President's Message
Upcoming Events
Past Events
Effective January 17, 2012, the Riverside County Superior Court is launching its automated on-line system for requesting copies of documents filed in family law, probate and civil cases.
Through this on-line system you will be able to request certified copies of imaged civil documents and copies or certified copies of imaged family law and probate documents that are open to public inspection. You will also be able to request certified minute orders for family law, probate and civil cases.
It is estimated that copies of imaged criminal documents will be available in February 2012. Copy fees, including postage, will be assessed. The court accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express as forms of payment. Copy requests will be processed within five business days.
This convenient service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For further information, please visit the court’s website at http://riverside.courts.ca.gov/ and click on the on-line services tab.
The court’s updated civil schedule that became effective January 1, 2012, is available on the court’s website, at http://riverside.courts.ca.gov, under the Forms and Filing tab. While there were no fee increases, the statutory authority for some fees did change.
In addition, the court’s local rules have been reorganized and became effective January 1, 2012. The local rules are available on the court’s website under the General Information tab.
Effective Wednesday, December 14, 2011, the automated on-line system for reserving civil law and motion hearing dates will expand and become operational for civil cases pending in the court’s desert region. The system was implemented for civil cases pending in the court’s western and mid-county regions in April of this year.
With the exception of unlawful detainer and small claims cases, a civil law and motion hearing date can be reserved on-line through the court’s website. Attorneys and litigants will enter the case number and type of motion with a short title or description and then reserve a hearing date.
The only fee charged is the motion filing fee in accordance with statute. There are no additional fees to use this reservation system. The court accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express as forms of payment. A receipt with a confirmation number is available for printing.
Once a motion hearing date is reserved through the system, parties must serve and file the motion papers with the court pursuant to statute. Upon the filing of the motion and any related documents with the court, the reserved motion hearing date will be confirmed.
This convenient service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For further information, please visit the court’s website at http://riverside.courts.ca.gov/ and click on the on-line services tab.
Small Claims, Unlawful Detainers and Short Cause Civil Trials Moved to Department 1C Eff. 1/3/12
Effective Tuesday, January 3, 2012, Commissioner David E. Gregory will hear all desert small claims, unlawful detainer, and short cause civil trials in Department 1C of the Annex court located at 82-675 State Highway 111, Indio.
Please make note of the following calendar time changes:
• Small Claims matters will be heard daily, Monday - Friday at 8:30 a.m.
• Unlawful detainer (landlord tenant) matters will be heard Monday - Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
• Short cause civil trials related to general civil matters scheduled after January 3, 2012, will be set Mondays at 1:30 p.m. (mandatory appearance).
Small claims filings will continue to be accepted in the Annex Court; all unlawful detainer and general civil filings will continue to be accepted in the Larson Justice Center.
If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the civil division supervisors at: Mark Pettie: (760) 393-2299 or Enedina Diener: (760) 393-2094.
The Riverside County Superior Court is pleased to announce a new monthly “PJ Settlement Day” program in which Presiding Judge Sherrill Ellsworth will help settle civil cases at the Historic Courthouse immediately before trial. The program begins on January 27, 2012, and is expected to help reduce the court’s civil case backlog and increase access to justice for civil litigants countywide.
During a typical Friday morning trial calendar, litigants in over 20 civil cases tell Supervising Civil Judge Mac Fisher that they are ready to start trial. However, there is rarely an open courtroom for each case due to the continuing shortage of judicial officers in Riverside County: The court needs 150 judges but only has 76 judicial officers, leaving a deficit of 74 judges, according to the Judicial Council. Adding to this ongoing strain, the court is preparing for a $10.6 million decrease in state funding for fiscal year 2011- 2012.
Therefore, during every Friday morning trial calendar, Judge Fisher encourages each civil litigant to find “a glimmer of hope” for settlement with the help of a mediator in the court’s “last chance” day-of-trial mediation program. This highly successful program was started by Judge Gloria Trask with the assistance of local attorney- mediators, Judge Woody Rich (ret) and Justice Barton Gaut (ret) in June 2008, and is now managed by the Riverside County Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Service (DRS), directed by Chris Jensen, and supplemented by the Chapman University School of Law Mediation Clinic, directed by David Dowling.
But some complex civil cases need the special attention that only a presiding judge can provide, so Presiding Judge Sherrill Ellsworth has decided to carve out time to help settle complicated civil cases that would otherwise require many days in a courtroom before a judge or jury.
Judge Ellsworth’s “PJ Settlement Days” will help litigants in these cases avoid the time, expense and stress of lengthy trials while achieving more satisfying resolutions to their disputes, saving Riverside County courtrooms for cases that truly need a judge or jury to determine the outcome.
The Desert Bar Association would like to encourage local attorneys to submit Reports on the Effects of Judicial Branch Budget Reductions on Legal Practitioners, Their Clients, and Court Users to the Judicial Council Office of California.
The Council is seeking reports of the impact this budget crisis is having - in human terms; detailing specific incidents, including, but not limited to the following information:
Your submission should include enough information to enable the Judicial Council to aggregate similar stories and present a picture of the cumulative effects on the public:
1. The trial court at which the incident you are describing occurred;
2. The type of case you or your client brought before the court;
3. The specific reduction in programs or services that impacted you or your client;
4. The immediate, subsequent or residual effect that the reduction had on you and your client, and what that means in terms of access to and the delivery of justice; and
5. Your contact information should the Judicial Council need to follow up with you on your submission.
It is not enough to say the lines are long, or that there is a backlog in processing judgments, but if that is the effect you are reporting, please articulate how that impact is felt by your client, what the result of it is on your client's life or well-being.
Please submit reports to Donna Hershkowitz, Assistant Director of the AOC Office of Governmental Affairs, by email at donna.hershkowitz@jud.ca.gov, or at (916) 323-3121. Ms. Hershkowitz will aggregate the information for use in statewide outreach and education efforts.
November 23, December 23, 27, 28, 29 and 30, 2011- Partial Closures
Pursuant to Government Code §68106 and California Rules of Court, rule 10.620, the Superior Court of California, County of Ventura, is providing 60 day notice of the decision of the Presiding Judge to institute partial closure days on the above designated dates.
The majority of the courtrooms and all clerk’s offices will be closed on November 23, 2011, December 23, 27, 28, 29 and 30, 2011 to mitigate the impact of additional unpaid employee furlough days on court operations.
These partial closure days are not court holidays, so statutory deadlines will not be extended. However, drop boxes are currently provided outside each clerical office for filing papers or submitting payments. Documents placed in the boxes by 5:00 p.m. are deemed deposited for filing that same business day. Most cases already calendared for hearing will be rescheduled and the affected parties notified by the court. An exterior walk-up window on the north side of the Hall of Justice, Government Center, 800 South Victoria Ave., will be open between 8:00 a.m. and 6:45 p.m. for handling criminal/traffic and collections payments only. Limited courtrooms will be open to hear urgent matters, and a judge will be available to sign any other necessary documents on an emergency basis at the Hall of Justice. A courtroom will also be open at the Juvenile Justice Center for urgent juvenile matters. All Simi Valley courtrooms will be closed.
These dates were selected to minimize the impact on the public and court staff as court business is generally the slowest during the holiday season. The court invited public comment pursuant to rule 10.620(d)(3). The court received nine comments from the public. Seven supported closure to assist with the current budget crisis. Two opposed closure but offered no alternatives to address the budget shortfall.
The court has instituted various cost saving measures, including: unpaid employee furloughs, freezing vacancies, layoffs, reengineering court processes for efficiencies, and reduction of expenditures for services and supplies.
The above actions are required to address the continued reduction in funding to the California court system. Since 2008, the Governor and Legislature have approved $652 million in ongoing budget cuts to the judicial branch. For fiscal year 2011-12, $2.7 million has been cut from the budget of the Ventura Superior Court. When added to prior reductions, the Ventura Superior Court faces a $5.8 million deficit for 2011-12, along with the prospect of even deeper cuts in 2012-13.
The Riverside Superior Court, along with all other trial courts in the State of California, will offer an “amnesty” period on unpaid tickets from January 1, 2012 through June 30, 2012. This means that if a person meets certain criteria on their unpaid ticket, he/she may be able to resolve it by paying 50% of the amount due.
The following criteria must be met to qualify:
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The ticket is for an infraction filed with the court that was due to be paid in full prior to January 1, 2009. This includes juvenile traffic matters as well;
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No appearance or payment has been made on the case since January 1, 2009;
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The person who received the ticket does not owe any victim restitution within Riverside County; and
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The person who received the ticket does not have any outstanding misdemeanor or felony warrants within Riverside County.
Some counties throughout the State of California are offering this discount for select misdemeanor cases, however only infraction cases (low level tickets) will qualify in Riverside County.
Presiding Judge Sherrill A. Ellsworth remarked, "This is a wonderful opportunity for the citizens of this county to resolve their delinquent traffic matters at a discounted rate. This program will allow the public to clear up their court and driving records, while providing much needed revenue to the state and county. I hope people will take advantage of this mutually beneficial offer."
For further information, please review the court’s Infraction Amnesty Program Guidelines by visiting our website at www.riverside.courts.ca.gov. Additional information about specific case eligibility will be available after January 1, 2012. Details on the statewide Amnesty Program may be found at the California Court’s website at http://www.courts.ca.gov/partners/941.htm.
Pursuant to California Rule of Court 10.613(g)(1), which states in part, “..the court must distribute each proposed rule for comment at least 45 days before it is adopted,” the court proposes that the following local rule changes be made, effective January 1, 2012:
Title 1 – General
Rule 1001 – Where to File Documents – Repeal Rule 1065 – Case Management Policy – Repeal
Title 3 – Civil
Rule 3115 – Where to File Documents – New Rule 3117 – Certificate of Counsel – New Rule 3155 – Settlement Conferences – Repeal Rule 3550 – Order to Post Summons – Unlawful Detainer Actions – Repeal
Local Form – Certificate of Counsel – New
Title 4 – Criminal
Rule 4001 – Where to File Documents – New Rule 4005 – Declaration in Support of Arrest Warrant – Amend Rule 4075 – Order Re: Conviction Set Aside Plea Dismissed Pursuant 1203.4 & 1203.4a of the Penal Code (Felony / Misdemeanor) – Repeal
Title 5 – Family Law and Juvenile
Division 1 – Family Law
Rule 5101 – Where to File Documents – New
Rule 5105 – Facsimile Transmission Filings – Amend
Rule 5110 – OSC/Motion Procedure – Amend
Rule 5120 – OSC/Motion – Service – Repeal
Rule 5125 – OSC/Motion – Continuance – Amend
Rule 5140 – Temporary Restraining Orders – Domestic Violence – Repeal
Rule 5141 – Requests to Dismiss Entire Actions – Amend
Division 2 – Juvenile
Rule 5225 – Where to File Documents – New
Title 7 – Probate
Rule 7001 – Venue – New
Rule 7129 – Declaration Re: Asset Received on Inventory and Appraisal – New
Title 8 – Appeals
Rule 8000 – Application – New
Rule 8005 – Where to File Documents – New
Rule 8010 – Record on Appeal – Amend
Rule 8015 – Appointment of Counsel – Amend
Rule 8020 – Cost of Transcripts – Repeal
Rule 8025 – Dismissal – Amend
Rule 8030 – Extension or Shortening of Time; Relief from Default – Amend
Rule 8035 – Appeal Processing Schedule – Amend
Rule 8040 – Appeal – Small Claims – Amend
To review these rules, please visit the court website at www.riverside.courts.ca.gov/localrules/localrules.shtml
Please direct any comments regarding these rules to the Court Executive Office, 4050 Main Street, Riverside, CA 92501, or e-mail them to courtwebassistance@riverside.courts.ca.gov. Comments should be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 21, 2011, so that they can be considered as part of the adoption process.
On July 19, 2011, Kenton Circuit Judge, Martin J. Sheehan, issued an order of the Kentucky court that illustrates a moment of levity that we thought you might enjoy. To download the order, please click here and enjoy!
Effective Monday, June 6, 2011, Riverside Family Law Department F201 is relocating from the Hall of Justice to the Family Law Courthouse in downtown Riverside. Department F201 will be located on the second floor.
Attorneys and litigants appearing for hearings scheduled on or after June 6, 2011, should report to the Family Law Courthouse at 4175 Main Street, Riverside, CA 92501.
Questions regarding the relocation of Department F201 can be directed to Ruth Zeamer, Division Manager for Riverside Family Law, at 951-955-6996 or via email at Ruth.Zeamer@riverside.courts.ca.gov.
The Human Resources Department is currently recruiting for the position of Court Commissioner.
If you are interested in applying, please go to the recruitment Web site at http://agency.governmentjobs.com/riversidecourts/default.cfm and click on the Current Job Opportunities link.
JOB TITLE: Court Commissioner
CLOSING DATE: June 3, 2011
LOCATION: Indio
All applications must be completed and submitted on-line. If you have any questions or need assistance, please call 951-955-5557.
As part of the court’s transition to a new telephone system, effective August 29, 2011, the court’s direct fax filing telephone numbers will change. For a list of the new fax telephone numbers, visit the direct fax filing information page on the court’s website at http://riverside.courts.ca.gov/faxlist.shtml.
For the latest information and current listing of all new telephone numbers, please visit the court’s website at www.riverside.courts.ca.gov.
Get the latest information by signing up for Listserv emails at http://listserv.riverside.courts.ca.gov or view updates from the court’s Facebook page at www.Facebook.com or receive tweets from the court’s twitter page at www.twitter.com/RivSuperiorCrt.
Between May and July 1, 2011, the court will be transitioning to a new telephone system. This change will require new court telephone numbers that will be phased in on a courthouse-by-courthouse basis.
For the latest information and current listing of telephone numbers, please visit the court’s website at www.riverside.courts.ca.gov. Get the latest information by signing up for Listserv emails at http://listserv.riverside.courts.ca.gov or view updates from the court’s Facebook page or receive tweets from the court’s twitter page at www.twitter.com/RivSuperiorCrt.
Effective Monday, February 28, 2011, the fax filing number for Riverside Family Law will change. If you are currently registered to fax file, and need to submit documents to Riverside Family Law, please use fax number 951-955-9160. A Judicial Council 'Facsimile Transmission Cover Sheet' must accompany each facsimile filing. Fax filing number 951-955-1939 will no longer be available for use.
If you are not yet registered to fax file and are interested in the service, please visit our website at http://riverside.courts.ca.gov/faxlist.shtml. Parties electing to directly fax file documents will be charged a fax registration fee of $100 for each fiscal year to fax an unlimited number of pages. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express may be used to pay the $100 registration fee for the fax-filing program.
Questions regarding the changes to Riverside Family Law’s fax filing number can be directed to:
This information sheet is for anyone involved in a civil lawsuit who is considering taking part in an expedited jury trial -- a trial that is shorter and has a smaller jury than a traditional jury trial. Taking part in this type of trial means you give up your usual rights to appeal. Please read this information sheet before you agree to have your case tried under the expedited jury trial procedures.
To download the Expedited Jury Trial Information Sheet (EJT-010-INFO), please click here.
On Thursday, January 20, 2011, the Southwest County Bar Association awarded the Honorable Michael S. Hider with the Judicial Officer of the Year Award for 2010.
Judge Hider, who retired from the Merced County Superior Court in 2001, after 17 years of service, came to the Riverside Superior Court that same year to work on assignment as a retired judge. During his time in Riverside County, Judge Hider has worked in the Corona, Hemet, Southwest and Temecula courts, hearing a wide variety of case types including criminal trials, master calendar, drug court, traffic, small claims and limited civil matters. He has been, and continues to be, a valuable asset to the bench, justice community and citizens of Riverside County.
The Southwest Bar Association selects their Judicial Officer of the Year after a nomination process by its membership. After review by board members, the successful candidate was chosen. Scott Minturn, the current President of the Southwest Bar Association, commented that Judge Hider was selected for his "judicial demeanor, courtesy to all, and fair rulings."
Presiding Judge Sherrill A. Ellsworth further stated that the Riverside Superior Court is “honored and privileged to have Judge Hider sitting in our court."
Judge Hider served in the United States Air Force from 1959 to 1962. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Metallurgical Engineering, his Master's Degree in Philosophy, and his Juris Doctorate in 1972. He is married to Eileen and has four children and eight grandchildren.
EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 1, 2010
As a result of the enactment of Senate Bill 857 (Statutes 2010, chapter 720), various civil filing and criminal fees have been established or increased.
New Fee
- $500 renewal fee for application to appear as counsel pro hac vice for each year a case continues.
Increased Fees
- $40 increase to first paper filing fees for unlimited and limited civil cases where the amount in controversy is more than $10,000.
- $20 increase to first paper filing fees for limited civil cases where the amount in controversy is $10,000 or less.
- $300 increase to the summary judgment motion fee.
- $250 increase to the pro hac vice fee.
- $10 increase to the security fee (sunsets on July 1, 2011).
A revised civil fee schedule is posted on the court’s website and is also available at the clerk’s office.
Riverside County Superior Court is pleased to announce that its Family Preservation Court, also known as dependency drug court, has been awarded a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant of $1.5 million spread over four years.
The chair of the court’s Drug Court Oversight Committee, Judge Carol D. Codrington, stated, “This funding will have a positive impact on families in crisis. It will allow the court to expand its collaborative family preservation court program and provide invaluable services which not only saves lives, but heal families."
The court will collaborate with its many partners, which include the Department of Public Social Services, Department of Public Health/Public Health Nurses, Juvenile Defense Panels, County Counsel, Children and Families Futures, Department of Education, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Mental Health Systems, Inc., Father’s Time, and Department of Mental Health to enhance services and expand the number of families served by the Family Preservation Court throughout Riverside County.
Family Preservation Court provides immediate access to a comprehensive network of services to substantially reduce substance abuse, improve family functioning, and establish healthier lifestyles by delivering intensified substance abuse treatment, mental health, and other support services. With the enhancement afforded by the grant funding, the court program plans to add in-home visitation, an educational liaison for all school-aged children, assessments and referrals with Public Health Nurses for all children, the Father’s Time curriculum for men, and peer support groups for all parents enrolled in the program to create and maintain permanent, positive life changes.
On average, each parent in Family Preservation Court has two or three children that will receive the enhanced services of the program. The program will offer this enhanced range of services to 150 currently enrolled children and 60 currently enrolled parents. The program will be expanded to accommodate 1,288 newly enrolled children and 515 parents, for a total of 1,438 children and 575 parents over the four-year grant period.
The target population is children affected by methamphetamine in families participating in Family Preservation Court. These parents are referred to the Department of Public Social Services, Children’s Services Division (CSD) for child abuse and/or neglect and will be referred to Family Preservation Court prior a case filing in order to keep the children in the home or when necessary, after a petition is filed and the children are removed.
The proposed outcomes for the project include:
• 10 percent increase in the numbers of families entering the program prior to a petition being filed with the court, enabling more children to stay in the home.
• Reduce the average length of stay in foster care to six months or less.
• Improve the retention of families in the program to 80 percent.
• 80 percent of families will demonstrate improvement in family functioning.
• 95 percent of children will receive linkages/referrals to needed physical/mental health services.
• 95 percent of children identified as being at-risk will receive links to special educational services.
• 100 percent of newborn babies in the program will not be exposed to drugs.
• Improve overall child well being.
• Improvements in parent criminality, employment, mental health status, and substance abuse.
• 98 percent of families who complete the program will not have children who reenter the foster care system.
Moving swiftly to replace retiring Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George, Gov. Schwarzenegger nominated appellate Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye to the state’s top judicial office last month.
Although Cantil-Sakauye’s name had not appeared on any of the published short lists of candidates for the job, the governor took just a week to make his choice. “Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has a distinguished history of public service and understands that the role of a justice is not to create law, but to independently and fairly interpret and administer the law,” Schwarzenegger said, calling his pick “a living example of the American Dream.” If confirmed by the voters in November, Cantil-Sakauye will become California’s first Filipina chief justice. For more of this article from the California Bar e-Journal (August 2010), click here.
Ronald M. George reshaped California’s legal landscape through sweeping changes he brought to the state’s courts during his 14 years as chief justice, becoming the most influential figure in the judicial system. His announcement last month that he will step down at the end of the year sent shockwaves through California’s legal community.
The chief justice, who is stepping down after 38 years on the bench, made his mark on the high court with hundreds of decisions — most notably the same-sex marriage rulings — and administrative acumen that led to the merger of municipal and superior courts and shifted court governance from the counties to the state. For more of this article from the California Bar e-Journal (August 2010), click here.
Effective July 1, 2010, the court will implement the following procedural and fee changes:
• Access to Imaged Civil Documents on the Internet – The amount for viewing or printing civil court documents available on the Internet will be lowered to $1 per page for the first five pages, $.40 per page after five page pages, with a cap of $40 per document.
• Online Name Searches – The following price structure will be implemented for performing name searches online:
• $1 for 1 search;
• $3.50 for 2-5 searches; and
• $5 for 6-10 searches.
• Individuals or entities may pay a flat fee of $250 per month to perform an unlimited number of online searches. Details will be available on the court’s website in mid-June.
• If a civil case number is provided, the register of actions for that case may be viewed free of charge.
• Criminal defendants will continue to have access to their criminal cases at no charge.
• Updated Fee Schedule – An updated fee schedule is available on the court’s website at http://riverside.courts.ca.gov/localfrms/localfrms.htm or from the clerk’s office.
The California Judicial Council has not sought legislation to close the trial courts in fiscal year 2010-2011. The last scheduled court closure day will be Wednesday, June 16, 2010. Updated information will be provided as it becomes available.
Law enforcement agencies: please advise all law enforcement officers that matters or individuals who have been released may be scheduled on the third Wednesday of each month beginning July, 2010.
Please contact the Court Executive Office at (951) 955-5536 with any questions.
by Donna Thierbach
When I scheduled an interview with Judge John Evans, I thought he was a Riverside County native, since he graduated from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and Citrus Belt Law School and practiced law in Riverside County. However, I soon learned he was born in Virginia, though he never lived there. How does that happen? (For more, click here.)
February 23, 2010. Read more...
On March 26, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the appointment of Samuel Diaz Jr., David A. Gunn, Kelly L. Hansen and Mark E. Johnson to judgeships in the Riverside County Superior Court. Read more...
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