Decoupling Seattle Family Law and Divorce Blog

This is the third article in our series about King County Superior Court Schedules.  Last week we discussed filing your action and proof of service.  Today we’re discussing the Confirmation of Issues.

Confirmation of Issues

This event requires a joint filing from both parties, and the document itself is very simple.  In a divorce case, it’s generally considered to be the Petitioner’s job to get the document filed. If that’s you, it’s particularly important to make sure to get it filed by the date listed in your Case Schedule.

The Confirmation of Issues is a document that tells the judge assigned to your case whether your case is on track to go to trial.  The Confirmation of Issues lets the court know whether or not the Summons and Petition have been filed and served on the necessary parties.   If you have children, the Confirmation of Issues also lets the judge know whether or not you and your spouse are contesting parenting, and if someone such as parenting evaluator or guardian ad litem has been assigned to assist the court in formulating a final parenting plan.  This document also tells the court whether or not your case has been referred to mediation, and whether you’ve actually attempted to mediate your divorce.

If you file this document on time – effectively letting the court know you and your spouse have been able to keep things moving along in a timely order – the court will take a more hands off approach to your case.

However, if you do not file this documents on time, or if all the issues are not confirmed by both parties, such as if one party refuses to sign it, the court will put you and your case in its equivalent of high school detention.

Bueller! Bueller!

We’ll address this phenomenon further in an article about your 5th Case Schedule event: the dreaded Status Conference.

Check out a blank Confirmation of Issues here.