The New Rule of 7 – why do I have to learn new deadlines after practicing law for 29 years?

On January 1, 2012, the Colorado Supreme Court changed all of the Rules of Civil Procedure to make all deadlines divisible by 7. I learned in law school that an answer was due 20 days after service. Now it is 21 days after service. Answers to discovery requests were always due in 30 days. Now it is 35 days. I can understand that all new deadlines are divisible by 7, but why did the Supreme Court give a District Court judgment debtor 21 days to answer Rule 69 Interrogatories and only give a County Court judgment debtor 14 days to answer Rule 369 Interrogatories? Why couldn’t it be the same amount of time?

Now the Colorado State Legislature has joined into the Rule of 7. It changed all deadlines that affect court proceedings to be divisible by 7 as well. This is effective on July 1, 2012. So if you want to appeal a county court judgment, you now have 21 days to do so, instead of the 15 you used to have. So take heed all you attorneys who get the desperate phone call from the procrastinating litigant on the 13th day, you still have 8 more days to file that appeal!

Terry Ehrlich, Esq. Arnold & Arnold, LLP