evidence Rules - **Format**: `Ind. Evid. R. 803(6)` or `IRE 803(6)` - **Source**: `courts.in.gov/rules/evidence/` - **Check**: rule number exists; the subsection's number has not changed in the 2014, 2019, or 2024 amendments ### Indiana Code - **Format**: `IC 34-11-2-9` (no "§" required); `IC § 34-11-2-9` also accepted - **Source**: `iga.in.gov/laws/` (Indiana General Assembly) - **Check**: section exists; the section number has not been renumbered (IC 24-16 → IC 24-4.5 was a major renumbering in 1971; IC 34-1-2 was renumbered to IC 34-11 in 1998; IC 34-2-29 → IC 34-26-5 in 1998) ### Cases - **Indiana Supreme Court format**: `Smith v. Jones, 123 N.E.3d 456 (Ind. 2023)` — must include reporter, page, court, parenthetical year - **Indiana Court of Appeals format**: `Smith v. Jones, 123 N.E.3d 456 (Ind. Ct. App. 2023)` - **Source**: `courts.in.gov/opinions/` or `https://www.in.gov/courts/appellate/` or Westlaw/Lexis - **Check**: case exists at the cited reporter; the citation is pinpoint-accurate; the quoted language matches the source; the case has not been overruled (a "negative-treatment" check is essential for any case more than 5 years old) ### Federal cases and statutes - **Federal case**: `Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662 (2009)` or `Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662 (2009)` - **Federal statute**: `15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)(1)` (periods in "U.S.C."; § with space before number) - **Federal regulation**: `12 C.F.R. § 1006.30` - **Source**: `uscode.house.gov`; `ecfr.gov` ## Pass 2 — Internal consistency Check that the document itself is internally consistent: | Check | How to verify | |-------|---------------| | Caption matches body | Court name, county, cause number, parties match the body's first paragraph | | Cause number format | Matches `[CC]C01-YYMM-[CT]-NNNNNN` or `[CC]D01-YYMM-[CT]-NNNNNN`, where county code matches the named county | | Party names consistent | "Plaintiff" and "Defendant" used the same way throughout; no name spelling drift | | Dates consistent | Date of filing, date of service, dates referenced in facts all align | | Pagination | Page numbers match footer count | | Signature date | Date matches the verification date in any attached declaration | | Defined terms | Terms defined once (e.g., "the Account") used consistently | | Cross-references | Internal cross-references (e.g., "as set forth in Paragraph 14") point to the correct paragraph | ## Pass 3 — Packet consistency When the filing is a packet (e.g., motion + memorandum + declaration + proposed order), verify: | Check | How | |-------|-----| | Caption identical across all packet documents | Same court, county, parties, cause number on every page-1 caption | | Exhibit list matches attached exhibits | Memorandum references "Exhibit A" and Exhibit A is attached to the declaration; the count and labels match | | Declaration supports the argument | Every factual assertion in the memo that requires a sworn predicate has a corresponding paragraph in the declaration | | Proposed Order matches relief requested | The relief sought in the motion is exactly what the proposed order grants | | Service list complete | Certificate of Service lists every party of record per Odyssey Service Contacts | ## Pass 4 — Sworn-vs.-argued consistency Indiana courts hold counsel and pro se filers to strict candor under T.R. 11(B) and the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct (Rule 3.3 — candor to the tribunal). Every factual representation in a memorandum should either: - Be supported by a sworn declaration paragraph or exhibit - Be presented as a legal argument (clearly marked) - Be a procedural fact (e.g., "On March 15, 2024, Defendant was served with the Complaint") — these are usually verifiable from the docket The audit checks: - Every "Defendant has paid" / "Plaintiff failed to" / "On [date], X happened" assertion in the memo has a corresponding paragraph in the supporting declaration - The declaration paragraph is signed under penalties for perjury (T.R. 11(B) / IC 35-44.1-2-1) - No factual assertion appears in the memo that is contradicted by a sworn paragraph elsewhere in the packet - No statement of fact appears in the memo that is contradicted by an attached exhibit (e.g., memo says "the contract was signed in 2020"; Exhibit A shows a 2018 signature) ## Common Indiana-specific citation errors | Error | Why it matters | Fix | |-------|----------------|-----| | Citing "IC 34-1-2-9" (old) | Indiana renumbered Title 34 in 1998 | Use IC 34-11-2-9 | | Citing "IC 24-16-..." (old IUCCC) | Renumbered to IC 24-4.5 in 1971 | Use IC 24-4.5-... | | Using "v." inconsistently | Indiana style is "v." (no "vs.") | Use "v." throughout | | Missing "(Ind." in case cite | Some practitioners drop "(Ind. 2023)" — non-standard | Include "(Ind. YYYY)" | | Citing "Ind. R. Evid." | Outdated abbreviation | Use "Ind. Evid. R." or "IRE" | | "Trial Rule" without "Ind." prefix in interstate context | Ambiguous in federal court | Use "Ind. Trial R." | | Local rule prefix wrong | LR49 (Marion) vs LR45 (Lake) vs LR29 (Hamilton) | Match the venue county code | | Cause-number county digit wrong | First two digits must match venue county | Cross-check with county code map | ## Audit workflow ``` 1. Run the document through the format-check.py script first (T.R. 5(E) compliance) 2. Pass 1: extract every citation, verify against canonical source 3. Pass 2: party-name, cause-number, date cross-check 4. Pass 3: open every packet document side-by-side; verify captions and exhibit references match 5. Pass 4: line-by-line comparison of memo factual statements vs. declaration paragraphs 6. Produce audit report with severity-flagged defects: - BLOCKING: citation error, mismatched cause number, missing declaration support for a sworn fact - WARNING: stylistic inconsistency, missing pinpoint cite - INFO: opportunity for stronger citation or sharper drafting ``` ## Composition - `in-statewide-format` for T.R. 5(E) / T.R. 10 baseline - `in-law-references` as the canonical citation source - `in-marion` / `in-lake` / `in-county-courts` for local-rule prefix verification - `in-quality-check` for the full pre-filing QC (runs fact-check as one of its sub-passes) ## References - `references/citation-checklist.md` — per-citation-type checklist - `references/common-errors.md` — Indiana-specific citation errors with examples - `references/negative-treatment.md` — how to check for overruling / superseding - `references/sworn-vs-argued-audit.md` — sample audit report format **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** Generated content is a drafting aid; verify against current rules and case law before filing.