The Superior Court of Los Angeles County has implemented a new procedure to handle the 48% increase in unlimited civil filings since 2008. The court will now automatically set Order to Show Cause hearings 60 days after Notices of Settlement are filed, streamlining the dismissal process while retaining jurisdiction to enforce settlements.
Managing Partner Shant A. Karnikian was quoted in the Daily Journal supporting the change: “I think it’s a good idea to just get it off the court docket, because there is no question that our courts are very overloaded, and by no fault of the court – it’s just the reality of the finite amount of resources compared to the population.”
Karnikian noted that many settlements are delayed by minor procedural issues rather than substantive problems, making the new approach beneficial for clearing overcrowded dockets. The procedure takes advantage of recent legislative changes to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 664.6, effective January 2025.
With civil filings increasing over 20% between 2023 and 2024, the new process aims to reduce unnecessary hearings while protecting litigants’ rights in California’s overwhelmed court system.
Read the full article in the Daily Journal here (subscription required).