(a) Except as otherwise provided in these rules, documents
and Pleadings relating to any Proceeding pending or to be instituted
before ERS, the Board or its designee shall be filed with and/or served
upon the Executive Director.
(b) Unless otherwise provided by applicable law or
rule, in any Proceeding referred by the Executive Director to an Examiner
to conduct a hearing, all Parties shall file documents and Pleadings
initially with the Examiner. After the Examiner issues a final proposal
for decision, including any responses to exceptions to the proposal
for decision and replies to exceptions filed by the Parties, the Examiner
no longer has jurisdiction over the Proceedings, and the Parties are
then required to file all documents and Pleadings with the Executive
Director. Thereafter, all Pleadings in the Proceeding shall be addressed
to the Executive Director.
(c) Copies of any documents or Pleadings filed with
or served upon the Executive Director or Examiner shall be served
upon all other Parties to the Proceeding or their Authorized Representative
contemporaneously with such filing or service.
(d) Unless otherwise stated, all documents and Pleadings
required to be served on any Party may be served by any of the following
methods:
(1) hand-delivery;
(2) certified or registered mail to the Party's or
the Party's Authorized Representative's last known address;
(3) facsimile to the Party's or the Party's Authorized
Representative's current facsimile number;
(4) electronic mail ("email") to the Party's or the
Party's Authorized Representative's current email address; or
(5) any other manner as the Executive Director or Examiner,
in their discretion, may reasonably require.
(e) Service by mail shall be complete when the Pleading
or document is properly addressed, postage paid and deposited in a
postal box. Service by facsimile or email is complete when the Pleading
or document is transmitted to the recipient's current facsimile number
or email address. Service by facsimile or email after 5:00 p.m. (recipient's
time) shall be considered completed service on the following date.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, whenever any portion of a Pleading
or document may be considered or ruled upon at a hearing, then the
Party or Authorized Representative serving same shall, not less than
three (3) business days prior to any hearing, take all reasonable
steps to notify, by telephone, email or facsimile, all other Parties
to the Proceeding as to the nature of the Pleading or document filed
and the relief requested therein.
(f) The Party or Authorized Representative filing or
serving any documents or Pleadings shall, by his signature, certify
to the Examiner or the Executive Director the Party's compliance with
these rules regarding service. The failure of any Party or Authorized
Representative to comply with the rules regarding service of documents
and Pleadings may be grounds for the entry of an Order striking the
Pleading or document from the record or the imposition of other appropriate
sanctions as specified in §67.108 of this chapter (relating to
discovery sanctions).
(g) Documents and Pleadings are considered to be filed
with the Executive Director or Examiner when they are received by
the Executive Director or Examiner or when they are served properly,
whichever is earlier.
|
Source Note: The provisions of this §67.7 adopted to be effective March 19, 1986, 11 TexReg 1149; amended to be effective January 10, 1999, 24 TexReg 165; amended to be effective September 14, 2006, 31 TexReg 7359; amended to be effective December 24, 2015, 40 TexReg 9302 |