Plumas Superior Court Local Rules of Court (effective July 1, 2026) — Rule 4: Civil Trials

RULE 4. CIVIL TRIALS 4.1 TRIAL SETTINGS Except for trials governed by the Family Law provisions (See: Rule 6), all matters shall generally be set for trial at the first Case Management Conference. The trial date shall be determined by the court, with due consideration for the convenience of the parties. (Effective 7/1/03, Amended 7/1/08) 4.2 TRIAL READINESS CONFERENCE/FINAL TRIAL STATUS CONFERENCE At the time the matter is set for trial, the court will set a Trial Readiness Conference. The Trial Readiness Conference shall take place at least three weeks prior to the commencement of the trial. Counsel or self-represented litigants shall file a Trial Brief five days prior to the Trial Readiness Conference/ Final Trial Status Conference. At the Readiness Conference, counsel for the parties shall be prepared to: (a) Submit a Statement of the Case to be read by the Judge to the jury; (b) Submit questions that counsel wishes the court to ask prospective jurors on voir dire; (c) Lodge depositions intended to be used as well as advising the court concerning recitation from depositions; (d) Produce exhibits (except for impeaching exhibits) for marking for identification; (e) Argue Motions in Limine. (f) Submit Proposed jury instructions. (Effective 7/1/03, Amended 7/01/08, 7/1/26) 4.3 TRIAL BRIEF Civil Jury Trials: Trials are scheduled to commence at 9:00 a.m., unless otherwise ordered by the court. One morning break and one afternoon break might be taken, depending on that day’s proceedings. Lunch is taken between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Proceedings will generally recess at 4:15 each day. The parties/counsel are to follow the civil trial procedure rules set forth in the Local Rule 4 and California Rules of Court. The court will discuss methods of jury selection with counsel at the final status conference but generally follows a 6-pack method. Absent special circumstances, the court will generally give preference to the oldest case if more than one case announces ready for trial. Unless otherwise ordered, the following pre-trial filing and service deadlines apply. All deadlines for service are extended based on the manner of service as set forth in Code of Civil Procedure section 1013. (1) Final Trial Status Conference (“FTSC”) and Pretrial Filings Final Status Conferences are conducted on 2nd and 4th Mondays at 2:00 p.m. approximately 3 weeks prior to the scheduled trial date. Pursuant to Local Rule 1.8, all trial counsel must attend the final trial status conference in person, unless excused by the court beforehand. All pretrial documents must be filed in advance of the FTSC. At least ten (10) calendar days prior to the FTSC, the parties/counsel shall serve and file the following trial readiness documents: • Trial Briefs – The court appreciates it when each party files a trial brief succinctly identifying: (1) The claims and defenses subject to litigation; (2) The major legal issues (with supporting points and authorities); (3) The relief claimed and the calculation of damages sought; and (4) Any other information that may assist the court at trial. • Motions in Limine – Before filing motions in limine, the parties/counsel shall comply with the statutory notice provisions of Code of Civil Procedure section 1005 and Local Rule 4.3. The caption of each motion in limine shall concisely identify the evidence that the moving party seeks to preclude. Parties filing more than one motion in limine shall number the motions consecutively. Parties filing opposition and reply briefs shall identify the corresponding motion number in the caption of their pages. • Joint Statement – For jury trials, the parties/counsel shall prepare a joint written statement of the case for the court to read to the jury. The joint statement shall be a neutral short statement of the case and not exceed 2 paragraphs. The parties/counsel shall sign the joint statement. • Joint Witness List – The parties/counsel shall work together and file a joint list of all witnesses that each party intends to call, excluding impeachment and rebuttal witnesses. The joint witness list shall identify each witness by name, a general description of expected testimony, specify which witnesses are experts, estimate the length of direct examination, cross-examination, and re-direct examination of each, and include a total of the number of hours for all witness testimony at the end. There should be no duplicate names on the list. The parties shall identify all potential witness scheduling issues and special requirements. The parties/counsel shall sign the join witness list. • Joint List of Proposed Jury Instructions – The parties/counsel shall jointly prepare and file a list of proposed jury instructions, organized in numerical order, specifying the instructions upon which all sides agree and the contested instructions, if any. The list of proposed jury instructions must include a space by each instruction for the court to indicate whether the instruction was given. The parties/counsel shall sign the joint list of proposed jury instructions. • Jury Instructions (Joint and Contested) – The parties/counsel shall prepare a complete set of full-text proposed jury instructions, printed on one side only, with one instruction per page, editing all proposed California Civil Jury Instructions, insert party name(s), eliminate blanks, brackets, and irrelevant material. The parties shall prepare special instructions printed in a format ready for submission to the jury with the instruction number, title, and text only (i.e. there should be no boxes or other indication on the printed instruction itself as to the requesting party). Where there is an available CACI instruction, the court will generally not give a substituted special instruction. Substantively modified CACI instructions beyond bracketed language must be prominently identified. Uncontested and contested instruction shall be separated into subsections, with all uncontested instructions together, and all contested instructions together. • Joint Verdict Form(s) – The parties/counsel shall prepare and file a joint proposed general verdict form or special verdict form acceptable to all sides. If the parties/counsel cannot agree on a joint verdict form, and if feasible, the court prefers a single proposed joint verdict form with relines identifying each party’s proposed language where the language is disputed. The parties should bring an electronic copy of their proposed verdict form to the FTSC and to trial, ready to be edited in the courtroom. • Joint Exhibit List – The parties/counsel shall prepare and file a joint exhibit list organized with columns identifying each exhibit and specifying each party’s evidentiary objections, if any, to admission of each exhibit. The parties/counsel shall meet and confer in an effort to resolve objections to the authenticity and admissibility of each exhibit. The parties/counsel shall sign the joint exhibit list. • Page and Line Designation for Deposition and Former Testimony – If the parties intend to use deposition testimony or former trial testimony in lieu of any witness’s live testimony, the parties shall meet-and-confer and jointly prepare and file a chart with columns for each of the following: (1) the page and line designations of the deposition or former testimony requested for use, (2) objections, (3) counter-designations, (4) any responses thereto, and (5) the court’s rulings. The objecting party shall specify all objections in the respective column. The parties/counsel shall sign the designations. (2) Trial Binders Counsel must provide a joint trial binder for the court at the FTSC. The trial binder shall be organized as follows: Tab A: Trial Briefs Tab B: Motions in Limine Tab C: Joint Statement Case Tab D: Joint Witness List Tab E: Joint List of Jury Instructions Tab F: Joint and Contested Jury Instructions Instructions Tab G: Joint and/or Contested Verdict Forms Tab H: Joint Exhibit List Tab I: Joint Chart of Page and Line Designations for Deposition and Former Testimony Tab J: Copies of all Current Operative Pleadings (3) Motions in Limine The parties/counsel MUST meet and confer in good faith prior to filing the motions in limine in an attempt to reach a stipulation on the evidence and other evidentiary issues. A simple exchange of letters that identify the motions to be filed is not a good faith meet and confer. Failure to meet and confer in good faith may result in a summary denial of the motion. Each motion in limine must identify a specific item or category of evidence, or a specific witness, that is sought to be limited or excluded. Lack of specificity in the request may result in a summary denial of the motion. Any party/counsel seeking to file in excess of 10 motions in limine shall contact the court to schedule a Motions in Limine Conference before doing so. This conference must occur prior to the deadline for filing the motions. The parties/counsel are strongly discouraged from filing more than 5 contested motions in limine. The parties/counsel are strongly encouraged to stipulate to uncontested motions. Uncontested motions should note “uncontested” in the caption. The following motions in limine are deemed filed and deemed granted: 1) To preclude non-testifying non-party non-expert witnesses from being present in the courtroom when others are testifying (See Evid. Code, §777). 2) To preclude reference to the liability insurance in a case defended by that liability insurance policy; 3) To preclude references, etc., to settlement discussions; 4) To limit opinions and testimony of treating physicians to those acquired for the purposes of treatment; 5) To exclude evidence, argument, etc., to “demonize” any party. All orders on motions in limine will apply across the board to all lawyers, all parties and all witnesses unless otherwise ordered by the court. Motions in limine are governed by the statutory notice requirements set forth in Code of Civil Procedure sections 1005(b) and 1013, and should be set with a hearing date of the final status conference. Only motions in limine relating to witnesses whose depositions were taken after the deadline to file the motions in limine herein will be considered after this deadline, and only if filed within 36 hours of the completion of that deposition. Rough transcripts from the deposition may be used, or a declaration of counsel may be used at the filing of these motions, so long as final transcripts are filed with the court within 24 hours of receipt of those transcripts. Noncompliant motions in limine will not be considered absent good cause. When filing motions in limine, the parties must comply with Local Rule 4.3, including the required declaration, if applicable. Motions in limine shall not be used to seek dispositive orders that should have been sought through a motion for summary judgment, summary adjudication or judgment on the pleadings. The parties/counsel shall organize motions in limine (tabbed in numerical order) behind Tab B with the opposition papers and reply papers for each motion placed directly behind the moving papers. (4) Exhibits All exhibits must be pre-marked using Arabic numerals and in instances where exhibits consist of multiple pages, each page must be numbered sequentially. The exhibits must be exchanged at least five (5) calendar days before the FTSC and lodged with the court on the first day of the trial. At least five sets of exhibit binders – tabbed and paginated – are required on the first day of trial: a complete set each for the court, the judicial assistant, and the witness. Counsel must also supply an exhibit binder to each opposing party, and one for counsel themselves. Any party intending to use technology to present their exhibits should make arrangements to be familiar with the court’s technology prior to the start of trial. The parties are strongly encouraged to test their presentation method before trial begins, and at all times possess all necessary hardware and wiring for the system to be fully operational at all times during trial. Parties intending to submit native format digital exhibits at trial (such as excel spreadsheets, video evidence, audio evidence, etc.) shall have an appropriate electronic device that will be given to the jury during deliberations to view the digital evidence. That device shall be stripped of all files and programs other than the evidence at issue, and the necessary program(s) to present that evidence to the jury. The evidence at issue shall be identified only by its exhibit number. No other program or file may be loaded onto the device. Each party shall each review and approve the device and its contents before presentation to the jury. Civil Bench Trials: Trials are scheduled to commence at 9:00 a.m., unless otherwise ordered by the court. One morning break and one afternoon break might be taken, depending on that day’s proceedings. Lunch is between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Proceedings will generally recess at 4:15 each day. The parties/counsel are to follow the civil trial procedure rules set forth in the Local Rule 4 and California Rules of Court. Absent special circumstances, the court will generally give preference to the oldest case if more than one case announces ready for trial. Unless otherwise ordered, the following pre-trial filing and service deadlines apply. All deadlines for service are extended based on the manner of service as set forth in Code of Civil Procedure 1013. (5) Final Trial Status Conference (“FTSC”) and Pretrial Filings Final Status Conferences are conducted on 2nd and 4th Mondays at 2:00 p.m. approximately 3 weeks prior to the scheduled trial date. Pursuant to Local Rule 1.8, all trial counsel must attend the final trial status conference in person, unless excused by the court beforehand. All pretrial documents must be filed in advance of the FTSC. At least ten (10) calendar days prior to the FTSC, the parties/counsel shall serve and file the following trial readiness documents: • Trial Briefs – The court appreciates it when each party files a trial brief succinctly identifying: (1) The claims and defenses subject to litigation; (2) The major legal issues (with supporting points and authorities); (3) The relief claimed and the calculation of damages sought; and (4) Any other information that may assist the court at trial. • Motions in Limine – Before filing motions in limine, the parties/counsel shall comply with the statutory notice provisions of Code of Civil Procedure section 1005 and Local Rule 4.3. The caption of each motion in limine shall concisely identify the evidence that the moving party seeks to preclude. Parties filing more than one motion in limine shall number the motions consecutively. Parties filing opposition and reply briefs shall identify the corresponding motion number in the caption of their pages. • Joint Witness List – The parties/counsel shall work together and file a joint list of all witnesses that each party intends to call, excluding impeachment and rebuttal witnesses. The joint witness list shall identify each witness by name, a general description of expected testimony, specify which witnesses are experts, estimate the length of direct examination, cross-examination, and re-direct examination of each, and include a total of the number of hours for all witness testimony at the end. There should be no duplicate names on the list. The parties shall identify all potential witness scheduling issues and special requirements. The parties/counsel shall sign the join witness list. • Joint Exhibit List – The parties/counsel shall prepare and file a joint exhibit list organized with columns identifying each exhibit and specifying each party’s evidentiary objections, if any, to admission of each exhibit. The parties/counsel shall meet and confer in an effort to resolve objections to the authenticity and admissibility of each exhibit. The parties/counsel shall sign the joint exhibit list. • Page and Line Designation for Deposition and Former Testimony – If the parties intend to use deposition testimony or former trial testimony in lieu of any witness’s live testimony, the parties shall meet-and-confer and jointly prepare and file a chart with columns for each of the following: (1) the page and line designations of the deposition or former testimony requested for use, (2) objections, (3) counter-designations, (4) any responses thereto, and (5) the court’s rulings. The objecting party shall specify all objections in the respective column. The parties/counsel shall sign the designations. (6) Trial Binders Counsel must provide a joint trial binder for the court at the FTSC. The trial binder shall be organized as follows: Tab A: Trial Briefs Tab B: Motions in Limine Tab C: Joint Statement Tab D: Joint Witness List Tab E: Joint Exhibit List Tab F: Joint Chart of Page and Line Designations for Deposition and Former Testimony Tab G: Copies of all Current Operative Pleadings (7) Motions in Limine The parties/counsel MUST meet and confer in good faith prior to filing the motions in limine in an attempt to reach a stipulation on the evidence and other evidentiary issues. A simple exchange of letters that identify the motions to be filed is not a good faith meet and confer. Failure to meet and confer in good faith may result in a summary denial of the motion. Each motion in limine must identify a specific item or category of evidence, or a specific witness, that is sought to be limited or excluded. Lack of specificity in the request may result in a summary denial of the motion. Any party/counsel seeking to file in excess of 10 motions in limine shall contact the court to schedule a Motions in Limine Conference before doing so. This conference must occur prior to the deadline for filing the motions. The parties/counsel are strongly discouraged from filing more than 5 contested motions in limine. The parties/counsel are strongly encouraged to stipulate to uncontested motions. Uncontested motions should note “uncontested” in the caption. The following motions in limine are deemed filed and deemed granted: 1) To preclude non-testifying non-party non-expert witnesses from being present in the courtroom when others are testifying (See Evid. Code, 777); 2) To preclude reference to the liability insurance in a case defended by that liability insurance policy; 3) To preclude references, etc., to settlement discussions; 4) To limit opinions and testimony of treating physicians to those acquired for the purposes of treatment; 5) To exclude evidence, argument, etc., to “demonize” any party. All orders on motions in limine will apply across the board to all lawyers, all parties and all witnesses unless otherwise ordered by the court. Motions in limine are governed by the statutory notice requirements set forth in Code of Civil Procedure sections 1005(b) and 1013 and should be set with a hearing date of the final status conference. Only motions in limine relating to witnesses whose depositions were taken after the deadline to file the motions in limine herein will be considered after this deadline, and only if filed within 36 hours of the completion of that deposition. Rough transcripts from the deposition may be used, or a declaration of counsel may be used at the filing of these motions, so long as final transcripts are filed with the court within 24 hours of receipt of those transcripts. Noncompliant motions in limine will not be considered absent good cause. When filing motions in limine, the parties must comply with Local Rule 4.3, including the required declaration, if applicable. Motions in Limine shall not be used to seek dispositive orders that should have been sought through a motion for summary judgment, summary adjudication or judgment on the pleadings. The parties/counsel shall organize motions in limine (tabbed in numerical order) behind Tab B with the opposition papers and reply papers for each motion placed directly behind the moving papers. (8) Exhibits All exhibits must be pre-marked using Arabic numerals and in instances where exhibits consist of multiple pages, each page must be numbered sequentially. The exhibits must be exchanged at least five (5) calendar days before the FTSC and lodged with the court on the first day of the trial. At least five sets of exhibit binders – tabbed and paginated – are required on the first day of trial: a complete set each for the court, the judicial assistant, and the witness. Counsel must also supply an exhibit binder to each opposing party, and one for counsel themselves. Any party intending to use technology to present their exhibits should make arrangements to be familiar with the court’s technology prior to the start of trial. The parties are strongly encouraged to test their presentation method before trial begins, and at all times possess all necessary hardware and wiring for the system to be fully operational at all times during trial. Parties intending to submit native format digital exhibits at trial (such as excel spreadsheets, video evidence, audio evidence, etc.) shall have an appropriate electronic device that will be given to the jury during deliberations to view the digital evidence. That device shall be stripped of all files and programs other than the evidence at issue, and the necessary program(s) to present that evidence to the jury. The evidence at issue shall be identified only by its exhibit number. No other program or file may be loaded onto the device. Each party shall each review and approve the device and its contents before presentation to the jury. (Replaces Rule 4.3 & 4.4 Adopted 7/1/03 in its entirety, Effective 7/1/26) 4.4 JURY FEES (a) Advance jury fees shall be paid pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 631. (b) At the commencement of the second day the court is in secession for the trial (including jury selection), and on each succeeding day, the demanding party shall deposit with the Clerk of the Court a sum equal to the panel or seated jury’s one-day jury fees and mileage. (c) If, during jury selection or trial, the party responsible for jury fees waives the jury and fails to pay the jury fees described herein, any other party may preserve their right to jury trial by depositing fees as therein required. If no other party deposits required jury fees, the jury is waived, and the trial shall proceed without a jury. (Effective 7/1/26)

Duval County's indigent-defense and magistration rules under the Texas Fair Defense Act (S.B. 7): who may be booked into the county jail and on what paper; arrest-case numbering; presentment to a magistrate within 48 hours (art. 15.16); the magistrate's warnings, counsel inquiry, interpreter duty, indigence determination and appointment of counsel within 24 hours of a request; the alternative appointment plan under art. 26.04(g)-(h) with annual applications, seven attorney categories (capital, first and second degree, third degree/state jail/misdemeanor, competency, appeals, post-conviction, extradition), CLE and experience standards, random rotation within each category, written acceptance within 48 hours, first contact by the end of the next working day, replacement and suspension of counsel, fee applications within five days of completing services and the compensation attachment ($500 pleas; $175/$150 hourly; $1,400 per jury-trial day; appellate caps); bail schedules by offense class with a personal bond office (fee $20 or 3%), pre-trial supervision and revocation hearings within two working days; arraignment settings and notice; repeal of conflicting rules.