A Year of Firsts: Chancery Court Turns One-year Old

• Citation: Vol. 45 No. 6 Pg. 16
• Publication year: 2022
• Pages: 16
• topic: Business of Law,Civil Procedure

A Year of Firsts: Chancery Court Turns One-Year Old Vol. 45 No. 6 Pg. 16 Wyoming Bar Journal December, 2022

Ben Burningham

It has been a year of firsts for Wyoming's newest court: first case initiated, first case resolved, and first electronic filing?to name a few. Firsts are rarely easy. But firsts are always beginnings. And as Plato observed: "The beginning is the most important part of the work." This article updates the bar on the Wyoming Chancery Court's beginnings.

The Chancery Court is a Streamlined Forum for Resolving Business and Trust Disputes

But first, for the unfamiliar, some background. In March 2019, the Wyoming Legislature created the Chancery Court to resolve commercial, business, and trust cases on an accelerated schedule using active case management practices, expedited discovery, and bench trials.^[1]

The new court has jurisdiction over actions seeking equitable or declaratory relief and actions seeking monetary relief over $50,000 exclusive of punitive or exemplary damages, interest, and costs and attorney fees.^[2] The underlying cause of action must fall within a list of 20 case types involving business and trust subjects.^[3]

The Legislature defined the Court as a forum for "the expeditious resolution of disputes" and challenged it with resolving most actions within 150 days.^[4] To facilitate such rapid resolutions, the Chancery Court enjoys "broad authority to shape and expedite discovery.^[5]

After the Legislature created the Chancery Court by statute, the Wyoming Supreme Court implemented the Court by rule.^[6]Chancery Court rules reflect its statutorily defined characteristics, including specialized jurisdiction and accelerated timelines. To further streamline matters, the rules mandate electronic filing and service.^[7] With an electronic filing system and rules of practice and procedure in place, the Chancery Court opened its doors on December 1, 2021.

Wyoming joined the roughly half of states with modern business courts.^[8] These courts benefit state economies by providing cost- and time-effective forums for resolving complex commercial disputes. And they benefit state judicial systems by removing some time-consuming cases from the general dockets and serving as a laboratory for innovative case management techniques that can be applied court system-wide if proven worthwhile.

The Chancery Court Actively Manages its Cases to Promote Prompt Resolutions

We turn now from a brief synopsis to a first-year review, beginning with the case management practices employed by the Court. Consistent with the charge to "be active in the management of docketed cases"^[9] and "shape and expedite discovery,"^[10] the Chancery Court has exercised early and continuous control over its cases. Typically...