Short answer. No. A motion for leave to file a pleading or motion must already be accompanied by the pleading or motion sought to be admitted; you cannot request leave in the abstract and submit the actual finished document at some later point in time.
What the law says
A motion for leave to file a pleading or motion shall be accompanied by the pleading or motion sought to be admitted.
Rule 15, Section 10 — Motion for leave. Read the full provision →
What a motion for leave requires
A motion for leave to file a pleading or motion is not treated as a standalone, open-ended request that stands entirely on its own. The rule requires it to be accompanied by the very pleading or motion sought to be admitted — meaning the document a party actually wants permission to file must already exist in finished form and be physically attached at the time leave is requested from the court.
Why the finished document has to come first
Requiring the actual finished pleading or motion to accompany the request lets the court, and any opposing party if the matter turns out to be contested, meaningfully evaluate exactly what is being sought to be admitted into the case, rather than the court having to grant or deny leave based only on some vague description of what the movant merely intends to eventually file down the road.
What this prevents
Without this particular requirement in place, a party could conceivably obtain leave based on nothing more than a vague plan or general intention, and then later go on to file something entirely different, considerably broader, or filed much later than what the court actually had genuinely in mind at the time it granted that original permission. Attaching the finished document ties whatever leave is granted directly to a concrete, reviewable piece of text.
Practical takeaway for filers
A litigant seeking permission to file something falling outside the ordinary course of proceedings — a supplemental pleading, a second motion for reconsideration, or something similar in nature — needs to already have that specific document fully drafted and genuinely ready to attach at the very time the motion for leave itself is actually filed with the court, rather than simply promising to produce it for later.
What if the finished document is not yet ready
A party who is not yet ready to attach the finished pleading or motion has not yet satisfied Section 10's requirement and has no basis to ask for leave at that point. The appropriate step is to finish drafting the document first, then file the motion for leave together with it, rather than seeking leave in the abstract and promising to supply the pleading afterward.
Related provisions
- Rule 15, Section 10 — Motion for leave
- Rule 15, Section 9 — Omnibus motion
- Rule 15, Section 11 — Form