Changes in San Bernardino Matters
Effective October 23, 2006, all Probate, Conservatorships and Limited Conservatorships (LPS) filings currently assigned to the Barstow, Big Bear, Joshua Tree, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardinio and Victorville Districts shall be filed in the Redlands District Courthouse, located at 216 Brookside Avenue, Redlands, CA 92373.

All new filings shall be filed and heard in the Redlands District Courthouse.

All Guardianships will continue to be filed and heard in their respective districts.

Also, effective October 23, 2006, all Small Claims, Unlawful Detainers, Infraction and Misdemeanor filings currently assigned to the Redlands District (with the exception of Yucaipa and Redlands infraction filings) shall be filed in the San Bernardino District Courthouse, located at 351 North Arrowhead Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92415.

All new filings shall be filed and heard in the San Bernardino District Courthouse.

All existing cases will be transferred to the San Bernardino District for hearings set on or after October 23, 2006.

USBK Closed on September 15, 2006
The Central District of California Bankruptcy Court Divisions will be closed on Friday, September 15, 2006. Electronic services will still be available for use on this date. And, emergency matters for all divisions will be handled at the LA Division Case Initiation Section located on the ground floor. If you wish to make arrangements to file an emergency filing, please contact (213) 894-8401.

LASC Family Law Randomizes Case Assignments
Effective July 17, 2006, the family law department of the Central District Court in Los Angeles will assign Judicial Officers in random rotation. Notice of the assigned Judicial Officer will be given at the time of the initial filing. Any case may be reassigned for good cause, upon order of the Supervising Judge, on the court's own motion, or pursuant to a noticed motion.

Counsel and parties must list the assigned Judicial Officer and department number on their caption page beneath the case number on all documents filed. Any other pending family law, probate or juvenile dependency cases involving the same parties in Los Angeles County must also be listed.

All family law default hearings are assigned to Department 7 to Commissioner Timothy Murphy. All domestic violence cases will be assigned to Department 8 to Commissioner Anthony Jones. All mandatory settlement cases will continue to be heard in Department 2. And, any proposed judgment submitted to the department before July 17th will remain in that department.

LA Appeals Court Requires New Form
Effective July 1, 2006, the LA Appeals Court 2nd District now requires that each party must serve and file a Certificate of Interested Entities or Persons at the time it files its first document with the Court, per Rules 14.5 and 56-59. Each party must also include a copy of the certificate in its principal brief or petition for writ. The certificate must appear after the cover and before the tables.

West LA Limited Cases Relocate to Beverly Hills
Effective June 5, 2006, West LA Court cases in the limited civil Division 93 will be relocated to Department 5 of the Beverly Hills Court. All limited civil cases with the exception of unlawful detainer and small claims cases should be filed in Room 300 of the Beverly Hills Court house. Unlawful detainer and small claims cases should be continued to be filed at West LA Court.

Moreno Valley Court Reopens
In 2003, the Moreno Valley court located at 13800 Heacock Avenue closed its doors due to the severe statewide budget cuts. Effective, April 24, 2006, the court will reopen its doors. Normal court hours of 7:30am to 4:00pm will remain to handle small claims, unlawful detainer, and traffic cases.

Orange County Superior Court Extends Hours
In 2003, public windows were forced to close at 4:00pm due to hiring freezes and severe cutbacks due to California's financial crisis. Effective May 1, 2006, the public service windows and telephone lines of the Orange County Superior Courts will be open from 8:00am to 5:00pm.

USBK Changes Fees Once Again
Effective, April 9, 2006, Chapter 7 Petitions will increase from $274 to $299. Case Conversion from Chapter 7 to Chapter 11 Petition will decrease from $780 to $755. To File a Chapter 13 Petition, the fee will increase from $189 to $274. Case Conversion from Chapter 13 to Chapter 11 will decrease from $850 to $$765.

Department Numbers Required for all LASC filings
All documents submitted for filing at the Los Angeles Superior Courts require that the department number and the judge's name appear on the face page of the document. This is a requirement by the court and failure to comply with this rule may result in delay or rejection of your filings. To learn more about rule CRC 201 (f)(7), click here.