Filing Statuses Explained

Every filing in CottFile moves through a series of statuses as it's processed. Understanding these statuses helps you know exactly where your filing stands.

The Filing Journey

  ┌─────────┐     ┌───────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────┐     ┌──────────┐
  │  DRAFT  │ ──▶ │ SUBMITTED │ ──▶ │ UNDER REVIEW │ ──▶ │ ACCEPTED │ ──▶ │ RECORDED │
  └─────────┘     └───────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────────┘     └──────────┘
                                           │
                                           ├──▶ ┌──────────┐
                                           │    │ REJECTED  │ ──▶ (Filer corrects & resubmits)
                                           │    └──────────┘
                                           │
                                           ├──▶ ┌────────────────┐     ┌──────────┐
                                           │    │ PARTIAL ACCEPT │ ──▶ │ RECORDED │
                                           │    └────────────────┘     └──────────┘
                                           │
                                           └──▶ ┌────────────┐     ┌───────────────┐     ┌──────────┐
                                                │ WITH JUDGE │ ──▶ │ JUDGE SIGNED  │ ──▶ │ ACCEPTED │
                                                └────────────┘     └───────────────┘     └──────────┘
                                                       │
                                                       └──▶ ┌─────────────────────┐
                                                            │ RETURNED TO CLERK   │
                                                            └─────────────────────┘

  After acceptance, if payment fails:
  ┌──────────┐     ┌────────────────┐     ┌───────────┐
  │ ACCEPTED │ ──▶ │ PAYMENT FAILED │ ──▶ │ SUBMITTED │ (retry or resubmit)
  └──────────┘     └────────────────┘     └───────────┘

Status Definitions

Draft

What it means: You started a filing but haven't submitted it yet.

What to do: Go to My Drafts to resume and complete the filing. Drafts are not visible to the court.

Submitted

What it means: Your filing has been received by the court's e-filing system and is waiting in the clerk's queue for review.

What to do: No action needed. You'll receive an email when a clerk picks up your filing.

Typical wait time: Varies by court and volume, but most courts process filings within 1–2 business days.

Under Review

What it means: A clerk has opened your filing and is currently reviewing the documents, parties, and case information.

What to do: No action needed. The clerk may accept, reject, partially accept, or forward to a judge.

With Judge

What it means: The clerk has forwarded your filing to a judge for review or signature. This is common for orders, warrants, and filings that require judicial approval.

What to do: No action needed. The judge will review and either sign or return the filing to the clerk.

Judge Signed

What it means: A judge has reviewed and signed your filing. It will now proceed to acceptance and recording.

What to do: No action needed. The filing will continue through the acceptance process.

Returned to Clerk

What it means: A judge has returned your filing to the clerk for further action. The judge may have required corrections or additional review.

What to do: No action needed from filers. The clerk will take the next step.

Accepted

What it means: The court has reviewed and approved your filing. All documents have been accepted. Filing fees (if applicable) have been charged to your stored payment method.

What to do: Your filing is now part of the official case record. You can download stamped versions of your documents from the filing detail page — these serve as proof of filing.

Rejected

What it means: The court could not accept your filing. The clerk has provided a reason and specific notes about what needs to be corrected.

What to do: Review the rejection reason and clerk notes on the filing detail page, then click Edit & Resubmit to correct and resubmit. See Correcting a Rejected Filing.

Common rejection reasons:

• Incomplete Filing
• Incorrect Form
• Missing Signature
• Incorrect Fee
• Wrong Court
• Duplicate Filing
• Defective Service

Partial Accept

What it means: Some documents in your filing were accepted, but one or more were rejected.

What to do: Review the filing details to see which documents were accepted and which were rejected. Resubmit corrected versions of the rejected documents.

Payment Failed

What it means: Your filing was accepted, but the payment charge to your stored card failed (e.g., insufficient funds, expired card).

What to do: You will receive an email and in-app notification. Update your payment method if needed, then retry the payment from the filing detail page. Once payment succeeds, your filing will proceed to recording.

Recorded

What it means: Your accepted filing has been fully recorded in the court's case management system (Verdict CMS). This is the final status — your filing is part of the permanent court record.

What to do: Nothing further required. Your filing is complete.

Document-Level Statuses

Individual documents within a filing also have their own statuses: