1. An office, to be known as the "Case Management Office", shall be established at the seat of the competent court. 2. The Case Management Office shall be made up of one head and a sufficient number of court employees, both legal and others, to be working under the supervision of the chief justice or one or more judges of the competent court. 3. The Case Management Office shall be charged with the preparation and management of the case before being referred to the competent court, including its registration and service, exchange of submissions, documents and experts' reports between the litigants. 4. The supervising judge may issue a decision dismissing the case due to the Plaintiff's failure to pay its fees or the difference in fees or expenses where such failure would preclude adjudication on the case. The supervising judge may also establish the discontinuance or waiver of proceedings. The said decisions shall be subject to the standard methods of challenge according to the general rules. The Supervising Judge may also appoint expert witnesses, refer the case to investigation, hear the witnesses, examine the litigants and refer them to mediation or conciliation, as the case may be. He may also impose the procedural penalties prescribed in this Code, meet with the parties to the pending case and propose conciliation and try to have the dispute between them amicably settled. For such purpose, he may order that the parties appear in person. If amicable conciliation is established, a decision shall be issued establishing such conciliation and the content of the agreement of the parties, and shall have the legal force of a writ of execution. 5. If the legal proceeding is stayed by operation of law due to the death or incapacitation of either of the litigants, or due to the loss of legal capacity of the representative acting on behalf of either litigant before the case is referred, or where an application is filed for the impleader of any party against whom the case has not been instituted, the Case Management Office shall refer the underlying legal proceeding to the supervising judge to issue a decision amending the form of the case in such circumstances. 6. If the pending legal proceeding before the Case Management Office includes a plea filed by either litigant, which would result in a stay of proceeding, or of the legal proceeding involves an appeal against a judgment that decided inadmissibility or lack of jurisdiction, or an appeal filed after the legally prescribed time limit, the Case Management Office shall submit the same to the supervising judge, who, in turn, shall, by a decision, refer the same, after being duly served, to the competent court that shall hold its hearing in chambers to decide on the matters referred thereto. The Court may schedule a hearing to consider the merits if necessary. In all cases, the Trial Court may not remand the case to the supervising judge or the Case Management Office whenever its jurisdiction over it is established. 7. If the pending case before the Case Management Office includes a summary claim, the Case Management Office shall promptly present it to the supervising judge to decide on the summary claim, not later three [3] business days. Such a decision may be challenged in accordance with the provisions of this Code. 8. The right to submit the pleas that are not relevant to the public order set forth in Article [86] of this Code shall lapse if the same is not presented by the party appearing before the Case Management Office. 9. If a claim is submitted to the Case Management Office and satisfies the requirements for issuing the writ of debt prescribed in Articles [143] and [144] of this Code, such a claim shall be submitted to the supervising judge, who, in turn, shall refer the same to the judge having the jurisdiction to issue the writ of debt, in order to decide on the same within the time limit specified in Article [144.4] of this Code.
Interpretation and application must be checked against the official text and current version.