Also known as:email · e mail · emails · electronic mail
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A method of electronic communication by which messages are transmitted between computers over a network.
Sources & Authorities· 18 primary sources
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Federal Rules
Uniform Acts
How it applies
Common Examples
6
Missing E-Mail Address on Pleading
Ezra Eastman files a complaint in federal court but omits his e-mail address from the signature block. The clerk notifies him of the omission. Eastman promptly supplies the address in an amended filing, allowing the court to retain the document rather than striking it.
Shareholder List Includes E-Mail
Empire Logistics fixes a record date for its annual meeting and prepares the required alphabetical shareholder list. Because several investors previously supplied e-mail addresses for notices, the list records those addresses so the corporation can send meeting materials electronically.
Ella Emerson serves interrogatory answers without listing her e-mail address beneath her signature. Opposing counsel objects to the omission. Emerson immediately files a corrected response containing the address, satisfying the certification requirement.
Foreign Manufacturer E-Mail Contact
A New Jersey plaintiff injured by a machine sues the British manufacturer. Communications between the manufacturer and its U.S. distributor are examined in the course of litigation.
J. McIntyre Machinery, Ltd. v. Nicastro131 S.Ct. 2780, 2796–2797 (2011)
Broadcaster Recordkeeping of E-Mails
A television station receives viewer communications commenting on its political programming. Federal regulations require the station to retain records and make them available for public inspection as part of its public file.
McConnell v. Federal Election Commission540 U.S. 93, 226–27 (2003)
E-Mail Address in Threatening Posts
A defendant posts messages on a website. Prosecutors introduce the posts as evidence of intent in a superseding indictment charging threats against a juror.
United States v. White401 U.S. 745, 91 S.Ct. 1122, 28 L.Ed.2d 453 (1971)
Common questions
Frequently Asked
3
Must every federal pleading include the signer's e-mail address?+
Yes. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(a) requires every pleading, written motion, and other paper to state the signer's e-mail address. An unsigned or incomplete paper may be struck unless the omission is promptly corrected.
Supporting sources
Does the Model Business Corporation Act require corporations to maintain shareholder e-mail addresses?+
Yes. When a shareholder has provided an e-mail address or consented to electronic notice, the corporation's record of shareholders must include that address so notices can be sent electronically under section 1.41(d).
Supporting sources
What happens if a discovery response omits the required e-mail address?+
Rule 26(g)(1) requires every discovery request, response, or objection to state the signer's e-mail address. The signing attorney or party certifies the document after reasonable inquiry. An omission can be corrected promptly to avoid sanctions.
Supporting sources
540 U.S. 93, 226–27 (2003)Legislation and Regulation
…stations); see also §§ 73.1202, 73.3526(e)(9)(i) (retention of all "written comments and suggestions [including letters and e-mail] received from the public regarding operation of the station" for three years); § 73.1212(e) (sponsorship identification records, including the identification of a sponsoring entity's…