2016 Minnesota Statutes

480.0515 PAPERS TO BE SUBMITTED ON RECYCLED PAPER.

Subdivision 1.Definitions.

(a) The definitions in this subdivision apply to this section.

(b) "Attorney" means an attorney at law admitted to practice law in this state.

(c) "Document" means a document that is required or permitted to be filed with a court concerning an action that is to be commenced or is pending before the court.

Subd. 2.Requirement.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision 3, a document submitted by an attorney to a court of this state, and all papers appended to the document, must be submitted on paper containing not less than ten percent postconsumer material, as defined in section 115A.03, subdivision 24b.

(b) A court may not refuse a document solely because the document was not submitted on recycled paper.

Subd. 3.Exceptions.

(a) Subdivision 1 does not apply to:

(1) a photograph;

(2) an original document that was prepared or printed before January 1, 1996;

(3) a document that was not created at the direction or under the control of the submitting attorney;

(4) a facsimile copy otherwise permitted to be filed with the court in lieu of the original document, provided that if the original is also required to be filed, it must be submitted in compliance with this section; or

(5) nonrecycled paper and preprinted forms acquired or printed before January 1, 1996.

(b) This section does not apply if recycled paper is not readily available.

History:

1995 c 247 art 1 s 58