Jennifer Bass

Prior to scheduling a motion for hearing, the motion sought to be heard MUST be filed. Scheduling of a hearing shall be done by contacting the Judicial Assistant via e-mail at msoltis@circuit5.org and including opposing counsel if represented. The Judicial Assistant will offer several dates to the parties, if a response is not received within seven (7) days, the court will schedule the hearing without coordinating or at the availability of the responding office. If one party is pro se and the hearing can be scheduled with sufficient notice to the pro se party, the hearing will not need to be coordinated with the pro se party.

All evidentiary hearings are held in-person, Courtroom 5B, at the Marion County Judicial Center, located at 110 N.W. 1st Avenue, Ocala, FL 34475, except as otherwise set forth herein.  Requests to appear at a hearing via audio/video communication platform(s), such as telephone or Zoom, must generally be made by the filing of a motion and will only be allowed by court order.  Hearings on motions to withdraw and uncontested final hearings will be held exclusively by Zoom unless otherwise expressly ordered.

Proposed orders must be submitted to the Judicial Assistant via e-mail at msoltis@circuit5.org in Microsoft Word format.  Orders on routine motions including, but not limited to, motions to compel discovery and motions for leave to amend shall be accompanied by a proposed order which shall be submitted by e-mail to msoltis@circuit5.org for consideration by the Court.

All proposed orders shall be submitted in Microsoft Word format.

If a matter has already gone to mediation, at least one party has an attorney, and parties have reached an agreement, pursuant to A.O. M-2010-03 a proposed Final Judgment may be e-mailed in Word format by counsel for consideration by the Court. If the matter includes children, please be sure the child support guidelines worksheet(s) are either attached to the agreement or filed in the court file. If there is property but no children, please be sure an equitable distribution schedule is attached to the agreement or sent via e-mail in Microsoft Excel format.

If both parties are represented a proposed final judgment may be submitted via e-mail to Megan Soltis (msoltis@circuit5.org) for consideration by the Court. Please be sure to include child support guidelines worksheet(s) and/or an equitable distribution schedule where applicable. Failure to include the child support guidelines worksheet(s) and/or equitable distribution schedule will result in the Final Judgment NOT being entered.

Motions for Contempt & Order to Show Cause hearings will be held in-person.

Motions for Temporary Relief will be scheduled for 45-minutes or less per direction from Family Law Administrative Judge Ann Melinda Craggs in January 2020.

Pretrial Conferences will be scheduled AFTER mediation has occurred. Trials will be scheduled during the pretrial conference.

Pretrial statements shall be filed no later than 10 days (excluding weekends and holidays) before the Pretrial Conference. Failure to file the pretrial statement may result in cancellation of the pretrial conference.

All matters resolved and agreed upon by the parties shall be noted on the pretrial statement or in a subsequent pretrial stipulation if agreed after the pretrial conference.

Please check the Order Setting Hearing or Order Ahead of Hearing for exchange of evidence language.

Attorneys and self-represented parties shall mark all exhibits in numerical sequence and no later than two (2) business days before the hearing shall furnish a physical copy to the court with an index of the exhibits.

Exchange of exhibits shall be in the form of a physical copy to the court and opposing counsel/party, not by electronic means and shall be bound in a trial notebook.

Evidence/Exhibits should NOT be filed in the court file.

Please refer to Administrative Order M-2010-23-G, Sixth Amended Standing Family Law Court Order for additional information regarding procedures, courtroom conduct and emergency motions.

Personal visits to a Judge, General Magistrate, or Child Support Hearing Officers’ office are discouraged because it disrupts the working routine in the office. Assistants assist the Judges, General Magistrates, Child Support Hearing Officers. It is not their job to advise or assist the parties with their cases. In pro se cases, the office of Family Court Case Management may provide valuable assistance.

If any party telephones the Assistant to the Judge, General Magistrate, and Child Support Hearing Officer and persists in talking about unauthorized subjects after being warned, the Assistants are instructed to hang up the phone.

All requests to speak to the Judge, General Magistrate, and Child Support Hearing Officer on the telephone or have a private conference will be refused.