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Sheriff Appeal Court to permit email motions in civil cases

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Sheriff Appeal Court to permit email motions in civil cases

The Sheriff Appeal Court (SAC) (Civil) is providing a new facility to lodge motions to the court by email, opening up a simple and speedy procedure for court users.

From 1 January 2016, there will be the capacity to intimate, oppose and lodge motions in the SAC by email which will also become the default method for lodging motions.

To use this facility, a single email address, to be registered with the court, must be provided to SACmotions@scotcourts.gov.uk by Friday, 11 December 2015.

It should be the only email address to be used for this purpose and will be included in a list of email addresses to be published on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service website for reference by other firms or parties.

The main features of the new system are:

  • intimation and lodging of motions by email to allow the disposal of routine motions in the SAC on the date of enrolment;

  • facility to intimate motions and any opposition prior to the motion being enrolled (instead of unopposed motions taking 7 days to be dealt with, they will now be dealt with in 4 days). A motion will be intimated on day 1; opposition, if appropriate, by day 3; if unopposed it will be enrolled and determined on day 4;

  • where a motion is opposed it will be dealt with on the first suitable court day after day 4;

  • interlocutors will be issued by email.

    • Motions received from, or intimated to, email addresses not registered on the published list will not be accepted.

    Motions, whether lodged by email or other means, will be processed by the Sheriff Appeal Court staff and not the Court Motions Team based in the Court of Session.

    Anyone wishing to opt out of transacting motion business by email can make a declaration in writing to that effect to:

    Clerk of the Sheriff Appeal Court,

    Parliament House,

    Parliament Square,

    Edinburgh

    EH1 1RQ.

    A note of the decision to opt out will be published on the SCTS website.

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