--- name: or-multcc description: > This skill should be used when drafting or filing documents in the Multnomah County Circuit Court (the "Multco Circuit Court" or "MCCC"), Oregon's largest trial court, sitting in Portland. Triggers include "Multnomah", "Multco", "MCCC", "Multnomah County Circuit Court", "Portland Circuit Court", "Multnomah SLR", "Multnomah local rules", "civil motion in Portland", "Central Courthouse Portland", "Donald E. Long Juvenile Justice Complex", "Multnomah civil department", or any case with a Multnomah cause number (`25CV#####` filed in Multnomah). Covers Multnomah Supplemental Local Rules (SLR), civil motion scheduling through the assigned judge's judicial assistant, the Central Courthouse / Justice Center / Juvenile JC venues, eFiling through OJD File and Serve, and the working-copy practice for motions submitted to a specific judge. Layer on top of `or-statewide-format`. version: 0.1.1 --- # Multnomah County Circuit Court Use this skill in addition to `or-statewide-format` when the case is in the Multnomah County Circuit Court (MCCC). Multnomah is the largest trial court in Oregon (~25–30% of all civil filings statewide) and has the most developed local-rule and motion- practice ecosystem. > **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** These notes describe the venue's > procedural mechanics as a drafting aid, not legal advice. > Local rules and judge-specific practices change; verify with > the clerk and the current SLR before relying on anything > here. ## Court locations and divisions Multnomah Circuit Court has three principal facilities: - **Central Courthouse** (the new flagship), 1200 SW 1st Ave, Portland OR 97204 — civil, criminal felony, family law, probate, mandatory arbitration. Opened 2020, replaced the old Multnomah County Courthouse. - **Justice Center**, 1120 SW 3rd Ave, Portland OR 97204 — criminal misdemeanor, in-custody criminal arraignments, violations - **Donald E. Long Juvenile Justice Complex** (the "JJC"), 1401 NE 68th Ave, Portland OR 97213 — juvenile delinquency and juvenile dependency For civil pleadings, the venue is the **Central Courthouse**. The caption identifies "FOR THE COUNTY OF MULTNOMAH" — there is no sub-division reference in the caption (unlike KCDC's East/South/West divisions in Washington). ## Caption — Multnomah variant ``` IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR THE COUNTY OF MULTNOMAH ``` Case numbers follow `YYCVNNNNN` for civil cases (e.g., `25CV12345`). The first two digits are the year; "CV" is the case type (civil); the remaining digits are the sequential filing number for the year. ## Civil motion scheduling — chambers contact, not a calendar clerk Multnomah does **not** use a centralized motions docket. Each civil case is assigned to a specific judge at filing (via the Multnomah civil case-assignment system). Motions are heard on **that judge's individual calendar**. To set a motion: **Step 1 — Identify the assigned judge** The assigned judge appears on the OJD Case Information screen for the case (visible to the parties and in File and Serve once the case is filed). For a newly filed case where assignment has not yet posted, check with Civil Division at (503) 988-3022. **Step 2 — Contact the judge's judicial assistant (JA)** Email or call the assigned judge's JA to request a hearing date. The JA roster is published on the Multnomah Circuit Court website (courts.oregon.gov/multnomah, "Judges and Staff"): - Pull the current JA name and email from https://www.courts.oregon.gov/courts/multnomah/judges/Pages/default.aspx before each request — assignments rotate In the email, identify: - Case caption and number - Motion type (e.g., "Motion to Compel under ORCP 46") - Estimated argument time - Whether other parties have been consulted on dates - Two or three proposed dates that work for the moving party **Step 3 — JA confirms the date** The JA will reply confirming the date, courtroom, and mode (in-person, WebEx, or telephone). Some judges hold all civil motions on WebEx by default; others prefer in-person. Take what the JA offers. **Step 4 — File the Notice of Hearing** After the JA confirms, file a **Notice of Hearing** through File and Serve, identifying the date, courtroom, mode, and assigned judge. The Notice of Hearing is what gives the *record* notice of the setting (the JA's email is internal scheduling, not part of the court record). **Step 5 — Working copies to chambers** For motions over 5 pages (memorandum + exhibits combined), or for motions where the judge has specifically requested it, deliver **working copies** to chambers: - Multnomah SLR 5.100 governs working copies - Deliver to the judge's courtroom or chambers via the Central Courthouse mail room - The working copy is a tabbed, bound paper copy of the entire packet — motion, memorandum, declaration, exhibits, proposed order - For pro se filers, mailing the working copy to the courtroom (addressed to the judicial assistant) is acceptable - Some judges accept email-only working copies for short motions; always confirm with the JA when you request the date ## Authoritative source — pull the current judge roster every time The Multnomah Circuit Court website is the canonical source for judges, judicial assistants, courtrooms, and standing orders: **https://www.courts.oregon.gov/courts/multnomah/Pages/default.aspx** **Agent behavior**: when drafting a Notice of Hearing or working- copy cover note, fetch the current JA contact info from that page. Judge rotations occur in January each year (and sometimes mid-year); do not cache assignments across sessions. ## Multnomah SLR — Supplemental Local Rules Multnomah's SLR adds detail on top of the statewide UTCR. Key sections for civil motion practice: | SLR | Subject | |-----|---------| | 1.001 | Effective date and scope | | 5.015 | Notice of Hearing on Motion | | 5.025 | Setting motions (chambers-based, by JA) | | 5.045 | Meet-and-confer certification for discovery motions | | 5.100 | Working copies — when, how, and where | | 5.101 | Submission of orders to chambers | | 7.010 | Telephonic and remote hearings | | 8.010 | Mandatory arbitration program (under ORS 36.400) | | 12.010 | Pretrial conferences and trial readiness | | 14.010 | Mediation referrals | The current Multnomah SLR PDF lives at https://www.courts.oregon.gov/courts/multnomah/rules — pull it when a specific SLR section is invoked, because Multnomah updates its SLRs more frequently than other counties. ## Mandatory arbitration ORS 36.400 et seq. requires arbitration for civil cases where the amount in controversy is between $10,000 and $50,000 (the ceiling is set by ORS 36.405 and is currently $50,000 statewide; Multnomah elects the statutory ceiling). Multnomah SLR 8.010 implements this. If the case is in arbitration: - Discovery is limited (see arbitration program rules) - Motions go to the arbitrator, not the judge — caption the motion accordingly: "MOTION TO COMPEL... (IN ARBITRATION PROCEEDING UNDER ORS 36.400)" - A trial de novo can be requested after the arbitration award per ORS 36.425, but only after fees are paid ## eFiling and service Multnomah requires eFiling for all civil matters through File and Serve (https://oregon.tylertech.cloud). Document codes are specific: - Motion → "Motion (Other)" or "Motion to [Type]" if listed - Memorandum → "Memorandum in Support of Motion" - Declaration → "Declaration of [Name]" - Notice of Hearing → "Notice of Hearing" - Proposed Order → "Order — Proposed" Service through eService (File and Serve) counts as service for registered parties (UTCR 21.100, ORCP 9 G(1)(d)). Self- represented parties not registered must be served by mail or hand delivery — see `or-pro-se` for the protocol. ## Filing fees Multnomah civil filing fees track the OJD statewide schedule under ORS 21.135-21.170: - Complaint or counterclaim over $10,000: $281 (subject to legislative update — pull current fee from https://www.courts.oregon.gov/services/fees/Pages/default.aspx) - Motion: $11 per side per motion (some motion types are free — see ORS 21.260) - Fee waiver: ORS 21.682 (filing-fee deferral); ORS 20.140 (in forma pauperis status) Fee-waiver applications are filed simultaneously with the underlying pleading on File and Serve; the fee is deferred pending the court's order on the application. ## Document set for a noted motion in Multnomah 1. **Motion** (primary relief sought) 2. **Memorandum in Support** (if argument is more than 1 page) 3. **Supporting Declaration(s)** with exhibits 4. **Proposed Order** ("[PROPOSED]" bracket in title) 5. **Notice of Hearing** (filed separately after JA confirms date) 6. **Certificate of Service** (separately or as a page in each document) 7. **Working copies to chambers** (for motions over 5 pages or where the judge requests) eFile each as a separate PDF through File and Serve. Working copies are delivered separately (paper or email per the JA's preference). ## Scheduling email — recommended template ``` To: [Assigned Judge's JA email] Subject: Hearing Date Request — [Case Short Title], Case No. [Cause Number] Dear [Judicial Assistant Name]: I am [Counsel of record / Defendant, pro se] in [case short title], Case No. [cause number], assigned to the Hon. [Judge Name]. I am requesting to reserve a date for hearing on Defendant's [motion title], filed (or to be filed) on [date]. I estimate [20 minutes / 30 minutes] of argument. I propose the following dates: [Option 1] [Option 2] [Option 3] I have [contacted / not yet contacted] opposing counsel about these dates. [If contacted: opposing counsel [agrees / objects to / has not responded re] dates as follows: ...] If WebEx is the preferred mode for the Court, please advise so I can include the connection details on the Notice of Hearing. Thank you, [Name][, pro se designation if applicable] [, OSB # ___ if counsel] [Address] [Phone] [Email] ``` ## References - `references/central-courthouse.md` — Central Courthouse venue info, courtrooms, judges, mail-room directions - `references/civil-motion-scheduling.md` — JA contact protocol, working copies, courtesy copies - `references/multnomah-slr.md` — local rules summary, frequent references