When a court’s system rejects a filing with the message Court Response of Failure, it means your documents are in a format the court’s software can’t process. This usually means there’s an issue with your PDF files. To get your filing accepted, you’ll need to identify and correct the problem. Unfortunately, the court’s system doesn’t tell you exactly what’s wrong with the PDF.
Common Reasons for a Court Response of Failure
- PDF Producers other than Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word
- Page size larger than 8.5″ x 11″
- A resolution higher than 300dpi
- Use of unintelligible images
- URLs, shortcuts or hyperlinks included in the filing
- Fill-able boxes
- Unsupported fonts like ZapfDingbats, Wingdings, Symbols
- Password protection or Security on PDF documents
- PDFs saved in the PDF/A format
PDF Producers Other Than Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word
While many attorneys create their legal documents using software other than Adobe or Microsoft, some courts are unable to process the PDFs using that alternative software. PDFs created with Corel products such as WordPerfect or PDF Fusion are the most notable programs these courts have issues with. If you use one of these incompatible programs, you might consider switching software. If that is not an option, you may email your PDF to support@efilinghelp.com to see if we are able to assist with that document. However, it should be noted that our conversion does not always work.
Page Size Larger Than 8.5″ x 11″
Sometimes there is a submission error because the document is too large. It’s important to note that this error does not have anything to to with the document’s file size in terms of megabytes. This rejection has to do with the one page (or all pages) of a PDF being larger than the required 8.5″ x 11″ format. When any page of a PDF is larger than 8.5″ x 11″, the court’s file stamp appears microscopic and illegible. Therefore, the system auto-rejects the submission.
Learn how to properly size your PDFs…
A Resolution Higher Than 300dpi
It is a best practice to scan all documents in black and white or grayscale and at 300dpi. Many courts will auto-reject a PDF if the resolution exceeds 300dpi. Please refer to your scanner’s user manual to correctly set the dpi.
Use of Unintelligible Images
This goes hand in hand with the previous two reasons. It’s best to scan all photos at 300dpi and in black and white (if your particular court/judge allows for that). They need to be legible and in an 8.5″ x 11″ format. So if your photo is wider than it is tall, you should rotate the image 90 degrees so it’s orientation is a portrait layout as opposed to a landscape one.
URLs, Shortcuts or Hyperlinks Included in the Filing
Many documents we see with this submission failure have an email that is a clickable link. This link and most other hyperlinks are incompatible with many of the Odyssey court systems. Remove any blue links you find in your PDF.
Fill-Able Boxes
If you have a PDF that was a fill-able form and you did not “flatten” it, you will want to do so and re-upload it to the e-filing system. Flattening a PDFs ensures the document can be viewed on all devices, and prevents others from manipulating or editing the information. It can also remove invisible meta data which is incompatible with many of the court’s e-Filing manager’s software.
Unsupported Fonts Like Zapfdingbats, Wingdings, Symbols
Fonts like zapfdingbats, wingdings, and symbols can also be incompatible with the court’s software. It is a best practice to stick with court-approved and court-used fonts. Please refer to your local rules for those they accept.
Password Protection or Security on PDF Documents
All PDFs uploaded to the system can not have any sort of password or security protection on them. Additionally, you can not submit a PDF under the PDF/A standard. Please remove all security restrictions on your document before uploading it.