Honorable Brittany Dicken

Judge Brittany A. Dicken was elected to the Circuit Bench in 2022 and serves as the Presiding Judge of the Family Court. Judge Dicken handles all domestic relations cases for the Saginaw Circuit Court.

Judge Dicken graduated from Central Michigan University and received her Juris Doctorate, Magna Cum Laude, from the Charlotte School of Law in 2013. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Dicken practiced as an associate attorney at the Law Firm of Mcgraw Morris, P.C. and previously served as the Director of the Saginaw County Friend of the Court, Friend of the Court Staff Attorney, and 10^th Circuit Court Referee.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Saginaw County Court Building
111 S. Michigan Ave.
4th Floor, Room 410
Saginaw, MI 48602

STAFF:

Position	Name	Number
Judicial Secretary	Kelsey Harper	(989) 790-5484
Court Reporter	Cynthia Miotto	(989) 790-5482
Law Clerk	Krystal Pussehl

SCHEDULING DAYS & TIMES

MONDAY

Motions – Attorney-represented motions (where there is at least one attorney on the case) are scheduled by alpha split by the man’s last name on Monday mornings as follows:

9:00 a.m. - Last Name A-G
10:00 a.m. - Last Name H-O
11:00 a.m. - Last Name P-Z.
1:00 p.m. - Self-represented motions where neither party has an attorney. Parties will meet with a Staff Attorney from the Friend of the Court who will assist with a resolution. If a resolution is not reached, the Court will hear the motion at 1:30 p.m.
3:00 p.m. - All Pro Confesso Hearings (held on Zoom)

TUESDAY

9:00 a.m. - Trials
1:30 p.m. - Trials
1:30 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. - Pre-Trial Conferences Tuesday afternoons are scheduled in 15-minute increments on Zoom. Pre-Trial conferences are not recorded court proceesdings and are conducted by the Judicial Law Clerk.

WEDNESDAY

12:30 p.m. - Child Support Show Cause hearings
1:30 p.m. - Show Cause hearings. Parties shall submit a motion and order to show cause to receive a show cause date.
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Settlement Conferences

THURSDAY/FRIDAY

Evidentiary Hearings, Miscellaneous Hearings, Trial Continuations and Status Conferences are set by the Court on Thursdays and Fridays and other available times throughout the week.

POLICIES & PROCEDURES

ADJOURNMENTS

Adjournment requests of scheduled events and motions are routinely handled by the Judge's judicial assistant. A stipulation and order with the new date, signed by all counsel must be filed after approval of the adjournment. Adjournment of trials must be brought by motion.

Requests to withdraw or adjourn your own motion can be directed to the Clerk’s office.

MEDIATION

The Court strongly encourages all forms of Alternate Dispute resolution during the pendency of litigation. Mediation may be ordered by the Court or included in the pre-trial order by stipulation of the parties. The Court has a list of private mediators and utilizes the Community Resolution Center for mediating disputes.

MOTIONS

All motions are heard on Monday unless a different hearing date is requested for more time pursuant to the Court’s scheduling order. Parties may call the Judicial Assistant to request to appear by Zoom for any motion hearing.

Motions must comply with MCR 2.119. The parties shall clearly state all issues and relevant legal authority in their motion and accompanying brief and any response. Motions may be decided on the briefs without oral argument pursuant to MCR 2.119(E)(3). The Court will prepare an Order and e-serve or personally serve the parties prior to the motion hearing.

Responses to motions will not be accepted after 9:00 A.M. the Friday preceding the motion hearing, absent approval from the Court.

Unless otherwise specified, the requesting party must submit an order reflecting the Court’s ruling within 21 days after the motion is heard in open Court.

SCHEDULING ORDERS

The Court will issue a standard scheduling order after the filing of the answer.

SETTLEMENT CONFERENCES

Settlement Conferences are scheduled at the pre-trial conference. Counsel and parties are ordered to attend the settlement conference in-person and meet and confer on all issues unless their attendance has been excused by the court.

Settlement Conferences are not conducted on the record, however, if the parties come to an agreement, the Court will place the agreement and Pro Con on the record at the time of the settlement conference. Parties who are not able to settle will recieve a trial date at the time of the Settlement Conference.

REFERRAL LANGUAGE FOR INVESTIGATIONS

The following language should be used for referrals to the Friend of the Court for Investigation:

IT IS ORDERED that the issue of _______________ shall be referred to the Friend of the Court for an investigation. Upon completion of the investigation, the Friend of the Court shall file a report and recommendation and the parties shall have 21 days from the date it is mailed to object to the Friend of the Court recommendation. In the event no objection is filed, the court may approve the order.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that ______________ (Plaintiff/Defendant) shall be responsible for paying the $100 investigation fee to be paid to the Friend of the Court within 30 days from the date of this order In the event the investigation fee is not paid, a show cause may be filed. / the investigation fee is waived.

The following language should be used for referrals to Future & Hope COunseling for investigation:

IT IS ORDERED that based upon the stipulation of the parties, the matter shall be referred by the Friend of the Court to Future & Hope Counseling Services LLC for a report and recommendation on custody and/or parenting time.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that upon completion of the investigation, Future & Hope Counseling Services LLC, through the Friend of the Court, shall file a report and recommendation. The parties shall have 21 days from the date it is mailed to object to the recommendation. In the event no objection is filed, the court may approve the order.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Plaintiff/Defendant/Parties shall pay/split the $500.00 investigation fee evenly ($250.00 each), and payment shall be made at the time of the appointment with Future & Hope Counseling Services LLC. Payment shall be made payable to Future & Hope Counseling Services LLC, or shall be paid in cash, Venmo or by credit card.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that additional fees following the interview may be assessed to either party at the discretion of the investigator in compliance with investigators policies and procedures.

POST-JUDGEMENT HEARINGS

Parties are required to exchange witness and exhibit lists and submit a written brief seven days prior to a post-judgment evidentiary hearing. Failure to provide witness and exhibit lists may result in the preclusion of witnesses/exhibits.

Saginaw County Court Docket Schedule Search

Related Information

Circuit Court