MINNESOTA COURT RULES

GENERAL RULES OF PRACTICE

Rule 16.Pagination of Court Filings and Exhibits

Each document filed with the court must, to the extent feasible, be consecutively paginated from beginning to end, including any attachments. Trial or other exhibits must be similarly numbered.

(Added effective July 1, 2015.)

Advisory Committee Comment - 2015 Amendments

Rule 16 is a new rule intended to create a uniform practice in the submission of documents to the court in all types of cases. The goal is that any part of the record will be able to be identified by either its title or a unique docket number and a single, serial, page number. Documents should begin on the first page as it is filed or served as page 1 and should continue in sequence to the last page of the document's attachments, if any. (Attachments should be numbered in sequence, and without beginning a new sequence for any attachments.)

The rule does not dictate the location for page numbers, but they should normally be placed at the bottom of the page in a consistent place, either centered or in the lower right hand corner. The best location may vary to obviate obscuring any important information on the document. Placing numbers unduly close to the edge of the document may result in removal or truncation of the number in imaging or duplication, so a reasonable margin should be used. The rule does not require any format or process for applying the required page numbers.

This rule is intended to allow counsel, trial courts, and the appellate courts to locate portions of the record easily and with accuracy. The rule applies to all documents, but will be particularly valuable for affidavits with numerous attachments or trial exhibits that are not already paginated. Compliance with the rule will make it possible to avoid lengthy dialogue to get the court and counsel all on the correct page of a lengthy exhibit.