Matter Thomas Coates v. Rose Hall Apartments

Document Class Clerk-Directed Original Filing Request

Exhibit Type Procedural Access / Docketing Record

Date on Face February 12, 2026

Primary Routing Circuit Court Clerk

Core Issue Refusal to Accept Original Civil Filing

Publish Exhibit Page

Circuit Clerk Docketing Request

Request to Accept and Docket Original Circuit Court Filing
Mandamus-Style Oversight Packet Re: Odyssey CMS Judgment/Writ Sequence

What This Is

Formal Clerk-Directed Intake and Docketing Request

Immediate Aim

Secure Acceptance of Original Civil Action

Procedural Fault Claimed

Misclassification as Non-Acceptable “Appeal”

Judicial Theme

Judge Must Decide, Not Intake Gate

Document Identity and Routing

Working Title	Circuit Clerk Request to Docket Mandamus Filing
Apparent Sender	Thomas D. Coates, Pro Se
Apparent Recipient	The Hon. Tina E. Sinnen, Clerk of the Circuit Court
Date Found	February 12, 2026
Transmission Form	Direct written correspondence requesting formal intake and docketing
Likely Filing Path	Circuit Court original civil intake, with parallel oversight disclosure
Underlying Matter	Rose Hall Apartments LLC v. Coates, unlawful detainer / writ sequence
Filename Suggestion	2026-02-12_Coates_to_CircuitClerk_Request_Docket_Mandamus_Filing_VBVA.pdf

Immediate Legal Significance

This document is not the mandamus-style packet itself. It is the formal procedural access letter designed to force proper intake treatment of that packet as an original civil filing within Circuit Court jurisdiction.

The filing expressly rejects the characterization that it is an “appeal” from General District Court and instead frames the matter as one seeking ministerial relief tied to docket integrity, audit-log preservation, and correction of allegedly unlawful writ activity.

Its most important function is to create a clean written record that any continued refusal to accept the filing is no longer informal, accidental, or ambiguous.

Likely Procedural Chain

Step One

Underlying Unlawful Detainer Sequence

General District Court matter proceeds; writ and enforcement sequence becomes the subject of later forensic challenge.

Step Two

Attempted Original Civil Filing Rejected

Plaintiff states e-filing and intake staff treated the submission as a non-appealable appeal and declined to assign a case number.

Step Three

Formal Clerk Escalation Letter Sent

This exhibit marks the shift from front-line refusal to documented request for official acceptance by clerk authority.

Step Four

Judicial or Oversight Review Triggered

If accepted, matter is docketed for judicial review; if refused, obstruction and notice issues become part of the oversight record.

Legal Function / Intended Effect

Secure acceptance of an original civil filing in Circuit Court.
Correct intake-level misclassification of the filing as an appeal.
Ensure a judge, not intake personnel, determines jurisdiction.
Preserve Odyssey CMS audit logs, configuration, and record integrity.
Support correction of docket state to match the adjudicative record.
Lay groundwork for relief against writ entries lacking lawful judgment predicate.
Create a written record of attempted compliance, fee readiness, and procedural diligence.

Key Procedural / Statutory Relevance

Original jurisdiction framing rather than appellate posture.
Mandamus-style ministerial relief concepts.
Access-to-courts and intake obstruction implications.
Judicial-versus-ministerial role separation.
Ultra vires enforcement theory tied to missing judgment predicate.
Preservation of audit trails and case-management evidence.
Parallel notice to oversight bodies to prevent silent suppression.

Connections to Other Filings

Judge-Facing Exhibit Packet
Oversight Intake Cover Letter
Forensic State Transition Matrix
Mandamus Control Map
Forensic Case Management System Audit Checklist
Certified docket and event timeline printouts
Writs, sheriff’s return, and related enforcement documents
Possible later clerk-facing notices, sheriff notices, or oversight complaints

Short Impact Summary

This filing is a strategic intake-control document. It documents that the filer attempted to enter an original civil action, stood ready to pay the filing fee, requested proper coding, and asked that judicial review—not intake rejection—determine the matter’s path.

That makes this exhibit important not merely for what it requests, but for the record it creates if acceptance is denied again.

Facsimile Display of Source Filing

Thomas D. Coates, Pro Se 3416 Warren Place Apt 201 Virginia Beach, VA 23452 (757) 374-3539 February 12, 2026 The Hon. Tina E. Sinnen Clerk of the Circuit Court 2425 Nimmo Parkway, Building 10B Virginia Beach, VA 23456

Re: Request to Accept and Docket Original Circuit Court Filing
(Mandamus-Style Oversight Packet Re: Odyssey CMS Judgment/Writ Sequence)

Dear Ms. Sinnen:

I am writing to you directly because I have attempted, without success, to submit an original civil filing through the online system that is properly within this Court’s jurisdiction, but intake staff have treated it as if it must be an “appeal” from General District Court and have declined to docket it on that basis.

The filing I am trying to tender is a mandamus-style oversight packet directed to the Circuit Court’s original jurisdiction, not an appeal of a General District Court judgment. It concerns the operation of the Odyssey case-management system in an unlawful detainer matter and alleges that writs were issued and executed without any judgment for possession ever appearing in the docket and before any appeal period could begin, much less expire.

The letter requests authorization to accept the packet as an original civil filing, assign a Circuit Court case number, and place the attached judge-facing and forensic materials before the Court at the judicial level rather than screening them out at intake.