Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Page 3
Personal Injury Hearings to Return to Antelope Valley
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Pretrial proceedings in unlimited jurisdiction personal injury cases will return to the Antelope Valley, beginning March 1, the Los Angeles Superior Court said yesterday.
In a release posted on its website, the court said hearings in personal injury cases—a category that includes medical malpractice; motor vehicle collision claims, including property damage; and most product liability claims, but not defamation or non-health-care malpractice—will be held in the North District for cases filed there.
As of March 1, the court explained, all unlimited jurisdiction personal injury cases originating in the North District must be filed in Lancaster. Pretrial hearings in those cases will then be held there, but cases will be transferred downtown on the trial date for reassignment, and can be sent to any of the 31 designated personal injury trial courtrooms around the county.
The court also explained that cases transferred downtown from the Antelope Valley in 2013 will be transferred back on April 1, and that cases filed downtown since March 18 of last year will be transferred if they can be identified as Antelope Valley cases.
Existing court dates in transferred cases remain in effect unless ordered otherwise, the court said, adding that lawyers in the various cases will receive notice from the court.
Copyright 2014, Metropolitan News Company