Judge: Mark H. Epstein, Case: 19SMCV01960, Date: 2022-12-13 Tentative Ruling

The Court generally uploads tentative rulings the morning of the hearing.  Because of that, the parties cannot submit on the tentative the night before and not appear.  However, if after reviewing the tentative ruling ALL COUNSEL submit, they should tell the Court's judicial assistant when checking in and the Court will endeavor to either not hear the case in light of the submission or, if the Court believes that a hearing is still needed for some other reason, then the Court will be inclined to give priority.

In some cases, tentative rulings may be given by email the morning of the hearing rather than on the tentative ruling site.  Please check your email if you have not seen the tentative.  The email is generally sent to the persons who have signed up for a remote hearing.

For those appearing in the courtroom, the Court will provide a hard copy of the tentative ruling. 

Case Number: 19SMCV01960    Hearing Date: December 13, 2022    Dept: R

The court will accommodate the maternity leave.  At the time that the trial was set, the issue was brought to the court’s attention.  The court was aware when the date was set that this could occur if the court was not ready to begin the trial immediately.  The court was engaged in trial, however, and therefore the trial could not begin right away.  While the court is aware that plaintiff would prefer a shorter maternity leave, on balance the court believes that the request is reasonable.  Accordingly, the court is inclined to set a date as soon as possible after counsel returns.  The various trial-related deadlines will not be extended.