Section 1.371 - General pleading requirementsWritten hearings shall be resolved on a written record consisting of affirmative case, responsive case, and reply case submissions, along with all associated evidence in the record, including stipulations and agreements of the parties and official notice of a material fact.
(a) All pleadings filed in any proceeding subject to these written hearing rules must be submitted in conformity with the requirements of §§ 1.4 , 1.44 , 1.47 , 1.48 , 1.49 , 1.50 , 1.51(a) , and 1.52 .(b) Pleadings must be clear, concise, and direct. All matters should be pleaded fully and with specificity.(c) Pleadings shall consist of numbered paragraphs and must be supported by relevant evidence. Assertions based on information and belief are prohibited unless made in good faith and accompanied by a declaration or affidavit explaining the basis for the party's belief and why the party could not reasonably ascertain the facts from any other source.(d) Legal arguments must be supported by appropriate statutory, judicial, or administrative authority.(e) Opposing authorities must be distinguished.(f) Copies must be provided of all non-Commission authorities relied upon which are not routinely available in national reporting systems, such as unpublished decisions or slip opinions of courts or administrative agencies. In addition, copies of state authorities relied upon shall be provided.(g) Parties are responsible for the continuing accuracy and completeness of all information and supporting authority furnished in a pending proceeding. Information submitted, as well as relevant legal authorities, must be current and updated as necessary and in a timely manner before a decision is rendered on the merits.(h) Pleadings shall identify the name, address, telephone number, and email address for either the filing party's attorney or, where a party is not represented by an attorney, the filing party. Pleadings may be signed by a party's attorney.(i) Attachments to any pleading shall be Bates-stamped or otherwise identifiable by party and numbered sequentially. Parties shall cite to Bates-stamped or otherwise identifiable page numbers in their pleadings.(j) Unless a schedule is specified in the order designating a matter for hearing, at the initial status conference under § 1.248(b) , the presiding officer shall adopt a schedule for the sequential filing of pleadings required or permitted under these rules.(k) Pleadings shall be served on all parties to the proceeding in accordance with § 1.211 and shall include a certificate of service. All pleadings shall be served on the presiding officer or case manager, as identified in the caption.(l) Each pleading must contain a written verification that the signatory has read the submission and, to the best of their knowledge, information, and belief formed after reasonable inquiry, it is well grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification or reversal of existing law; and that it is not interposed for any improper purpose, such as to harass, cause unnecessary delay, or needlessly increase the cost of the proceeding. If any pleading or other submission is signed in violation of this provision, the Commission may upon motion or upon its own initiative impose appropriate sanctions.(m) Any party to the proceeding may file a motion seeking waiver of any of the rules governing pleadings in written hearings. Such waiver may be granted for good cause shown.(n) Any pleading that does not conform with the requirements of the applicable rules may be deemed defective. In such case, the presiding officer may strike the pleading or request that specified defects be corrected and that proper pleadings be filed with the Commission and served on the presiding officer or case manager and all parties within a prescribed time as a condition to being made a part of the record in the proceeding.(o) Any party that fails to respond to official correspondence, a request for additional information, or an order or directive from the presiding officer or case manager may be subject to appropriate sanctions.