Brian Stagner

Eighth Business Court Division — Judge Stagner's Specific Requirements (rev. Apr. 1, 2026)

Judge Stagner's judge-specific requirements for cases assigned to Division 8B of the Eighth Business Court Division (last revised April 1, 2026), supplementing the TRCP and the Business Court Local Rules: a joint proposed scheduling order and initial case status report within 30 days of a defendant's appearance or of removal/transfer, a trial date within 13 months with discovery closing four months before trial and a pretrial hearing ten days before, Level 3 discovery, template protective orders, an ESI-protocol checklist and a 14-day client discussion on preservation, motions to compel only with the requests and responses attached, formatting and word-limit rules, a 10-day response / 7-day reply default for non-dispositive motions, Word proposed orders emailed to chambers, courtesy copies over 25 pages, in-person hearings and 14-day written submissions, podium examination, good-cause extensions, sealing only after TRCP 76a compliance, in-person mediation, no "first free continuance," a proposed pretrial order seven days before the hearing, timed trials, and judgments within 30 days of a verdict or bench ruling. Registered in TOPICs as doc 2916 (posted Apr. 2, 2026); the txcourts.gov Eighth Division page posts the same text (rev. 4/26).