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Delaware Court of Chancery Deploys Electronic Document Filing

E-filing expands statewide as Delaware Superior Court adds more case types.

WILMINGTON, Del. -- The Delaware Court of Chancery has implemented electronic filing of court documents, while the Delaware Superior Court extended its e-filing service statewide to all counties. The courts expect the new e-filing system to improve case disposition and case management capabilities, while affording attorneys and litigants increased access to the court and greater flexibility in the conduct of litigation. Both courts are providing the service to attorneys through LexisNexis File & Serve.

The Court of Chancery has a national reputation in the business community and is responsible for developing the case law in Delaware on corporate matters. The litigation deals largely with corporate issues, trusts, estates, other fiduciary matters, disputes involving the purchase of land and questions of title to real estate as well as commercial and contractual matters.

"E-filing is the latest initiative in the Delaware Court of Chancery designed to enhance the court's efficiency, speed and productivity, said William Chandler, chancellor of the Delaware Chancery Court. "We believe this new service will enable the Court of Chancery to keep pace with the demands of the sophisticated commercial and corporate litigation that is regularly filed in Delaware."

In October, the Delaware Superior Court expanded its e-filing service to include all electronic filings of civil cases in which damages exceed $100,000 and will continue to require e-filing in asbestos and insurance coverage cases. The requirement covers all three counties in the state - New Castle, Kent and Sussex.

The state's move to e-filing began in Superior Court in 1991 with an electronic docketing and filing system for civil cases involving insurance coverage suits related to environmental cleanup. Superior Court is the state's court of general jurisdiction and has original jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases except equity cases. The court has exclusive jurisdiction over felonies and almost all drug offenses.
Miriam Jones is a former chief copy editor of Government Technology, Governing, Public CIO and Emergency Management magazines.