Rule 5: Serving and Filing Pleadings and Other Papers

Question 1

In federal civil litigation, what is the difference between filing a document and serving a document?

Answer 1

Filing means submitting a document to the court for inclusion in the official record of the case, while serving means formally transmitting a document to another party or, in some instances, to someone who is not a party.

Question 2

In federal civil litigation, what does filing a document mean?

Answer 2

Filing means submitting a document to the court for inclusion in the official record of the case.

Question 3

In federal civil litigation, what does serving a document mean?

Answer 3

Serving a document means formally transmitting a document to another party or, in some instances, to someone who is not a party.