Colusa County trial binder and trial document requirements

The case management/pretrial conference shall be set for a date no later than 180 days from the filing of the complaint.

Literal offset token defined: within_180_days_of_complaint_filing means the date is court-set and the rule caps it at 180 days from filing. This is a CRC 3.722 style case management conference, not a trial readiness conference and not a final status conference. The policy statement in rule 4.01(1) describes the same event: the court conducts "a comprehensive case management/pretrial conference no later than 180 days after the complaint is filed by which time all parties, if diligent, should be prepared to declare the case to be at issue; to identify all issues to be tried; to inform the court relative to case management issues; to summarize the pertinent results of discovery activity; to address alternative dispute resolution and settlement; and to schedule arbitration, trial or other proceedings." It is not the only civil conference in the rules. Rule 3.04(A) requires all parties to appear at a status conference that precedes it, rule 4.01(3)(a) lets the court set discretionary status conferences and OSC hearings in advance of it, rule 4.01(4)(e) lets it set further status conferences after it, and rule 5.08 governs a settlement conference. Rule 3.01 confirms the division: the Section 3 rules "apply to all 'general civil cases' as defined in California Rules of Court, Rule 1.6." Rule 4.01 itself defines general civil cases by reference to local rule 2.09(B).

A settlement conference statement shall be filed five (5) days before the date of the settlement conference.

The local rule says five days, not five court days, and says filed. CRC 3.1380(c) requires that "No later than five court days before the initial date set for the settlement conference, each party must submit to the court and serve on each party a mandatory settlement conference statement," and closes with "The settlement conference statement must comply with any additional requirement imposed by local rule." So the statewide five court days is the floor and the local filing requirement is additive, not a competing deadline. Rule 5.08(A) separately incorporates CRC 3.1380 wholesale. Verified against the Judicial Council Title 3 PDF, not a summary. No Colusa rule fixes when the settlement conference itself is set relative to trial, and CRC 3.1380(a) leaves the setting to the court's own motion or a party's request.

In connection with the settlement conference, all parties shall comply with the requirements of California Rules of Court, Rule 3.1380, and in addition to which, at the conference the parties shall: (1) Be prepared to make a bona fide settlement offer; (2) Have in attendance all principals or clients, unless excused from attendance in advance, for good cause shown, and after notice to all other parties that such request to be excused will be made; (3) Produce memoranda of items of any special damages claimed; and (4) Have available any and all medical reports (if a personal injury is claimed), depositions, photographs, records, diagrams, maps, bills, contracts, memoranda and other documents pertinent to settlement of the case.

Subdivision (A)(4) is the closest thing in the Colusa rules to a document-assembly requirement, and it attaches to the settlement conference, not to trial. It is a have-it-with-you duty, not a lodging duty, so nothing is delivered to the court. This is also the only place the word deposition appears anywhere in the rule set. Rule 5.08(C) adds: "It is the responsibility of the parties to notify the clerk whether the case has or has not settled, in advance of said conference."

Pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure Section 607a, unless otherwise indicated by the trial judge, all jury instructions covering the law as disclosed by the pleadings shall be delivered in writing to the trial judge before the first witness is sworn or as directed by the Court at or after the time of setting of trial. At the same time copies thereof shall be served upon adversaries.

Literal offset token defined: before_first_witness_sworn means the default deadline is the moment the first witness is sworn at trial, with no fixed number of days. The rule carries two escape hatches for the judge, "unless otherwise indicated by the trial judge" and "as directed by the Court at or after the time of setting of trial," so the operative deadline usually comes from the trial setting order. Do not import the criminal deadline. Rule 9.03, in Section 9 (Criminal Rules, Trial), sets noon on the first day of trial. That is a different rule and it does not reach civil cases.

Thereafter, any additional proposed instructions may be delivered to the trial judge and served upon adversaries.

No cutoff is stated for supplemental instructions.

Attorneys and in pro per parties shall prepare and submit copies of any desired instructions. The Court does not maintain a stock of such form instructions. ... If an attorney or in pro per party submits instructions, all deletions, strikeouts, insertions and modifications therein which are appropriate to the case shall be made prior to submission.

The verbatim field joins the two subdivisions with an ellipsis. Both sentences were confirmed word for word against the PDF. Subdivision (E)(1) is the no-stock rule and (E)(2) is the clean-copy duty. A near-identical no-stock sentence sits on the criminal side at rule 9.03 ("The court does not maintain a stock of form instructions"), which is a separate rule in Section 9 and does not apply to civil.

All proposed jury instructions shall conform to the requirements of California Rules of Court, Rule 2.1055; and shall specify thereon the manner in which any instruction has been modified.

The local rule adds the modification-disclosure requirement on top of the statewide rule. CRC 2.1055 already governs format, numbering and the table of contents for a jury instruction set.

A party who requests a special verdict or special findings shall, in connection with requested instructions, comply with California Rules of Court, Rule 3.1580.

Rule 4.06(G)(2) carries the drafting instruction: "A special verdict or special findings form shall be so drafted as to require as much as possible an answer of 'yes' or 'no'." The phrase "in connection with requested instructions" ties the verdict form to the same timing as the instruction set, so it goes in with the instructions rather than on its own schedule.

No later than fifteen (15) days before the case management/pretrial conference, each party shall file and serve on all other parties a case management/pretrial statement which addresses with detail and particularity each area of inquiry designated in the Notice. The Case Management Statement shall state that all parties have met and conferred on all areas designated in the notice. The statement shall also indicate whether there is an alternative dispute resolution process in which the party would be willing to participate on a voluntary basis.

The rule says 15 days, not 15 court days. This is the only pretrial statement the civil rules require other than the settlement conference statement in rule 5.08(B). The rule does not itself list the contents. It defers to the "areas of inquiry designated in the Notice" of case management conference, and that notice is not published on the court's website. Rule 4.01(4)(a) puts service of the notice on plaintiff: "At the time of the status conference, the court shall order plaintiff to serve a Notice of Case Management Conference (hereinafter the 'Notice') which shall specify the date and time and place of the case management/pretrial conference."

At or immediately following the case management/pretrial conference, the court shall issue its order addressing the status of the case and further proceedings.

Read with rule 3.02(A), which assigns every general civil case to one judge for all purposes: "Cases which are subject to Rule 3.01 shall be assigned to a judge for all purposes." The practical consequence is that in Colusa the trial document list is a case-specific order from the assigned judge, not a published rule. Get the pretrial order and read it.

Exhibits admitted into evidence shall be handed to jurors in the jury box only after leave therefore is obtained from the trial judge. Exhibits such as writings, which are not subject to cursory examination, ordinarily will not be provided to jurors until they retire to the jury room upon the cause being submitted to them.

This is the only exhibit provision in the civil rules. It governs handling at trial. It does not require an exhibit list, exhibit binders, pre-marking, or any exchange of exhibits before trial. The spelling "therefore" is as printed in the rule.

At the commencement of the second day of voir dire examination, and on each succeeding day of voir dire, such party shall deposit with the Clerk of the Court a sum equal to the panel's one-day jury fees and mileage.

Rule 4.04(A): "Any party wishing to obtain a trial by jury must make a timely demand and deposit of jury fees in accordance with Code of Civil Procedure 631." Rule 4.04(C) carries the trial-day version: "When the trial commences after voir dire, and on each succeeding day of the trial, such party shall deposit with the Clerk of the Court a sum equal to one day's jury fees and mileage for the jurors and alternates." Rule 4.04(D) is the teeth and is quoted in the consequences field. Put the daily deposit on the trial checklist, because missing it waives the jury.

Motions to advance, reset or specially set cases for trial, and to continue trial dates, shall be made on written notice to all parties who have appeared, and shall be filed with the court with the proper filing fee and noticed for hearing in the appropriate law and motion department unless otherwise prescribed by the Presiding Judge.

Second paragraph of the same rule: "Motions for continuance of a trial date shall be noticed promptly upon the necessity for continuance being ascertained. No continuance will be granted except upon an affirmative showing of good cause therefore." Rule 3.10(A) puts law and motion in Department 1 on Mondays or Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m. depending on case type. Rule 3.10(C) states a firm continuance policy, requires supporting declarations and the filing fee, and bars a continuance requested less than five court days before the hearing absent good cause.

Whenever a case assigned a trial date settles, the attorneys or in pro per parties shall immediately notify the court. Primary obligation to notify the court shall be plaintiff's through his or her attorney or, in pro per, in person. Notification may be by telephone to the clerk, but, in such case, shall be followed within five (5) days by a confirming letter with copies to all parties. Notification of settlement to the court shall result in the vacating of any trial date and the removal of the action from the master calendar and civil active list.

The court's Civil Division page adds the practice point that after contacting the court the parties follow up with the Judicial Council Notice of Settlement of Entire Case, and that the matter may then be ordered dropped from calendar.

At the time that the summons is issued the clerk shall set a status conference for a date not longer than 130 days or shorter than 120 days from the date the summons is issued. ... At the time that the summons is issued the clerk shall affix to the pleadings the name of the judge to whom the case has been assigned and the date of the status conference.

Literal offset token defined: 120_to_130_days_after_summons_issued is the window the clerk must calendar within. The verbatim field joins subdivisions (B) and (C) with an ellipsis, both confirmed word for word. Rule 3.04(A): "All parties shall appear at the status conference. No pleading need be filed for the status conference." Rule 3.04(B) is where the assigned judge either sets the case management conference under CRC 3.722 or exempts the case from the time standards. This status conference is the front end of the track that produces the case management and pretrial conference and the pretrial order, so it matters for trial setting even though nothing is lodged for it. Rule 3.03 requires plaintiff to serve the summons, complaint and notice of status conference and file proof of service within 60 days of filing.

The following items may not be electronically filed, regardless of the Case Type in which they are to be filed: ... Trial exhibits;

This is a court-published policy on the court's own site, not a numbered local rule, so there is no subdivision to cite. The verbatim joins the list lead-in and the relevant list item with an ellipsis; both were confirmed word for word from the page source. No deadline attaches, only a channel restriction, which is why the offset is varies. Two related points from the same page: e-filing is permissive and not required for any case type in Colusa, and documents ordered in court by a judicial officer to be filed at the clerk's office are likewise barred from e-filing. Rule 5.13 separately bars fax filing of any exhibit that cannot be accurately transmitted, and lets the court demand the original of a faxed exhibit.