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Civil and Small Claims Division
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We are pleased to announce effective April 6th- the Sonoma County Civil and Family Law Courthouse will open. The following divisions will be moving to the new courthouse: Family Law, Family Law Facilitator/Self Help Center and Civil courtrooms 18 & 19. The courthouse is located 3055 Cleveland Avenue, Santa Rosa.
Stay tuned for further update!
»Civil Calendar »ExParte »Settlement Conference »Tentative Ruling »Public Access
»Small Claims Legal Advisor »Discovery Facilitator Program »E-service
»Court Interpreters »Court Reporters/transcripts
(includes Small Claims and Unlawful Detainer)
| Civil Calendar Information |
» (http://www.sonomasuperiorcourt.com/index.php?v=calendars/index) Calendar dates, other than settlement conference and trial dates, will be obtained by filing the moving papers. Settlement conference dates are assigned when cases are set for trial.
All civil ex partes, including Small Claims, but excluding Unlawful Detainers, are reviewed in the assigned department at 3:30 p.m.
Mondays Department 18 Civil and Family Law Courthouse - 3055 Cleveland Avenue
Tuesdays Department 17 Empire Annex - 3035 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 200
Wednesdays Department 19 Civil and Family Law Courthouse - 3055 Cleveland Avenue
Thursdays Department 16 Empire Annex - 3035 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 200
Probate/Guardianship of the Estate/Conservatorship
Ex partes regarding these matters are heard before the Probate judge. Judge Elaine Rushing, Department 19 is currently assigned and are heard on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. - 3055 Cleveland Avenue, Santa Rosa, California.
Unlawful Detainer Ex Parte matters are reviewed Monday through Friday. Documents are to be submitted at the Main Courthouse at 600 Administration Drive, Room 107-J, Santa Rosa, California no later than 8:30 am. Documents will be ready for pick-up at 2:00 pm at Room 107J. Documents submitted after 8:30 am will be ready for pick-up the following court day at 2:00 pm at Room 107-J. This is for emergency orders only. Routine matters will not be addressed.
» View Civil Division Calendar Assignments
| Civil Settlement Conference Program |
The ORIGINAL Civil Settlement Conference Statement shall be delivered directly to the appropriate Settlement Conference Coordinator with COPIES delivered directly to the tem panelist(s) no later than five (5) court days prior to the conference. The phone (or fax) numbers for the panelist(s) are provided below so that you can contact them directly. The Court will no longer provide the statements to the panelist(s).
Alyce Frost in Dept 18 is the Coordinator for Settlement Conferences to be heard at Dept 18/19, 3055 Cleveland Avenue. Connie Weichel in Dept 16 is the Coordinator for Settlement Conferences to be heard at Dept 16/17, 3035 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 200.
Failure to comply may result in monetary sanctions being imposed. The parties shall notify the appropriate Settlement Conference Coordinator AND the panelist(s) of a pre-conference settlement. Failure to comply may result in monetary sanctions being imposed.
Settlement Conference Statements shall be lodged with the Settlement Conference Coordinator no later than five (5) court days prior to the hearing. Failure to comply may result in monetary sanctions being imposed of not less than $250.00. It is the responsibility of the parties to coordinate delivery of late statements directly to the pro tems.
» View Civil Settlement Conference Calendar
For Civil Tentative Ruling Recordings:
Law and Motion (707) 521-6881
Tentative rulings are available after 2:00 p.m. the day prior to scheduled hearing.
Case Management Calendar (707) 521-6881
Tentatives are available three court days prior to hearing.
OSC Calendar (707) 521-6881
Tentatives are available two court days prior to hearing.
Probate (707) 521-6881
Tentatives are available by 11:00 a.m. the day prior to scheduled hearing
Family Law - Law and Motion Tentative rulings (707) 521-6881
Tentative ruling are available after 2:00 p.m. the day prior to the scheduled hearing.
» Civil Tentative Rulings are also available on this website
| Public Access and Research Information |
Access Information:
The Court does not provide case information via the Internet, however, on-site public access information terminals are available for your convenience in researching cases at the Hall of Justice in Room 107J. Searching records or files, for each search longer than 10 minutes $15.00.
(http://www.sonomasuperiorcourt.com/index.php?v=fee_sched)
Copy Information:
Cost for Copies: $0.50 per page
Certification Fee: $15.00 per document, in addition to the copy fee.
Exemplification of Copy of Record: $20.00 in addition to the copying and comparing fee of $0.50 per page. Ten copies or less will be made while you wait. If you request more than 10 copies, you will be asked to complete a "Copy Order" form. Copies will be available for you to pick 2 to 5 days later.
Copies may be requested by mail. If you would like copies mailed to you, there is a minimum fee of $2.25 to cover postage and handling.
| Small Claims Legal Advisor |
For hours and location: http://www.empcol.edu/small-claims-advice/
Pursuant to Sections 116.260 & 116.940 of the California Code of Civil Procedure, Sonoma County provides a free legal advisor service to help you understand the process and procedures of the Small Claims Court and to give you some direction in the preparation and presentation of your case.
The following may help you better understand the functions and limitations of the Advisor Service:
- The Advisor can only assist you in matters which could involve Small Claims Court and related areas.
- The Advisor will offer you information, opinions and advice based upon education, experience, & the facts presented.
- The Advisor may provide information regarding referrals to other agencies.
- The Advisor may suggest a lawyer referral service when issues are complex or more detailed attention is desired.
- The Advisor may refer you to the Law Library or other source to research your own inquiries further.
- The Advisor cannot represent anyone and is not an advocate.
- The Advisor does not prepare documents.
- Communications with the Advisor are confidential.
- Advisors have the immunity conferred by Section 818.9 of the Government Code with respect to the advice given.
- Please remember, often there is no clear-cut, exact answer
Some things to consider before filing or defending a suit:
- Have I tried to negotiate and possibly settle the dispute?
- Have I made a demand for payment or performance?
- Is the suit brought within the proper time limits?
- Do I have a case, do I have a defense?
- Who do I sue, where do I sue?
- Can I get the defendant(s) served properly before trial?
- Can I collect if I win?
- Is the legal theory on which my case or defense is based sound?
- Certain rights are waived in Small Claims Court such as plaintiffs right to appeal, pre-trial discovery, etc. Also, other procedural & evidentiary rules do not apply or are applied differently in Small Claims Court.
- Small Claims Judges, although they may, are under no obligation to explain their decisions.
Some tips for Court:
- Be prepared.
- Learn a little Law.
- Get your story straight.
- Present proof, not just a good story.
- Don"t make the Judge guess.
- Be brief, stick to the point, only offer relevant testimony and evidence.
- Don"t argue with the other party, direct your comments to the Judge.
Court appointed Spanish interpreter services are available for Criminal, Traffic, Juvenile, and some Family Law matters. Interpreter services in other languages (including sign) are available on an as needed basis.
| Discovery Facilitator Program |
Local Rule 4.14: Discovery Facilitator Program
List of Facilitators
For information on how to join the panel of Discovery Facilitators, contact Lewis Warren at lwarren@abbeylaw.com or Lori Kolacek at lkolacek@abbeylaw.com. Alternatively, Mr. Warren and Ms. Kolacek may be contacted at (707) 542-5050.
Voluntary E-Service
The Sonoma County Superior Court, working in conjunction with the Bench Bar Section of the Sonoma County Bar Association, now offers voluntary e-service.
Implementing e-service in your Sonoma County cases is simple. The Court has pre-approved the Stipulation and Order (CV-42) to submit for case(s) in which you want to use e-service.
E-service cuts the time and expenses associated with pleadings and discovery, including postage, courier fees, printing costs, and stuffing envelopes by using a secure, password-protected Web site to disseminate documents.
All it requires is a computer and an internet connection. There’s no special software. No fees for training or support. You pay a single transaction fee to serve all of the parties in your case. And you can automatically receive an email notification when you receive new incoming service of documents filed by other counsel in your case.
The advantages to e-service are:
Increased Efficiency: Send multiple documents to multiple parties.
Speed of Delivery: Eliminate postal delays.
Verifiable Proof of Delivery: Never worry that things got lost in the mail or were blocked by firewalls or spam filters.
Reduced Costs: On photocopying, messengers and postage charges.
Searchable On line Repository: Instant, 24/7 access to all e-served case documents.
Save Storage Space and Trees: Reduce the amount of paper kept on file.
Courtesy copy provided immediately to the court: Each of the Civil Court Judges will have access to pleadings over the internet. No more worries about them not receiving the Reply Brief sufficiently in advance of the hearing.
You receive instant confirmation that your documents have been delivered so you have a record of the parties served and the date and the time delivered. Never again worry about important documents being lost, altered or corrupted. With e-service you gain speed, efficiency and an immediate cost-savings over old-fashioned paper-based systems.
Additional information about Voluntary e-Service and the service providers currently available in Sonoma County is available on the Website of the Sonoma County Bar Association: www.sonomacountybar.org
Guardianship of the Person Only:
Applications for Ex Parte Orders in matters related to Guardianship of the person only, are considered on Thursday mornings and should be submitted to the Clerk’s Office (Hall of Justice, 600 Administration Dr., Santa Rosa, Room 107-J) to forward to the appropriate department as directed by the Family Law Supervising Judge. Applications submitted on Thursdays after 8:30 AM, Friday, and Monday through Wednesday will be forwarded on the Thursday following submittal to the Clerk’s office. Signed orders will be available at the Clerk’s office after 3:45 PM on the Thursday the application is considered by the Judge. This procedure is available for emergency orders only; routine and/or non-emergency matters will not be considered on an ex parte basis. |