Butte Superior Court Pre-Motion Conference Requirements

CRITICAL

Depositions, interrogatories, subpoenas of juvenile records, and similar civil discovery in dependency cases require Juvenile Court judge approval on noticed motion.

D. Civil Discovery. In order to coordinate the logistics of discovery in dependency cases, there shall be no depositions, interrogatories, subpoenas of juvenile records or any other similar types of civil discovery without approval of a judge of the Juvenile Court upon noticed motion.

CRITICAL

Before initiating court proceedings to remove the Parenting Coordinator or raise a grievance about the Coordinator, a party must meet and confer with the Coordinator in an effort to resolve it.

Neither party may initiate Court proceedings for the removal of the Parenting Coordinator or to bring to the attention of the Court or any other body any grievances regarding the performance or actions of the Parenting Coordinator without meeting and conferring with the Parenting Coordinator in an effort to resolve the grievance.

CRITICAL

A settlement conference must be calendared and held before every contested hearing unless the judicial officer deems it unnecessary.

Settlement conference shall be calendared and held prior to every contested hearing, unless deemed unnecessary by the judicial officer setting the contested hearing.

CRITICAL

A party may petition the Court for formal discovery only after exhausting informal discovery methods.

C. Formal Discovery. Only after all informal means have been exhausted may a party petition the Court for discovery.

CRITICAL

Before a Family Law calendar matter is heard, the parties and counsel must meet and confer, exchange relied-on documentary evidence, and have the moving party initiate the conference before the hearing day, subject to the stated exception.

No case on the Family Law calendar will be heard unless and until counsel and the parties have conferred in an effort to resolve all issues. All documentary evidence that is to be relied on for proof of any material fact shall be exchanged by counsel while conferring. Failure to meet and confer or exchange documents may result in the matter being dropped from the calendar, continued, or the Court may order other appropriate sanctions. B. The meet and confer requirement is to be initiated by the moving party and/or the moving party’s attorney. The meet and confer may be by telephone and shall occur prior to the day of the hearing, unless served or the attorney is retained the day prior to the hearing.

CRITICAL

In civil unlimited cases, the moving party must first request an informal Pretrial Discovery Conference before a covered discovery motion may be heard, subject to the stated exceptions.

Should any party wish to voluntarily avail themselves of the procedure, or in the event that the Court orders the parties to comply with an informal Pretrial Discovery Conference then, except for motions to compel the deposition of a duly noticed party or subpoenaed person(s) who have not timely served an objection pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure §2025.410 or otherwise obtained the consent of all interested parties agreeing to the non-appearance of the party or person(s) at the deposition as noticed or subpoenaed, and motions to compel initial responses to interrogatories, requests for production and requests for admission; no motion under sections 2016.01 through 2036.050, inclusive, of the code of Civil Procedure shall be heard in a civil unlimited case unless the moving party has first requested an informal Pretrial Discovery Conference with the Court.

INFO

The Court will conduct a Trial Readiness Conference before the first day of every jury trial.

For all jury trials, the Court will conduct a TRC in advance of the first day of trial.