Current Court Operations in California as of April 3, 2020

Updated on April 3, 2020

Here is an overview of current Court Operations in California as of April 3, 2020:

In the past month, the executive and judicial branches of California have issued various orders delaying, extending, and modifying court operations and deadlines in connection with judicial proceedings.  Some of these orders affect the entire judicial system in California, while other orders affect courts at the county level.

In this post, we focus on current rules in place that affect civil and unlawful detainer proceedings as of April 3, 2020 at 11:51 a.m. The rules have been changing on a weekly, and sometimes daily basis. Accordingly, we strongly encourage all attorney’s litigants and attorneys to double check for any updates to determine how to comply with the various orders in place.

The various orders have also affected probate, welfare, family law, temporary restraining orders, and criminal deadlines significantly. More information about those types of matters can be found on each court’s website.

Los Angeles County Superior Court

As of April 3, 2020 at 11:51 a.m., court operations for the period covering March 17, 2020 through June 22, 2020 are as follows:

1. The period covering March 17, 2020 through March 19, 2020 are court holidays for purposes of calculating deadlines. The Court was closed during this time.
2. As of March 20, 2020, the Court re-opened on a limited basis for emergency/essential matters. A list of those matters can be found here and here. However, Beverly Hills, Catalina, and Spring Street courthouses remain closed.
3. Access to courthouse are restricted to authorized parties. Authorized parties are judges, commissioners, court staff, and other authorized persons.
4. Access to Court proceedings are limited to parties, attorneys, witnesses or other authorized persons until further notice.
5. The Clerks’ Office is closed to public as of March 23, 2020. However, attorneys and litigants can still file documents online or in person by dropping the documents off in the Court’s dropbox.
6. The period covering March 17, 2020 through April 16, 2020 is deemed a holiday for purposes of computing the time to respond to an unlawful detainer complaint pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 1167.
7. All civil and unlawful detainer jury and non-jury trials are suspended and continued for 60 days from the date the trial was set or extended, whichever is later.
8. 60 day extension of the statutory deadline to bring a case to trial within 5 years if deadlines falls within relevant period.

Further information regarding operations and other changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found at the Los Angeles County Superior Court Court’s website here. The Los Angeles Superior Court also has a helpful timeline of the various orders and updates.

Orange County Superior Court

As of April 3, 2020 at 11:51 a.m., court operations for the period covering March 30, 2020 through April 24, 2020 are as follows:

1. Court is closed to the public, with minimal exceptions for time sensitive matters, or matters pertaining to the safety and security of the community.
2. All dates from March 30, 2020 to April 24, 2020 are holidays for purposes of computing the time for filing papers with the Court under Code of Civil Procedure sections 12 and 12a.
3. 56 day Extension of time to bring an action to trial under the 5-year rule for statutory deadlines that expire from March 30, 2020 to April 24, 2020.
4. All civil and unlawful detainer/eviction hearings dates on any civil case set during the next 60 days from March 27, 2020 are deemed vacated and will be reset for a date beyond 60 days, even if the date shows up electronically on the Court’s website. The Court will be providing notice to all parties.

Further information regarding operations and other changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found at the Orange County Superior Court Court’s website here.

San Bernardino Superior Court

As of April 3, 2020 at 11:51 a.m., court operations for the period covering April 3, 2020 through April 30, 2020 are as follows:

1. The Court is closed for judicial business during this period, except for very limited essential matters identified in the implementation order here.
2. The Court is not accepting filings during this period.
3. The period covering April 3, 2020 through April 30, 2020 are deemed court holidays for purposes of computing time for filing of papers.
4. All civil or criminal jury trials scheduled during this period will be re-scheduled.
5. Reduced hours of operation from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
6. Jury trials are suspended for 60 Days as of March 23, 2020. The extended trial deadline shall be calculated on the date trial was set or extended, whichever is longer.

Further information regarding operations and other changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found at the Court’s website here.

Second District Court of Appeal 

As of April 3, 2020 at 11:51 a.m., court operations are as follows:

1. For the period covering March 20, 2020 through April 19, 2020, the time to do any act required or permitted under the California Rules of Court is extended by 30 additional days. No application for an extension is required.
2. The Court will continue to receive correspondence and filings via paper and electronic filings. Paper filings can be made by dropping the documents in a drop box at the entrance to the Clerk’s office.
3. In person oral arguments are suspended as of March 16, 2020. Attorneys and litigants may appear remotely.

Further information regarding operations and other changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found at the Second District Court of Appeal’s website here.

Schorr Law has experience handling real estate matters all over Southern California.  We are still actively litigating, we are pushing through and navigating the current environment with full force.

To see if you qualify for a free 30-minute consultation regarding your matter, please contact us by phone, email, or send us a message through our contact form.