Court Rules

Court-wide rules

Applies court-wide

These 188 rules apply across Los Angeles Superior Court. Where this judge's own standing orders above address the same topic, the judge's requirement controls.

Filing Requirements

All 60
  • Applies to
    Joint isc statement

    Upon assignment to Department 11, an ISC Order stays all proceedings and the parties must submit a joint ISC statement as directed in that Order.

  • Applies to
    Joint status conference statement

    The parties must file a joint statement outlining recent progress in the case before every status conference.

  • Applies to
    Bulletin board posting

    Parties must make joint bulletin board postings rather than unilateral postings, which are treated as prohibited ex parte communications.

Filing Timing

All 28
  • Deadline
    5 business days

    The joint status conference statement must be filed at least five court days before every status conference.

  • The Court's order scheduling an IDC stays any deadline to file a motion to compel under CCP 2016.080(c)(2).

  • The Court cannot shorten the notice period for summary judgment/adjudication motions, though it may hear such motions fewer than 30 days before trial.

Communication

All 20
  • Contact
    Phone to chambers
    Phone
    (213) 310-7011

    To reserve a hearing date for a motion, a party must telephone the Courtroom Assistant at (213) 310-7011.

  • Contact
    Phone to chambers

    The moving party must notify the Court as early as possible that a matter will go off calendar under CRC 3.1306(b), by posting the announcement on the e-service bulletin board and telephoning the courtroom.

  • Contact
    Phone

    Parties at an impasse during a deposition may telephone the courtroom at (213) 310-7011 to arrange an immediate conference call with the Court.

Pre-Motion Conferences

All 18
  • For discovery disputes (other than deposition impasses), parties may request an informal conference by making a joint posting on the e-service bulletin board.

  • Before preparing an ex parte application for emergency relief, parties must post a joint request for an informal conference on the e-service bulletin board and contact courtroom staff to obtain a time and date.

  • Parties must meet and confer twice by telephone or video before requesting an IDC, and are expected to extend motion-to-compel deadlines to accommodate the process.

About Judge Brock T. Hammond

Judge Brock T. Hammond is a judge on the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, the state trial court serving Los Angeles County.

Judge Hammond's procedures are published through the court's general rules.

Common questions about Judge Brock T. Hammond's rules

Are courtesy copies required for Judge Brock T. Hammond?

Courtesy-copy rule applies for summary judgment, summary adjudication, and anti slapp. Details: delivery within one court day of electronic filing. Courtesy copies for motions for summary judgment/adjudication and Anti-SLAPP motions must be delivered within one court day of electronic filing, and are not required for other electronically filed motions.

View ruleSource: page 3, section E. LAW AND MOTION

Does Judge Brock T. Hammond require a pre-motion conference or letter before filing a motion?

Judge Brock T. Hammond's rules set a pre-motion procedure for motion in limine. Counsel must meet and confer with opposing counsel about the subject of each contemplated motion in limine before filing it.

View ruleSource: page 25, section B. Motions in Limine

What page or word limits apply to idc memorandum before Judge Brock T. Hammond?

Judge Brock T. Hammond's rule states these limits: 2 pages; 2 pages. The moving party's IDC memorandum is limited to 2 pages (filed and served at least 7 court days before the IDC) and the responding party's responsive memorandum is limited to 2 pages (filed and served at least 4 court days before the IDC).

View ruleSource: page 3, section F. INFORMAL DISCOVERY CONFERENCES

What page or word limits apply to trial brief before Judge Brock T. Hammond?

Judge Brock T. Hammond's rule states these limits: 15 pages. Trial briefs should not exceed 15 pages except in extraordinary cases.

View ruleSource: page 25, section A. Trial Briefs

What formatting rules apply to filings before Judge Brock T. Hammond?

Judge Brock T. Hammond's formatting rule includes each exhibit must be separated by a tab extending below the bottom of the page bearing the exhibit designation (crc, rule 3.1110(f)). and failure to comply may result in the court continuing the hearing or not considering the exhibits.. Courtesy copies must comply with CRC 3.

View ruleSource: page 3, section E. LAW AND MOTION

What must be included with evidentiary objections filings before Judge Brock T. Hammond?

The rule identifies required filing content or certificates. Evidentiary objections filed in connection with a motion for summary judgment or summary adjudication must comply with CRC, rule 3.1354.

View ruleSource: page 3, section E. LAW AND MOTION

What must be included with daily summaries of testimony filings before Judge Brock T. Hammond?

The rule identifies required filing content or certificates. In trials without a court reporter or electronic recording, counsel must provide the court with daily summaries of testimony.

View ruleSource: page 4, section J. COURTROOM OPERATIONS

How may parties contact Judge Brock T. Hammond's chambers?

The rule addresses email communications with Judge Brock T. Hammond's chambers. The rule lists email SMCDept407@lacourt.ca.gov. To schedule an IDC, the parties should stipulate to three possible dates and e-mail them to the judicial assistant at SMCDept407@lacourt.ca.gov; IDC hearings are set Tuesdays through Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. when the Court is not in trial.

View ruleSource: page 3, section F. INFORMAL DISCOVERY CONFERENCES

How does Judge Brock T. Hammond handle sealed or redacted filings?

Judge Brock T. Hammond's rules set procedures for sealed or redacted filings. Strict compliance with CRC, rule 2.551 et seq. is required for sealed documents.

View ruleSource: page 3, section E. LAW AND MOTION

Is electronic filing required before Judge Brock T. Hammond?

Yes. Electronic filing is required for the covered filings. Parties must arrange with the judicial assistant to email the proposed jury instructions to the Court in Word format.

View ruleSource: page 30, section G. Full Text Jury Instructions (Joint and Contested)

When is a filing treated as filed before Judge Brock T. Hammond?

The rule states a 4:00 PM filing cutoff. Daily summaries of testimony must be completed and submitted to the court by 4 p.m. the day following the day of testimony.

View ruleSource: page 4, section J. COURTROOM OPERATIONS

What rule applies to serving the opposing party before Judge Brock T. Hammond?

The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: recipient: the opposing party. PowerPoint slides must be shared with opposing counsel in advance of opening or closing with sufficient time to raise issues with the Court before the presentation.

View ruleSource: page 8, section C. OPENING STATEMENTS
Complete rules summary for Judge Brock T. Hammond

Courtesy copies for motions for summary judgment/adjudication and Anti-SLAPP motions must be delivered within one court day of electronic filing, and are not required for other electronically filed motions.

For summary judgment/adjudication and Anti-SLAPP motions, courtesy copies of reply briefs must be delivered on the day the reply is due.

Courtesy copies must comply with CRC 3.1110(f): each exhibit must be separated by a tab extending below the bottom of the page bearing the exhibit designation, and noncompliance may result in the hearing being continued or the exhibits not being considered.

Evidentiary objections filed in connection with a motion for summary judgment or summary adjudication must comply with CRC, rule 3.1354.

Strict compliance with CRC, rule 2.551 et seq. is required for sealed documents.

An informal discovery conference (IDC) is not required before filing a motion to compel further responses but is strongly encouraged, and the court strongly discourages discovery motions.

Before scheduling an IDC, counsel with authority to compromise the dispute should meet and confer by telephone, videoconference, or in person and make a good faith attempt to resolve the dispute; if unresolved, moving counsel should contact the judicial assistant to schedule the IDC.

To schedule an IDC, the parties should stipulate to three possible dates and e-mail them to the judicial assistant at SMCDept407@lacourt.ca.gov; IDC hearings are set Tuesdays through Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. when the Court is not in trial.

The moving party's IDC memorandum is limited to 2 pages (filed and served at least 7 court days before the IDC) and the responding party's responsive memorandum is limited to 2 pages (filed and served at least 4 court days before the IDC).

Scheduling an IDC does not extend the deadline to file a motion to compel further responses to discovery, and the parties are urged to stipulate to an extension.

In every case set for trial, counsel and self-represented litigants are expected to work together to jointly prepare and submit the binders required by the Final Status Conference Order.

CACI jury instructions must be organized in a logical sequence and prepared in compliance with the Department 407 CACI Jury Instruction Order, which should be reviewed before the Final Status Conference.

In trials without a court reporter or electronic recording, counsel must provide the court with daily summaries of testimony.

Daily summaries of testimony must be completed and submitted to the court by 4 p.m. the day following the day of testimony.

PowerPoint presentations and other displays to the jury must be reduced to paper and filed in the Court's docket.

PowerPoint slides must be shared with opposing counsel in advance of opening or closing with sufficient time to raise issues with the Court before the presentation.

Parties must prepare transcripts of all recordings they plan to introduce as exhibits, per CRC rule 2.1040.

The proponent of a recording must bring the transcript to the Final Status Conference so the Court can rule on any objections.

Counsel must bring copies of recording transcripts to distribute to the jury and alternates.

Counsel must deliver a written witness list to the clerk each morning listing that day's witnesses with their full correct names and the order in which they will be called.

Final jury instructions and verdict forms must be in a jury-ready format containing no citations to authority, no identification of the requesting party, and no letterhead or markings identifying the preparing attorney.

If no court reporter is used at trial, the parties must jointly prepare a daily proceedings summary including detailed witness testimony and lodge it the next morning before proceedings resume.

Within 30 days of the CMC order, both plaintiff and defendant must provide copies of specified case documents (purchase/lease contracts, repair orders and invoices, rental or loaner agreements, communications records, warranty claims, and warranty policy manuals) to the opposing side.

A party who believes the information disclosed under this Order should be protected must serve and file a proposed protective order within 5 days of the Order, the parties must meet and confer on agreeable language, and the default is the standard LASC Protective Order from its website.

Discovery information produced under this Order may, at the producing party's option, be provided to the opposing party in electronic form as a PDF.

Both plaintiff and defendant must serve verifications together with the documents they produce in discovery.

The customer complaint list must include the VIN, repair visit date, reporting location, and complaint text, but must exclude other customers' names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and any other personal identifying information.

Counsel must jointly prepare the jury instructions in compliance with the court's Final Status Conference Order.

Jury instructions must be in Word format using Times New Roman 14-point font.

Each jury instruction must display the CACI number and title at the top of the instruction.

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