Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym -- United States District Court, Central District of California

Courtroom 4, 3rd Floor, George E. Brown, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Riverside

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Key Traps — Where Counsel Gets Caught

1. Discovery motions ONLY reach Judge Pym if the district judge has referred them — do not calendar directly before the magistrate by default
2. SILENT on any judge-specific IDC / pre-motion conference procedure — the only remedy is a fully compliant LR 37 joint stipulation
3. Mandatory chambers copies of ALL e-filed documents to the 3rd-Floor Riverside copy box by noon next court day — Judge Pym has NOT waived LR 5-4.5
4. Chambers copies do NOT have to be blue-backed — a common LA-habit trap for out-of-district counsel
5. Proposed orders must be emailed to SP_Chambers in WordPerfect OR Microsoft Word — one of the few CA-CD judges still accepting WordPerfect
6. Civil motions heard Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m. — NOT the Wednesday default many CA-CD magistrates use
7. Settlement-conference request must reach the CRD at least 45 days in advance of the settlement cut-off date — later contact may be turned away
8. Telephonic appearance request due at least 2 court days before hearing AND permitted only on good-cause showing — day-of calls will be denied
9. Chambers email is for proposed orders ONLY — any other message to SP_Chambers (or to law clerks) is prohibited
10. Ex parte opposition due within 24 hours of applicant's ORAL notice — not 24 hours after e-filing; the clock starts at oral contact
11. Ex parte is not an acceptable method of raising a discovery dispute absent an emergency — Judge Pym will bounce it back

Quick Reference

Topic	Rule
Motion Days	Civil motions are heard on Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m. (If Tuesday is a holiday, next motion date is the following Tuesday.) It is not necessary to clear a civil motion date with the Court Room Deputy Clerk (CRD) prior to filing the motion. The Court may take any motion under submission without oral argument. See Local Rule 7-15. The parties shall contact the CRD to schedule all motions in criminal cases. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]
Chambers Copies	Conditional Mandatory chambers copies of all e-filed documents must be delivered to the chambers copy box on the 3rd Floor by noon on the court day... [Judge Pym Procedures Page]
Tentative Rulings	If there is a tentative ruling, it will be provided to counsel at the time counsel checks in with the CRD. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]
Remote Appearances	Any party who wishes to appear at a hearing by telephone shall make such a request at least two court days before the hearing. Telephonic appearances are not allowed absent permission of the Court given on showing of good cause. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]

Procedural Briefing by Motion Type

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Before You File

Motion Days & Times

Civil motions are heard on Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m. (If Tuesday is a holiday, next motion date is the following Tuesday.) It is not necessary to clear a civil motion date with the Court Room Deputy Clerk (CRD) prior to filing the motion. The Court may take any motion under submission without oral argument. See Local Rule 7-15. The parties shall contact the CRD to schedule all motions in criminal cases. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]

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At Filing

Chambers Copies

Conditional Mandatory chambers copies of all e-filed documents must be delivered to the chambers copy box on the 3rd Floor by noon on the court day following the date of filing as required by Local Rule 5-4.5. Electronic copies of proposed orders shall be emailed to the Court at SP_chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov. Proposed orders shall be in WordPerfect or Microsoft Word format. Chambers copies do not have to be blue-backed. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]

Proposed Orders

Electronic copies of proposed orders shall be emailed to the Court at SP_chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov. Proposed orders shall be in WordPerfect or Microsoft Word format. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]

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Before the Hearing

Tentative Rulings

If there is a tentative ruling, it will be provided to counsel at the time counsel checks in with the CRD. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]

Remote Appearances

Any party who wishes to appear at a hearing by telephone shall make such a request at least two court days before the hearing. Telephonic appearances are not allowed absent permission of the Court given on showing of good cause. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]

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Background Rules

Chambers Contact

Inquiries regarding the status of a motion, stipulation, or proposed order should be made by checking the docket. If the information is unavailable, counsel may contact the CRD. Also, please refer to Local Rule 11-4.5. Counsel are not allowed to contact the magistrate judge's law clerks, or to communicate with chambers by means of the Court's email address other than to email proposed orders. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]

Discovery Dispute Procedure

Discovery motions are to be scheduled before the magistrate judge only if referred by the district judge. Counsel are advised to review the procedures and standing orders of the assigned district judge before filing any discovery motion. Strict compliance with Local Rule 37 is required. The Court may take any motion under submission without oral argument. See Local Rule 7-15. Please note that, absent an emergency, ex parte applications are not an acceptable method of bringing a discovery dispute to the attention of the Court. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]

Discovery Motion Process

Ex Parte Applications

Procedures for filing an ex parte application: Strict compliance with Local Rule 7-19 is required. Any opposition should be served and filed within 24 hours of applicant's oral notice. Conformed paper copies of the filed application and any opposition should be delivered directly to chambers. Ex parte applications will ordinarily be decided on the papers without oral argument. The Court will notify the parties if it desires a hearing. Please note that, absent an emergency, ex parte applications are not an acceptable method of bringing a discovery dispute to the attention of the Court. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]

Under Seal Filings

Stipulated Protective Orders: The Court may only enter a protective order upon a showing of good cause. Kamakana v. City and Cnty. of Honolulu, 447 F.3d 1172, 1176 (9th Cir. 2006). The Court will not enter a protective order that provides for the automatic sealing of all confidential documents. 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. In the event of a dispute regarding the designation of confidential information, the procedure for obtaining a decision from the Court is that set forth in Local Rule 37. [Judge Pym Procedures Page]

Sources & Currency

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