County Court at Law 5

COUNTY COURT AT LAW NO. 5

I M P O R T A N T   N O T I C E   (updated 6-24-2022)

All persons entering the Courtroom are encouraged to wear a Mask or Face Covering.

EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2022: E-Filed Resets will no longer be accepted. In-Person resets only.

Reset Procedure

• If Defendant is NOT represented by an Attorney, he/she must appear In-Person on the scheduled court date and time. Please do not be late.  Do not leave the courthouse without a copy of your RESET.
  
   
• Defendants must appear In-Person for all their court dates.

• Attorneys must always appear In-Person if Defendant is In-Person for the docket.

• Attorneys may reset Defendant’s cases via In-Person only – beginning June 1, 2022.
  
   
• If you have NOT made contact with the Defendant do not submit a RESET on his/her behalf. Defendant will receive either a Bond Forfeiture or a Failure to Appear.

• Do not submit a RESET if Defendant is In-Custody. Alert the ADA and Coordinator.

Criminal PLEA

• To schedule your Client on the PLEA Docket (held most Tuesdays and Fridays at 10:30 a.m.) contact the CCL5 ADA assigned to the case. The ADA will send the Plea Paperwork or you may pick up a packet in the courtroom.
• Walk-In PLEAs are accepted, although the Paperwork must be completed by 10:00 a.m.Walk-In PLEAs are accepted, although the Paperwork must be completed by 10:00 a.m.  Please immediately advise court staff as to the type of plea (straight, deferred, probation, etc.).
• If an Interpreter is required to assist Defendant, it is the Attorney’s responsibility to inform the Court Coordinator. Please request an Interpreter – no less than 2 weeks prior to the scheduled PLEA so that arrangements can be made.  Failure to give notice will result in the PLEA being reset.
• If Defendant is NOT a U.S. Citizen, it is the Attorney’s responsibility to inform the Court Coordinator – no less than 3 days prior so arrangements can be made for the Court Reporter to record the PLEA. Failure to give notice will result in the PLEA being reset.

Court Cost Resets

• The Defendant is responsible for paying all fines and costs by the date on the Court Cost Reset.
• If the Defendant is unable to pay the balance in full, please appear in Court on the date of the reset and he/she may request additional time to pay.
• If the Defendant has not paid the balance and does not show up on the date of the Court Cost Reset, a Failure to Appear Warrant will be issued.

Criminal Motions

• Criminal Motions are heard In-Person on most Tuesdays or Fridays at 10:00 a.m.; or via remote video conferencing at the discretion of Judge Watson.
• To request a hearing, e-mail the Court Coordinator and include the type of hearing with the anticipated length of time to be set aside.
• It is the requesting party’s responsibility to properly serve the other party(ies) of the hearing.
• The “Notice of Hearing” must state that the hearing will be held In-Person or via remote video conference and it must include the Zoom Link instructions.

JURY TRIALS

• Jury Trials are set only on pre-designated jury trial dockets (typically available twice a month).
• Motion/Order for Continuance must be E-FILED no later than 2 weeks prior to the jury trial docket.  

JUVENILE

• All Juvenile hearings are held In-Person. PLEAs are In-Person.
• All cases on the Juvenile Dockets are scheduled by Juvenile Probation Officer Gregory Taylor; 281-633-7335; Taylor@fortbendcountytx.gov.
• Any and all questions regarding the Juvenile Docket or Cases should also be directed to Mr. Taylor.

CIVIL

• Select Motions, Pre-Trial Conferences, and other matters will be held In-Person or remote video conference at the discretion of Judge Watson. Please contact the Court Coordinator via e-mail to schedule a date and time.
• Motions for Default Judgment are to be set for hearing on Associate Judge White’s docket. Please contact his Court Coordinator, Eralyn Fisher at Fisher@fortbendcountytx.gov.
• Hearings / Trials for Eviction Appeals are to be set for hearing on Associate Judge White’s docket. Please contact his Court Coordinator, Eralyn Fisher at Fisher@fortbendcountytx.gov.
  • The scheduling party is responsible for properly serving the other party(ies) of the hearing date and time.
  • The “Notice of Hearing” must state that the hearing will be held In-Person or video conference and must include the Zoom Link instructions, if applicable.
• Jury Trials and Bench Trials are In-Person.

PROBATE

• Probate hearings will be handled via remote video conference. Please contact the CCL5 Probate Auditor, Meera Mahadevan via e-mail: Mahadevan@fortbendcountytx.gov.
• Any and all questions regarding the Probate Docket or Cases should also be directed to Ms. Mahadevan.

REMOTE | VIDEOCONFERENCE

• Emergency or essential hearings will continue to be held via remote via videoconference. You may view a live stream any of these hearings at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Ie8ZYRNbAqJx6PsePSD9g?disable_polymer=true

• Per guidance from the Office of Court Administration, this channel adheres to the open courts provision of the Texas Constitution.

Disclaimer:  Use video conferencing sites at your own risk.  Please be aware that some video conferencing sites have a security risk and face issues with disclosure of private information.

NOTICE OF LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES

Fort Bend County Courts at Law (and District Courts) are committed to providing meaningful access to court services for limited English proficient (LEP) persons.  Language assistance services are available at no cost to any person associated with a court proceeding who has difficulty communicating in the English language or who needs a document translated into English.

If you need assistance in a language other than English, you may request language assistance services free of charge. To request interpretation or translation services for the Fort Bend County Courts, please visit the Language Access Webpage.

NOTICE OF ACCOMMODATIONS – FOR AT-RISK INDIVIDUALS

Due to COVID-19 many of you are part of the vulnerable population.  Individuals who are over 65 and individuals with serious underlying health conditions, such as high blood pressure, chronic lung disease, obesity, asthma, and those whose immune systems are compromised such as by chemotherapy for cancer or other conditions requiring such therapy, are considered to be vulnerable population.

If you are part of this vulnerable population, please contact the Court’s Admin Clerk at: 281-238-3270; or e-mail the Court Coordinator at: Jackie.Kermode@fortbendcountytx.gov to advise the Court regarding your need for special accommodations and a specialized docket to ensure your continued safety.

NOTICE OF LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES

FORT BEND COUNTY COURTS AT LAW AND DISTRICT COURTS ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING MEANINGFUL ACCESS TO COURT SERVICES FOR LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT (LEP) PERSONS. LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE AT NO COST TO ANY PERSON ASSOCIATED WITH A COURT PROCEEDING WHO HAS DIFFICULTY COMMUNICATING IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE OR WHO NEEDS A DOCUMENT TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH.

IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE IN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH, YOU MAY REQUEST LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES FREE OF CHARGE. TO REQUEST INTERPERETATION OR TRANSLATION SERVICED FOR THE FORT BEND COUNTY COURTS, PLEASE VISIT THE LANGUAGE ACCESS WEBPAGE.