Law & Motion and Discovery
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE
Please refer to the Information Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Court Operations page for the most current information in light of the COVID-19 public health crisis.
Hearings in Law & Motion and Discovery Departments
9:00 a.m. Discovery Hearings – Effective July 01, 2024 Civil Discovery Department will be held in department 525. Counsel and parties may appear in the Discovery Department by videoconference using Zoom (see below) or in person.
9:30 a.m. Law & Motion Hearings – Effective Monday, January 3, 2022, all attorneys and parties may appear in Department 302 remotely. Remote hearings will be conducted by videoconference using Zoom (see below).
11:00 a.m. Ex Parte Hearings – Appearances are by CourtCall only. Parties must contact CourtCall at 1-888-88-COURT in advance to schedule an appearance.
Counsel and parties can appear by videoconference and the public can view and/or listen to hearings, by clicking on the appropriate links below:
Discovery, Department 525 Daily at 9:00 a.m.
Law & Motion, Department 302 Daily at 9:30 a.m.
If unable to join using the links above, the hearings may be joined by telephone by dialing +1 669 254 5252 and entering the meeting ID and password below.
Discovery Department 525: Meeting ID: 161 316 9142 Passcode: 350809
Department 302: Meeting ID: 160 409 7690 Passcode: 516287
- 法律、动议和证据开示部之视频会议听证会
- 法律、動議和證據開示部之視訊會議聽證會
- Mga Pagdinig sa Law & Motion at Discovery Department sa Pamamagitan ng Video Conference
- Слушания в формате видеоконференций в департаментах рассмотрения ходатайств и представления доказательств
- Audiencias por videoconferencia en los Departamentos de Derecho y Peticiones y de Revelación de Información
- Phiên Tòa Qua Hội Nghị Truyền Hình tại Phòng Luật và Kiến Nghị và Phòng Xét Xử Sơ Bộ
Law & Motion
For motions to be filed, the moving party should confer with all other parties before scheduling and noticing a hearing, and may then e-file and notice the hearing in accordance with Code of Civil Procedure Section 1005 or other applicable requirements. The moving party does not need to clear the selected hearing date with or obtain a reservation number from the court/Dept. 302 before filing the motion. The moving party must state the selected hearing date on the motion to be filed.
For all law and motion matters, the court will post tentative rulings and follow the procedures set forth in San Francisco County Superior Court Local Rule 8.3 et seq.
Ex Parte Hearings
Ex parte hearings for both law and motion and discovery matters are held daily at 11:00 a.m. by CourtCall. No in-person appearances will be permitted. No later than two (2) hours prior to the hearing, the moving party must e-file the moving papers and attach them to an email to the opposing party/counsel addressed to contestdept302tr@sftc.org with the subject line, “Ex Parte Application.” Both paper and electronic copies of the moving papers must be delivered to Dept. 302 no later than two (2) hours prior to the hearing.
A party presenting an ex parte application in the law and motion department for a temporary restraining order, alternative writ, appointment of a receiver must schedule the hearing with the court by sending an email to calendar302@sftc.org at least 24 hours in advance of the proposed hearing date.
Court Reporter Information
The court is no longer providing a court reporter in the Law & Motion Department.
Parties may now retain their own certified reporter, who may appear in the courtroom or remotely.
Discovery
Discovery motions are heard on the daily 9:00 a.m. Discovery Calendar.
For discovery motions to be filed, the moving party should confer with all other parties before scheduling and noticing a hearing, and may then e-file and notice the hearing in accordance with Code of Civil Procedure Section 1005 or other applicable requirements. The moving party does not need to clear the selected hearing date with or obtain a reservation number from the court/Dept. 525 before filing the motion. The moving party must state the selected hearing date on the motion to be filed.
For all discovery matters, the court will post tentative rulings and follow the procedures set forth in San Francisco County Superior Court Local Rule 8.3 et seq. All hearings will be conducted remotely by Zoom videoconference, in-person appearances are permitted.
The parties need not deliver courtesy copies of their filed discovery motion papers to Department 525. After filing the discovery motion papers, they should attach copies to an email addressed to Discovery525@sftc.org. The subject line of the email should state the case name and number and the date of the hearing. The text of the email should include the name and contact information, including the email address of the attorney or party who will appear at the hearing.
The court does not provide official court reporters for hearings in the discovery department. Any party who wishes to supply its own court reporter must ensure that the reporter is a California-certified shorthand reporter and is capable of reporting a hearing conducted by Zoom videoconference.
Please Note the Following Types of Requests/cases Are Not Heard in Dept. 302
|
Request/Case Type |
Correct Department |
|---|---|
|
Dept. 206, Presiding Judge |
|
Dept. 301, Asbestos/CEQA Dept. |
|
|
|
|
|
Dept. 505 (Courtroom: 415-551-3796) |
|
Probate cases– All requests |
|
|
Family Law cases – All requests |
https://sfsuperiorcourt.org/online-services/tentative-rulingsClick on the topics below for more information.
Tentative rulings are generally available by 3 p.m. the court day prior to the hearing, and are accessible via the Tentative Rulings website by clicking on the link titled “Law & Motion Department 302/Discovery Department 525”
The Court’s tentative rulings will typically instruct prevailing parties to email a proposed order to the department prior to the start of the hearing even if the matter is uncontested.
Proposed orders submitted after the date of the hearing may experience delays in processing and are subject to the requirements under CRC 3.1312. If the hearing date has passed, a paper hard copy of the proposed order must be delivered directly to Dept. 302.
For orders on matters taken under submission, the parties can check the public Register of Actions via Online Services on the court’s website. If an order has been signed, the order will be filed and scanned and will be viewable on the Register of Actions.
Parties must first pay any required local fees electronically and then must deliver a paper hard copy of their submission directly to the department for the request to be reviewed and considered.
The local form for a Doe Amendment request can be accessed here.
Per Local Rule 8.2B, a request that a motion be taken off the calendar or that a hearing be continued to a later date must be made by email, with a copy to all other parties to Calendar302@sftc.org. The request must include the name of the party making the request, the name of the person making the request on behalf of the party, the case number, and the current date of the hearing.
If the request is to continue the motion to a later date, the request must state that all parties affected by the motion have agreed to the new date. If a party requesting that a motion be taken off the calendar or that a hearing be continued to a later date does not have email access, the party may, in lieu of email, provide all of the foregoing information in a letter personally delivered to the Law & Motion department.
No continuances will be granted on the date set for hearing except upon a personal appearance and a showing of good cause in writing. The judge hearing the matter has discretion concerning continuances, including the right to deny continuances, to rule, or to take the matter off the calendar at any time despite the agreement of parties to the contrary. Matters cannot be taken off the calendar after noon the Court day before the hearing.
Questions regarding pending or rejected e-filing transactions should be directed to the Civil Clerk’s Office’s E-Filing Division at SFefiling@sftc.org as that is the division that directly reviews and either accepts or rejects all e-filing transactions.