15th Judicial District Court Home

Case Evaluation 

Due to revisions in the Case Evaluation Court Rules, the 15th Judicial District Court ceased its practice of referring all No Fault Provider cases valued at $5,000.00 or more to case evaluation. If a case has already been docketed for case evaluation, the case evaluation hearing will take place as scheduled. Any case that has not been scheduled, ​will not be scheduled. However, parties may agree to case evaluation by submitting a stipulation and proposed Order to the Court.  The Stipulated Order must be submitted to the Court by the Status Conference date and time.​

Upcoming dates:

• CASE EVALUATION DOCKET ON 8/26/2025 WILL BE STARTING at 1 PM​ AND WILL BE HELD VIA ZOOM

Please see the Civil Division page for more​ information.​

Civil Schedule for Week of July 14 - July 18, 2025

• IF YOUR GENERAL CIVIL CASE HAS SETTLED, PLEASE SUBMIT TO MIFILE.
• IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD OR CHANGE AN ATTORNEY WITHIN THE SAME LAW FIRM, PLEASE SUBMIT AN APPEARANCE. CURRENTLY THE MIFILE EFILING SYSTEM IS SIGNIFICANTLY DELAYED IN PROCESSING A SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL IF AN ATTORNEY IS ALREADY LISTED IN THE JIS CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
• All civil proceedings will continue to be conducted via Zoom video conferencing unless parties are notified otherwise by the Court. 

• July 16 - Motions, other than motions for summary disposition, will be held via Zoom. Parties will receive a Zoom invitation via email. Zoom invitations are only sent to the attorney of record. Please note motions will be held at 1:30 p.m. 
• July 16- All cases set for a Pretrial at 2 p.m. will be scheduled by the Court for Final Settlement Conference and Jury Trial or Bench Trial, if there was no jury demand. No appearance required
• July 16 - Cases set for Entry of Order at 3 p.m. will be dismissed by the Court if an order closing the case has not been received by this date.  No appearance is required.
• July 17 - Bench Trial at 10:00 a.m. will be held in-person. Parties should appear at their scheduled times in Courtroom 2 on the 5th floor of the Ann Arbor Justice Center.   
• July 18 - Final Settlement Conferences at 10 a.m. will be held in-person. Parties should appear at their scheduled time in Courtroom 2 on the 5th floor of the Ann Arbor Justice Center. ​ Final Settlement Conference Instructions​ ​for Civil Provider Cases.
•  July 18 - Motions for Summary Disposition (MSD) scheduled at 11 a.m.: In those cases which the Court has dispensed with oral argument pursuant to MCR 2.119(E)(3), the Court will render a written Opinion and Order. No appearance required. In those cases which the Court will hear oral argument via Zoom, the Attorney of Record will receive a new Notice to Appear with Zoom invitation via email and MiFile. Please note oral argument cases will be adjourned to the next available Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
• Livestream video is available on the Court's YouTube channel.
• Stay updated by subscribing to the Court's Twitter Account, @15thAnn.

The Court has the ability to conduct hearings via Zoom technology. If you would like to have a Zoom hearing, see the "Court Appearances via Zoom" section below for contact information. 

State Pretrial Dockets

Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Perry may request a hearing via Zoom on July 2, July 16 and July 30.​

Parties whose cases are assign​ed to Judge Valvo may request a hearing on July 10 and July 24.

City Pretrial dockets 

Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Valvo may request a hearing on July 3, July 17 and July 31.​

Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Perry may request a hearing via Zoom on July 10 and July 24.

Domestic Violence dockets

Parties whose cases are assigned to Judge Perry may request a hearing via Zoom on July 2, July 9 and July 23.

Additional dates may be given for emergency hearings as needed.

Landlord-Tenant Schedule

Landlord-Tenant dockets are held every Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Dockets are held by Zoom unless parties are notified by the Court that they need to appear in person.

​​The Landlord-Tenant docket is held every Thursday starting at 1:30 p.m. 

​Small Claims

​​Pursuant to MCL 600.8407(2)(a), the Court will not accept from a person, sole proprietor, partnership, or corporation more than five (5) small claims filings per week.​

Small Claims Mediation

Small claims cases will be scheduled for online mediation through the Washtenaw County Dispute Resolution Center (DRC).  Notices will be mailed along with the information sheet for the online platform, MI-Resolve (text format) or Zoom mediation, that the parties have been assigned to use. 

DRC Mediation Information Sheet

Court Appearances via Zoom

Some parties who are scheduled to appear in person are able to appear via Zoom. You must email the contact person for your assigned Judge to request a Zoom hearing. This must be done at least 24 hours in advance during normal business hours. If approved, parties will receive an email from the Court containing a link to the Zoom hearing.

Virtual Appearance Information Sheet ​​​​​

The 15th District Court is fully open to the public during normal business hours. The magistrate may use their discretion in deciding whether or not to livestream public court hearings on YouTube on weekends and holidays. The Magistrate's Court proceedings can be found here: Magistrate Garwood

About the Court

The 15th Judicial District Court is located in downtown Ann Arbor in the Ann Arbor Justice Center. The court is presided over by three judges: the Honorable S. Kerene Moore, the Honorable Miriam A. Perry and the Honorable Karen Quinlan Valvo. There is also one appointed magistrate, the Honorable Tamara Garwood. Daily court operations are overseen by Court Administrator Shryl Samborn and Deputy Court Administrator Laure Hibberd​.

The court is comprised of four divisions: Administration, Civil, Traffic/Criminal, and Probation. Administration is responsible for the administrative management of all non-judicial functions of the Court. The Civil Division maintains the court files for general civil, landlord-tenant, and small claims cases. The Traffic/Criminal Division maintains the records for all traffic and criminal misdemeanors, civil infractions, ordinance violations, and University of Michigan Regents violations. The Probation Department is responsible for pre-sentence investigations, alcohol assessments, supervision, counseling, and referrals to outside assessment and treatment programs for those who are placed on probation.

The 15th Judicial District Court has jurisdiction over cases which include but are not limited to:

• Civil Cases where the disputed amount is $25,000 or less
• Small Claims cases where the disputed amount is $7,000 or less
• Landlord/Tenant disputes
• Criminal & Traffic Misdemeanors punishable by 1 year or less in jail
• Arrest Warrant &Search Warrant Issuance
• Ann Arbor City Ordinance Violations
• Traffic & State Civil Infractions
• University of Michigan Regents Ordinance Violations
• Felony Probable Cause Conferences & Preliminary Exams 

Notice to Visitors

Please note that all visitors to the Ann Arbor Justice Center must successfully pass through the security screening process to enter. All visitors and their belongings are subject to search by Court Security Officers. All visitors are required to pass through metal detectors. All purses, briefcases, or other containers are required to pass through an x-ray machine. These items are not allowed: 

• Weapons, e.g. cutting edge instruments such as pocket knives
• ​Any other items that may be construed as weapons by Court Security Officers  
• Food & Beverages 

Please do not bring any prohibited items with you into the courthouse; leave them at home or in your vehicle.

Requests for ADA Accommodations or Foreign Language Interpreters​

Please contact the court prior to your visit if you will need an ADA accommodation or a Foreign Language Interpreter. Request forms are located the court's Forms web page in the Miscellaneous section. More​ information can be found on the Local Administrative Orders web page. Questions should be directed to Court Administrator Shryl Samborn at 734.794.6757 or slsamborn@a2gov.org.    
  

For information about​ disability resources, including parking, please visit the City of Ann Arbor Streets, Buildings, and Parking web page.