Ventura County trial binder and trial document requirements

All mandatory settlement conferences are subject to California Rules of Court, rule 3.1380 and are conducted in unlimited civil cases only. All mandatory settlement conferences are held either remotely via a court-hosted videoconference platform or in person at the Ventura Division of the Ventura Superior Court, unless otherwise ordered by the court. ... In addition to the mandatory settlement conference statement provided in California Rules of Court, rule 3.1380, a party may elect to lodge an additional confidential settlement conference statement with the court, no later than five (5) court days before the date set for the settlement conference.

The ellipsis separates subdivision (A) from subdivision (B); each half verified verbatim. Courtroom 22 carries the MSC calendar per the judicial assignments table effective August 31, 2026, and the judge sitting there is the Presiding Judge. The confidential statement is optional. No trial document is keyed to the MSC and the county rule states no interval between the MSC and trial.

MSC Briefs must be no more than 5 pages in length and must be submitted at least 5 court days prior to the MSC via email directly to: MSC@ventura.courts.ca.gov.

Scope caveat, read it before relying on this. This is the court's own published web page, not a numbered local rule, and it has no subdivision to cite. It is stricter and more specific than Local Rule 3.13(B), which makes the confidential statement optional and sets no page cap. I searched the rules PDF and the administrative orders index and found no rule or order carrying the 5 page cap or the MSC email address; Administrative Order 24.02 is titled Re Use of Remote Technology by Mandatory Settlement Conference Judge and is a scan with no extractable text. Treat the page as the operative instruction because it is the court's own publication, and confirm with Courtroom 22 before relying on it in a contested setting. The verbatim covers the brief only; the acknowledgement form half of the requirement comes from the following paragraph of the same page.

Pre-mark and exchange exhibits. Prepare a joint exhibit list and exhibit binders. An exhibit binder is needed for each of the following 1) opposing counsel(s), 2) witness stand, 3) bench, and 4) clerk (if ordered by the judge).

This is an exhibit binder rule, not a trial binder rule. The count scales with the number of opposing parties, since item 1 reads "opposing counsel(s)", and the clerk copy is conditional on a judge's order. No tab, index, size or pagination specification at the county level. Do not build to this count: every publishing department states its own and none of them is four. For the actual trial binder in Ventura see the Department 44 row.

All depositions, documents, exhibits and other items lodged with the court must be removed from the courtroom by counsel lodging same upon conclusion of proceedings unless such documents were marked and/or admitted into evidence.

Applies to the exhibit binders, the lodged deposition originals, and anything else handed up. Removal is at the conclusion of proceedings, so it is the end of the binder life cycle rather than a pretrial deadline. Local Rule 5.04 separately governs release of marked exhibits by court order.

The Clerk's Office will not accept electronic storage media for filing or lodging purposes, unless pursuant to court order. "Electronic storage media" includes internal and external hard drives, CDs, DVDs, Floppy Disks, USB drives, ZIP disks, magnetic tapes, SD cards, and any other similarly purposed device. Exhibits contained on "electronic storage media" shall be submitted in the courtroom only. The submitting party shall be responsible for providing the necessary equipment to view or present the exhibits. ... Lodged copies submitted to a courtroom's email proxy must be in PDF format. Digital document management systems (i.e., document depository) shall not be used for such purposes without prior approval of the assigned judicial officer.

Corrected from the draft, which cited 5.07(A), (B) and (C) but quoted only (A) and (B). Subdivision (C) is the accepted digital formats list (docx, xlsx, pptx, pdf; png, jpg, gif, bmp, tiff; mp3, wav; mp4) and is not quoted here. This is what makes the Ventura exhibit binder a paper object. The depository sentence matters in construction defect and other multi-party cases. Rule 4.05(E)(2) separately bars electronic submission of lodgings other than proposed orders, verified.

Exhibits: All exhibits, including impeachment materials, shall be pre-marked using numbers, with each party assigned a unique number range to avoid duplication. The parties shall agree on a master set of exhibits, excluding impeachment materials, and shall place such exhibits into numerically tabbed binders, which binders shall not be more than two inches. The spine of the binder shall be appropriately labeled and shall indicate the exhibit numbers contained therein. On the first day of trial, one copy of any binder shall be provided to the judicial assistant for marking and one copy for use by the judge. One copy shall be placed on the witness stand for use by testifying witnesses. Counsel shall have their own copies. Multi-page exhibits shall be numbered at the bottom of the page with the exhibit number plus the consecutive page number of the exhibit (i.e., Ex. 17-003 to refer to page 3 of exhibit 17). The Court will not admit pages of an exhibit in piecemeal fashion. If the parties wish to admit only certain pages of an exhibit, those pages should be separately tabbed and numbered as standalone exhibits.

Three court copies here (marking, judge, witness stand) plus counsel's own, against Courtroom 42's two, Department 21's two and Department 44's three. The two inch cap means a large exhibit set becomes a multi-volume labeled series. The piecemeal admission bar is the trap in a document-heavy case: pull the pages you actually want and tab them as their own exhibit.

Exhibits: All exhibits, including impeachment materials, shall be pre-marked using numbers, with each party assigned a unique number range to avoid duplication. The parties shall agree on a master set of exhibits, excluding impeachment materials, and shall place such exhibits into numerically tabbed binders, which binders shall not be more than two inches. The spine of the binder shall be appropriately labeled and shall indicate the exhibit numbers contained therein. On the first day of trial, one copy of any binder shall be provided to the judicial assistant for marking and for use by the judge. One copy shall be placed on the witness stand for use by testifying witnesses. Counsel shall have their own copies.

The difference from Courtroom 20 is real and easy to miss: one copy for marking and for use by the judge collapses two copies into one. The rest of the paragraph, including the Ex. 17-003 pagination convention and the bar on piecemeal admission, is identical to Courtroom 20 section VI.10. No department's count matches the four-binder county default in Local Rule 8.12(O)(5), so build to the department.

The parties shall agree on a master set of exhibits, excluding impeachment materials, and shall place such exhibits into numerically tabbed binders. The binders shall not be more than two inches, and the spine of the binder shall be labeled to indicate the number range of the exhibits contained in each binder. The parties are responsible to ensure that each party has a complete set of exhibits. On the first day of trial, the parties shall also provide two copies of all exhibits: one copy to the judicial assistant for marking and for use by the Court, and one copy shall be placed on or adjacent to the witness stand for use by testifying witnesses.

Two court copies, like Courtroom 42, not three like Courtroom 20 or four like the county rule. This department's pagination convention is also stated in the alternative, Exh. 1-001 or Exh. 1 p. 1, where Courtroom 20 and 42 give only the Ex. 17-003 form. Same bar on admitting standalone pages from an exhibit.

Mandatory Paper Chambers Copies of Trial Documents are to be delivered to Courtroom 44 by 8:30 a.m. the court day after they are emailed. The chambers copies shall be placed in a labeled and tabbed 3-ring binder with an index of documents. OSC for Failure to Comply. The Court is likely to set an OSC for failure to provide trial documents in accordance with these rules.

This single provision refutes the draft's headline finding that there is no trial binder or trial notebook in Ventura. It is a combined trial binder holding the briefs, motions, lists and instruction list, labeled, tabbed and indexed, and it is paper. offset at_event means the court day after the email, which is itself 5 to 30 days before trial under section II.A.1, so the binder is delivered well before trial rather than on the first day. It also carries the only express consequence for a departmental trial document default published anywhere in Ventura. Department 21 section VI.2 has the same 8:30 a.m. next-court-day courtesy copy duty but does not require a tabbed indexed binder.

Three copies of exhibit are required (one for the judge, one for the court clerk, and one for the witness stand). The parties are responsible to ensure that all parties have sufficient copies of exhibits.

Fifth distinct copy count in the county: four under Local Rule 8.12(O)(5), three in Courtroom 20, two in Courtroom 42, two in Department 21, three here. The verbatim covers the copy count; the format requirements (pre-marking, tabbed binders, spine labels, Exh. 1-001 pagination, no standalone pages admitted) are printed as bullets in the same section and are summarized in the requirement. This section states no two inch binder cap, unlike the other three departments.

2. File trial briefs and motions in limine with courtroom clerk, not in Clerk's Office. 3. File witness list and statement of the case with courtroom clerk, not in Clerk's Office. ... 6. File jury instructions and jury verdict form with courtroom clerk, not in Clerk's Office.

The ellipsis stands in for items 4 and 5, which are jury and reporter fees and the exhibit provision. Each quoted item verified verbatim on its own. Read together with Rule 8.12(B) and (N), which send the same documents to the department's email proxy: email the PDF to the department by the departmental deadline, hand the paper to the courtroom clerk when trial starts. Rule 8.12(O)(1) also asks counsel to bring three business cards and the client's name to check-in.

Trial Documents: Important: The clerk's office does not accept filing of trial documents. Trial documents shall be emailed to the Courtroom 20 email in accordance with the timelines set forth below so that the Court can be ready to address any pretrial issues at the trial call or on the first day of trial. When trial documents are emailed to the Court, the subject line should include the name of the case, the case number and a description of the document being emailed as authorized herein. All parties shall be copied on any email to the Court. The parties shall file their trial documents directly with the judicial assistant in Courtroom 20 on the first day they begin trial.

Linked from the judicial assignments page under courtroom 20. The PDF filename encodes 20250101 but the document prints (Effective July 1, 2026) under the judge's name; I took the printed date as controlling. offset varies because this section routes documents without setting a date; the dates are in VI.4, VI.5 and VI.6.

Important: The Court does not accept e-Delivery of trial documents. Once trial documents are received by the Court, they do not need to be resubmitted in the event the trial trails. When trial documents are emailed to the Court, the subject line should include the name of the case, the case number and a description of the document being emailed as authorized herein. All parties shall be copied on any email to the Court.

Authority corrected from the draft. The PDF's face carries only the title and HON. RONDA J. MCKAIG; it prints no effective date and no judicial title. The revision date [Revised 7/1/2026] appears only in the page footer, and the title Supervising Civil Judge comes from the judicial assignments page, not this document. eDelivery is the court's electronic delivery channel under Local Rule 4.05; this department routes trial documents to courtroom42@ventura.courts.ca.gov instead, as sections V.3 through V.5 show. The no-resubmission line is useful in a long trailing queue.

No E-Delivery of Trial Documents: The court does not accept e-delivery of trial documents. Once trial documents are received by the Court, they do not need to be resubmitted if the trial trails. ... COURTESY COPIES OF ALL TRIAL DOCUMENTS: The Court requires courtesy paper copies of all trial documents (i.e., witness lists, exhibit lists, trial briefs, motions in limine, any proposed jury questionnaires). All courtesy copies must be delivered to Courtroom 21 by 8:30 a.m. on the court day after they are emailed to the Court.

This whole department was missing from the draft, which said no procedures for Courtroom 21 were published on the court's site. They are, at the URL above, linked from the court's own /department-21 page and listed in the court's sitemap. The document prints DEPARTMENT 21 RULES & PROCEDURES (Revised July 1, 2026) on its face. The paper courtesy copy duty at 8:30 a.m. the next court day has no analogue in Courtroom 20 or 42 and is the kind of thing that gets missed. The ellipsis separates section VI.1 from VI.2; each half verified verbatim. offset varies because the dates sit in VI.3 through VI.5.

E-Mail Trial Documents. All trial documents (other than writ proceeding trial documents) must be e-mailed to courtroom44@ventura.courts.ca.gov at least 5 court days before trial but no more than 30 days prior to trial. Except for writ trial documents, DO NOT FILE trial documents with the Court; they will be rejected by the Court clerk. Do not resubmit trial documents if the trial trails.

The draft said nothing about complex trial documents is published. It is, at the URL above, linked from the court's published Courtroom 44 page. Note the two-sided window: not later than 5 court days, and not earlier than 30 days. Filing too early is a violation here, which is unusual and is not how any other Ventura department works. Writ trials run on a separate track under section II.B, where briefs ARE filed.

Required JOINT Trial Documents The parties are ordered to meet and confer at least 14 days in advance of when the joint documents are due to the Court: ... Joint Witness List must include: (a) name, (b) relationship to the case, (c) brief offer of proof, (d) time estimates for direct, cross and re-direct examination. Joint Exhibit List must remove all duplicate exhibits, and include: (a) brief exhibit description, (b) any stipulations for admissibility, (c) objections. Joint LIST of Jury Instructions. A list of agreed-upon CACI instruction numbers shall be provided. Any disputed CACI instructions must also be included and identified by the offering party.

The offset is the meet and confer trigger, which runs 14 days before the documents are due to the court, not 14 days before trial. Since the documents are due 5 court days to 30 days before trial, the meet and confer can fall well over a month out. The ellipsis skips item (a) on stipulations, whose text is: "Stipulations must detail any issues that do not need to be tried. If there are no stipulations, the parties must so state." Each quoted segment verified verbatim. The witness list here requires a brief offer of proof and a re-direct estimate, neither of which any other Ventura department asks for.

Counsel for all sides shall agree on a single combined list of witnesses who may be called in the trial. The list shall be prepared by counsel for plaintiff. The list shall include time estimates for direct and cross, as well as the general subject matter of the witness's testimony. Unless required sooner by a trial department's rules and procedures. This joint witness list shall be emailed to the trial department's email proxy (e.g.,, courtroom20@ventura.courts.ca.gov) on the first day of trial and will be read to prospective jurors.

The sentence "Unless required sooner by a trial department's rules and procedures." prints as a sentence fragment in the PDF and the doubled comma in "(e.g.,," is in the original. Both are quoted as printed. All four publishing civil departments do require it sooner, so plan on the departmental date. Plaintiff owns the drafting.

Counsel must always have back-up witnesses to eliminate delay. There is no exception to this rule. Each counsel shall notify opposing counsel 24 hours in advance of all witnesses counsel intends to call the following day. Failure to follow this rule may result in exclusion of any witness not so disclosed.

Custom offset token. -24_hours runs from the day the witness is called, so this operates during trial rather than off the trial date. Courtroom 20 section VI.9, Courtroom 42 section V.8 and Department 21 section VI.8 all restate it as the next day's witnesses being disclosed by counsel at least one day prior.

Witness and Exhibit Lists: Witness and exhibit lists should be exchanged at least thirty (30) days before trial.

Split out from the master-list row because one paragraph carries two different deadlines on two different clocks, thirty calendar days for the exchange and five court days for submission. A practitioner working off a single date will miss one of them. This is the earliest trial document deadline anywhere in Ventura and the county rule gives no hint of it.

Witness and Exhibit Lists: Witness and exhibit lists should be exchanged at least fourteen (14) days before trial.

Split from the master-list row for the same reason as Courtroom 20. Same structure as Courtroom 20 with different numbers: fourteen days instead of thirty.

JOINT Witness & Exhibit Lists: The parties shall exchange witness and exhibit lists at least 14 days prior to trial.

Matches Courtroom 42's fourteen days rather than Courtroom 20's thirty. Split from the master-list row because the paragraph carries two deadlines on two clocks.

Unless otherwise ordered, all exhibits shall be submitted in a joint exhibit book to the courtroom clerk on the first day of trial so that they can be pre-marked if the trial judge chooses. Subject to individual trial courts' rules and procedures, prior to arriving in the trial department, counsel shall exchange all exhibits with opposing counsel and shall agree and stipulate to foundation and admissibility where possible. Any exhibits as to which admissibility cannot be stipulated should be brought to the attention of the court on the first day of trial. Any exhibits not exchanged may be excluded from evidence. The only exceptions are exhibits to be used for impeachment.

Two obligations in one subdivision on different timing. The exchange runs before counsel arrive in the trial department, which the county rule does not date; the joint exhibit book is delivered at_event. Courtroom 20 dates the exchange at thirty days before trial, Courtroom 42 and Department 21 at fourteen days. The exclusion sanction for an unexchanged exhibit sits in this subdivision.

For all eCourt case types (Civil, Probate, Small Claims, Mental Health, and all Civil Restraining Orders), hard copy documents submitted for filing shall not include exhibit tabs or other dividers which cause the page to exceed "8 ½ by 11". Parties shall specify the exhibit number or letter in the footer of every page of each exhibit.

Scope caution, and it is a real trap. This governs documents submitted for FILING at the clerk's office. It does not govern trial exhibit binders, which are lodged in the courtroom and which Courtroom 20 section VI.10, Courtroom 42 section V.9, Department 21 section VI.9 and Department 44 section II.F all affirmatively require to be numerically tabbed. Do not strip tabs off a trial binder on the strength of Rule 4.09.

Thereafter, the parties shall compile a master exhibit list that removes duplicate exhibits, provides a brief description of each exhibit and indicates whether there will be any objection to admissibility. The parties shall also compile a master witness list that describes the witness's relationship to the case, the general subject matter of his/her testimony, and includes time estimates for direct and cross examinations. The master witness and exhibit lists shall be emailed to courtroom20@ventura.courts.ca.gov five (5) court days before trial. The parties are encouraged to stipulate to the admissibility of exhibits.

Second leg of section VI.4. Covers the witness list and the exhibit list in one submission. Filed under Exhibit lists to keep it distinct from the thirty day exchange row above; the same deadline governs both master lists.

Thereafter, the parties shall compile a master exhibit list that removes duplicate exhibits, provides a brief description of each exhibit and indicates whether there will be any objection to admissibility. The parties shall also compile a master witness list that describes the witness's relationship to the case, the general subject matter of his/her testimony, and includes time estimates for direct and cross examinations. The master witness and exhibit lists shall be emailed to courtroom42@ventura.courts.ca.gov three (3) court days before trial.

Second leg of section V.3. Three court days here against Courtroom 20's five. Covers the witness list and the exhibit list together.

Thereafter, the parties shall compile a master exhibit list that removes duplicate exhibits, provides a brief description of each exhibit and indicates whether there will be any objection to admissibility. The parties shall also compile a master witness list that describes the witness's relationship to the case, the general subject matter of his/her testimony, and includes time estimates for direct and cross-examinations. The master witness and exhibit list shall be emailed to courtroom21@ventura.courts.ca.gov three (3) court days before the trial is set to commence.

Second leg of section VI.3. Note the wording difference from the other departments: "before the trial is set to commence" rather than "before trial," which matters in a trailing queue. The courtesy copy obligation in VI.2 rides on top of every one of these dates.

Jury instructions prepared by counsel will be accepted only in the format of Exhibit A hereto, unless otherwise ordered or allowed by the trial court.

Exhibit A prints immediately after Rule 8.13 at page 27 of the rules PDF, titled EXHIBIT A CITATIONS OF AUTHORITY, and its field layout was read directly. Rule 8.12(L) opens with "Instructions and verdict forms should be discussed and agreed to prior to trial." Subdivisions (L)(1) and (L)(2) are deleted, so subdivision L sets no county date for lodging the instructions themselves.

In all jury trials counsel shall present to the courtroom judicial assistant a document setting forth in the usual manner the title of the court, title and number of the action, and title of the document, namely, "Instructions requested by ____." A copy of the document shall be served upon each of the other counsel in the case. The document shall list by number the CACI and/or CALCRIM instructions requested by counsel and counsel shall attach to the original list, all instructions requested.

Division check: Rule 19.09 sits in Chapter 19, JURY SERVICES, and governs civil and criminal jury trials alike. It names both CACI and CALCRIM and both CCP 607a and Penal Code 1093.5, and CACI is the civil half, so the rule reaches civil trials on its face. Subdivisions (A) and (B) each carry an express refusal sanction, quoted in the consequences material.

The court shall require counsel to comply strictly with the provisions of §607a of the Code of Civil Procedure and §1093.5 of the Penal Code.

I did not pull the text of CCP 607a or Penal Code 1093.5 in this run, so nothing is stated here about what either section requires. Do not restate the statute from memory in the published tab; read the section first. The practical date comes from the department: all four publishing civil departments require the joint set lodged no later than the first day of trial.

Jury Instructions: Counsel shall meet and confer as to jury instructions and verdict forms. A joint set of agreed-upon jury instructions and verdict forms shall be lodged with the judicial assistant no later than the first day of trial. To the extent possible, the instructions and verdict forms shall be those approved by CACI. Unless otherwise agreed, Plaintiff shall prepare, serve and lodge the final set of instructions and verdict forms. Special jury instructions may be prepared, served and lodged by the party seeking them. The Court does not encourage special jury instructions or verdict forms which vary from the CACI forms unless essential to correctly instruct the jury.

Local Rule 8.12(L)(3) still requires the Exhibit A citation-of-authority format for counsel-prepared instructions unless the trial court allows otherwise, and this section does not displace it.

Jury Instructions: Counsel shall meet and confer as to jury instructions and verdict forms. A joint set of agreed-upon jury instructions and verdict forms shall be lodged with the judicial assistant no later than the first day of trial. To the extent possible, the instructions and verdict forms shall be those approved by CACI. Unless otherwise agreed, Plaintiff shall prepare, serve and lodge the final set of instructions and verdict forms. Special jury instructions may be prepared, served and lodged by the party seeking them.

Same as Courtroom 20 section VI.12 minus the closing sentence discouraging special instructions. Local Rule 8.12(L)(3) still requires the Exhibit A citation-of-authority format for counsel-prepared instructions unless the trial court allows otherwise.

A joint set of agreed-upon jury instructions and verdict forms shall be lodged with the judicial assistant no later than the first day of trial. To the extent possible, CACI-approved instructions and CACI-approved verdict forms shall be used. Unless otherwise agreed, the plaintiff shall prepare, serve, and lodge the final set of instructions and verdict forms.

Covers both jury instructions and verdict forms in one deadline, earlier than the county rule's verdict form legs under Local Rule 8.12(L)(4). Local Rule 8.12(L)(3) still requires the Exhibit A citation-of-authority format unless the trial court allows otherwise.

Jury Instructions Meet & confer at least 14 days prior to trial ... On Day 1 of trial, submit a joint list of CACI instruction numbers, proposed special instructions, and verdict forms

Two deadlines: meet and confer at 14 days before trial, joint list submitted on day one. The offset carries the earlier one because that is the date a practitioner has to calendar. Note this department also requires a joint LIST of agreed CACI numbers as one of the four required joint trial documents under section II.A.3(d), due on the 5 to 30 day window, which is earlier still. The ellipsis skips the CACI and special-instruction objection sentences; both quoted halves verified verbatim. The source prints these as bullet fragments without terminal punctuation.

Unless otherwise ordered by the trial court, jury verdict forms will be prepared by plaintiff's counsel and served on other parties before the first witness is sworn. Additionally, jury verdict forms shall be agreed upon by all counsel and lodged with the clerk of the trial department before the plaintiff rests.

Custom offset token. before_first_witness_sworn covers the service leg. The second leg is before_plaintiff_rests, which is the lodging deadline for the agreed forms. Neither is measured in days from the trial date. All four publishing departments pull this forward and want the verdict forms lodged with the joint instruction set no later than the first day of trial, which is earlier than either county leg.

A joint set of agreed-upon jury instructions and verdict forms shall be lodged with the judicial assistant no later than the first day of trial.

Listed separately from the jury instruction row because the county rule puts verdict forms on their own schedule under Local Rule 8.12(L)(4), served before the first witness is sworn and lodged before the plaintiff rests. The departmental date is earlier than both county legs.

A joint set of agreed-upon jury instructions and verdict forms shall be lodged with the judicial assistant no later than the first day of trial.

Listed separately from the jury instruction row because the county rule treats verdict forms on their own schedule under Local Rule 8.12(L)(4). In every publishing department the verdict forms are due earlier than the county rule's legs, on the first day of trial as part of the joint set.

On Day 1 of trial, submit a joint list of CACI instruction numbers, proposed special instructions, and verdict forms Plaintiff shall prepare the final set of instructions unless otherwise agreed

Listed separately from the jury instruction row because the county rule puts verdict forms on their own schedule under Local Rule 8.12(L)(4), served before the first witness is sworn and lodged before the plaintiff rests. The source prints these as bullet fragments without terminal punctuation; quoted as printed.

If counsel do not request "mini opening statements," a statement of the case must be stipulated to by all counsel and jointly prepared, consisting of a brief, concise factual statement of the case. It will be read to the jury panel as an introduction to the case. It is not to exceed one page and is to be emailed to the trial department's email proxy: (e.g., courtroom20@ventura.courts.ca.gov) on the first day of trial, or sooner if so indicated in the trial court's rules and procedures.

Conditional, not automatic. Requesting a mini opening takes the statement of the case off the table. Courtroom 20 section VI.14 says the parties may agree on a joint statement of the case in lieu of a mini opening and caps mini openings at two minutes per party; Department 21 section VI.13 and Courtroom 42 section V.13 carry the same two minute cap without the in-lieu sentence.

Unless otherwise ordered by the trial judge and/or subject to individual courtroom rules and procedures, the following rules apply to trial briefs: Trial briefs shall not exceed ten (10) pages. Opposing counsel who have not already done so shall exchange trial briefs at or immediately after announcing ready at the trial call. Briefs are to be emailed to the trial department's email proxy (e.g., courtroom20@ventura.courts.ca.gov) on the first day of trial; trial briefs may not be filed in the Clerk's Office.

Division confirmed on the face of the source: Chapter 8 is headed CIVIL LAW AND MOTION HEARINGS CALENDAR PROCEDURES with the parenthetical (Not applicable to Family Law matters), and Rule 8.12 is titled PROCEDURAL RULES FOR CIVIL TRIALS. Rule 8.12 carries (Revised effective January 1, 2026). offset at_event means the first day of trial, but note the exchange leg runs earlier, at the trial call.

Trial Briefs: Trial briefs shall be no more than five (5) pages and shall be served on all parties and emailed to courtroom20@ventura.courts.ca.gov as a pdf attachment five (5) court days before the trial.

Overrides the ten page, first-day-of-trial default in Local Rule 8.12(B), which expressly yields to individual courtroom rules and procedures.

Trial Briefs: Trial briefs shall be no more than five (5) pages and shall be served on all parties and emailed to courtroom42@ventura.courts.ca.gov three (3) court days before the trial.

Unlike Courtroom 20, this department does not say the brief must be a PDF attachment, though Local Rule 5.07(B) requires PDF for anything lodged to a courtroom email proxy.

Trial Briefs: Trial briefs shall be no more than 5 pages and shall be served on all parties and emailed to courtroom21@ventura.courts.ca.gov at least three (3) court days before trial.

Overrides the ten page, first-day-of-trial default in Local Rule 8.12(B). Note this section says court days while the motion in limine section VI.5 says plain days, a distinction inside the same department that is worth reading twice.

Trial Briefs are strongly preferred but not required. Trial briefs must be a maximum of 5 pages, emailed to court and served on all parties.

The only Ventura department that makes the trial brief optional. Listed under Optional JOINT Trial Documents. The section states no date of its own, so the operative deadline is the section II.A.1 window, at least 5 court days but no more than 30 days before trial.

Lodge all original depositions with the courtroom clerk on the first day of trial with a Notice of Lodging.

A lodging rule, not a designation rule. This negative is one of the draft's findings that survives a full recheck: a document-wide search of the county rules for "designat" returns only courtroom designation, complex designation, mediator designation, elisor designation and appellate record designation, none of them deposition designations. All four publishing civil departments likewise require lodging only. So no page and line designation, counter-designation or objection deadline is published anywhere in Ventura civil.

Deposition Transcripts: Deposition transcripts on which the parties intend to refer to or read from at trial must be lodged with the Court on the first day of trial, and each transcript shall have its own notice of lodging.

A lodging requirement, not a designation requirement, and narrower than Local Rule 8.12(O)(7), which reaches all original depositions rather than only those counsel intend to use.

Deposition Transcripts: Deposition transcripts on which the parties intend to refer to or read from at trial must be lodged with the Court on the first day of trial, and each transcript shall have its own notice of lodging.

Word for word the same as Courtroom 20 section VI.11. No designation procedure in either department.

Deposition Transcripts: Deposition transcripts on which the parties intend to refer to or read during trial must be lodged with the Court on the first day of trial. A notice of lodging shall be prepared for all lodged deposition transcripts.

Lodging only. No page and line designation, counter-designation or objection deadline in this department either, which holds the county-wide negative on deposition designations.

Deposition Transcripts Lodge deposition transcripts with the Court on the first trial together with a notice of lodging.

The missing word in "on the first trial" is in the original; read as first day of trial, consistent with every other Ventura source. Lodging only, no designation procedure, which holds the county-wide negative across all four publishing departments and the county rule.

In Limine Motions shall be limited to those reasonably necessary to resolve material evidentiary issues and shall conform to the principles announced in Kelly v. New West Federal Savings (1996) 49 Cal.App.4th 659. Parties shall meet and confer to reduce the number of In Limine Motions necessary. Subject to the trial courts' individual rules and procedures, motions and oppositions, if any, shall be in writing not to exceed three (3) pages each, including points and authorities and exhibits. No reply briefs are accepted by the court. Each motion shall be accompanied by a proposed order. If more than one motion is being filed, each motion and corresponding opposition shall be identified by number in the caption (e.g., motion in Limine No. "1"). Subject to the trial courts' individual rules and procedures, opposing counsel who have not already done so shall exchange motions at or immediately after announcing ready at the trial call. Unless otherwise ordered by the judge, motions and oppositions are to be emailed to the trial department's email proxy (e.g., courtroom20@ventura.courts.ca.gov on the first day of trial and shall not be filed in the Clerk's Office.

The unclosed parenthesis after the email address is how the rule prints. The county rule sets no cap on the number of motions; all four publishing departments cap them at five without leave and raise the page limit to five. The county no-reply-briefs sentence is contradicted by Courtroom 20 and Department 21, which both build reply briefs into the agreed schedule.

The parties should agree upon an acceptable schedule for the service of motions, oppositions thereto and reply briefs in support (if necessary), such that the parties can complete this briefing at least seven (7) days before trial. All motions in limine briefing shall be emailed to courtroom20@ventura.courts.ca.gov as a pdf attachment five (5) court days prior to the date of the trial. Motions shall not exceed five (5) pages. No party shall bring more than five (5) in limine motions without leave of Court.

Note the internal sequence: briefing complete at seven calendar days before trial, delivered at five court days before trial. This department expressly contemplates reply briefs, which Local Rule 8.12(N) says the court does not accept. The section also restates the Kelly v. New West Federal Savings (1996) 49 Cal.App.4th 659 limitation and bars motions that seek orders compelling compliance with existing law.

The parties should agree upon an acceptable schedule for the service of motions and oppositions, such that the parties can complete this briefing at least seven (7) days before trial. All motion in limine briefing shall be emailed to courtroom42@ventura.courts.ca.gov three (3) court days prior to the date of the trial. Motions shall not exceed five (5) pages. No party shall bring more than five (5) motions in limine motions without leave of Court.

This version omits reply briefs from the agreed schedule, which lines up with Local Rule 8.12(N)'s no-reply-briefs sentence. Courtroom 20 and Department 21 expressly contemplate replies. The doubled word in "motions in limine motions" is in the original.

The parties should agree on an acceptable schedule for the service of the motions, oppositions thereto and any reply briefs in support of the motion (if necessary) such that the briefing on the entirety of the motions in limine will be completed at least 3 days before trial. All motions in limine shall be emailed to courtroom21@ventura.courts.ca.gov 3 days before trial. Motions in limine shall not exceed 5 pages. No party shall bring more than 5 motions in limine without leave of court.

Read the unit. This section says "3 days," not three court days, twice, while the trial brief section in the same department says "three (3) court days." Courtroom 20 and Courtroom 42 both set the briefing-complete milestone at seven days; Department 21 sets it at three, collapsing the schedule. This department allows reply briefs, which Local Rule 8.12(N) says the court does not accept.

No more than 5 MILs per side, absent leave of Court Each motion has a 5-page limit, attached exhibits to each motion must be no more than 20 pages Avoid MILs that seek compliance with existing law or restate general propositions of law without reference to the evidence to be excluded (e.g., Motion to exclude all settlement discussions, Motion to exclude all evidence not produced in discovery). Parties must complete all MIL briefing by the day they are due (5 court days before trial)

The source prints these as bullet fragments without terminal punctuation; quoted as printed, which is why the sentences run together. The 20 page cap on exhibits attached to each motion is unique to this department and is the tightest limine constraint in the county. The cap is per side rather than per party, which differs from the other three departments.

No procedure or deadline established by these rules may be waived or extended by stipulation or agreement of the parties, except as permitted by Government Code §68616, unless approved by the court, upon written application and submission of proposed order and a showing of good cause.

Relevant because Rule 8.12(N) and all four departmental rule sets tell the parties to agree on a schedule for motions in limine. That agreement sets the service schedule between counsel; it does not move the department's email deadline. Rule 3.18 is titled WAIVER OF RULES and sits in Chapter 3, COURT CALENDARS, CASE MANAGEMENT, AND DELAY REDUCTION.

Thereafter, the requesting party shall serve and lodge with the judicial assistant a joint proposed jury questionnaire (including all written instructions to jurors) by the date of the trial call. ... The Court will not prepare or copy questionnaires. For pre-screening, at least 80 copies of the approved questionnaire shall be lodged with the court on the first day of trial.

Custom offset token. at_trial_call means the separately calendared trial call, which Courtroom 20 section VI.1 puts on Mondays at 1:30 with trial commencing the following morning at 10:00 a.m. if the court is not engaged. Conditional on a party wanting a questionnaire. Courtroom 42 section V.12 and Department 21 section VI.12 are the same, 80 copies included. Department 44 instead sets five court days before trial by email. The ellipsis skips the intervening sentence about specifying pre-screening versus voir dire use; each quoted half verified verbatim.

The ADR Status Conference Statement shall be filed and served at least five (5) court days before the ADR Status Conference and must contain the following: ... The parties' readiness for trial and identification of any issues that may require court involvement, such as bifurcation, consolidation, or particularly complicated evidentiary issues that will need to be decided before trial.

The closest thing Ventura publishes to a trial readiness conference, and it is discretionary, departmental, and aimed at settlement rather than trial documents. Department 21 section III is nearly identical with the same five court day deadline. Unlike every other row in this table it is filed, not emailed. The ellipsis spans numbered items 1 through 4 of the statement; both quoted halves verified verbatim.