Short answer. Generally it must be filed or served personally or by registered mail, not electronically, unless the court expressly permits otherwise. Initiatory pleadings and initial responsive pleadings such as an Answer are carved out of the general option elsewhere in this Rule to serve or file electronically.
What the law says
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following orders, pleadings, and other documents must be served or filed personally or by registered mail when allowed, and shall not be served or filed electronically, unless express permission is granted by the [c]ourt: (a) Initiatory pleadings and initial responsive pleadings, such as an answer; (b) Subpoena, protection orders, and writs; (c) Appendices and exhibits to motions, or other documents that are not readily amenable to electronic scanning may, at the option of the party filing such, be filed and served conventionally; and (d) Sealed and confidential documents or records.
Rule 13, Section 14 — Conventional service or filing of orders, pleadings and other documents. Read the full provision →
An exception to the general electronic-service option
Other sections of this Rule open the door to serving and filing pleadings by electronic mail or facsimile once the receiving party consents. This provision pulls back on that door for a specific enumerated list of documents, requiring them instead to be served or filed personally or by registered mail, and barring electronic service or filing for them entirely unless the court expressly grants permission to do so.
What's on the carve-out list
The list names initiatory pleadings and initial responsive pleadings — an Answer is given as the concrete example — along with subpoenas, protection orders, and writs, and sealed and confidential documents or records. Appendices and exhibits to motions, or other materials not readily amenable to electronic scanning, get a slightly softer treatment: the filing party has the option to file and serve those conventionally rather than facing a strict mandatory requirement.
Why an Answer specifically is included
An Answer is the defendant's first substantive response setting the boundaries of the entire dispute, much like the complaint itself sets the case in motion in the first place. Treating it the same as an initiatory pleading, and requiring conventional filing absent express court permission, keeps the earliest and most foundational documents in a case anchored to personal service or registered mail rather than left to the uncertainties of purely electronic channels.
The escape hatch
The bar is not absolute or permanent. If the court expressly grants permission, any of the listed documents — including an Answer — may still be served or filed electronically after all, notwithstanding the general rule against it. Without that express permission from the court, though, a party filing an Answer only by email or fax has not complied with what this rule requires.
Related provisions
- Rule 13, Section 14 — Conventional service or filing of orders, pleadings and other documents
- Rule 13, Section 13 — Service of [j]udgments, [f]inal [o]rders or [r]esolutions
- Rule 13, Section 15 — Completeness of service