State Court Motion in Limine - District of Columbia
MOTION IN LIMINE
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — CIVIL DIVISION
| Party | Role |
|---|---|
| [PLAINTIFF NAME] | Plaintiff |
| v. | |
| [DEFENDANT NAME] | Defendant |
Case No.: [____________________] Judge: [____________________]
Next court date, if set: [__/__/____]
[MOVING PARTY]'S MOTION IN LIMINE REGARDING [SPECIFIC EVIDENCE]
MOTION AND GROUNDS
[Moving party] moves for an order concerning the evidence identified below
before it is offered at trial. The requested ruling is limited to the evidence,
uses, and legal grounds stated here.
Evidence or testimony at issue: [describe the item, source, witness, and
expected use: _____________________________________________________________]
Requested ruling: ☐ Exclude ☐ Admit ☐ Require a ruling outside the jury's presence ☐ Other: [________]
D.C. statute, controlling D.C. decision, or other applicable authority:
[____________________________________________________________]
Relevant operative language and pinpoint citation: [____________________]
Why that authority applies to the identified evidence and proposed use:
[____________________________________________________________]
Record support, exhibits, or deposition pages: [____________________]
Opposing party's expected position and response: [____________________]
Narrower alternative, if appropriate: [____________________]
If the motion concerns impeachment by conviction
D.C. Code § 14-305(b)(1) directs admission of qualifying convictions offered
to attack witness credibility, subject to the statutory exclusions in
§ 14-305(b)(2). State the specific statutory ground for exclusion, if any:
☐ Innocence based pardon, annulment, or equivalent procedure — record: [________]
☐ Rehabilitation certificate or equivalent with no later conviction — record: [________]
☐ More than ten years since the later of release from confinement or the end
of parole, probation, or sentence for the witness's most recent criminal
conviction — relevant dates: [____________________]
☐ Not a qualifying conviction under § 14-305(b)(1) — reason: [____________]
Application to this witness and conviction: [____________________]
RULE 12-I CERTIFICATION
Before filing this nondispositive motion, I made a good faith effort to discuss
the requested relief with other parties and narrow any disagreement:
| Person contacted | Date and time | Method | Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
| [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
Areas of agreement or disagreement: [____________________]
REQUEST FOR RELIEF
The moving party asks the court to enter the proposed order below and to grant
such further relief as is appropriate on the record. Rule 16(d) requires a
motion in limine to be filed, served, and delivered to the assigned judge four
weeks before the pretrial conference. The pretrial conference is scheduled for
[__/__/____]; this motion is filed on [__/__/____].
Date: [__/__/____] Signature: [________________________________]
Attorney: [________________________________] D.C. Bar No.: [____________]
Address: [________________________________]
Telephone: [________________________________] Email: [________________________________]
Counsel for: [________________________________]
[PROPOSED] ORDER
Upon considering the motion and record, the court ORDERS that the motion is
☐ GRANTED ☐ DENIED ☐ GRANTED IN PART as follows:
[____________________________________________________________]
Existing scheduling dates: [________________________________]
Dates affected by this order, if any: [________________________________]
Persons to receive copies, including postal addresses for anyone not served
electronically:
| Person | Electronic or postal address | Method |
|---|---|---|
| [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
| [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
Date: [__/__/____] Judge's signature: [____________________]
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify as a member of the Bar of this court that on [__/__/____] I served
this motion and proposed order on the following persons by the methods shown.
Rule 5-I(b) does not require separate proof for service through the court's
electronic filing system.
| Person served | Address or registered user | Method | Date and manner |
|---|---|---|---|
| [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
| [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] | [____________________] |
Delivery to assigned judge: ☐ Delivered [date and manner: ____________________] ☐ Not required for this filing
Signature: [________________________________] D.C. Bar No.: [____________________]
SOURCES AND REFERENCES
- D.C. Superior Court Civil Rules: https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-resources/rules-of-the-superior-court
- D.C. Code § 14-305: https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/14-305
About this template
- Last updated
- October 11, 2026
- Citations checked
- October 11, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- District of Columbia
- Category
- Litigation & Court Documents
Legal authority
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 16(d) (Timing of Motions in Limine)
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 12-I(a), (d), (f) (Motions Practice)
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 5 (Service and Filing)
- D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 5-I (Proof of Service)
- D.C. Code § 14-305(b) (Impeachment by Conviction, if applicable)
These are the filings that drive a lawsuit through the system: complaints, answers, motions, briefs, discovery requests and responses, and post-judgment papers. Each has its own format requirements under federal and state procedural rules, and each has a deadline that cannot be missed without consequences. Clean, procedurally correct filings move a case forward; sloppy ones invite motions to strike, amended responses, and avoidable delays.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on October 11, 2026.
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 16(d) (checked October 11, 2026): "Four weeks prior to the pretrial conference, each party must file with the court, serve on all other parties, and deliver to the assigned judge in accordance with the provisions of Rule 5(d) any motion in limine, motion to bifurcate, or other motion respecting the conduct of the trial, which a party wishes to have the court consider."
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 12-I(a)(1) (checked October 11, 2026): "Before filing any nondispositive motion, except motions filed pursuant to Rule 11, the moving party must make a good faith effort to discuss the anticipated motion with other parties in an effort to determine whether there is any opposition to the relief sought and, if there is, to narrow the areas of disagreement."
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 12-I(a)(3)(B) (checked October 11, 2026): "The certification required by Rule 12-I(a)(3)(A)(ii) must set out specific facts describing the good faith effort, including a statement of the date, time, and method of each communication made to another party and whether any response has been received."
D.C. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 12-I(d) (checked October 11, 2026): "The caption must contain the parties’ next court date (e.g. case mediation, pretrial conference, or trial) if one has been set."
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