Magistrate Judge Angela C. C. Viramontes -- 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. Pre-motion VIDEO conference is MANDATORY before any discovery motion — Court may STRIKE any discovery motion filed in violation of this rule
2. Custody exception: pre-motion conference requirement does NOT apply to ex parte applications where a party to the discovery dispute is in custody
3. Joint IDC email must include ALL FOUR: discovery cut-off date, three proposed Wednesday dates, neutral dispute statement, and each party's position
4. IDC case-citation cap: 2 cases per dispute MAX, and only Ninth Circuit, a Ninth Circuit district court, or CA Supreme Court / Court of Appeal — SCOTUS and out-of-circuit don't count
5. Each party's IDC position description is limited to THREE SENTENCES per dispute — do not draft a mini-brief in the request email
6. Remote appearances are BY VIDEO (Zoom) — telephone requires a request at least 2 court days out AND good-cause showing
7. Formal court attire required for remote appearances; NO speakerphones; headsets preferred — noncompliance may terminate the hearing on the spot
8. Remote parties must appear from a professional or quiet location — not events, moving vehicles, or outdoors — hearing may be immediately terminated
9. Settlement conferences default to Zoom Webinar; a party objecting to video must notify the CRD to invoke the in-person alternative — silence means video
10. Settlement-conference contact required at least 30 days before the settlement completion deadline; requests less than a week out may be refused
11. ADR referral order MUST be on file before the CRD will schedule a settlement conference — a common sequencing trap

Quick Reference

Topic	Rule
Motion Days	Civil Motions are heard on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. Discovery Motions must first comply with the Judge's Pre-Motion Video Conference requirements prior to filing a discovery motion (if Wednesday is a holiday, next motion date is the following Wednesday). Alternative dates and times may be scheduled by the Court after consultation with counsel. It is not necessary to clear a civil motion date with the Courtroom Deputy Clerk (CRD) prior to filing the motion unless it is a discovery dispute. The Court may take any motion under submission without oral argument. [Judge Viramontes Procedures Page]
Chambers Copies	Conditional
Remote Appearances	Remote Appearances: Remote appearances are conducted by video via the Court's preferred platform, Zoom. Any party seeking to appear by telephone must submit a request at least two court days before the hearing. Telephone appearances are not permitted absent prior Court approval upon a showing of good cause. Formal court attire is required. Parties must participate from a professional setting or a quiet location; not from events, moving vehicles or outdoors. No use of speakerphones; headsets are preferred. Failure to comply may result in immediate termination of the hearing. [Judge Viramontes Procedures Page]

Procedural Briefing by Motion Type

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Before You File

Motion Days & Times

Civil Motions are heard on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. Discovery Motions must first comply with the Judge's Pre-Motion Video Conference requirements prior to filing a discovery motion (if Wednesday is a holiday, next motion date is the following Wednesday). Alternative dates and times may be scheduled by the Court after consultation with counsel. It is not necessary to clear a civil motion date with the Courtroom Deputy Clerk (CRD) prior to filing the motion unless it is a discovery dispute. The Court may take any motion under submission without oral argument. [Judge Viramontes Procedures Page]

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At Filing

Chambers Copies

Conditional

Proposed Orders

Electronic copies of proposed orders shall be emailed to the Court at ACCV_Chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov. Proposed orders shall be in Microsoft Word format. All proposed orders approving stipulated protective orders must be submitted (1) in Word format, and (2) with the full text of the stipulated protective order. [Judge Viramontes Procedures Page]

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Before the Hearing

Remote Appearances

Remote Appearances: Remote appearances are conducted by video via the Court's preferred platform, Zoom. Any party seeking to appear by telephone must submit a request at least two court days before the hearing. Telephone appearances are not permitted absent prior Court approval upon a showing of good cause. Formal court attire is required. Parties must participate from a professional setting or a quiet location; not from events, moving vehicles or outdoors. No use of speakerphones; headsets are preferred. Failure to comply may result in immediate termination of the hearing. [Judge Viramontes Procedures Page]

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Background Rules

Discovery Dispute Procedure

Pre-Motion Discovery Dispute Conference (By Video): In the Court's experience, discovery disputes may often be resolved without the need of formal motion papers. To facilitate the just and expedient resolution of discovery matters and to conserve the parties' and the Court's resources, the parties must adhere to the following procedure. This procedure does not apply to ex parte applications where a party to the discovery dispute is in custody. As Local Civil Rule 37-1 requires, the parties must meet and confer in an attempt to resolve any discovery disputes. Once the parties have determined that they have reached an impasse, within twenty-four hours of the last conference, or as soon thereafter as practical, the movant must e-mail ACCV_chambers@cacd.uscourts.gov seeking a video conference with the Court to discuss the discovery dispute. A joint e-mail must include: (1) the discovery cut-off date in the case; (2) at least three proposed dates (Wednesday, Civil Motion hearing dates) mutually agreed by the parties for the video conference; (3) a neutral statement of the dispute(s); and (4) a brief description of each party's position on the dispute(s). For each dispute, the description may include a citation to no more than two pertinent cases decided by the Ninth Circuit, a district court in the Ninth Circuit, or (when applicable) the California Supreme Court or Court of Appeal. Each party's description should be no more than three sentences per dispute. The movant must cc: opposing counsel on the e-mail. Discovery Motion(s) shall not be filed with the Court until the Court has conducted its pre-motion conference. The Court may strike any filed discovery motion(s) in violation of this rule or failure to comply with Local Civil Rule 37-1. [Judge Viramontes Procedures Page]

Sources & Currency

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