judge console · C.D. Cal.
C.D. Cal. · Judge Valenzuela · Practice Guide

Hon. Cynthia Valenzuela

All local rules for C.D. Cal., integrated with this judge's published requirements.

Before You File
Ex parte applications
🏛 C.D. Cal. local rule

Good-faith oral notice to all parties required L.R. 7-19.1 ↗

👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§V.G. Ex Parte Applications. Following service of the ex parte application by electronic, facsimile, or personal service, the applicant shall notify the opposing party that any opposition must be filed no later than twenty-four (24) hours following service. Counsel will be notified by the clerk of the Court's ruling. If counsel does not intend to oppose an ex parte application, counsel must inform the Courtroom Deputy Clerk at (213) 894-0239.

Lead counsel requirements
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§V.F. Appearance at Hearings. The Court requires lead counsel to appear for scheduling conferences, settlement conferences, and the Final Pretrial Conference. The Court requires in-person attendance for all hearings and trials, unless otherwise instructed by the Court.

Contacting chambers
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§V.I. Communications with Chambers. Counsel must not attempt to contact the Court or chambers staff by email, telephone, or ex parte means. For appropriate matters only, counsel may contact the Courtroom Deputy Clerk via chambers email address at CV_Chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov, or by telephone at (213) 894-0239. Counsel must not contact the Courtroom Deputy Clerk regarding the status of any matter before the Court. Counsel must include on all papers his or her email address and telephone number to facilitate communication with the Courtroom Deputy Clerk.

Settlement notification
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

JPS §III.B. Settlement. Counsel shall notify the Courtroom Deputy Clerk as soon as a settlement of the action has been reached. The Court may assess jury fees against each side under Local Rule 40-3 if the notification of settlement occurs after 4:00 p.m. on the last business day prior to trial absent a showing of good cause.

Drafting the Motion
Length limits — motion, opposition, reply
🏛 C.D. Cal. local rule
Motion

25 pages maximum for memorandum in support of or opposition to any motion C.D. Cal. L.R. 11-6 ↗

Opposition

7,000 words maximum L.R. 11-6.1 ↗

Reply

12 pages maximum for reply memorandum C.D. Cal. L.R. 11-6 ↗

👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order
Motion

§III.C. Length and Format of Motion Papers. Unless otherwise stated by the Court, memoranda of points and authorities in support of or in opposition to motions shall not exceed twenty-five (25) pages. Only rarely and for good cause shown will the Court grant an application to extend these page limitations. [See Judge Valenzuela's Order Re: Motions for Summary Judgment regarding the length and format of motions for summary judgment: MSJ §1.c Word Limit: Each separately represented party shall be limited to 7,000 words, exclusive of tables of contents and authorities.]

Opposition

§III.C. Unless otherwise stated by the Court, memoranda of points and authorities in support of or in opposition to motions shall not exceed twenty-five (25) pages.

Reply

§III.C. Replies shall not exceed fifteen (15) pages. Only rarely and for good cause shown will the Court grant an application to extend these page limitations.

Font & formatting
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§III.C. Pursuant to Local Rule 11-3.1.1, either a proportionally spaced or monospaced face may be used. Typeface shall comply with Local Rule 11-3.1.1. Times New Roman font must be no less than 14 point; Courier font must be no less than 12 point. Footnotes shall be in the same font and the same size as the body of the memorandum.

Footnote policy
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§III.C. Footnotes shall be in the same font and the same size as the body of the memorandum. MSJ §1.c: Each party is limited to the use of a total of eight footnotes.

Filing & Scheduling
Briefing schedule & hearing date
🏛 C.D. Cal. local rule
Notice period

28 days before hearing date L.R. 6-1 ↗

Hearing days

Filer designates; no district-wide hearing day L.R. 6-1 ↗

👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order
Notice period

JPS §A. All other motions must be noticed, served, and filed not later than twenty-eight (28) days before the hearing date. See Local Rule 6-1. Oppositions must be filed and served not later than twenty-one (21) days before the hearing date. Replies must be filed and served not later than fourteen (14) days before the hearing date. See Local Rules 7-9, 7-10.

Hearing days

§III.A. Time for Filing and Hearing Motions. Motions shall be filed in accordance with Local Rules 6 and 7. The Court hears motions in civil actions on Fridays, beginning at 1:30 p.m. It is not necessary to clear a hearing date with the Courtroom Deputy Clerk before filing a motion, except for motions for summary judgment, temporary restraining orders, or motions for a preliminary injunction. If the motion hearing date selected is not available, the Court will issue an order continuing the hearing.

Chambers / courtesy copies
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order
Required?

Yes

Details

§V.D. Chambers copies shall be delivered to Judge Valenzuela's 'Mandatory Chambers Copies' box, located on the fourth floor of the United States District Courthouse, 350 W 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. A mandatory chambers copy must comply with Local Rule 11-3 (i.e., font size, page numbering, exhibit tabbing, etc.) but need not be blue-backed. The mandatory chambers copy must be prominently labeled MANDATORY CHAMBERS COPY on the face page.

Proposed orders
🏛 C.D. Cal. local rule

E-file PDF; email Word copy to chambers L.R. 52-4.1 ↗

👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§V.C. Proposed Orders. Each party filing or opposing a motion or seeking the determination of any matter shall serve and electronically lodge a proposed order setting forth the relief or action sought and a brief statement of the rationale for the decision with appropriate citations. In addition, a copy of the proposed order in Word format shall be emailed directly to the Court's chambers email address at CV_Chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov on the day the document is e-filed. The parties must use the template for proposed orders available on Judge Valenzuela's Procedures and Schedules page on the Court's website. Failure to email a proposed order in Word format using the Court's template may result in the Court striking the motion, application, or stipulation without consideration of the request on its merits.

ECF stamp requirements
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§V.A. Electronic Filing. Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(d)(3), L.R. 5-4, and General Order 10-07, counsel shall electronically file ('e-file') all filings. Items that do not require the Court's signature shall be e-filed in .pdf format. Proposed orders shall be e-filed in .pdf format as an attachment to the main documents.

Filing under seal
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§V.E. Filings Under Seal. Local Rule 79-5 governs applications to file documents under seal. Local Rule 79-5.2.2 explains how to apply to file under seal and how to proceed if leave is granted. Parties must comply with all provisions of Local Rule 79-5. For each document or other type of information a party seeks to file under seal, the party must identify and discuss the factual and/or legal justification that establishes 'good cause' or 'compelling reasons' for the information to be protected. Sealing must be justified for each individual item: blanket claims of confidentiality will result in the application to seal being denied. The parties also must meet and confer before filing an application to seal.

The Hearing
Oral argument
🏛 C.D. Cal. local rule

Court may dispense with oral argument on any motion and decide it on the papers; counsel notified by court order C.D. Cal. L.R. 7-15 ↗

👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order
Default practice

§III.F. Oral Argument. If the Court deems a matter appropriate for decision without oral argument, the Court will take the matter under submission and notify the parties before the hearing.

Tentative rulings
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order
Practice

Silent on tentative rulings. Not applicable: federal court does not issue tentative rulings.

Prohibition

Silent on tentative ruling prohibition. Not applicable: federal court does not issue tentative rulings.

Remote appearances
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§V.F. The Court requires in-person attendance for all hearings and trials, unless otherwise instructed by the Court. The Court may permit appearances by telephone or video conference for status conferences upon a showing that a personal appearance will cause undue hardship. If you wish to appear by telephone or video conference, you must: (1) email the Courtroom Deputy Clerk and copy opposing counsel at least three (3) court days in advance of the scheduled appearance and provide a detailed statement of undue hardship; (2) use a landline to call into the bridge line provided by the Courtroom Deputy Clerk or use a hardline internet connection to connect to the Zoom link for the Court; and (3) be available and ready to call in for at least fifteen (15) minutes before the time of the scheduled hearing.

Continuances & calendar conflicts
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§V.H. Continuances. The Court has a strong interest in keeping scheduled dates certain. Changes in dates are disfavored. Trial dates set by the Court are firm and will not readily be changed. Therefore, a request to continue or extend the date of any matter before this Court must be supported by a sufficient factual basis that demonstrates good cause why the change in the date is essential. Counsel shall avoid submitting requests for continuance or extension of time less than five (5) business days prior to the expiration of the scheduled date. A request to continue or extend dates or deadlines that have already expired constitutes a presumptive lack of due diligence.

Discovery
Discovery referral procedure
🏛 C.D. Cal. local rule

Joint stipulation required L.R. 37-2 ↗

👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§II.A. All discovery matters are hereby referred to the assigned Magistrate Judge, who will hear all discovery disputes.

Discovery dispute procedure
👤 Judge Valenzuela — standing order

§II.A. Discovery Matters Referred to United States Magistrate Judge. All discovery matters are hereby referred to the assigned Magistrate Judge, who will hear all discovery disputes. All discovery-related documents must include the words 'DISCOVERY MATTER' in the caption to ensure proper routing. Counsel are directed to follow the Magistrate Judge's procedures for scheduling matters for hearing. These procedures are stated on each Magistrate Judge's webpage.

Know Before You Go
👤 Judge Valenzuela — deviations that burn people
  • MSJs get a DIFFERENT limit than other motions: MSJ = 7,000 words per separately represented party; all other motions/oppositions = 25 pages; replies = 15 pages — mixed word/page regime by motion type
  • MSJ, TRO, and preliminary injunction motions REQUIRE clearing a hearing date with the CRD before filing — other motions do not
  • Hard footnote cap: EIGHT footnotes total per party on MSJ briefing; footnotes must match body font and size
  • Motion hearings only on Fridays at 1:30 p.m. (afternoon calendar)
  • Proposed orders MUST use the template on Valenzuela's Procedures page AND be emailed in Word to CV_Chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov — failure may result in the motion being stricken without merits consideration
  • In-person default for all hearings; telephonic/video only for status conferences on 3-court-day advance email showing undue hardship, using landline or hardline internet, ready 15 minutes early
  • Chambers copies NOT required except for MSJ, class certification (plus oppositions/replies), and overlength briefs — otherwise the court discourages sending them
  • Settlement notification after 4:00 p.m. on the last business day before trial triggers jury-fee assessment under L.R. 40-3 absent good cause
  • Continuance requests less than 5 business days before the deadline are disfavored; a request to continue an ALREADY-EXPIRED deadline is presumptive lack of due diligence
  • Times New Roman must be 14-point minimum (Courier 12-point) — footnotes match body font and size
content assembled from published local rules & standing orders · click any section in the rail for the full treatment