Court Alerts
Litigation Section Newsletter

Editors:
Brian Hershman
Staci Tomita

Litigation Executive Committee:

Officers:
Douglas N. Silverstein, Chair
Eric Y. Kizirian, Chair Elect
Brian T. Glennon, Vice Chair
Shehnaz M. Bhujwala, Secretary
Monisha A. Coelho, Immediate Past Chair

LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT UPDATES

E-filing Updates

• Beginning November 2, 2020, the Court will reject all non-text-searchable documents submitted for e-filing in civil matters. (Court Notice)
• Effective October 5, 2020, the Court implemented mandatory e-filing for all non-adoption documents filed in Juvenile Dependency. (Court Notice)

Advanced Attorney Portal

• The Advanced Attorney Portal offers convenient new features for $100/year. (Court Notice)

Judicial Mentorship Program

• The Court established a Judicial Mentorship Program designed to identify, encourage and provide mentors for all individuals considering a judicial career.  (News Release)

COVID-19 Notices

• Please visit the Court’s COVID-19 News and Resource Center for Court orders, policies and procedures.  You also may refer to LACBA’s Weekly Response Newsletter for updates related to COVID-19.

Judicial Updates

• The Los Angeles County Bench has elected Eric C. Taylor as Presiding Judge for the 2021-2022 term.  (News Release)
• The Los Angeles County Bench has elected Samantha P. Jessner as Assistant Presiding Judge for the 2021-2022 term. (News Release)
• Governor Newsom appointed 15 Superior Court judges, including seven in Los Angeles:  Lee S. Arian, Lee R. Bogdanoff, Adam Y. Chang, Katherine Chilton, Karen Moskowitz, Leonard Torrealba, Jeanmarie Klingenbeck Warren. (Article)
• Effective November 2, 2020, the Family Law Division will implement changes to courtroom operations, which can be found here.
• Effective October 2, 2020, the Probate Division implemented changes to judicial assignments, which can be found here.

Court Holiday

• November 11, 2020

U.S.D.C. CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT UPDATES

Rule Changes

• The Court has preliminarily approved amendments to the local rules listed below.  The proposed effective date is December 1, 2020.  A redline of the proposed changes is available on the Court’s website.

• The Judicial Conference Advisory Committees on Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil, and Criminal Rules have proposed amendments to the following rules, for comment.  The proposed amendments and advisory committee reports explaining the proposed changes can be found here. The public comment period opened on August 14, 2020 and closes on February 16, 2021.
  • Appellate Rule:  25
  • Bankruptcy Rules:  Restyled Rules Parts I and II; Rules 1007, 1020, 2009, 2012, 2015, 3002, 3010, 3011, 3014,3016, 3017.1, 3017.2 (new), 3018, 3019, 5005, 7004, and 8023; and Official Forms 101, 122B, 201, 309E-1, 309E-2, 309F-1, 309F-2, 314, 315, and 425A
  • Civil Rules:  Rule 12 and Supplemental Rules for Social Security Review Actions Under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g)
  • Criminal Rule:  16

Miscellaneous Fee Schedule

The Judicial Conference of the United States approved several changes to the district court miscellaneous fee schedule, effective December 1, 2020.  (Notice; Schedule of Fees )

COVID-19 Notices

The Court has issued an Updated COVID-19 Notice that provides important information on courthouse access, court hearings, jury trials, filing information and mandatory chambers copies.  Additional information and COVID-19 guidance can be found in the General Orders.

Judicial Appointments

The United States Senate confirmed the following nominations to serve as federal district judges for the United States District Court for the Central District of California:

• John W. Holcomb, who will preside over matters in Riverside in the Court’s Eastern Division.  (Press Release)
• Mark C. Scarsi, who will preside over matters in Los Angeles in the Court’s Western Division.  (Press Release)
• Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stanley Blumenfeld, Jr., who will preside over matters in Los Angeles in the Court’s Western Division.  (Press Release)

Court Reopening

Effective September 14, 2020, the Court reopened the Southern Division.

COURT OF APPEAL UPDATES

Judicial Assignments

• Justice Laurie Zelon retired from the Second Appellate District, Division Seven on August 31.  (Article)
• The following Judges are (or soon will be) sitting Pro-Tem:
  • Judge Zaven V. Sinanian, of the Los Angeles Superior Court, is sitting Pro-Tem in Division One until October 31, 2020.
  • Judge Rita Coyne Federman, of the San Luis Obispo Superior Court, will be sitting Pro Tem in Division One from October 29, 2020, until December 31, 2020.
  • Judge Timothy P. Dillon, of the Los Angeles Superior Court, is sitting Pro-Tem in Division Seven until October 31, 2020.
  • Judge Tony L. Richardson, of the Los Angeles Superior Court, is sitting Pro-Tem in Division Seven until October 31, 2020.
  • Judge Glenn R. Salter, of the Orange County Superior Court, is sitting Pro-Tem in Division Eight until October 30, 2020.

2020 Complex Courts Virtual Symposium

Program Date: Thursday, November 12, 2020
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.
Presented by:  LACBA Litigation Section

If you are a lawyer who appears before California’s complex courts, don’t miss this year’s Complex Court Symposium on November 12, 2020, where judges from complex courts across California will share their views on litigating in the complex courts. This year’s Symposium will include a special presentation commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the inception of the California Complex Courts.

For more information and to register, visit here.

About Court Alerts

The Litigation Section of LACBA is proud to provide "Court Alerts," an e-mail publication aimed at informing LACBA Litigation Section members of recent news related to the Los Angeles Superior Court and the U.S. Central District of California, including re-assignments of judges, changes in court structure, and other information important to litigators.

Readers are advised that changes in the law may affect the accuracy of this publication or the functionality of links after the publication date. The foregoing practice tips were prepared for information purposes only. Such practice tips do not constitute tax, legal or other advice and no responsibility is assumed for any reliance upon them or with respect to assessing or advising the reader as to tax, legal, or other consequences arising from a particular situation. The accuracy of the information provided should be independently verified by the reader and should not be treated as authoritative.