The Auto Create Case feature will automate the process of electronically accepting new petitions filed in certain civil case types, making the new case available automatically for the attorneys to continue filing documents or beginning other time-sensitive work. It also will make these new cases available automatically for the public to view. The feature has been in planning and development for more than a year. Its pilot in St. Louis County began October 18 and concluded at the end of last week.

The Auto Create Case feature is available for approximately 25 circuit civil cases plus a few associate circuit civil cases. As the pilot progresses, plans are to continue making Auto Create Case available for other circuit courts. Please refer to this implementation schedule for details. 

The biggest impact of the Auto Create Case will be the elimination of the eFiling System’s processing queue. 

Attorneys could file cases at nearly any time, night or day. Until now, those cases would stay in a queue until local court staff could manually create new cases and accept the filings during regular business hours. With Auto Create Case, the system will automatically create a new case, accept the petition, assign a case number and allow the attorney to continue filing additional documents in the case.

Feedback from the St. Louis County pilot is that attorneys should carefully review their filings before submitting them. While attorneys have appreciated the speed at which their new cases have appeared, some have misfiled cases in the wrong division or forgotten to attach their petition, resulting in increased dismissals.

Of particular note for attorneys:

Visit the Missouri Courts website for more information about the Auto Create Case feature.

Contact: Beth S. Riggert

Communications Counsel

Supreme Court of Missouri

(573) 751-3676