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Courtroom information posted for Department 512 (Stanley Mosk Courthouse); the sheet itself is headed “Department 54”: general information (remote appearances except for trials); law and motion (tentative rulings posted online the afternoon before); discovery motions and informal discovery conferences; ex parte applications (each day at 8:30 am; filed by 10:00 am the court day before); case management; and trial procedures (final status conferences generally on a Friday at least 10 days before trial, and the documents to be provided before them).
California > Second Appellate District > Los Angeles County > Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles > Stanley Mosk Courthouse > Department 512
Welcome to DEPARTMENT 54 STANLEY MOSK COURTHOUSE Judge: Hon. Maurice A. Leiter Judicial Assistant: Natalie Marshalian Courtroom Attendant: Ray Manzo Telephone Number: (213) 633-0654 Email: SMCdept54@lacourt.org GENERAL INFORMATION Remote Appearances: Remote appearances are permitted in all matters except jury or nonjury trials, unless otherwise directed by the Court. LACourtConnect provides the video and audio services for remote appearances in Los Angeles Superior Court. LACourtConnect is also where you schedule your remote appearances. For further information, please go to https://my.lacourt.org/laccwelcome Counsel and litigants making remote appearances are expected to follow the same rules and decorum as if they were appearing in person in the courtroom. The Court does not permit remote appearances from locations with excessive background noise, or from moving vehicles. Court Reporters: Official court reporters are not normally provided. If you want a court reporter, you must provide one. A party who has received a fee waiver pursuant to CRC 3.55(7) may request an official court reporter by filing local form LACIV 2699 as soon as possible before the hearing or trial. Given the limited availability of official court reporters, the Court may not know whether a reporter is available until the day of the hearing or trial. Interpreters: An interpreter may be provided if arranged in advance. The Court will attempt to locate an interpreter for the date and time of your hearing, but it cannot guarantee that one will be available at that date and time. Accessibility and Accommodation: If you need an accommodation, please inform the courtroom staff in advance, so we can attempt to facilitate your request. Requests may be made using form MC-410 or in any other written format. Self-represented Litigants: The Court’s commitment to fairness and justice extends to all litigants, including those who represent themselves rather than hire a lawyer. Self-represented litigants are expected to comply with the rules of civil procedure, evidence, and decorum. LAW & MOTION Parties must reserve a date for all law and motion hearings through the Court Reservation System (“CRS”). Parties must use CRS to continue or withdraw motions; please also email the courtroom so we are aware of the change. The Court requests that all electronically filed documents be bookmarked and searchable. The Court does not require courtesy copies. The Court prepares tentative rulings in most law and motion matters. Tentative rulings are posted online in the afternoon before the hearing and are available in the courtroom on the day of the hearing. If the parties wish to submit on the tentative, please email the courtroom with notice to opposing counsel (or self-represented party) before 8:30 am on the day of the hearing. Motions in limine may be heard at the Final Status Conference unless the Court orders otherwise. LR 3.25(f). DISCOVERY MOTIONS AND INFORMAL DISCOVERY CONFERENCES The Court strongly discourages discovery motions and encourages informal resolution of discovery disputes. Counsel with authority to compromise the dispute (preferably trial counsel) must meet and confer by telephone, videoconference, or in person to resolve or narrow the discovery dispute. Merely exchanging letters or emails is insufficient. The Court expects the parties to work together in good faith to resolve discovery issues. If the dispute remains unresolved, counsel must call the courtroom to schedule an informal discovery conference (IDC) with Judge Leiter. The IDC should eliminate any need for a motion. At least two court days before the IDC, each side shall serve and file a memorandum of no longer than two pages setting forth the outstanding issues. The parties are encouraged to stipulate in writing to extend any applicable deadline for filing a discovery motion until at least 21 days following the IDC. If the parties are unable to agree to extend the deadline, a party may file the motion in compliance with the deadline. Absent a showing of good cause, the Court will conduct the IDC before hearing the motion. EX PARTE APPLICATIONS Ex parte applications are heard each day at 8:30 am. Absent an exemption, you must file the application by 10:00 am on the court day prior to the ex parte hearing. Please consult LR 2.8 and 2.9 to determine whether the ex parte application is properly calendared in this department. Ex parte applications must comply with CRC 3.1200 et seq. CASE MANAGEMENT The Court’s goal is to help the parties obtain a fair, timely, and efficient resolution of their cases. Effective case management, in turn, requires counsel to communicate with each other and the Court, and to work together cooperatively to advance the case. The Court applies the case management rules set forth in CRC Rules 3.700 et seq. and LASC Rules 3.24 – 3.25. CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCES: Trial counsel are required to meet and confer by videoconference, telephone or in person no later than 15 calendar days before the date set for the initial and any succeeding Case Management Conference to consider each of the issues identified in CRC Rules 3.724 and 3.727. Case Management Statements must be filed at least 15 calendar days before the date scheduled for the conference. Counsel appearing at the Case Management Conference (including appearance counsel) must be knowledgeable about the case and prepared to discuss all the issues set forth in CRC Rule 3.727. TRIAL PROCEDURES FINAL STATUS CONFERENCE: Final Status Conferences generally are held on a Friday at least 10 days before the trial date. Lead trial counsel must appear, unless previously excused by the Court. LASC Rule 3.25 (f)(2). The Court requires trial counsel to meet by videoconference, telephone or in person well before the final status conference concerning the submission of joint trial readiness documents. LASC Rule 3.25 (g). The following FSC documents must be provided to the Court prior to the FSC: 1. MOTIONS IN LIMINE AND BIFURCATION MOTIONS must have been filed and served with proper statutory notice and set for hearing on the FSC date. LASC Rule 3.25 (f)(2). Compliance with LASC Rule 3.57, including the declaration and meet and confer requirements, is mandatory. Boilerplate or form motions in limine are disfavored. No later than five court days before the FSC, the moving party for each motion in limine must lodge directly in Dept. 54 an indexed and tabbed three-ring binder containing conformed copies of all moving, opposition, and reply papers for their motions in limine. 2. TRIAL BRIEFS for each party are highly recommended in all cases, whether bench or jury trial. 3. JOINT STATEMENT OF THE CASE (which will be read by the Court to the prospective jurors). This is a brief, neutral statement of what the case is about. Counsel also should be prepared to discuss whether they are agreeable to mini-opening statements to be given by counsel to the prospective jurors. 4. JOINT EXHIBIT LIST AND EXHIBITS. Counsel must comply with LASC Rules 3.52, 3.53 and 3.151. Each exhibit must be separately numbered, with the numbers corresponding to the number of the exhibit on the joint exhibit list. If an exhibit contains more than one page, the pages must be internally numbered, i.e., 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 etc. Counsel must prepare a separate set of exhibits for each of the Court, the witness stand, and the Judicial Assistant. 5. JOINT WITNESS LIST AND TRIAL SCHEDULE. The parties must submit a joint list of all witnesses each party actually intends to call. Next to each witness, indicate the total time estimated for that witness’s testimony (including direct, cross, redirect). Make realistic time estimates. At the end of the list, total the time estimated for testimony. Absent good cause, the total number of hours listed for testimony shall not exceed the trial estimate given at the case management conference, including the allocation of one day of the trial estimate for jury selection and sufficient time for opening statements and closing arguments. The parties shall discuss with the Court at the final status conference which witnesses will appear in person and which will appear remotely or by video. The Court will consider imposing time limits in appropriate cases. 6. PAGE AND LINE DESIGNATION FOR DEPOSITION AND FORMER TESTIMONY. If the parties/counsel intend to use deposition testimony or former trial testimony in lieu of any witness’s live testimony, the parties/counsel shall meet and confer and jointly prepare and file a chart with columns for: 1) the line and page designations of the deposition or former testimony requested, 2) objections, 3) counter-designations, 4) any responses to the objections, and 5) the Court’s ruling. The chart shall be submitted to the Court in a three-ring binder, along with all deposition transcripts necessary for the Court to rule on the objections. 7. PROPOSED JURY INSTRUCTIONS. The parties are to submit an indexed and tabbed three-ring binder containing (a) a joint set of instructions, (b) any instructions proposed by Plaintiff and objected to by Defendant; and (c) and instructions proposed by Defendant and objected to by Plaintiff. The parties shall provide the full text of all requested instructions (not just a list). Before submitting the instructions, counsel must fill in the blanks, make any appropriate modifications, and comply with LASC 3.170 – 3.171. Use CACI for form instructions. Leave at least four inches of blank space of the top of every page of any proposed special jury instructions, or any addenda to form instructions. Citation of authority and identity of the party requesting the instruction will be removed after the jury instruction conference and before submission to the jury for deliberation. The Court generally instructs the jury before closing argument. The Court will consider requests by counsel to instruct the jury prior to opening statements on the elements of the causes of action. 8. JOINT PROPOSED VERDICT AND SPECIAL INTERROGATORY FORMS. Use CACI model verdict forms where applicable. The Court discourages submission of competing proposed verdict forms. USE OF EXHIBITS: Counsel may publish exhibits to the jury only after they have been admitted in evidence. If counsel agree that an exhibit or exhibits will be admitted without objection, counsel may publish the agreed-upon exhibit(s) to the jury during opening statement. At the end of each trial day counsel must meet and confer and submit to the Court’s judicial assistant an agreed-upon list of all exhibits admitted that day. COURT REPORTERS AND SETTLED STATEMENTS. The Court strongly encourages the parties to bring a court reporter for trial. If no court reporter is used, the parties must jointly prepare a summary of the day’s proceedings, and lodge it in the courtroom the next morning before proceedings resume. Effective as amended March 18, 2024.
Welcome to DEPARTMENT 54 STANLEY MOSK COURTHOUSE Judge: Hon. Maurice A. Leiter Judicial Assistant: Natalie Marshalian Courtroom Attendant: Ray Manzo Telephone Number: (213) 633-0654 Email: SMCdept54@lacourt.org GENERAL INFORMATION Remote Appearances: Remote appearances are permitted in all matters except jury or nonjury trials, unless otherwise directed by the Court. LACourtConnect provides the vi
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-09-29 (California T3 Los Angeles build 2026-09-29) from BenchPath custody ca/t3/ca-los-angeles/dept/CourtroomInformation_LAM_512.pdf (60930 bytes, sha256 eaa6bfc32bdf576303ee7a31ac44df5a6f898cb0c283270859264fb8102f5335; 5 pages) with the shared verbatim composer (v2 reflow, drawn-glyph reading): page numbers, pleading line numbers and running headers or footers removed as chrome; lines reflowed into the sheet's paragraphs; proof 1 (whitespace-only), proof 2 (same character multiset as the text layer minus chrome) and proof 3 (same characters as the glyphs drawn on the page) all pass. Attached to the department only (review task): The sheet is headed Department 54 and names Judge Maurice A. Leiter, who is not on the court's current bench; the app and the Judicial Officer Search place Judge Karine Mkrtchyan in Department 512.
1 verbatim requirement on judge preferences.
20 verbatim requirements on judge preferences.