No private (ex parte) communications with the court allowed

Generally, you can’t have private communications with the court about your case. This is sometimes called an “ex parte communication.” You can’t communicate with the judge or commissioner in your case without the other party having the opportunity to be involved in the communication. This means you generally cannot:

• File something with the court without sending a copy to the other party or parties in your case
• Call the judge or commissioner and talk with them
• Visit the judge or commissioner in person

If the court sent you a letter about an ex parte communication, it might mean that you filed something and did not send a copy to the other parties in your case. For most documents that you file in your case, you must send copies to the other parties (or to their attorneys). Each document you file must have a certificate of service that explains how you promise to send the other party a copy of that document. See our page on Serving Papers for more information.

If you tried to file something and the court rejected it as an ex parte communication, you can use the form below to explain how you gave the other party a copy of that document. You would send and include it with the paper you are trying to file:

• 1021GE

If you have more problems with filing or are confused about any of this, you might want to get some legal help. Contact the Utah Court Self-Help Center. Or, see our Finding Legal Help page.