Judge Fernando M. Olguin
Individual Rules, Standing Orders & Policies
- Rules last changed:
Limits & Logistics
Courtesy Copies
Courtesy copies
- 1 copy • Hand Delivery • No Later Than Noon Following Business Day
Moving Papers, Opposition Papers, Notice of Non Opposition
- 1 copy • Hand Delivery • Same Day as E Filing
Proposed Order
- 1 copy • Email • On Day of Efiling
Adjournments
- Requests for continuance or extension must be submitted 5 court days before the scheduled date expires; stipulations must show good cause, list previous requests, and include a proposed order.
Page & Word Limits1 rule
Unless otherwise ordered, reply briefs are not allowed and will be stricken.
Document Format Requirements5 rules
Counsel shall designate any “blow-up” enlargement of an existing exhibit with the number of the original exhibit followed by an “A.”
Exhibits shall be numbered 1, 2, 3, etc., not 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc. The defense exhibit numbers shall not duplicate plaintiff’s numbers.
Exhibits must be placed in three-ring binders indexed by exhibit number with tabs or dividers on the right side. The spine portion of the binder shall indicate the volume number and contain an index of each exhibit included in the volume.
- Binding
- Three-ring binder
- Trial exhibit
Formatting
- •Spine must indicate the volume number
Plaintiff shall use yellow tags and defendant shall use blue tags. The tags shall be stapled to the upper right-hand corner of each exhibit with the case number, case name, and exhibit number placed on each tag.
Documentary evidence supporting or opposing a motion over 50 pages must be bound, tabbed, and indexed; evidence over 300 pages must be in a three-ring binder with tab dividers, and counsel must provide an OCR-scanned PDF on a flash drive with labeled bookmarks.
- More than 50 pages
Formatting
- •All documents must be legible
Court's wording
If documentary evidence in support of or in opposition to a motion exceeds 50 pages, the evidence must be separately bound and tabbed and include an index. If such evidence exceeds 300 pages, the documents shall be placed in a three-ring binder, with an index and with each item of evidence separated by a tab divider on the right side. In addition, counsel shall provide a flash drive of the documents in a single, OCR-scanned,.pdf file with each item of evidence separated by labeled bookmarks. Counsel shall ensure that all documents are legible.
Document Filing Requirements16 rules
Each counsel shall keep counsel’s own list of exhibits
All discovery-related documents must include the words “DISCOVERY MATTER” in the caption to ensure proper routing.
- Document
- Discovery related document
- Placement
- Caption
Must include
- •“DISCOVERY MATTER”
The motion must be accompanied by a memorandum of points and authorities and specify which portions of the ruling are clearly erroneous or contrary to law.
- Document
- Motion for review
Must include
- •Legal argument
If the parties are unable to reach a resolution, “counsel for the moving party must include a declaration, under penalty of perjury, the set forth at a minimum the date(s) the conference took place and the position of each party with respect to each disputed issue that will be the subject of the motion.”
shall serve and lodge – at the time the moving or opposition papers are filed – a proposed order setting forth the relief or action sought and a brief statement of the rationale for the decision with appropriate citations.
- Document
- Motion or opposition papers
Must include
- •Proposed order
Filings prepared using artificial intelligence require the filing party or attorney to certify they reviewed all source material and verified the accuracy of any AI-generated content.
- Document
- Filing
Include
- •AI disclosure
Court's wording
If any party or attorney uses an artificial intelligence tool in the preparation of any filing, the submission of that document signifies that the individual responsible for the filing has certified that she/he reviewed all source material and verified the accuracy of any AI content. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 11.
Motions to amend pleadings must comply with Local Rule 15-1, state the amendment's effect, identify proposed changes, and the proposed amended pleading must be sequentially named.
Court's wording
In addition to complying with Local Rule 15-1, all motions to amend pleadings shall: (1) state the effect of the amendment; and (2) identify the page and line number(s) and wording of any proposed change or addition of material. The proposed amended pleading shall be sequentially named to differentiate it from previously amended pleadings (e.g., First Amended Complaint, Second Amended Complaint, etc.).
In addition to Local Rule 15-1’s requirement of electronic lodging of the proposed amended pleading as a document separate from the motion, counsel shall attach as an appendix to the moving papers a “redlined” version of the proposed amended pleading, indicating all additions and deletions of material.
All potentially dispositive motions shall comply with the requirements set forth in the Court’s Order Re: Summary Judgment Motions, which will be issued at the time the court issues its Case Management and Scheduling Order.
Ex parte applications that fail to conform to Local Rules 7-19 and 7-19.1, including a statement of opposing counsel’s position, will not be considered except on a specific showing of good cause under Fed. R. Civ. P. 65(b).
Counsel requesting a continuance must file a stipulation containing a detailed explanation of the grounds for the requested continuance as well as lodge a proposed order.
- Document
- Stipulation
Must include
- •Proposed order
All state court documents must be re-filed as a supplement to the notice of removal in cases removed from state court.
Court's wording
All documents filed in state court, including documents appended to the complaint, answers and motions, must be re-filed in this court as a supplement to the notice of removal. See 28 U.S.C. § 1447(a)-(b).
Defendants in removed cases must file answers or responsive pleadings complying with the FRCP and Local Rules, regardless of state court filings.
Court's wording
If defendant has not yet answered or filed a motion in response to the complaint, the answer or responsive pleading filed in this court must comply with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Local Rules. Irrespective of whether defendant filed a motion or demurrer in response to the complaint in state court, defendant must file an answer or responsive pleading in this court that complies with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Local Rules.
Counsel shall file with their first appearance a Notice of Interested Parties in accordance with Local Rule 7.1-1.
Electronically file the application to seal, the declaration giving notice and the proof of service.
- Document
- Application to seal
Include
- •Certificate of service
Attach as a separate document a proposed order to the electronically filed application (use the standard procedure for filing an application with a proposed order).
- Document
- Application to seal
Include
- •Proposed order
Filing & Service rules
Electronic Filing Rules
Applications to seal (for sealing only certain documents), along with the declaration giving notice and proof of service, must be electronically filed.
Electronically file the application to seal, the declaration giving notice and the proof of service.
Criminal cases
Page 1 | II. Applications to Seal Only Certain Documents (This Does Not Include the Sealing of the Application and Order)
For applications to seal where the application and order are also to be sealed, counsel must electronically file a notice of manual filing indicating that the application, declaration, proof of service, proposed order, and documents sought to be sealed have been submitted to the court.
Electronically file a NOTICE OF MANUAL FILING indicating that the following have been submitted to the court: (A) an application to seal; (B) a declaration giving notice; (C) a proof of service; (D) a proposed order; and (E) the documents sought to be placed under seal.
Criminal cases
Page 2 | III. Applications to Seal Where the Application and Order Should Also Be Sealed
Filing Timing and Cure Windows
Plaintiff must submit four three-ring binders of trial exhibits (one original, three copies) to the CRD on the first day of trial.
On the first day of trial, plaintiff shall submit to the CRD four (4) three-ring binders, one of which contains the original exhibits to be used at trial (except those to be used for impeachment only) with official exhibit tags attached and bearing the same number shown on the exhibit list. The other three-ring binders shall contain copies of each exhibit, tabbed with exhibit numbers, for use by the court and the witness.
Civil cases
Page 4 | G. Trial Exhibits
A motion for review of a magistrate judge's decision must be filed and served within 14 calendar days of service of the written or oral (not to be followed by written) ruling.
Any party may file and serve a motion for review of the magistrate judge’s decision within fourteen (14) days of service of a written ruling or an oral ruling that the magistrate judge states will not be followed by a written ruling.
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Opposition papers to ex parte applications must be filed within 48 hours of service if the opposing party has not previously appeared.
Where the opposing party has not previously appeared, the moving party shall, following service of the ex parte papers, notify the opposing party that its opposition papers must be filed no later than forty-eight (48) hours following service.
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Opposition papers to ex parte applications must be filed within 24 hours (or 1 court day) of service if the opposing party previously appeared.
that its opposition papers must be filed no later than twenty-four (24) hours (or one court day) following service, except in cases where the opposing party has not previously appeared.
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Form pleadings in removed cases must be replaced with appropriate FRCP-compliant pleadings within 21 days of receipt of the notice of removal.
If the removed action contains a form pleading (i.e., a pleading in which boxes are checked), the party or parties using the form pleading must file an appropriate pleading with this court within twenty-one (21) days of receipt of the notice of removal. The appropriate pleading must comply with the requirements of Fed. R. Civ. P. 7, 7.1, 8, 9, 10 and 11.
Page 10 | VIII. CASES REMOVED FROM STATE COURT
Motions noticed more than 35 days after the filing date may be stricken or advanced to an earlier date unless otherwise ordered by the court.
Unless otherwise ordered, any motion that is noticed more than 35 days beyond the date the motion is filed may be stricken or advanced to an earlier motion date.
Page 3 | IV. MOTIONS
Service and Proof of Service Rules
Plaintiff must promptly serve the complaint per Fed. R. Civ. P. 4 and 5 and file required proofs of service per Local Rule 5-3.1.2.
Plaintiff shall promptly serve the complaint in accordance with Fed. R. Civ. P. 4 and 5 and file the proofs of service pursuant to Local Rule 5-3.1.2.
Page 1 | I. SERVICE.
Plaintiff's counsel must immediately serve this Standing Order on all parties and their counsel; defendants that removed the case from state court must serve the Order on all other parties.
Counsel for plaintiff(s) shall serve this Order immediately on all parties and/or their counsel, including any new parties to the action. If this case was removed from state court, defendant(s) who removed the case shall serve this Order on all other parties.
Page 1 | I. SERVICE.
Ex parte applications must be electronically served if possible; parties on e-service are deemed served upon e-filing, and parties set up for fax or mail service must be served by fax or personal service.
The moving party shall electronically serve the opposing party, if possible. A party is considered served once the ex parte application has been e-filed (all parties set up for electronic service are sent a notification of ECF filing each time a document is e-filed with a link to the document for one free view). For those parties set up for service by fax or mail, the ex parte application must be served by fax or personal service.
Page 8 | V. EX PARTE APPLICATIONS.
Courtesy Copy Requirements
A copy of the proposed order in WordPerfect or Word format must be emailed to chambers on the day of e-filing.
In addition, a copy of the proposed order in WordPerfect or Word format shall be e-mailed to chambers at fmo_chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov on the day the document is e-filed.
Page 6 | 7. Proposed Orders
All filed papers must be delivered to the Clerk’s Office 4th Floor by noon the following business day; copies must comply with Local Rules 11-3 and 11-4.1.1, with sanctions for non-compliance.
A copy of all papers filed with the court shall be delivered to the Clerk’s Office on the 4th Floor of the First Street Courthouse, no later than 12:00 noon the following business day. All chambers copies shall comply fully with the document formatting requirements of Local Rule 11-3 and the “backing” requirements of Local Rule 11-4.1.1. Counsel may be subject to sanctions for failure to deliver a mandatory chambers copy in full compliance with this Order and Local Rules 11-3 and 11-4.1.1.
Page 9 | VI. MANDATORY CHAMBERS COPIES
Conformed copies of moving, opposition, or notice of non-opposition papers must be hand-delivered to the Clerk’s Office 4th Floor on the day of e-filing.
On the day the documents are e-filed, a conformed copy of the moving, opposition or notice of non-opposition papers must be hand-delivered to the Clerk’s Office on the 4th Floor of the First Street Courthouse, 350 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
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Mandatory chambers copies of e-filed application to seal documents (for sealing only certain documents) must be delivered to the chambers drop box by noon the following business day, comply with Local Rule 11 formatting (including backing requirements), be labeled “Mandatory Chambers Copy” on the front page, and have the notice of electronic filing attached to the back.
A mandatory chambers copy of the e-filed documents listed above shall be delivered to the drop box outside chambers no later than noon the following business day. All mandatory chambers copies shall fully comply with the document formatting requirements of Local Rule 11, including the “backing” requirements of Local Rule 11-4. Each document must be labeled prominently, “Mandatory Chambers Copy,” on the front page and the notice of electronic filing shall be attached to the back of the document.
Criminal cases
Page 2 | II. Applications to Seal Only Certain Documents (This Does Not Include the Sealing of the Application and Order)
Sealing & Redaction Procedures
Documents that are not confidential or privileged in their entirety should not be filed under seal if the confidential portions can be redacted and filed separately with a reasonable amount of effort. The parties should file both documents – a complete version of the pleadings and document(s) under seal, and a redacted version for public viewing – omitting only such portions as the court has ordered may be filed under seal.
Documents that are not confidential or privileged in their entirety should not be filed under seal if the confidential portions can be redacted and filed separately with a reasonable amount of effort. The parties should file both documents – a complete version of the pleadings and document(s) under seal, and a redacted version for public viewing – omitting only such portions as the court has ordered may be filed under seal.
Criminal cases
Page 1 | I. General Information Regarding Applications to File Documents Under Seal
Each item sought to be sealed or redacted must be individually justified; blanket confidentiality claims are prohibited and will result in denial of the sealing application.
Sealing must be justified for each individual item to be sealed or redacted. Blanket claims of confidentiality are not allowed and will result in a denial of the application to seal.
Criminal cases
Page 1 | I. General Information Regarding Applications to File Documents Under Seal
Applications to seal (for sealing only certain documents) must indicate which action will be taken if the application is denied: return documents to counsel, clerk destroys chambers copy, or counsel publicly files documents.
Indicate which of the three following actions will be taken if the application is denied: A. The documents should be returned to counsel; B. The clerk will destroy the chambers copy of the document(s); or C. Counsel will publicly file the document(s) for consideration by the Court.
Criminal cases
Page 1 | II. Applications to Seal Only Certain Documents (This Does Not Include the Sealing of the Application and Order)
Including meritless requests to seal or redact documents in an application to seal may result in complete rejection of the application.
The inclusion of meritless requests to seal or redact documents may result in the complete rejection of an application to seal.
Criminal cases
Page 1 | I. General Information Regarding Applications to File Documents Under Seal
The title of a pleading filed under seal will be placed on the public docket entry; the sealed document is not public, but the captioned title is viewable.
The title of the pleading will be placed on the public docket entry. For example: “Declaration of John Doe, Exhibit A.” If approved, the document itself will be sealed and not viewable by the public, but the captioned title will be viewable.
Criminal cases
Page 1 | I. General Information Regarding Applications to File Documents Under Seal
Pre-Motion Conference Requirements
Local Rule 7-3 requires counsel “contemplating the filing of any motion . . . [to] first contact opposing counsel to discuss thoroughly . . . the substance of the contemplated motion and any potential resolution. The conference must take place in person, by telephone, or via video conference at least 7 days prior to the filing of the motion.” Letters and e-mail are insufficient to satisfy the prefiling conference requirements of Local Rule 7-3. Unless otherwise ordered or when a pro se party is incarcerated, the parties, including those appearing pro se, are required to meet and confer in compliance with Local Rule 7-3.
Local Rule 7-3 requires counsel “contemplating the filing of any motion . . . [to] first contact opposing counsel to discuss thoroughly . . . the substance of the contemplated motion and any potential resolution. The conference must take place in person, by telephone, or via video conference at least 7 days prior to the filing of the motion.” Letters and e-mail are insufficient to satisfy the prefiling conference requirements of Local Rule 7-3. Unless otherwise ordered or when a pro se party is incarcerated, the parties, including those appearing pro se, are required to meet and confer in compliance with Local Rule 7-3.
Page 4 | IV. MOTIONS
Preliminary injunction motions require a pre-filing meet and confer in substantive compliance with Local Rule 7-3 at least 5 days prior to filing, notwithstanding Local Rule 7-3's exception for such motions.
Notwithstanding the exception for preliminary injunction motions in Local Rule 7-3, counsel contemplating a preliminary injunction motion are required to meet and confer, in substantive compliance with Local Rule 7-3, at least five (5) days prior to the filing of such a motion.
Page 4 | IV. MOTIONS
Adjournment & Extension Requirements
Requests for continuance or extension must be submitted 5 court days before the scheduled date expires; stipulations must show good cause, list previous requests, and include a proposed order.
Counsel must submit any request for a continuance or extension of time no later than five (5) court days prior to the expiration of the scheduled date. Requests for continuances will not be granted routinely. A stipulation to continue the date of any matter must be supported by a detailed declaration that demonstrates good cause justifying the requested date change. The stipulation must also indicate whether there have been any previous requests for continuances and whether those requests were granted or denied by the court. Counsel requesting a continuance must file a stipulation containing a detailed explanation of the grounds for the requested continuance as well as lodge a proposed order. application must be accompanied by a declaration setting forth the reasons for the requested extension of time. The declaration must also indicate whether there have been any previous requests for continuances and whether those requests were granted or denied by the court.
Page 9 | VII. CONTINUANCES OR EXTENSIONS OF TIME
Chambers Communication Rules
After electronically filing the application, send an e-mail to FMO_Chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov with an attachment containing: (A) a searchable Adobe PDF version of the application to seal; (B) a Word or Word Perfect version of the proposed order granting/denying the application or stipulation; and (C) a searchable Adobe PDF of the document(s) to be filed under seal with a caption page clearly marked “UNDER SEAL.” The e-mail the subject line.
After electronically filing the application, send an e-mail to FMO_Chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov with an attachment containing: (A) a searchable Adobe PDF version of the application to seal; (B) a Word or Word Perfect version of the proposed order granting/denying the application or stipulation; and (C) a searchable Adobe PDF of the document(s) to be filed under seal with a caption page clearly marked “UNDER SEAL.” The e-mail the subject line.
Criminal cases
Page 1 | II. Applications to Seal Only Certain Documents (This Does Not Include the Sealing of the Application and Order)
For applications to seal where the application and order are also to be sealed, counsel must email chambers with specified attachments and subject line including the case number and “UNDER SEAL REQUEST”.
Send an email to FMO_Chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov with an attachment containing (A) a searchable Adobe PDF version of the application to seal with supporting documents; (B) a Word or Word Perfect version of the proposed order to seal the application (including the proposed action to be taken if the application is denied; (C) the proposed order granting/denying application or stipulation, etc.; and (D) a searchable Adobe PDF of the document(s) sought to be filed under seal with a caption page clearly marked “UNDER SEAL.” The e-mail should have the case number, plus the words “UNDER SEAL REQUEST” in the subject line.
Criminal cases
Page 2 | III. Applications to Seal Where the Application and Order Should Also Be Sealed
Parties not opposing an ex parte application must notify the CRD via email as soon as possible.
If a party does not intend to oppose an ex parte application, the party must inform the CRD via email as soon as possible.
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