Magistrate Judge Douglas F. McCormick -- United States District Court, Central District of California

Courtroom 6B, 6th Floor, Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Santa Ana

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Key Traps — Where Counsel Gets Caught

1. IDC is telephonic (not Zoom by default) — moving party emails DFM_Chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov with at least 3 proposed dates/times; court prefers 9:30 a.m. conferences
2. IDC letter briefs capped at 2 pages, due at least 24 HOURS before the telephonic conference — synopsis of dispute plus meet-and-confer efforts
3. Expedited Trial Procedure is opt-in only, but if used: MTD/oppositions capped at 15 pages, MSJ/Daubert and oppositions at 25 pages, replies not allowed absent leave (5 pages max if granted)
4. Discovery motions must be filed no later than 30 days before the end of the discovery period — later filings risk untimely dismissal
5. Telephonic hearing appearance requires request at least 2 court days before hearing — special appearances are NOT permitted, counsel of record must appear
6. No mandatory chambers copies required by default — but proposed orders MUST be emailed in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect to DFM_Chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov
7. Tentative rulings ARE issued as appropriate (federal-atypical) — available after noon on the business day before hearing or ~30 min pre-hearing in courtroom
8. Stipulated protective orders: court RECOMMENDS including a separate 'GOOD CAUSE STATEMENT' — independent good-cause determination even when parties stipulate
9. Ex parte oppositions are due by NOON the first court day after service — discovery disputes may not be routed through ex parte applications

Quick Reference

Topic	Rule
Motion Days	HEARINGS: Unless otherwise directed by the Court, civil motions are heard on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. It is not necessary to clear a motion date with the Court's clerk prior to filing the motion, although the Court reserves the right to sua sponte continue motions or decide them on the papers without oral argument. [mj-mccormick-douglas \| motion_hearing_days]
Motion Limit	Expedited Trial Procedure (opt-in only): Motions to dismiss and oppositions are limited to 15 pages. Motions for summary judgment, Daubert motions, and their respective oppositions are limited to 25 pages. Evidentiary attachments are limited to material strictly necessary to the determination of the motion. Reply briefs will not be allowed without leave of Court, and when allowed will be limited to 5 pages. [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]
Chambers Copies	Conditional CHAMBERS COPIES: Until further notice, no mandatory chambers copies are required. Electronic copies of proposed orders, in Microsoft Word or... [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]
Tentative Rulings	TENTATIVE RULINGS: Tentative rulings are issued as appropriate. If issued, they will be available by clicking on the 'Tentative Rulings' link above after Noon on the business day before the hearing and/or approximately 1/2 hour prior to the hearing in the courtroom. If all parties submit on the tentative ruling, please advise the Courtroom Deputy, and no appearance will be required. [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]
Remote Appearances	TELEPHONIC APPEARANCES: Any party who wishes to appear at a hearing by telephone must make such a request at least two court days before the hearing. SPECIAL APPEARANCES: The Court does not permit special appearances. Counsel of record shall appear at all court proceedings. [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]

Procedural Briefing by Motion Type

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Before You File

Motion Days & Times

HEARINGS: Unless otherwise directed by the Court, civil motions are heard on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. It is not necessary to clear a motion date with the Court's clerk prior to filing the motion, although the Court reserves the right to sua sponte continue motions or decide them on the papers without oral argument. [mj-mccormick-douglas | motion_hearing_days]

Motion Page / Word Limit

Expedited Trial Procedure (opt-in only): Motions to dismiss and oppositions are limited to 15 pages. Motions for summary judgment, Daubert motions, and their respective oppositions are limited to 25 pages. Evidentiary attachments are limited to material strictly necessary to the determination of the motion. Reply briefs will not be allowed without leave of Court, and when allowed will be limited to 5 pages. [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]

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At Filing

Chambers Copies

Conditional CHAMBERS COPIES: Until further notice, no mandatory chambers copies are required. Electronic copies of proposed orders, in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect format, MUST be e-mailed to the Court at DFM_Chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov. [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]

Proposed Orders

CHAMBERS COPIES: Electronic copies of proposed orders, in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect format, MUST be e-mailed to the Court at DFM_Chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov. STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDERS: The Court recognizes that protective orders facilitate the exchange of materials in the discovery process. Even where the parties stipulate to a protective order, however, the Court must independently determine if good cause exists for the issuance of the order. The Court thus recommends that each protective order include a separate 'GOOD CAUSE STATEMENT' that sets forth the reasons establishing good cause. [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]

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Before the Hearing

Tentative Rulings

TENTATIVE RULINGS: Tentative rulings are issued as appropriate. If issued, they will be available by clicking on the 'Tentative Rulings' link above after Noon on the business day before the hearing and/or approximately 1/2 hour prior to the hearing in the courtroom. If all parties submit on the tentative ruling, please advise the Courtroom Deputy, and no appearance will be required. [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]

Remote Appearances

TELEPHONIC APPEARANCES: Any party who wishes to appear at a hearing by telephone must make such a request at least two court days before the hearing. SPECIAL APPEARANCES: The Court does not permit special appearances. Counsel of record shall appear at all court proceedings. [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]

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Background Rules

Chambers Contact

CONTACTS WITH CHAMBERS: Counsel are not allowed to call chambers or the Court's law clerks unless specifically directed to do so by the Court or the Court's clerk. [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]

Discovery Dispute Procedure

DISCOVERY MOTIONS: Discovery motions are to be calendared before the magistrate judge unless otherwise ordered by the district judge. Compliance with Local Rule 37-1 is required. The parties are strongly encouraged to use the Court's informal discovery procedure. Discovery motions shall be filed no later than 30 days before the end of the discovery period. All Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Local Rules concerning discovery disputes apply. [mj-mccormick-douglas | discovery_dispute_procedure]

Discovery Motion Process

DISCOVERY MOTIONS: Discovery motions are to be calendared before the magistrate judge unless otherwise ordered by the district judge. Compliance with Local Rule 37-1 is required. Discovery disputes should generally not be brought to the Court's attention in an ex parte application. [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]

Ex Parte Applications

EX PARTE APPLICATIONS: Compliance with Local Rules 7-19 and 7-19.1 is required. An ex parte application is usually considered on the papers only. If the application is opposed, opposition papers should be filed no later than noon on the first court day following service of the application. In most cases, the Court will wait until that time before ruling. If needed, the Court will schedule a hearing. Discovery disputes should generally not be brought to the Court's attention in an ex parte application. [Judge McCormick Procedures Page]

Under Seal Filings

Procedure for Presenting Documents for Sealing in Civil Cases. Effective December 1, 2015, all parties and counsel must comply with all steps of the multi-step procedure set forth in Local Rule 79-5. STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDERS: If confidential material is included in any papers to be filed in Court, such papers shall be accompanied by an application, pursuant to Local Rule 79-5.1, to file the papers - or the confidential portion thereof - under seal. The application shall be directed to the judge to whom the papers are directed. Pending the ruling on the application, the papers or portions thereof subject to the sealing application shall be lodged under seal. [Guide to Electronically Filing Under-Seal Documents in Civil Cases]

Sources & Currency

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