Humboldt County trial binder and trial document requirements

Parties requesting a settlement conference shall submit the request through the website of the Superior Court of Humboldt County. All requests must be made no sooner than sixty (60) days before trial, and no later than thirty (30) days before trial.

The offset token means a window, not a single date. The request is untimely either side of it. The same subdivision says the court will schedule a conference "in all civil cases except short causes and such other cases as the Court may determine will not benefit from a settlement conference," and that "Requests for a settlement conference and all settlement conference statements must also be filed in paper form with the Court," so the web request does not replace a paper filing. The court's request form at https://www.humboldt.courts.ca.gov/settlement-conference repeats the 60 to 30 day window, asks for the trial date and counsel contacts, takes a courtesy copy upload, and states that conferences are held Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. with the judicial officer assigned when the conference is scheduled. The court's Calendar Plan effective February 1, 2026 confirms the same thing: "Settlement Conferences for civil cases will be set at the request of counsel, see Local Rule 2.5, on Tuesdays at 3:00 pm." Do not confuse this with Local Rule 8.9, which sits in Chapter 8, Family Law Rules, and does not reach civil cases. Chapter heading confirmed.

Each party shall prepare a Settlement Conference Statement, which shall be filed with the Court no less than five (5) court days prior to the conference. If prior statements have been filed, the Court requires updated statements if the prior statement is over six (6) months old and/or if there have been substantial changes in liability or damages.

The deadline runs off the conference date, not the trial date. Content of the statement is governed by California Rules of Court, rule 3.1380(c), which the local rule incorporates by reference rather than restating. Local Rule 2.5(a) adds that all settlement conference statements must also be filed in paper form with the court.

In addition to the settlement conference statement required by CRC 3.1380(c), each party claiming damages shall furnish to all other parties as least five (5) court days before the Settlement Conference an itemized list of the special damages and the amount of general damages claimed, and in a personal injury or wrongful death case, a settlement offer.

The words "as least" are a typographical error in the published rule and are quoted here exactly as printed. Verified character for character against the court's PDF. This is a service obligation on the other parties, not a filing, and it is separate from and additional to the Settlement Conference Statement filed with the court.

Except as otherwise directed by the Court for good cause shown, all parties, their attorneys who are to try the case, and, when a party is insured, a representative of the insurance company who has authority to settle the case, shall attend the Settlement Conference. Upon written request by counsel to the Court five (5) court days in advance of the Settlement Conference, the Court may on a showing of good cause excuse attendance by a party or insurance representative whose counsel is present at the conference.

The excusal request carries its own five court day deadline, and the rule adds that "The person excused shall be immediately available by telephone at all times during the conference." The same subdivision requires that "Each attorney attending a settlement conference shall have a thorough knowledge of the evidence, and shall be prepared to discuss the facts and law pertaining to both liability and damages. In a personal injury or wrongful death case, each attorney shall bring to the conference a copy of each medical report that pertains to the case." The rule does not say the attendance must be in person; the only attendance qualifier it uses is "shall attend."

Not less than two (2) court days before the Settlement Conference, opposing counsel will discuss their mutual contentions based on the Settlement Conference Statements. They shall explore a possible settlement at that time. If settlement cannot be obtained at that point, they will isolate all areas of: (1) Agreement; (2) Disagreement; and (3) Be prepared to report these to the Court.

A conferral obligation with no filing attached. Failure to prepare for the conference is sanctionable under Local Rule 2.5.1, which reaches failure "to prepare for (including the submission of any required documents), appear at, or participate in a pretrial or settlement conference as required by these rules or an order of the Court."

No later than seven (7) court days prior to trial, the attorneys shall file and serve their respective Pretrial Conference Statements. Such statements shall include:

Rule 2.6 opens: "These rules apply to all civil trials except unlawful detainer trials or as otherwise stated herein." The statement is per party ("their respective"), not joint. It is filed and served, not lodged. The court publishes no local form for it. Naming trap: the rule calls it a Pretrial Conference Statement but no rule in Chapter 2 creates a pretrial conference, and the deadline is measured from trial, not from any conference. Do not read that as meaning the civil department holds no pretrial event. The court's Calendar Plan effective February 1, 2026 sets a standing Friday 11:30 slot reading "Readiness Conferences" in Courtroom 4, the Civil/Probate department (Honorable Timothy A. Canning). The local rules neither create that conference nor say what it requires or when it is set relative to trial. Confirm with the courtroom clerk or the trial setting order. One component, the long form juror questionnaire under 2.6(a)(9), carries its own earlier deadline of 15 court days.

(1) A list of witnesses, with expert witnesses categorized separately, expected to be called by the party and the estimated length of direct examination of each witness;

Per party, not joint. The time estimate is per witness, for direct only. The rule does not require a summary of expected testimony and does not require exchange any earlier than the statement itself. Do not confuse this with Local Rule 3.6(a)(4), which is worded almost identically but sits in Chapter 3, Criminal Rules, and runs on a different deadline (day of trial assignment).

(8) A list of exhibits, with a short description of the exhibit, expected to be used by the party. The number of expected exhibits should be provided to the Court so that proper exhibit number series may be made available by the Court.

Per party, not joint. Humboldt assigns exhibit numbers by series to each side rather than having the parties pre-mark a joint set, so ask for the series when you file the statement. The rule requires the list only. It does not require the exhibits themselves to be lodged, exchanged or delivered before trial for an in person trial. Lodging is required only for an approved remote appearance, under Local Rule 1.19.

(6) Proposed jury instructions, identified by number in the body of the statement and appended as attachments in proposed final form.

"Proposed final form" means blanks filled and changes made on the CACI form itself, per Local Rule 2.6.1. Each party files its own set. The rule does not require a joint set, a conferral on instructions, or a separate list of disputed instructions.

In jury trials, the instruction forms contained in the latest editions of Judicial Council of California, Civil Jury Instructions shall be used when applicable. Counsel shall fill in all blanks and make any necessary changes on such forms. The Court will consider additional proposed instructions submitted by the attorneys for the parties, pursuant to California Rule of Court, Rule 2.1055. When requesting a Judicial Council Instruction, counsel shall request such instruction by title and number.

This rule sets form, not timing. The deadline for instructions is the Pretrial Conference Statement deadline, seven court days before trial, under Local Rule 2.6(a)(6). Offset is see_rule for that reason.

(7) Proposed verdict forms, identified by number in the body of the statement and appended as attachments in proposed final form.

Per party. The rule does not say general or special, does not require a joint form, and does not require the parties to confer on the verdict form before filing.

(2) A statement of the case that counsel proposes to be read to the jury;

Each party proposes its own. The rule does not require a joint statement and does not require the parties to confer toward an agreed version.

Each party may submit a trial memorandum, not to exceed seven (7) pages, setting forth a statement of the nature of the case, the general contentions of the party submitting the statement and a memorandum of points and authorities (not to exceed fifteen (15) pages) upon any unusual questions of law anticipated to be presented. The original of this document shall be filed, and a copy served on all parties, no later than seven (7) court days prior to the scheduled date of trial.

Permissive ("may submit"), so no trial brief is required in this court. The two page caps do not reconcile on their face. The seven page cap governs the whole memorandum, which by its own terms includes the points and authorities, while the parenthetical caps the points and authorities at fifteen. Do not assume the caps stack to 22 pages. The conservative read is seven pages total, and the clerk or the department should be asked if a longer brief matters. The rule also says "Parties in unlawful detainer trials may submit a trial memorandum," which is the carve-back from Rule 2.6's opening sentence excluding unlawful detainer trials from the civil trial rules.

Unless otherwise agreed to by the court, counsel must file and serve motions in limine and opposition thereto no later than fourteen (14) court days and seven (7) court days, respectively, prior to the scheduled date of trial. Motions in limine shall include any evidentiary questions to be decided prior to, or during, trial, together with points and authorities where appropriate.

Mandatory ("must"), subject to the court agreeing otherwise. The rule does not say how that agreement is obtained. This is one week earlier than the Pretrial Conference Statement, so the in limine work drives the trial prep calendar in this court. The rule sweeps in "any evidentiary questions to be decided prior to, or during, trial," which is broader than the usual pretrial-exclusion framing. No page limit and no separate statement requirement is published.

Unless otherwise agreed to by the court, counsel must file and serve motions in limine and opposition thereto no later than fourteen (14) court days and seven (7) court days, respectively, prior to the scheduled date of trial.

Same sentence as the moving paper row, split out because it is a separate deadline. "Respectively" ties 14 court days to the motion and seven court days to the opposition. The opposition lands the same day as the Pretrial Conference Statement and any trial memorandum. No reply brief is provided for. The civil rule differs from the criminal one: under Local Rule 3.6, opposition to criminal in limine motions is due the date scheduled for trial.

Unless otherwise requested by counsel and approved by the court, the following motions in limine will be deemed granted at the time of trial, even when not made by counsel: (1) Motion excluding evidence of collateral source; (2) Motion excluding evidence of or mention of insurance coverage; (3) Motion excluding experts not designated pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 2034.300; (4) Motion excluding offers to settle and/or settlement discussions; and (5) Motion to exclude testifying witnesses prior to the time of testimony. Written motions need not be submitted on the above issues unless the counsel is requesting otherwise.

Do not brief these five. The opt out matters: a party who wants a different result on one of them has to request it and get the court's approval, and the rule does not say when or how. The same subdivision puts an affirmative duty on counsel once any in limine motion is granted: "it is the duty of counsel to instruct associates, clients, witnesses, and other persons under their control that no mention or display be made in the presence of a jury of any matter that is the subject of the motion in limine. Without prior leave of court, counsel must not ask a question that: (1) suggests or reveals evidence excluded pursuant to a motion in limine; or (2) reasonably may be anticipated to elicit testimony that was excluded pursuant to a motion in limine."

(3) A list of voir dire questions to be asked by the judge, including specific references to questions in the Standards of Judicial Administration §3.25;

The rule assumes judge-conducted voir dire and asks counsel to tie each proposed question to the standard's numbering. It does not address attorney-conducted voir dire time under Code of Civil Procedure section 222.5.

(4) If desired by the attorney or ordered by the judge, a glossary of technical or unusual terms expected to be used during the trial;

Conditional, not mandatory. Worth building in a construction defect or other expert-heavy trial, since the judge can order one and the deadline is the same seven court days.

(5) Requests for judicial notice, identified by number in the body of the statement and with the items that are the subject of the requests appended as attachments;

This is the one place Humboldt's trial document rule imposes a number-and-append structure, and it applies to attachments to the statement, not to any trial binder. It runs alongside Evidence Code sections 452 and 453 and California Rules of Court, rule 3.1306(c), which the local rule does not displace.

(9) Any party wishing to use the long form juror questionnaire (Judicial Council form JURY-001) must submit the proposed long form questionnaire with any modifications to the Court no later than fifteen (15) court days prior to trial. All parties must agree to the proposed modifications prior to submission to the Court.

This is the earliest of the Rule 2.6 trial document deadlines, eight court days ahead of the statement it sits inside. It is submitted to the court rather than filed and served. It is also the only trial document in Chapter 2 that requires party agreement before submission, so start the conferral well before the 15 court day mark. The criminal analogue at Local Rule 3.6(b) also runs 15 court days but uses a different form and requires a courtesy copy for Jury Services. Do not cross them.

On the first day of a jury trial unless otherwise ordered, all attorneys shall attend a conference beginning thirty (30) minutes before trial, for the purpose of determining the trial procedures.

Jury trials only. The rule captions this the Jury Trial Conference. It is not an issue conference and the rules create none. Arrive with the Pretrial Conference Statement materials in hand, because this is where instructions, verdict forms, voir dire and exhibit handling get sorted. Separately, and not from the rules: the court's Calendar Plan effective February 1, 2026 sets a standing Friday 11:30 slot reading "Readiness Conferences" in Courtroom 4, the Civil/Probate department, so a civil case in this court may well carry a readiness appearance weeks before trial even though Chapter 2 does not describe one. Nothing published says when it is set or what it requires. Ask the courtroom clerk. Local Rule 2.5.1 sanctions a failure to prepare for, appear at or participate in "a pretrial or settlement conference as required by these rules or an order of the Court," so a conference set by order is covered too.

Where a remote appearance has been approved for an evidentiary hearing or trial at which testimony will be presented or exhibits offered into evidence, exhibits must be lodged with Court Operations at least five (5) court days in advance of the hearing by the party appearing remotely. The lodged exhibits must be in hardcopy or printed form. Exhibits may not be lodged by email or fax.

This is the closest thing Humboldt has to a physical trial exhibit delivery rule, and it is triggered only by an approved remote appearance. The rest of the rule: "The party lodging the exhibits must prepare and include a coversheet containing the phrase, 'EXHIBITS TO BE LODGED' along with the case caption and number, hearing date, and courtroom for the hearing. A copy of the order allowing remote appearance must be included. The Court will not file lodged exhibits, but will deliver those exhibits to the courtroom. The lodging party may also file a separate 'Notice of Lodging' not to exceed one page. All lodged exhibits must be provided to all parties, witnesses, and counsel appearing remotely at least five (5) court days prior to the hearing." Rule 1.19 sits in Chapter 1 General Rules, which Local Rule 1.1 applies to the whole court, so it reaches civil trials. The rule names Court Operations without an address. The Clerk's Office and Civil Division counter is at 421 I Street, Eureka, per the court's Contact Us page, but the rules do not say that is where lodged exhibits go. Call and confirm.

Personal appearances are required for evidentiary hearings, which include but are not limited to, testimony at trials, and domestic violence restraining order hearings.

The mechanism is form driven: notice on RA-010 specifying videoconference or audio only and whether the remote appearance is for the case or one hearing, objection on RA-015, and the court issues RA-020. Non-evidentiary hearings and case management conferences are pre-approved for remote appearance and need no court approval or notice to other parties. A remote witness or lawyer at trial also pulls in the Rule 1.19 five court day exhibit lodging obligation above. The rule warns that "A failure to appear because of difficulties with connecting to the courtroom remotely is not good cause for failing to appear," and closes by preserving each judicial officer's authority to control the courtroom under Code of Civil Procedure section 128.

Civil Trials: Court reporters may be available if the party desiring court reporting services complies with Local Rule 1.7.3. The Court may require counsel to provide a reporter at their own expense.

Published under California Rules of Court, rule 2.956 as the court's official availability notice. Reporters are available for felony, juvenile and criminal appellate matters and normally available for misdemeanors, but for civil trials the burden is on the party who wants the record. Budget for a private reporter on any trial where the record matters.

To ensure the presence of a court reporter for the first day of a proceeding lasting more than one hour, one or more of the parties must, at least five court days prior to the date initially scheduled for the proceeding, file a written statement requesting a court reporter's presence for more than an hour and pay their pro rata share of the one-half day fee.

The five court days run from the date the proceeding was initially scheduled, not from any continued date, so calendar it off the original trial setting order. If the proceeding was set on fewer than five days' notice, the request and fee go in at the earliest possible time after notice. The form is mandatory: it is Appendix 1.7 to the local rules, is available at the filing window, and is posted on the court's Forms and Filings page as CIV-0001, Statement Requesting Presence of a Court Reporter. Rule 1.7.3(d) adds that for anything past a half day, "one or more parties must pay their pro rata share(s) for each additional half-day prior to the commencement of each additional half-day." Rule 1.7.3(e) splits fees evenly among parties absent a judge's order otherwise, and a party who does not consent to an even split has to raise it with the assigned judge before or during the proceeding. Fee amounts are in the court's published fee schedule.

Permission from the Judge assigned to the hearing or trial must be obtained before a party may bring dangerous, hazardous, large or bulky exhibits into the courthouse. If possible, the party should substitute a photograph, technical report, or dummy object for proposed exhibits which are either: ... (2) Large and cumbersome, such as a ladder, sewer pipe, or automobile chassis.

The ellipsis stands in for the rule's eleven-item list of inherently dangerous materials at 1.14(a)(1) (firearms, explosive powder and devices, flammable liquids, tear gas, bodily fluids, controlled or toxic substances, corrosive or radioactive substances and the like), which is printed in full in the rule but is not needed here. Both quoted halves verified verbatim. This matters in construction defect trials, where pipe sections, window assemblies, stucco cutouts and similar demonstratives are routine. Rule 1.14(b) requires a written application describing the materials and saying why a substitute will not do, and even when permission is granted the party must supply a photographic record of the exhibit at the time of submission. Rule 1.14(f) lets the court order the exhibit returned to the offering party with the photographic record substituted. Rule 1.14(g) adds a separate seven-item written statement for toxic or hazardous materials. No deadline is published, so ask for permission when you file the Pretrial Conference Statement at the latest.

All exhibits offered for admission in an electronic format or on digital media, including but not limited to CDs, thumb drives, flash drives, digital files, or stored on a digital or other electronic media, must be in a "read only" setting or on media that cannot be erased, such as CD-R, in order to prevent accidental or inadvertent modification or erasure.

Format requirement with no deadline attached, which is why the offset is see_rule. It applies at the point of offering the exhibit. Burn video, drone footage, thermal imaging and expert animations to CD-R or a write-protected drive before trial. This rule governs electronic exhibits only. It is not authority for an electronic trial binder, and the court publishes no electronic trial document or courtesy copy protocol for civil cases.

Citations to an official reporter must be provided for any legal authority which counsel wishes the Court to review. This includes any state or federal case law, statute, or regulation. If no citation to an official reporter is available, counsel must submit a complete hard copy of the legal authority (such as local ordinances or laws) to the court and to all other counsel. Counsel must also comply with CRC 3.1113 (case citation format) and CRC 8.1115 (citation of opinion).

Captioned "Reliance Upon Authorities Outside of California Official Reports." This is a citation rule of general application in the Civil Rules chapter, not a trial brief requirement, and nothing in it requires a trial brief. It reaches any authority put in front of the court, so it covers the optional trial memorandum under 2.6(b) and in limine briefing as well as ordinary law and motion. Practical effect: a local ordinance, a building code section, or anything without an official reporter cite travels with hard copies for the judge and every party.

All memoranda of points and authorities, including but not limited to those in support of or in opposition to motions under Penal Code section 995, which refer to or rely on transcripts of testimony, whether taken in court or in deposition, must include pinpoint citations to the relevant transcript, in the following form: (a) Identify the proceeding from which the transcript was made and the date of the proceeding, then cite both the page and line numbers. Separate line and page numbers with a colon, in page:line order.

Sits in Chapter 1 General Rules, which Local Rule 1.1 applies to the whole court. The examples in the rule are criminal, but the text reaches "All memoranda of points and authorities" and expressly covers deposition testimony, so it applies to a civil trial memorandum and to in limine briefing that quotes depositions. It is a citation form rule, not a trial brief requirement and not a designation procedure. Rules 1.18(b) and (c) cover citations spanning pages and nonconsecutive pinpoints. The teeth: "The Court may refuse to consider any points and authorities in which pinpoint citations should be but are not provided." I searched the full rule set for "deposition" and this is the only civil-reaching hit.

A stipulation by the parties is not a sufficient basis for a continuance of a case set for trial. A party seeking a continuance, whether contested or uncontested, shall serve and file a notice of motion, together with supporting declarations, for hearing on the civil law and motion calendar. No continuance otherwise requested shall be granted by the Court except in extreme emergencies, such as serious accident or death.

Build the trial prep calendar assuming the date holds. The rule adds that a continued trial "shall, unless otherwise directed by the Court, be reset for trial or hearing by the Court at the time the motion is granted or as soon as possible thereafter." Note the interaction with Local Rule 1.7.3(c): the court reporter request deadline runs from the date the proceeding was initially scheduled, not from the continued date. The court's Calendar Plan sets civil Law and Motion Mondays and Fridays at 10:30 in Courtroom 4.

Unless otherwise permitted by the Court, only one attorney for each party shall examine or cross-examine a witness or prospective juror.

Assign witnesses to trial counsel when the witness list is built for the Pretrial Conference Statement, since the list already has to carry a direct examination estimate per witness. Splitting a single witness between two lawyers takes the court's permission.

Unless otherwise permitted by the Court for good cause shown, an attorney who has testified as a witness in a contested case shall not argue such case before the Court or jury except when the appearance as witness was only by reason of having been called to the witness stand by opposing counsel or when the attorney's testimony is only in regard to ministerial matters or having to do with attorney fees.

Worth checking against the witness list before it is filed, because the local rule bites harder than the advocate-witness rule under Rules of Professional Conduct, rule 3.7 in one respect: it disqualifies the lawyer from argument, and the escape hatch for being called by the opponent is narrow.