Department 68 Policies and Procedures

c30d8433415e393e9a4435222e2793a25cccc976

California Superior Local Rules

1 Department 68 Policies and Procedures The Honorable Terrie E. Roberts Central – Hall of Justice Revised July 2026 Department 68 Phone Numbers: Courtroom Clerk: (619) 450-7068 Calendar Clerk: (619) 450-7328 Conformity with Local Rules : Unless otherwise indicated herein, Department 68 strictly adheres to the San Diego Superior Court Local Rules, Division II. Appearances General: All parties, including attorneys, are expected to appear timely for all scheduled hearings. If for any reason you will be late for an appearance, please contact the Courtroom Clerk.

Remote Appearances via MS Teams: Proceedings in Department 68 will be conducted in person, remotely, or a combination of the two. If you are not appearing in person, you must use MS Teams in order to appear remotely. The Court does not allow parties to appear by phone. The Court must be able to see and hear you. For instructions on how to appear remotely, click here. Once logged into the meeting, remember you are in Court, mute your device until your case is called. If you have a question or want to request priority, use the chat feature of the MS Teams platform.

Failure to Appear: Failure to appear at a properly noticed motion hearing may be deemed by the Court as a concession or an acceptance of the Court’s tentative ruling on a noticed motion. Failure to appear at a Case Management Conference, Trial Readiness Conference, or Trial Call will result in the Court setting the matter for an Order to Show Cause re: Sanctions or Why a Matter Should not be Dismissed. Calendars Ex Parte Hearings: Ex Parte matters are scheduled Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8:45 am, by calling the Calendar Clerk only.

Moving papers are due by 10:00 a.m. on the day prior to the hearing, with the appropriate fee. Meaningful meet and confer is required be fore setting an ex parte hearing. Please note: If the application is to advance a motion date, in the event an earlier date is not available, the trial date will not be continued unless it was requested in the alternative or it is stipulated to. Case Management Conferences: Case Management Conferences (CMC’

s) are heard on Fridays at 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. or as otherwise ordered by the Court. Parties shall file a CMC statement 15 calendar days before the very first CMC. Continued CMC’s do not require a new statement unless there have been substantial changes in the matter or the party’s availability for trial has changed. (New) Informal Discovery Conferences : The Court makes itself available for Informal Discovery Conferences (IDC’

s) to discuss discovery disputes. The Court strongly encourages parties to request an IDC before filing a motion to compel. However, the Court will also hear IDC’s on matters where motions to compel are pending. Parties are encouraged to

schedule an IDC by calling the calendar clerk at 619-450- 7328, to help resolve disputes without the need for a formal motion. Please note: The Court does not 2 require that an Informal Discovery Conference (IDC) be held prior to counsel reserving a discovery motion date. However, if a party has filed three or more discovery motions, the Court will not hear the motions prior to an IDC being held . You must contact the Calendaring Clerk to

schedule an IDC to be heard in advance of the motion date. Default Judgment by the Court: Papers must strictly comply with CA Rules of Court, rule 3.1800. If the Court determines that testimony is required, the parties will be contacted by the clerk to

schedule a default prove-up hearing. Judgment Debtor Exams : Judgment Debtor Exams are held on Mondays at 9:00 a.m. upon receipt of Application. Minor's Compromise: Minor's compromises are heard during ex parte hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 8:45 a.m. The Guardian and minors over the age of 12, must be personally present or with approval of the Court, may appear virtually. Law and Motion Hearings : Motions are heard on Fridays at 10:30 a.m. by reservation only.

A Tentative ruling will be posted on the San Diego Superior Court website (www.sdcourt.ca.gov) no later than 4:00 p.m. the Court day before the hearing date. If neither party appears on the date and time noticed for the hearing, the tentative ruling will be adopted as the final ruling of the Court. Parties wishing to argue orally before the Court, must appear on the date and time noticed for the hearing. Failure to timely file motion papers or opposition may constitute a waiver of the right to orally argue. Trial Readiness Conferences: Trial Readiness Conferences (TRC’

s) are heard at 9:15 a.m. on Fridays or as designated by the court. At least five (5) court days prior to the TRC, trial counsel and self -represented litigants must file their completed Joint Trial Readiness Conference Report with a courtesy copy provided to the department. Failure to comply may result in witnesses and exhibits being excluded from trial and/or the Court placing an OSC on Why the Case Should not be Dism issed on the T rial Call calendar. Personal appearances by Counsel completely familiar with the case and possessing authority to enter into stipulations, is required.

The Joint Trial Readiness Conference Report must contain the following: a. Agreed-upon, non-argumentative statement of the case; b. Joint Witness List in alphabetical order; c. Joint Exhibit List with objections or stipulations noted on the exhibit list, numbered sequentially. NOTE: the Court expects the parties to have met in person or remotel y and exchanged/reviewed ALL exhibits except for true impeachment, prior to submitting the TRC Report; d. Joint list of jury instructions, together with an index, in the order in which they are requested to be given, with objections noted; and e. Proposed Verdict Form(s).

Trial Calls: The Court expects the attorney who is actually going to handle the trial and the self-represented litigant to appear for trial on Fridays at 9:00 a.m. If counsel or the self -represented litigant is unable to personally appear, you must obtain approval to appear remotely by contacting the courtroom clerk at 619- 450-7068, 48 hours before the hearing. At Trial Call, trial counsel and self -represented litigants are required to present their Joint Trial Notebook, which must contain the following: 1. Table of Contents; 3 2. Copy of the Joint Trial Readiness Report previously submitted at the TRC; 3.

Copies of In Limine Motions and Oppositions filed, with an index of the motions . Please note: Motions in Limine must be filed five (5) court days prior to trial call and Opposition to Motions in Limine are due two (2) court days prior to trial; 4. Copy of Joint Witness List with a short description of the witness (i.e. "Dr. Jane Smith, an internist from Mercy Hospital"); 5. Copy of Joint Exhibit List (follow grid format on attachment to the Advance Trial Review Orders); 6. Copy of Trial Briefs; 7. Copy of Joint Statement of the Case; 8. Proposed Voir Dire questions that counsel wishes the Court to ask; 9.

Jury Instructions - One set in sequential order with post-it notes on any objected-to instructions, indicating who objects, and the basis for the objection; and 10. Special Verdict Forms - either an agreed-upon forms or each side’s proposed forms. The forms should follow CACI as closely as possible and include all cause of actions and all parties. The verdict forms should be complete and on pleading paper without any firm’s name. Trials: Department 68 is normally in session for trials Monday -Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Although trial will not be in session on Fridays, the Jury will be required to deliberate on Fridays. Jury fees must be posted according to Code. For more information regarding trials, please see the link to Dept. 68’s Trial Guidelines and the Advanced Trial Review Orders attached below. Miscellaneous (New) Settlement Options: Please consider utilizing the Court’s Free Assigned Judges Mediation program, conducted by two retired Superior Court Judges. One of the retired judges does handle mediations where one party is a pro se litigant. Click here for more information.

The Court also has the mediation panel which offers mediation at a reduced hourly rate. Click here for more information. Continuances: Requests for continuances may be done either by ex parte motion or by stipulation. Stipulated Protective Orders Re: Confidential Information: The Court requires adherence with statutory procedures to file documen ts under seal. The Court will not order any document sealed which is not submitted in accordance with California Rules of Court, Rule Nos. 2.550 and 2.551. ( See NBC Subsidiary (KNBC-TV), Inc. v. Superior Court (1999) 20 Cal.4th 1178).

Documents submitted "conditionally under seal" will not be sealed unless the submitting party complies with CRC Rule Nos. 2.550, 2.551, and 3.1302(b). Proposed Stipulated Protective Orders for protection of confidential information will only be approved by the Court if the language in the proposed order is consistent with the Court's stated policy.

Lodged Documents: For determination of discovery and other motions, the Court prefers to accept confidential documents as "lodged documents." All lodged documents are returned to the submitting party upon the Court's determination of the motion or application. (CRC Rule No. 3.1302(b).) Filing Documents under Seal: If a party desires to file supporting documents under seal for any motion, CRC Rule Nos. 2.550 and 2.551 apply. The motion will not be determined until a noticed motion to seal has been calendared and decided.

Note: CRC Rule No. 2.550 does not apply to discovery motions and records filed or lodged in connection with discovery motions or proceedings. (CRC Rule No. 2.550 (a)(3). 4 Links for all documents below: Dept. 68 Advanced Trial Review Order Dept. 68 Trial Guidelines Assigned Judges Mediation Program Civil Mediation Program

Document details

Collection	California Superior Local Rules
Citation	c30d8433415e393e9a4435222e2793a25cccc976
Type	court_rule
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	CA_LOCAL
Identifier	c30d8433415e393e9a4435222e2793a25cccc976

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