Judge Vince Chhabria

Counsel should call and email Judge Chhabria's Courtroom Deputy, Bhavna Sharma, to notify her if they submit an application for a temporary restraining order, a stipulation that requires a response from the Court within 24 hours, or any other emergency request.

Discovery disputes should be brought to the Court's attention as early as possible. If the parties cannot resolve their discovery dispute after a good faith effort, they shall prepare and file a joint letter of no longer than 5 pages stating the nature and status of their dispute. Both sides must submit proposed orders as well. No exhibits may be submitted with the letter other than any discovery request or response that is the subject of the dispute.

Unless expressly permitted by the Court, briefs in support of and in opposition to all substantive motions (except for preliminary injunction motions, summary judgment motions, cases, as discussed below) may not exceed 15 pages, and reply briefs may not exceed 10 pages.

Briefs in support of and in opposition to a preliminary injunction motion cannot exceed 25 pages, and reply briefs cannot exceed 15 pages.

Unless expressly permitted by the Court, briefs in support of and in opposition to summary judgment motions cannot exceed 25 pages, and reply briefs cannot exceed 15 pages.

The first two briefs are limited to 25 pages, the third brief is limited to 20 pages, and the fourth brief is limited to 15 pages.

Briefs in support of or opposition to class certification motions cannot exceed 25 pages, and reply briefs cannot exceed 15 pages.

The only exception is when the party moving to exclude is the party opposing class certification, in which case that party may file a reply brief (not to exceed 5 pages and filed no later than 7 days after the other party’s reply in support of class certification) in support of the Daubert motion.

The proposed notices, claims forms, and other documents associated with preliminary approval should be sent in Microsoft Word format to vcpo@cand.uscourts.gov.

The opening summary judgment (and claim construction) brief, as well as the opposition brief, cannot exceed 40 pages. The reply brief cannot exceed 20 pages.

is limited to 50 pages, the third brief is limited to 30 pages, and the fourth brief is limited to 20 pages.

Judge Chhabria’s default rule is to have hearings in Social Security cases. The Court will schedule a hearing for its civil law and motion calendar for approximately 60 days after an opposition brief is filed. Counsel are free to meet and confer on a mutually acceptable hearing date, and contact Bhavna Sharma, Judge Chhabria’s Courtroom Deputy, to schedule a hearing on that date. If, after reviewing the papers and the record, the Court decides a hearing is not necessary, it will typically notify the parties within 2–3 days of the hearing.

Judge Chhabria’s default rule is to have hearings in habeas cases where the petitioner is represented by counsel. The Court will schedule a hearing for its civil law and motion calendar for approximately 60 days after an answer is filed. Counsel are free to meet and confer on a mutually acceptable hearing date, and contact Bhavna Sharma, Judge Chhabria’s Courtroom Deputy, to schedule a hearing on that date. If, after reviewing the papers and the record, the Court decides a hearing is not necessary, it will typically notify the parties within 2–3 days of the hearing.

Contact Bhavna Sharma regarding courtroom layout and technology

The memoranda in support of and in opposition to each motion in limine shall be no longer than five pages. The moving party shall not file a reply brief.

Should a daily transcript and/or real-time reporting be desired, the parties shall make arrangements with Kristen Melen, Supervisor of the Court Reporting Services, at (415) 522-2079, at least 14 days before the trial date.

The parties should contact the Courtroom Deputy, Bhavna Sharma, at vccrd@cand.uscourts.gov, to discuss any questions or issues about the layout of the courtroom. Parties must contact Ms. Sharma at least 10 days prior to trial.

In non-jury cases, all pretrial filings are due 7 days before the pretrial conference. They must include trial briefs not to exceed 10 pages each, and proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law.

In non-jury cases, all pretrial filings are due 7 days before the pretrial conference. They must include trial briefs not to exceed 10 pages each, and proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law.