San Francisco /divisions/civil-division/law-motion-and-discovery

Source: https://sf.courts.ca.gov/divisions/civil-division/law-motion-and-discovery

Law & Motion and Discovery

Hearings in Law & Motion and Discovery Departments

LAW AND MOTION PUBLIC NOTICE - NOVEMBER 2024

ALERT - NOTICE OF CHANGES IN POLICY REGARDING UNAVAILABILITY OF OFFICIAL COURT REPORTERS IN CIVIL CASES

9:00 a.m. Discovery Hearings – Effective December 09, 2024 Civil Discovery Department will be held in Department 301 for ODD case numbers and Department 302 for EVEN case numbers. Counsel and parties may appear in the Discovery Department by videoconference using Zoom (see below) or in person.

9:00 a.m. Law & Motion Hearings – Effective Monday, December 09, 2024, all attorneys and parties may appear in Departments 301 and 302 remotely. Remote hearings will be conducted by videoconference using Zoom (see below). Department 301 will hear ODD case number matters and Department 302 will hear EVEN case number matters.

11:00 a.m. Ex Parte Hearings – Appearances are by CourtCall only. Parties must contact CourtCall at 1-888-88-COURT in advance to schedule an appearance for both Department 301 (Odd case numbers) and Department 302 (Even case numbers).

• Please Note SF Local Rule 8.2(b): After filing, the moving party must bring a courtesy copy of the filing to the Law and Motion Department. If a motion challenges the sufficiency of a pleading already on file, the moving party must also supply a courtesy copy of that pleading. Courtesy copies of all subsequent filings relating to the motion must be delivered to the Law and Motion Department. Failure to comply with any part of this subsection may result in the matter being placed off calendar.*

Counsel and parties can appear by videoconference and the public can view and/or listen to hearings, by clicking on the appropriate links below:

Department 301 Daily at 9:00 a.m.

Department 302 Daily at 9:00 a.m.

If unable to join using the links above, the hearings may be joined by telephone by dialing +1 669 254 5252 and entering the meeting ID and password below.

Department 301: Meeting ID: 161 502 4290 Passcode: 700956

Department 302: Meeting ID: 160 409 7690 Passcode: 516287

法律、动议和证据开示部之视频会议听证会

法律、動議和證據開示部之視訊會議聽證會

Mga Pagdinig sa Law & Motion at Discovery Department sa Pamamagitan ng Video Conference

Слушания в формате видеоконференций в департаментах рассмотрения ходатайств и представления доказательств

Audiencias por videoconferencia en los Departamentos de Derecho y Peticiones y de Revelación de Información

Phiên Tòa Qua Hội Nghị Truyền Hình tại Phòng Luật và Kiến Nghị và Phòng Xét Xử Sơ Bộ

Courtroom Check-In Application

The San Francisco Superior Court Civil Division now offers a convenient Courtroom Check-In Application for attorneys, self-represented litigants, court reporters, and other case participants.

Currently available in Department 206 (Civil Master Calendar) and expanding to Departments 301, 302 (Law & Motion) and 501 (Real Property Court) on June 16, 2025, the application allows participants to check in online—whether appearing in person or via Zoom.

Instead of checking in with the department clerk on the day of your hearing, you can now:

• Scan a QR code posted at the courthouse, or

• Click a link provided in Zoom on the day of your hearing, to submit your appearance information.

This new system streamlines check-in for participants and helps the courtroom clerk manage appearances more efficiently.

Law & Motion

For motions to be filed, the moving party should confer with all other parties before scheduling and noticing a hearing, and may then e-file and notice the hearing in accordance with Code of Civil Procedure Section 1005 or other applicable requirements. The moving party does not need to clear the selected hearing date with or obtain a reservation number from the court Dept. 301/ 302 before filing the motion. The moving party must state the selected hearing date on the motion to be filed. Department 301 will hear ODD case number matters and Department 302 will hear EVEN case number matters.

For all law and motion matters, the court will post tentative rulings and follow the procedures set forth in San Francisco County Superior Court Local Rule 8.3 et seq.

Ex Parte Hearings

Ex parte hearings for both law and motion and discovery matters are held daily at 11:00 a.m. by CourtCall. No in-person appearances will be permitted. No later than two (2) hours prior to the hearing, the moving party must e-file the moving papers AND deliver a copy to Dept. 301 (odd number cases) or Dept. 302 (even number cases).

A party presenting an ex parte application in the law and motion department for a temporary restraining order, alternative writ, appointment of a receiver must schedule the hearing with the court by sending an email to calendar301@sftc.org or calendar302@sftc.org at least 24 hours in advance of the proposed hearing date.

Court Reporter Information

The court is no longer providing a court reporter in the Law & Motion Department.

Parties may now retain their own certified reporter, who may appear in the courtroom or remotely.

Contact Information & Hours

Contact Information and Hours:

Mon – Fri 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. except Court Holidays

Department 301-Odd Case Numbers

Hon. Christine Van Aken

Courtroom Clerk (415) 551-3720

Calendar Clerk (415) 551-3719

Email: Department301@sftc.org (preferred method)

Department 302-Even Case Numbers

Hon. Joseph M. Quinn

Courtroom Clerk (415)551-3723

Calendar Clerk (415) 551-3823

Email: Department302@sftc.org (preferred method)

Send courtesy copies in compliance with Local Rules 2.7b and 8.2:

Please deliver courtesy copies in paper form to department 301 for Odd case number cases and to department 302 for Even case numbers. Orders after a matter has been heard should be delivered in compliance to the court's disposition after hearing.

Please send an email to the following:

To continue hearing / take hearing off calendar:

Calendar301@sftc.org

Calendar302@sftc.org

To contest tentative rulings:

Contestdept301tr@sftc.org

Contestdept302tr@sftc.org

E-filing transaction questions:

SFefiling@sftc.org

QUICK LINKS

Law & Motion/Discovery - Department 301/302 to access the Tentative Rulings

Discovery

Discovery motions are heard on the daily 9:00 a.m. Discovery Calendar.

For discovery motions to be filed, the moving party should confer with all other parties before scheduling and noticing a hearing, and may then e-file and notice the hearing in accordance with Code of Civil Procedure Section 1005 or other applicable requirements. The moving party does not need to clear the selected hearing date with or obtain a reservation number from the court before filing the motion. The moving party must state the selected hearing date on the motion to be filed. Department 301 will hear ODD case number matters and Department 302 will hear Even case number matters.

For all discovery matters, the court will post tentative rulings and follow the procedures set forth in San Francisco County Superior Court Local Rule 8.3 et seq. All hearings will be conducted remotely by Zoom videoconference, in-person appearances are permitted.

The parties need to deliver courtesy copies of their filed discovery motion papers to Department 301 (Odd case number)or 302 (Even case number).

The court does not provide official court reporters for hearings in the discovery department. Any party who wishes to supply its own court reporter must ensure that the reporter is a California-certified shorthand reporter and is capable of reporting a hearing conducted by Zoom videoconference.

Please Note the Following Types of Requests/cases Are Not Heard in Dept. 301/302

|

Request/Case Type

|

Correct Department

|

Trial Continuance

Service On Corporation By Service On Secretary of State

Service of Summons By Publication

Appointment of Guardian Ad Litem

Fee Waiver

|

Dept. 206, Presiding Judge

Applicable Link

|

Asbestos cases – All requests

CEQA cases – All requests

| Dept. 304, Asbestos Dept. |

Real Property cases (See Local Rule 8.10) – All law & motion requests and all ex parte requests

(only fully-noticed discovery motions may be noticed for the 9:00 a.m. Discovery Calendar)

Unlawful Detainer cases – All requests

|

Dept. 501, the Real Property/Housing Court

|

Extension of Time to Serve Summons and Complaint

Extension of Time to Respond to Complaint

|

Dept. 610, Civil Case Management

|

Order for Examination

Civil Pitchess Motion

|

Dept. 505

(Courtroom: 415-551-3796)

|

Probate cases– All requests

|

Probate Court

|

Family Law cases – All requests

|

Unified Family Court

https://sfsuperiorcourt.org/online-services/tentative-rulingsClick on the topics below for more information.

Tentative Rulings (And Proposed Orders Submitted Thereafter)

Tentative rulings are generally available by 3 p.m. the court day prior to the hearing, and are accessible via the Tentative Rulings website by clicking on the link titled “Law & Motion/ Discovery Departments ”

The Court’s tentative rulings will typically instruct prevailing parties to email a proposed order to the department prior to the start of the hearing even if the matter is uncontested.

Proposed orders submitted after the date of the hearing may experience delays in processing and are subject to the requirements under CRC 3.1312. If the hearing date has passed, a paper hard copy of the proposed order must be delivered directly to Dept. 302.

For orders on matters taken under submission, the parties can check the public Register of Actions via Online Services on the court’s website. If an order has been signed, the order will be filed and scanned and will be viewable on the Register of Actions.

Stipulation and Proposed Orders / Doe Amendment Requests

Parties must first pay any required local fees electronically and then must deliver a paper hard copy of their submission directly to the department for the request to be reviewed and considered.

The local form for a Doe Amendment request can be accessed here.

Requests to Continue Hearings / Take Hearings Off Calendar

Per Local Rule 8.2B, a request that a motion be taken off the calendar or that a hearing be continued to a later date must be made by email, with a copy to all other parties to Calendar302@sftc.org. The request must include the name of the party making the request, the name of the person making the request on behalf of the party, the case number, and the current date of the hearing.

If the request is to continue the motion to a later date, the request must state that all parties affected by the motion have agreed to the new date. If a party requesting that a motion be taken off the calendar or that a hearing be continued to a later date does not have email access, the party may, in lieu of email, provide all of the foregoing information in a letter personally delivered to the Law & Motion department.

No continuances will be granted on the date set for hearing except upon a personal appearance and a showing of good cause in writing. The judge hearing the matter has discretion concerning continuances, including the right to deny continuances, to rule, or to take the matter off the calendar at any time despite the agreement of parties to the contrary. Matters cannot be taken off the calendar after noon the Court day before the hearing.

E-Filing Transaction Questions

Questions regarding pending or rejected e-filing transactions should be directed to the Civil Clerk’s Office’s E-Filing Division at SFefiling@sftc.org as that is the division that directly reviews and either accepts or rejects all e-filing transactions.