Helpful Hints for Using CM/ECF in the Eastern
District of North Carolina

General Information

• Please read the Local Rules for the Eastern District of North Carolina and the Administrative Guide regarding electronic filing located on the court’s website.

• Please refer to the Events Listing for the most recent list of docket events and utilize the “Search” feature to locate the event which best fits your need.

• If you are trying to file a document and there is no docket event listed, click on theLive Chat link on the court’s homepage or contact the CM/ECF helpdesk line at
(919) 334-3806 for assistance. There is a Generic Motion and a Generic Filing event which can be made temporarily available in order to docket your pleading.

• If you make an error when filing a document, please contact the court on the sameday prior to close of business so the entry can be deleted.

• If you are attempting to file a document from two different categories in the same pleading (ex. a response to a pending motion and another new motion), you will
need to file two separate documents. You cannot file pleadings from two categories in the same docket entry.

• The court prefers that all documents be combined into one PDF versus filing separate attachments. For example, a Motion, Notice of Motion and Certificate of
Service should all be combined into one PDF rather than filing each separately. In addition, pleadings should not be filed as multiple docket entries. For example, an
Amended Schedule A, B and C should be combined into one PDF and filed as one entry on the docket by holding down the “Ctrl” key and selecting all of the
appropriate events.

• If you file a document that pertains to a matter that is on the calendar the same day
or the day after filing, contact both the Courtroom Deputy and the Electronic Court
Administrator and advise them of them of the filing. If you do not do so, the Judge
will have no way of knowing about the document you filed, as it will not be
reviewed until the next day.
• Do not use all caps or all lowercase when typing information in CM/ECF.
Bankruptcy Specific Events
Service:
• The court's local Notice of Motion form, which provides for a specific due date,
should be used when preparing any document requiring response time. This form
can be found in the local rules.
• When inserting response due dates, make sure you add 3 days mailing time. (Ex. If
the motion requires 14 days response time, the date you insert will be the 17th day
after service. If the 17th day falls on a weekend or holiday, use the next working
day as the response due date.) The 3 days mailing should be included on the
Notice of Motion when the date is inserted.
Objections/Responses:
• When docketing an Objection to Confirmation prior to the Trustee's Motion for
Confirmation being filed, use Objection to Confirmation of Plan under the Plan
Events category. If the Motion for Confirmation has already been filed, use the
Objection to Motion for Confirmation event under the Objection/Response
category.
Motions/Applications:
• When amending a motion or application, use Amended/Amendment to
Motion/Application under the Motions category. The only exceptions are Amended
Objection to Claim and Amendment to Objection to Claim, which can be found
under the Claim Actions category.
• If a multi-part motion is being filed, you must select all applicable motion events
by holding down the "Ctrl" key and clicking on each one. For example, for a
Motion for Relief from Stay that contains a Motion for Adequate Protection, hold
down the Ctrl key and select both Relief from Stay and Adequate Protection from
the picklist.
• The attorney contact information should not be added into the party address field
when filing pleadings on their behalf. If the party has a separate address for receipt
of notices, that address may be entered. Otherwise, it should be left blank.
Miscellaneous Docket Events:
• Letters may be imaged and docketed as Miscellaneous Correspondence - Atty
(Private) rather than mailing the letter to the court. This event can be found under
the Miscellaneous category.
Schedule Events:
• Always include an Amended Summary of Schedules when filing amended
schedules, and be sure to select the Summary of Schedules event when docketing.
• When docketing multiple amended schedules that require a fee in the same entry,
answer yes to the first prompt of “Is the fee due?” and no to the others to prevent
paying the fee multiple times.
• When filing all deficient schedules in an accelerated case, the Schedules and
Statements event should be utilized to avoid choosing each and every applicable
schedule event. Additionally, these should not be filed as amended since they have
not previously been filed.
Orders:
• Orders are to be uploaded in CM/ECF via the Order Upload feature found under
Bankruptcy Events. See Rule 5005-4(4) of the Administrative Guide for
instructions.
• It is not necessary to upload orders on certain motions for which the court uses
form orders. The events for these motions contain display messages to let you
know that no order is required.
Adversary Specific Events
Summons:
• Summons are to be uploaded into CM/ECF via the Order Upload feature found
under Adversary Events. The Upload Sua Sponte option should be selected. See
Rule 5005-4(4) of the Administrative Guide for instructions.
• If service of the summons is accomplished, use the Summons Service Executed
event under the Miscellaneous category. Do not use the Certificate of Service
event. If service of the summons is not accomplished for any reason, a text entry
should be made by using the Summons Service Unexecuted event under the
Miscellaneous category. No PDF document will be attached to this entry.
Motions/Applications:
• Do not add or create new attorneys when filing pleadings. If an attorney is known,
you may search by his or her name. If no match is found, do not click “Add/create
new attorney”. Instead, proceed to the next step.
• There are two different docket events for filing default pleadings. Depending upon
your preference, you may use either Affidavit for Entry of Default under the
Miscellaneous category or Motion for Entry of Default under the Motions
category.
Answers:
• Amended Answers should be filed using Amended Answers under the Answers
category.
Pay.Gov
The court accepts fee payments over the internet through pay.gov. This may be done by
credit card or by using ACH (Automated Clearing House), which is an electronic debit
from a checking or savings account. When docketing an event that requires a fee, you will
be prompted to indicate “Fee Paid” or “Fee Not Required”. When prompted with the
question "Is the filing fee required?", you will select y or n. If you select y, the internet
payment module will be presented at the end of the docket transaction. There will be two
options when the payment screen appears - Pay Now or Continue Filing. The Continue
Filing feature will allow you to continue docketing all necessary pleadings without
having to pay at the end of each event. When you have completed docketing the last
pleading, choose Pay Now in order to pay all outstanding fees at once.