Washington Case Deadlines
Compute and track deadlines for Washington civil cases. The agent
should invoke this skill automatically when the user asks a timing
question, without requiring an explicit command.
NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Court-rule day counts and statute-of-
limitation periods are amended by court rule or by the
Legislature; the canonical source for current values is
scripts/case-calendar.py (encoded named rules) plus
wa-law-references/references/court-rules/ (full rule text)
plus wa-law-references/references/wa-rcw-debt/ (statute text).
This skill describes the workflow; it does not embed the
specific day counts.
How to answer a deadline question
-
Identify the triggering event. What happened? (e.g., "I was
served on April 1", "the judge signed the order on March 15",
"the garnishment writ was mailed yesterday").
-
Identify the rule. Name the controlling rule (CR 12(a),
CRLJ 6(d), RCW 6.27, etc.) so the user knows what governs. If
uncertain, read the rule text in
wa-law-references/references/court-rules/.
-
Compute the date using the Python helper. The script
encodes the current WA-state-holiday list (RCW 1.16.050 with
the Saturday→Friday / Sunday→Monday observed-day shift) plus
a catalog of named WA rules:
python3 "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/case-calendar.py" \
--from 2026-06-03 \
--days -3 \
--mode court
Flags:
--from YYYY-MM-DD — triggering date--days N — offset (negative = before; positive = after)--mode court|calendar — court-day counting (skips weekends
- WA state holidays) or calendar-day counting
--rules — list the named rules the script knows about
(use this to discover the current day count for a specific
rule rather than relying on memory)
-
Report clearly. Give the date, the day of the week, whether
any intervening holiday pushed the count, and the rule
citation.
Optional — maintain a per-case calendar
If the user wants a tracked calendar for the case, store it at
[case-folder]/CASE_CALENDAR.md with this shape:
# Case Calendar — [Case Name], Cause No. [number]
Court: [court]
Judge: [if known]
Defendant: [pro se]
## Events
- 2025-01-15: Summons served on Defendant
- 2025-02-14: Answer due (CR 12(a))
- 2025-03-01: First Discovery Request served
- 2025-03-31: Discovery responses due (CR 33/34)
## Completed
- [x] 2025-02-14: Answer filed
## Notes
[running notes]
When the user adds a new event, append to ## Events, compute any
derived deadlines via the helper, and add those too.
Court-day vs. calendar-day counting
- Calendar days — every day, including weekends and holidays
- Court days — excludes Saturdays, Sundays, and WA state legal
holidays
- CR 6(a) governs which mode applies; periods of fewer than
7 days typically count court days, longer periods typically
count calendar days, but there are rule-specific exceptions.
For the controlling text, see
wa-law-references/references/court-rules/CR.md (CR 6).
Categories of named WA deadlines (chapter pointers)
Rather than enumerating specific day counts (which drift), this
skill points at the rule sets that govern each category. The
helper script encodes the current values; the rule text lives in
the corpus.
| Category | Authority | Reference file |
|---|
| Pleading / answer deadlines | CR 12, CRLJ 12 | court-rules/CR.md, CRLJ.md |
| Reply to counterclaim | CR 12(a)(3) | court-rules/CR.md |
| Discovery responses | CR 33, 34, 36 | court-rules/CR.md |
| Motion practice (superior) | CR 6(d), CR 56(c) | court-rules/CR.md |
| Motion practice (district) | CRLJ 6(d) | court-rules/CRLJ.md |
| Reconsideration | CR 59 | court-rules/CR.md |
| Vacate judgment | CR 60 | court-rules/CR.md |
| Notice of appeal | RAP 5.2 | court-rules/RAP.md |
| Notice of appeal (district→superior) | RALJ 2.5 | court-rules/RALJ.md |
| Mail-service add-on | CR 6(e) | court-rules/CR.md |
| Exemption Claim Form | RCW 6.27 | wa-rcw-debt/RCW-6_27.md |
| Garnishment timing | RCW 6.27 | wa-rcw-debt/RCW-6_27.md |
| Satisfaction of judgment | RCW 4.56 | wa-rcw-debt/RCW-4_56.md |
| FDCPA SOL | 15 U.S.C. § 1692k(d) | federal-debt-laws/FDCPA.md |
| WA statutes of limitation | RCW 4.16 | wa-rcw-debt/RCW-4_16.md |
For the current day count on any specific rule, run
python3 .../case-calendar.py --rules (lists encoded named rules
with their current values) or read the relevant reference file.
Common triggering events — workflow
When the user reports one of these, run the helper to derive the
specific deadlines:
- "I was served with a summons" → answer deadline (CR 12(a);
check WA-resident vs. non-resident)
- "I got a writ of garnishment" → exemption claim deadline
(RCW 6.27 — check the longer of mailing-vs-service variant)
- "The judge ruled against me" → reconsideration (CR 59) +
appeal (RAP 5.2) deadlines
- "Plaintiff served discovery" → response due (CR 33/34/36;
apply CR 6(e) if served by mail)
- "I filed a motion to compel" → opposing response + reply
(CR 6(d) — different in superior vs. district court)
- "The creditor sent me a validation notice" → FDCPA dispute
window (15 U.S.C. § 1692g)
- "I'm being sued on an old debt" → check the applicable WA
SOL at RCW 4.16 against the date-of-default
Washington legal holidays
The helper script observes the current RCW 1.16.050 holiday list
with the Saturday→Friday / Sunday→Monday observed-day shift.
Federal court divergence: federal courts do NOT observe every
WA-state holiday — check the local federal court calendar rather
than the WA-state list if the matter is federal.
Local closures: each court / chambers may declare additional
closures (inclement weather, administrative days). The helper
script does not know about these — check the court's website for
anything near a declared closure.
For the current legal-holiday list and the observed-day-shift
rule, see wa-law-references/references/wa-rcw-debt/ or the
case-calendar.py --rules output.
Output format (example)
Case: Velocity Investments LLC v. Doe
Today: 2026-04-23
UPCOMING DEADLINES:
🔴 Overdue:
(none)
🟡 Within 7 days:
- 2026-04-28 (5 days): Response to Motion to Compel — CRLJ 6(d)
🟢 Later:
- 2026-05-29 (36 days): Reply brief — CR 6(d)
- 2026-06-03 (41 days): Hearing on Motion to Compel
Notes
- Extensions — CR 6(b) allows extensions for cause;
stipulations of counsel are common. Update the calendar when
granted.
- Mail service adds time per CR 6(e) — apply when the method
of service is by mail. For the current add-on day count, see
court-rules/CR.md.
- Do not rely solely on this skill — verify each deadline
against the current rule text and the court's calendar for
holidays and adjustments.
