- Civil motions are heard on
Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m.
It is not necessary to clear a motion date with the court clerk prior to filing the motion, although the Judge reserves the right to sua sponte continue motions or decide them on the papers without oral argument. The Judge does not permit telephonic appearances for hearings absent exceptional circumstances.
Discovery motions are to be set before the district judge unless the district judge to whom the case is assigned has a blanket referral of all discovery matters to the magistrate judge or already has issued a case specific order referring all discovery matters to the magistrate judge. (See Discovery Referral Sheet.) Strict compliance with Local Rules 37-1 and 37-2 is required. It is the Judge’s general practice to decline requests by counsel for telephonic conferences to resolve discovery disputes that arise during pending depositions.
If there is a tentative ruling, it will be provided to counsel at the time counsel checks in with the court clerk
E-Filing:
Mandatory Chambers Copies of all e-filed documents shall be delivered to the courtesy copy box on the 6th. Floor. It is imperative that mandatory chambers copies be delivered by noon following the date of filing as required by General Order 08-11.IV.D. Failure to deliver timely mandatory chambers copies may result in a delay in hearing a motion or ordering the matter off calendar.
Procedures for filing an ex parte application:
Strict compliance with Local Rule 7-19 is required. Any opposition shall be served and filed within 24 hours of receipt of the applicant's oral notice. Conformed paper copies of the filed application and any opposition should be delivered directly to the Judge's chambers. Ex parte applications will generally be decided on the papers without oral argument. The Judge will notify the parties if a telephonic hearing is desired.
Continuances of any scheduled court proceeding will be granted only on a showing of good cause. To request a continuance, the parties should submit a signed stipulation and proposed order. If opposing counsel will not agree to a continuance, the request should be made by ex parte application.
Counsel are not allowed to call chambers, the Judge's law clerk, or his judicial assistant, unless specifically directed to do so by the Judge or the court clerk.
Calls will not be returned regarding the status of a motion, stipulation, or proposed order. Counsel should check the docket sheet to ascertain the status.
Calendar conflicts: (Procedures for attorneys to follow if they have a calendar conflict) Immediately advise the court clerk telephonically; attempt to secure other counsel's agreement to stipulate to a new date.
Electronic equipment: Permission to bring in or use audio, video, or electronic equipment should be requested from the court clerk in advance of the date of the court proceeding.
- To order an audio tape or transcript, click on
Ordering tapes/transcripts.
Questions regarding law clerk/extern positions: Communicate via letter to the Judge.
- Trial preparation:
Court hours: The Judge generally conducts bench trials from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with no lunch break. For jury trials, the hours generally are from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for short cases (i.e., less than 5 days), and from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with no lunch break for longer cases. The final determination of trial hours will be made at the final pretrial conference.
Other instructions: see exemplars of scheduling and case management order, bench trial order, and jury trial order below.
It is the responsibility of the parties to obtain the services of an interpreter on a civil case if one is needed.
Settlement conferences:
The parties should contact the court clerk about dates available for settlement conferences. The proposed date(s) should be at least two weeks in advance. The Judge has its own settlement conference order, which differs in some respects from Local Rule 16-14.5. (See exemplar of settlement conference order below). All settlement conference papers should be delivered directly to the Judge's chambers, Room 6166, 6th floor. In lieu of personal delivery, settlement conference papers may be faxed to chambers at 714-338-2895, but only if the total number of pages being faxed is 15 or less.
Stipulated protective orders: see list of recurring mistakes below.
Other information:
The Judge does not permit special appearances. Counsel of record shall appear at all court proceedings. |