Motions ABANDONED After 5 Days Unset — Division RH (FS, NC/H)
Summary
Judge Stephens deems motions abandoned when they sit unset for five days — the fastest abandonment clock in the courthouse; hearings are set by CALLING the JA and come within 30 days.
Applies to
Florida > Fifteenth Judicial Circuit > Palm Beach County > Palm Beach County Court > Division RH — also covering FS and NC/H (Judge Debra Moses Stephens)
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"Motions are considered ABANDONED when they have been filed for 5 days but have not been set for a hearing." / "All hearings are set by calling the judicial assistant. This division provides hearings within 30 days."
- Official source
- PBC County Court — Division RH Instructions (Judge Stephens)
- Source health
- Healthy · checked July 7, 2026
- Effective date
- —
- Last verified
- July 5, 2026Live fetch of official division page — 2026-07-05
Reviewer note: Verified against the live official page on 2026-07-05. 30-day recheck scheduled.
Change history
- July 7, 2026Monitor: content changed at PBC County Court — Division RH Instructions (Judge Stephens). Review before republishing dependent rules.
Related rules
Summary Judgment Timing: 40 Days / 20 Days — Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.510
Florida follows the federal summary-judgment standard. The motion must be served at least 40 days before the hearing; the nonmovant's response is due no later than 20 days before the hearing.
Computing Time — Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.514
How Florida procedural deadlines are computed: exclude the trigger day; count every day for periods of 7 days or more; for periods under 7 days, skip intermediate weekends and legal holidays; roll forward when the last day is a weekend or holiday.
Set in 5 Days, Heard in 60 — or Deemed Abandoned — Division AG
Judge Siperstein requires every motion to be set within 5 days of filing and heard within 60 days, or it may be deemed abandoned.
Continuance Requests at Least 5 Days Before Court — Division T/KK2
Judge Hafele requires continuance requests at least five days before the scheduled court date — and no remote appearance at first appearances or RPO hearings.