Lassen County trial binder and trial document requirements

The date, time, and place for a final case management conference before trial if such a conference is required by the court or the judge assigned to the case;

Page 48. Verified verbatim. Listed as one of the provisions the case management order "should include ... as may be appropriate." The court does not use the phrase final status conference or trial readiness conference on the civil side. Its only rule carrying the trial readiness label, Local Rule 1, subd. U, is headed TRIAL READINESS - CRIMINAL and sets the 14-day-before-jury-trial conference for criminal matters only; its text confirms the limit, since it speaks to the prosecuting attorney's disposition authority and the defendant's personal presence. So the civil trial-document schedule in this court is anchored to the trial date itself under Rule 2, subd. A, and to whatever the case management order adds, not to a rule-mandated pretrial conference.

The date, time, and place for a mandatory settlement conference;

Page 48. Verified verbatim. One of the provisions the case management order should include as appropriate. Civil settlement conferences are assigned to Department 6 under Local Rule 1, subd. B(5)(a) ("Civil Case Management Conferences and Settlement Conferences"). Two related points. Local Rule 7, subd. F(5)(g) has the parties address at the case management conference "Whether an early settlement conference should be scheduled and, if so, on what date." And Local Rule 1, subd. I says the court provides no reporter for "All civil settlement conferences." There is no civil settlement conference statement form. LSC-FL-101 is the Family Law Case Management: Settlement Conference Statement, identified as such in Local Rule 1, subd. M(1) and M(3), and it does not apply to civil. Whatever statement or brief the MSC requires will come from the CMO or the assigned department, not from a published rule.

Counsel and self-represented litigants shall meet and confer upon any matters likely to be stipulated or uncontroverted, and reduce any agreements thereon to writing in a form that can be read into the record if the matter is reported, or if not reported, in a form adequate for filing.

Page 20. Verified verbatim. The if-not-reported branch is not hypothetical in this court. Local Rule 1, subd. I says an official court reporter "is not normally available in the Civil, Misdemeanor, and Traffic departments," so unless a party has retained a reporter pro tempore under Local Rule 16, stipulations have to be drafted in filing-ready form rather than read into a record that does not exist.

Counsel and self-represented litigants shall provide a written witness list to the court prior to the opening of trial.

Page 20. Verified verbatim. The rule says "provide ... to the court," not file and not serve, and it says nothing about giving the list to opposing counsel. Worth knowing: the court requires a written witness list but publishes no parallel requirement for a written exhibit list, which is a real asymmetry inside the same subdivision. Confirm both against the case management order in the individual case.

All exhibits shall be pre-marked by prior arrangement with the trial clerk, and be shown to opposing counsel prior to the opening of trial. Exhibits submitted for pre-marking for trial must comply with the following instructions:

Page 20. Verified verbatim. Offset token defined: before_opening_of_trial means the rule fixes the deadline at the opening of trial with no day count in front of it. Read the sentence carefully, because only half of it is anchored. Showing the exhibits to opposing counsel is due before the opening of trial. The pre-marking itself carries no published deadline at all and happens "by prior arrangement with the trial clerk," so call the clerk in the individual case for lead time, number of sets, and whether the set goes in on paper. This is the closest thing Lassen publishes to trial binder mechanics, and the court delegated it to staff instead of writing it into the rule.

Marking and logging exhibits. Each exhibit must be marked with an exhibit tag or label. (i) People, Plaintiff & Petitioner exhibits will be assigned numerical designations. (ii) Defendant & Respondent exhibits will be assigned alphabetical designations. (iii) If Cross-Plaintiffs or Cross-Defendants are involved or the case(s) involve more than one Defendant, the court may direct an identifier be used when a specific exhibit is not intended to apply to all Plaintiffs or Defendants.

Page 20. Verified verbatim. The same numeric-for-plaintiff and alphabetical-for-defendant convention repeats for exhibits attached to filed documents at Local Rule 1, subd. H, so the court is consistent across motion practice and trial. The identifier under (a)(iii) is discretionary with the court, so a construction defect case with multiple defendants and cross-complaints should expect direction on it from the bench or the trial clerk and should not invent its own scheme.

Prior to the case being called for trial, counsel and self-represented litigants shall meet and confer upon their respective exhibits and identify those to which no objection will be made, those to which foundational objections are reserved, and those to which objection is made. Counsel and self-represented litigants shall jointly inform the court of the parties' positions on such proposed exhibits.

Page 20. Verified verbatim. This is the one joint trial preparation obligation in the Lassen rules. The rule says "jointly inform the court," which contemplates a single combined report on exhibit objections, but it does not say written or oral, prescribes no form, and sets no deadline other than before the case is called. Given the three-bucket structure, a written joint exhibit chart is the practical way to do it even though the rule does not demand one.

No less than five (5) days prior to the date of commencement of trial, counsel and self-represented litigants shall submit to the court proposed jury instructions in completed written form. All proposed jury instructions must be submitted to the court in the form and format prescribed by California Rules of Court 2.1055.

Page 21. Verified verbatim. The rule says "five (5) days," not five court days, and the drafters used "court days" elsewhere in the same rule, since subd. L says "five (5) court days," so the contrast reads as calendar days. The rule does not say so in terms, which is why it is flagged in unknowns. Count it as calendar days and build in margin. "Completed written form" means instructions with the case-specific blanks filled in, not a list of CACI numbers. CRC 2.1055 governs the cover page, the numbering, the one-instruction-per-page rule, and the identification of the requesting party and the source of each instruction. The local rule says submit to the court and does not separately require service, though CRC 2.1055(b)(2) requires the requesting party to serve copies on all other parties.

In a civil case, counsel and self-represented litigants shall provide a brief written statement of the nature of the case to the court prior to the opening of trial.

Page 20. Verified verbatim. "Brief written statement of the nature of the case" is the rule's own phrasing and the word "brief" there is an adjective, not a document type. This is not a trial brief: the rule sets no length, no format, no points and authorities, and no requirement of legal argument, and the court publishes no trial brief requirement anywhere in the rule set. Each side provides its own; the rule does not call for a joint statement. Note the overlap with the case management statement, where Local Rule 7, subd. F(7)(c) already demands a detailed statement of the case and damages.

Motions In Limine should be made, to the extent practicable, on notice and heard on a law and motion calendar prior to the date of trial. Such motions made on the day of trial shall be served and filed prior to trial, be in writing, and have a proposed order in writing.

Page 20. Verified verbatim. Rule 2 is the general trial rule and reaches civil trials: subd. A(4) is the only piece expressly limited to civil cases, and subd. A(2)(a)(i) references People, Plaintiff and Petitioner exhibits, so the rule spans both sides of the docket. The criminal trial readiness rule at Local Rule 1, subd. U, which requires motions in limine to be prepared for the trial readiness conference, is headed TRIAL READINESS - CRIMINAL and does not reach civil. Two timing points. A motion noticed on the law and motion calendar picks up the CCP 1005(b) schedule that Local Rule 1, subd. G says will be strictly observed: 16 court days for the motion, 9 court days for the response, 5 court days for the reply. And motions in limine are the single carve-out from telephonic appearance under Local Rule 6.1, subd. B(1)(a)(i), which permits appearance by phone on "Hearings on law and motion matters, except for motions in limine." Civil Limited and Unlimited law and motion is calendared in Department 2 on Thursdays at 10:00 AM.

Counsel and self-represented litigants are to submit requests and make arrangements with court staff for use of the equipment at least five (5) court days prior to trial using the Request/Notification for Courtroom Audio/Visual Presentation Equipment (LSC-MIS-400) form.

Page 22. Verified verbatim. This one is five COURT days, unlike the five days for jury instructions in subd. A(7). LSC-MIS-400 was revised by General Order 2026-08, signed August 17, 2026, which states that effective Monday, August 17, 2026 the revised form "shall be used for all applicable purposes," so pull the current version off the court's local forms page and do not reuse a cached copy. The rule also fixes what the courtrooms have, and it is dated equipment: a document and object camera, a DVD player, a VCR, and a CD player. Nothing about laptop hookup, HDMI, or a projector, so a deck-and-photo presentation in a construction defect trial needs an equipment conversation with court staff well ahead of the five day floor.

Exhibits presented to the court as attachments to documents require an exhibit divider with a cover sheet behind the divider stating the exhibit number and the title of the document the exhibit is attached to. All exhibits submitted to the court by parties must reflect the correct designation of parties such as Plaintiff/Petitioner/People exhibits are numbered designations, Defendant/Respondent/Cross Defendant exhibits are alphabetical designations.

Page 9. Verified verbatim. This is the court's only published tabbing requirement of any kind, and it governs exhibits attached to filed documents such as motions, declarations and oppositions. It does not govern the pre-marked trial exhibit set, which runs through the trial clerk under Rule 2, subd. A(2). It belongs on a trial binder tab because it is the nearest analogue to a tab rule the court has, and because it reaches motions in limine and declarations filed in the run-up to trial. Two parts, not one: a physical divider, and behind it a cover sheet naming the exhibit and the document it belongs to.

A party must make arrangements for a privately retained court reporter in advance of the proceeding if the party wishes the proceedings to be reported. Parties retaining a reporter must file form LSC-MIS-200, Request for Appointment of Official Reporter Pro Tempore with the court at least 5 days prior to the hearing unless the Court orders otherwise. If the judicial officer has not received the Request in time to approve it before the hearing, the Court has the discretion to deny the request.

Page 82. Verified verbatim. Rule 16, subd. B fixes the scope: "This policy applies to hearings and trials in the Civil, Family, and Probate Divisions in unlimited civil matters, limited civil matters to the extent not electronically recorded, and probate matters." So it reaches an unlimited civil jury trial. The rule says "5 days prior to the hearing" and does not say court days; for a trial, count back from the first day of trial and file earlier than the floor. Mechanics that matter on a trial calendar: the reporter must be appointed as reporter pro tempore before the hearing begins, the reporter completes and signs sections 1, 2 and 3 of LSC-MIS-200, the judicial officer signs the appointment order before any reporting occurs, only one reporter may report a proceeding and the judicial officer picks if the parties cannot agree, and the reporter must be available for read-back of notes taken during a jury trial within 30 minutes of the court's request (subd. C(3)(i)). Fees are the retaining party's and are paid directly to the reporter.

The services of an official court reporter are normally available in the Felony and Juvenile departments only. An official court reporter is not normally available in the Civil, Misdemeanor, and Traffic departments.

Page 9. Verified verbatim. The same subdivision lists the proceedings for which the court flatly does not provide reporters under CRC 2.956, and three of the five are civil: "(a) All civil case management conferences (b) All civil settlement conferences (c) All civil ex parte application hearings." It also says that when a party requests a reporter and none is required by statute, "the matter will proceed as scheduled without reporting services," and that "The court does not facilitate the attendance of private reporters." Pair this with Local Rule 7, subd. H, which routes the request for court reporter services through the case management statement, and with Rule 16 above. For a case headed to trial this is a calendaring item, not a footnote: no reporter means no record for appeal unless one is retained and appointed.

The court will enter a case management order setting a schedule for subsequent proceedings and otherwise providing for the management of the case.

Page 48. Verified verbatim. Subdivision F(10) is the controlling-effect clause and reads in full: "Case management order controls. The order issued after the case management conference or review controls the subsequent course of the action or proceeding unless it is modified by a subsequent order." The order also fixes "The names and addresses of the attorneys who will try the case" under F(9)(e). Read with Local Rule 7, subd. L, which authorizes an OSC re sanctions under CCP 177.5 and CRC 2.30 for failure to follow "any aspect of a case management order," this is the provision that gives a missed trial-document deadline its teeth in this county. Get the CMO and read it; the local rules alone will not tell you what is due.

Timing of statement. No later than 15 calendar days before the date set for the case management conference or review, each party must file a case management statement and serve it on all other parties in the case.

Page 47. Verified verbatim. Anchor stated plainly: the fifteen days run backward from the CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE or review date, not from trial and not from any other event. The court sets that conference by order and notices it to all parties "no later than 45 days before the conference" under subd. F(2)(a), and must review the case no later than 180 days after the initial complaint is filed under subd. F(1). Fifteen CALENDAR days, stated expressly in the rule. Subdivision F(7)(b) adds the form requirement: "Parties must use the mandatory CM-110, Case Management Statement form. All applicable items on the form must be completed. In lieu of each party filing a separate case management statement, any two or more parties may file a joint statement under this rule." A separate meet and confer obligation runs "no later than 30 days before the date set for the case management conference" under subd. F(6). Under subd. G, the same duties repeat for every further case management conference.

Description of case. Parties shall provide a statement of the case, including any damages, with sufficient detail and specificity. The claims and causes of action must be clearly identified and adequately described. The nature and amount of damages must be clearly identified and adequately described, to include the specific injury and specific dollar amount if monetary damages are sought. Indicating "nature and amount of damages to be determined" or other non-specific statements regarding damages will be deemed insufficient and non-compliant with this local rule.

Page 47. Verified verbatim. Filed with the case management statement, so it carries the same deadline as the row above, fifteen calendar days before the case management conference, not before trial. This is a stricter content requirement than CM-110 itself asks for, and it is one of only two places in the Lassen rules where the court declares a specific formulation non-compliant in advance. In a construction defect case this means naming a dollar figure rather than pointing to a cost of repair still in progress, so line up the expert's number before the statement is due.

Discovery. Parties must indicate whether or not all discovery has been completed. If all discovery has not been completed, parties shall describe in substantial detail: (1) the identity of the party with incomplete discovery; (2) the description of the incomplete discovery; and (3) the specific dates by which the incomplete discovery will be completed. Indicating "pursuant to code" or other non-specific statements regarding the date by which incomplete discovery will be completed will be deemed insufficient and non-compliant with this local rule.

Page 47. Verified verbatim. Same anchor as the two rows above: fifteen calendar days before the case management conference. Read with subd. F(5)(h), which requires the parties at the conference to address "Whether discovery has been completed and, if not, the date by which it will be completed; disclosing all who have been deposed; all who are to be deposed, when and where they are to be deposed, and the reason why each person is being deposed." Under subd. G the parties "will be expected to have completed the discovery identified in the order from the first case management conference within the time limits set for the same in the order," and under subd. L failure to follow the case management order's discovery schedule is an express ground for an OSC re sanctions.

No At-Issue Memorandum shall be filed by the clerk of the court in any case subject to this rule. Requests for trial shall be made on the case management statement together with request for court reporter services.

Page 48. Verified verbatim. The trial-date request and the reporter request travel together on the CM-110, which is due fifteen calendar days before the case management conference. At the conference the parties must address "The date by which the case will be ready for trial," "The estimated length of trial," and "Whether a jury trial is demanded, and, if so, the identity of each party requesting a jury trial" under subd. F(5)(n), (o) and (m). The delay reduction goals in subd. A set the court's pace expectation for unlimited civil cases: 75 percent disposed within 12 months, 85 percent within 18 months, 100 percent within 24 months. Note that Rule 7, subd. B exempts probate, guardianship, conservatorship, family law, adoptions, writs, unlawful detainer, small claims and several other categories from the program, but not general unlimited civil, so a construction defect case is squarely inside it.

The parties to an action subject to these rules shall not enter a stipulation that purports to relieve any or all parties from the operation of these rules. Any request for relief from any part of these rules shall be on noticed motion to the appropriate law and motion calendar judge (not to the case management judge.)

Page 49. Verified verbatim. Worth knowing before agreeing with opposing counsel to move a pretrial deadline. The parenthetical routing instruction is the court's own. A noticed motion means the CCP 1005(b) schedule restated in Local Rule 1, subd. G applies: 16 court days for the motion, 9 court days for the opposition, 5 court days for the reply, plus the electronic or mail service extensions. Civil Limited and Unlimited law and motion is heard in Department 2 on Thursdays at 10:00 AM. Scope limit worth stating: subd. J speaks to the Rule 7 delay reduction rules by its terms and does not on its face reach the Rule 2 trial rules.