No trial backlog when everyone does their part

Thank you for your coverage of recent Superior Court of Los Angeles County reforms and improvements (LADJ, 12/23). The article referred to trial backlogs in the Civil Division. As Supervising Judge of the Civil Division, in which I preside over the Department 1 master calendar for the division, I would like to clarify some facts.

For at least the last six months, there have been no delays--no backlogs--whatsoever in Department 1's placing trial-ready cases into an open trial court. Now, whether a case comes from a Personal Injury Hub court, an Unlawful Detainer Hub court, our Asbestos or Silicosis Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings, or overflow from a Limited or Unlimited all-purpose department, all have been assigned to trial forthwith, within two court days or to a future date jointly selected by counsel. This represents a significant improvement from the recent past and is attributable to the hard work of our Civil Division judges (and judges from other divisions) who have raised their hands to take on even more trial-ready civil cases.

Much of the historical backlog in trials in personal injury matters has been attributable to the assignment of such cases to the PI Hub, a collection of courts established by necessity in response to a profound budget cut. By design, such cases received minimal judicial case management. From its zenith of six PI hub courts administering about 50,000 cases, we are now down to two such courts administering about 1,500 such cases. In the first quarter of 2026, we will retire the PI Hub courts entirely and transfer the remaining case inventories to extant and to-be-created IC courts.

All of that said, our independent calendaring unlimited civil courts are, as the article noted, heavily stressed by the remarkable increase in civil filings--roughly 30% overall in the past 24 months. Whereas many IC judges recall a day not long ago when their IC court had an inventory of 450 cases, now such courts are carrying, on average, about 1,100 cases. Most IC courts set five to seven trials each Monday and many also set four to six additional Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (lemon law) on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Although most cases do resolve before trial, settings of this magnitude and frequency will sometimes create the need for a short trial delay.

Last, I suggest that the responsibility for eliminating trial backlog and delay is not entirely on the court but, instead, is a shared responsibility of the court and the parties. Cases will move more smoothly and swiftly, and be trial-ready by the initial trial date, if parties effect service promptly, commence discovery early and thoughtfully, avoid avoidable pleadings challenge and discovery motions, and bring dispositive motions well before the initial trial date to avoid a mandatory trial continuance. We also encourage parties to discuss resolution of their cases early and often. Parties showing up at a final status conference without ever having seriously engaged in settlement discussions may well cause a trial continuance.