Maryland Judiciary Expands Electronic Case Filing to Upper Eastern Shore

(CENTREVILLE, CHESTERTOWN, DENTON, EASTON, AND ELKTON, Md. – July 15, 2016) – Beginning July 18, a new case management system will launch in courts in Caroline, Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties, and e-filing will be mandatory for attorneys filing civil and criminal cases in District Court, Circuit Court, and any appellate filings that commence in those counties.

The new case management system, Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC), modernizes court processes and makes case filing more convenient for litigants.  Maryland attorneys have been filing electronically, or “e-filing,” since October 2014, when MDEC launched in Anne Arundel County.  The Judiciary is expanding the highly automated system to provide attorneys with the opportunity to transition from a paper-based process to a technology-based electronic filing system.

“We at the Maryland Judiciary are continuously focusing on improving our systems,” said Mary Ellen Barbera, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland.  “MDEC is modernizing the way we manage our court records.  This system is helping us eliminate our reliance on paper files, it’s improving the transfer of records as cases progress through the system, and it's making our courts more accessible to our litigants.”

Courts no longer will accept paper filings from attorneys in areas where MDEC has launched.  Maryland Rule 20-106(b), however, sets out the circumstances in which a person may be excused from the e-filing requirement.  Nonpayment of rent cases filed under Maryland Code, Real Property, Section 8-401, will continue to be exempt from mandatory electronic filing until further notice.

As part of the preparation for MDEC’s launch on the Upper Eastern Shore, the Judiciary has been scheduling informational events at several locations to help attorneys learn about the new system, how to register to use it, and how to e-file.

The Judiciary website has more information about MDEC, e-filing, and how to register to e-file. Attorneys and staff who are registered to e-file can register for webinars and training.

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