Title
Rules and Forms | Civil Practice and Procedures: Case Management Rules (Action Required)
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Summary
The Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee recommends that the discretionary exemption to the statewide case management rules be made permanent to allow flexibility in case management where courts so desire. In 2013, the Judicial Council amended the statewide rules of court on civil case management to give courts the discretion to exempt certain types or categories of general civil cases from the mandatory case management rules. The amendments were intended as an emergency measure, to help courts to better address the state’s fiscal crisis by decreasing the time spent by court staff and judicial officers in filing case management statements, setting and holding individual case management conferences, and performing other actions required by the case management rules. In 2018, the Commission on the Future of California’s Court System recommended that the emergency exemption be made permanent and the advisory committee is furthering that recommendation by this proposal.
Recommendation
The Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee recommends that the Judicial Council amend California Rules of Court, rule 3.720, effective January 1, 2020, to make the emergency provisions allowing exceptions to the rule permanent.