Colorado

Civil Procedure

Rule 10 – Form and Quality of Pleadings, Motions and Other Documents

(a) Caption; Names of Parties. Every pleading, motion, E-filed document under C.R.C.P. 121 (1-26), or any other document filed with the court (hereinafter “document”) in both civil and criminal cases shall contain a caption setting forth the name of the court, the title of the action, the case number, if known to the person signing it, the name of the document in accordance with Rule 7(a), and the other applicable information in the format specified by paragraph (d) and the captions illustrated by paragraph (e) or (f) of this rule. In the complaint initiating a lawsuit, the title of the action shall include the names of all the parties to the action. In all other documents, it is sufficient to set forth the name of the first-named party on each side of the lawsuit with an appropriate indication that there are also other parties (such as “et al.”). A party whose name is not known shall be designated by any name and the words “whose true name is unknown”. In an action in rem, unknown parties shall be designated as “all unknown persons who claim any interest in the subject matter of this action”.
(b) Paragraphs; Separate Statements. All averments of claim or defense shall be made in numbered paragraphs, the contents of each of which shall be limited as far as practicable to a statement of a single set of circumstances. A paragraph may be referred to by its paragraph number in all succeeding documents. Each claim founded upon a separate transaction or occurrence, and each defense other than denials, shall be stated in a separate count or defense whenever a separation facilitates the clear presentation of the matters set forth.
(c) Incorporation by Reference; Exhibits. A statement in a document may be incorporated by reference in a different part of the same document or in another document. An exhibit to a document is a part thereof for all purposes.
(d) General Rule Regarding Paper Size, Format, and Spacing. All documents filed after the effective date of this rule, including those filed through the E-Filing System under C.R.C.P. 121 (1-26), shall meet the following criteria:

(1) Paper: Where a document is filed on paper, it shall be on plain, white, 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper (recycled paper preferred).
(2) Format: All documents shall be legible. They shall be printed on one side of the page only (except for E-Filed documents).

(I) Margins: All documents shall use margins of 1 1/2 inches at the top of each page, and 1 inch at the left, right, and bottom of each page. Except for the caption, a left-justified margin shall be used for all material.
(II) Font: No less than twelve (12) point font shall be used for all documents, including footnotes.
(III) Case Caption Information: All documents shall contain the following information arranged in the following order, as illustrated by paragraphs (e) and (f) of this rule, except that documents issued by the court under the signature of the clerk or judge should omit the attorney section as illustrated in paragraphs (e)(2) and (f)(2). Individual boxes should separate this case caption information; however, vertical lines are not mandatory.

On the left side: Court name and mailing address. Name of parties. Name, address, and telephone number of the attorney or pro se party filing the document. Fax number and e-mail address are optional. Attorney registration number. Document title.

On the right side: An area for “Court Use Only” that is at least 2 1/2 inches in width and 1 3/4 inches in length (located opposite the court and party information). Case number, division number, and courtroom number (located opposite the attorney information above).

(3) Spacing: The following spacing guidelines should be followed.

(I) Single spacing for all:

Affidavits

Complaints, Answers, and Petitions

Criminal Informations and Complaints

Interrogatories and Requests for Admissions

Notices

Pleading forms (all case types)

Probation reports

All other documents not listed in subsection (II) below

(II) Double spacing for all:

Briefs and Legal Memoranda

Depositions

Documents that are complex or technical in nature

Jury Instructions

Motions

Petitions for Rehearing

Petitions for Writ of Certiorari

Petitions pursuant to C.A.R. 21

Transcripts

(4) Signature Block: All documents which require a signature shall be signed at the end of the document. The attorney or pro se party need not repeat his or her address, telephone number, fax number, or e-mail address at the end of the document.
(e) Illustration of Preferred Case Caption Format:

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(f) Illustration of Optional Case Caption:

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(g) Court Designation Examples:

APPELLATE

SUPREME COURT, STATE OF COLORADO

COURT OF APPEALS, STATE OF COLORADO

WATER

DISTRICT COURT, WATER DIVISION ___, COLORADO

DISTRICT

DISTRICT COURT, _____ COUNTY, COLORADO

COUNTY

COUNTY COURT, _____ COUNTY, COLORADO

CITY AND COUNTY

COUNTY COURT, CITY AND COUNTY OF _______, COLORADO

PROBATE COURT, CITY AND COUNTY OF _______, COLORADO

JUVENILE COURT, CITY AND COUNTY OF _______, COLORADO

DISTRICT COURT, CITY AND COUNTY OF _______, COLORADO

(h) The forms of case captions provided for in this rule replace those forms of captions otherwise provided for in other Colorado rules of procedure, including but not limited to the Colorado Rules of County Court Procedure, the Colorado Rules of Procedure for Small Claims Courts, and the Colorado Appellate Rules. These forms of case captions apply to criminal cases, as well as civil cases.
(i) State Judicial Pre-Printed or Computer-Generated Forms. Forms approved by the State Court Administrator’s Office (designated “JDF” or “SCAO” on pre-printed or computer-generated forms), forms set forth in the Colorado Court Rules, volume 12, C.R.S., (including those pre-printed or computer-generated forms designated “CRCP” or “CPC” and those contained in the appendices of volume 12, C.R.S.), and forms generated by the state’s judicial electronic system, “ICON,” shall conform to criteria established by the State Court Administrator’s Office with the approval of the Colorado Supreme Court. Such forms, whether preprinted or computer-generated, shall employ a form of caption similar to those contained in this rule, contain check-off boxes for the court designation, have at least a 9-point font, and 1 inch left margin, 1/2 inch right and bottom margins, and at least 1 inch top margin, except that for forms designated “JDF” or “SCAO” the requirement of at least 1 inch for the top margin shall apply to forms created or revised on and after April 5, 2010.

C.R.C.P. 10

Source: (d)(1) amended and effective September 6, 1990; entire rule amended and Comment added June 1, 2000, effective July 1, 2000; entire rule and Comment amended and adopted June 28, 2001, effective July 1, 2001; entire rule amended and adopted November 6, 2003, effective July 1, 2004; entire rule amended and adopted June 10, 2004, effective for District Court Civil Actions filed on or after July 1, 2004; (i) amended and effective March 30, 2006; (i) amended and effective April 5, 2010; amended and effective April 1, 2016.

Comments

2001

(1) This rule sets forth forms of case captions for all documents that are filed in Colorado courts, including both criminal and civil cases. The purpose of the form captions is to provide a uniform and consistent format that enables practitioners, clerks, administrators, and judges to locate identifying information more efficiently. Judges are encouraged in their orders to employ a caption similar to that found in paragraph (e)(2).

(2) The preferred case caption format for documents initiated by a party is found in paragraph (e)(1). The preferred caption for documents issued by the court under the signature of a clerk or judge is found in paragraph (e)(2). Because some parties may have difficulty formatting their documents to include vertical lines and boxes, alternate case caption formats are found in paragraphs (f)(1) and (f)(2). However, the box format is the preferred and recommended format.

(3) The boxes may be vertically elongated to accommodate additional party and attorney information if necessary. The “court use” and “case number” boxes, however, shall always be located in the upper right side of the caption.

(4) Forms approved by the State Court Administrator’s Office (designated “JDF” or “SCAO”), forms set forth in the Colorado Court Rules, volume 12, C.R.S. (including those designated “CRCP” or “CPC” and those contained in the appendices of volume 12, C.R.S.), and forms generated by the state’s judicial electronic system, “ICON,” shall conform to criteria established by the State Court Administrator’s Office as approved by the Colorado Supreme Court. This includes pre-printed and computer-generated forms. JDF and SCAO forms and a flexible form of caption which allows the entry of additional party and attorney information are available and can be downloaded from the Colorado courts web page at http://www.courts.state.co.us/scao/Forms.htm.

Annotation I. General Consideration. Law reviews. For article, “Pleadings, Rules 7 to 25 “, see 28 Dicta 368 (1951). For article, “Pleadings and Motions: Rules 7-16 “, see 23 Rocky Mt. L. Rev. 542 (1951). Actions may be brought only by and against legal entities. Actions may be brought only by legal entities and against legal entities. There must be some ascertainable persons, natural or artificial, to whom judgments are awarded and against whom they may be enforced. Barker v. District Court, 199 Colo. 416, 609 P.2d 628 (1980). II. Caption; Names of Parties. Law reviews. For article, “The Federal Rules from the Standpoint of the Colorado Code”, see 17 Dicta 170 (1940). For article, “Motion for Publication of Summons on Quiet Title Proceedings”, see 26 Dicta 182 (1949). For article, “Standard Pleading Samples to Be Used in Quiet Title Litigation”, see 30 Dicta 39 (1953). For article, “Federal Practice and Procedure”, which discusses a recent Tenth Circuit decision dealing with John Doe pleadings, see 62 Den. U. L. Rev. 220 (1985). Naming exception is not applicable to verdicts and judgments. A verdict is not a pleading, and those who formulated in C.R.C.P. 10(a) an exception to naming parties in pleadings did not have any intention of making the same exception for verdicts and judgments. Lewis v. Buckskin Joe’s, Inc., 156 Colo. 46, 396 P.2d 933 (1964). There is no exception to naming requirement. The rules of civil procedure make no exception in “in rem” actions, as distinguished from “in personam” actions, to the requirement that defendants be named if their names are known or be designated as “unknown” when such is the case. Barker v. District Court, 199 Colo. 416, 609 P.2d 628 (1980). Naming of defendants insufficient. The designations, “owner” and “operator”, in the caption of the case, without naming them, when those persons were known to the district attorney, are not in compliance with the requirements of the rules of civil procedure that a party defendant shall be named unless his name is unknown. Barker v. District Court, 199 Colo. 416, 609 P.2d 628 (1980). Rule is only an attempt to standardize the method of form by which all complaints are to be made, not a device by which claims may be forever preserved. Watson v. Unipress, Inc., 733 F.2d 1386 (10th Cir. 1984). There is no indication in the rule that naming a “John Doe” defendant operates to toll the statute of limitations, nor have any Colorado courts recognized that the rule was intended to toll the statute or in any manner preserve any claims against later identified parties. Watson v. Unipress, Inc., 733 F.2d 1386 (10th Cir. 1984). The public has an interest in disclosure of who the parties to an action are. A party may use a pseudonym for the name of a party upon a motion to the court. The court in determining whether use of a pseudonym for a party is appropriate shall evaluate: Whether the justification asserted by the requesting party is merely to avoid the annoyance and criticism that may attend any litigation or is to preserve privacy in a matter of a sensitive and highly personal nature; whether identification poses a risk of retaliatory physical or mental harm to the requesting party or to innocent non-parties; whether the action is against a governmental or a private party; whether the plaintiff would be compelled to admit his or her intention to engage in illegal conduct, thereby risking criminal prosecution; and the risk of unfairness to the opposing party from allowing an action against it to proceed anonymously. A pseudonym may not be used merely to avoid embarrassment, humiliation, or economic loss. Doe v. Heitler, 26 P.3d 539 (Colo. App. 2001). III. Adoption by Reference; Exhibits. Annotator’s note. Since section (c) of this rule is similar to rule 2 of the former supreme court rules, cases construing that rule are included in the annotations to this rule. Section (c) was intended to eliminate unnecessary repetition. Borwick v. Bober, 34 Colo. App. 423, 529 P.2d 1351 (1974). This rule was intended to prevent the necessity of repeating the parts relevant to a later count, and it was expected that pleaders would refer only to the relevant parts by the words “as in the first cause of action stated” or their equivalent, as was the custom at common law. Fulton Inv. Co. v. Farmers Reservoir & Irrigation Co., 76 Colo. 472, 231 P. 61 (1925). The pleader has no right to adopt wholesale all the allegations of a previous cause of action. Fulton Inv. Co. v. Farmers Reservoir & Irrigation Co., 76 Colo. 472, 231 P. 61 (1925). This rule permits a document to be made a part of a pleading by attaching it as an exhibit, and in so attaching it, it amounts to the same thing as if it were set forth in the body of the pleading, as was the practice before the rule. Sparks v. Eldred, 78 Colo. 55, 239 P. 730 (1925).

For pleadings allowed, see C.R.C.P. 7(a); for general rules of pleading, see C.R.C.P. 8.