Judges and Judiciary
Sep. 24, 2026
Before cutting superior court staff, end the fee discounts
The author argues that Los Angeles Superior Court could address its $9.1 million budget shortfall by eliminating complex-case filing fee discounts for defendants, particularly in engineered stone silicosis litigation, rather than paying employees to resign.
Raphael Metzger
Principal
Metzger Law Group
Phone: (562) 437-4499
Email: rmetzger@toxictorts.com
Raphael Metzger is the principal of the Metzger Law Group, a boutique toxic tort litigation firm in Long Beach that represents about 250 immigrant fabricators who suffer from silicosis. Metzger filed the first such case and has led the litigation since its inception. His firm has also filed a class action on behalf of all workers exposed to engineered stone dust in California to obtain medical monitoring to detect silicosis and other lethal diseases that are caused by engineered stone.
Eyewitness News recently reported that "Los Angeles Superior Court announced a Voluntary Separation Incentive Program to give court employees the option to leave court service as part of an effort to reduce staff positions and lower expenses amid ongoing budgetary constraints."
According to Eyewitness News, "the court will offer a $35,000 payment to current full-time employees with five or more years of continuous service who elect to resign" whereby "vacat...
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