Judge: Robert B. Broadbelt, Case: BC717712, Date: 2024-04-18 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: BC717712    Hearing Date: April 18, 2024    Dept: 53

Superior Court of California

County of Los Angeles – Central District

Department 53

 

 

los angeles community college district ex rel. newt kellam ;

 

Plaintiff,

 

 

vs.

 

 

morillo construction, inc. , et al.;

 

Defendants.

Case No.:

BC717712

 

 

 

 

order to show cause why the court should not, on its own motion, reconsider, vacate, and issue new order on plaintiff/relator’s code of civil procedure § 170.6 challenge to judge cochran

 

 

It appears from the record in this action that a Code of Civil Procedure section 170.6 challenge filed by plaintiff/relator Newton W. Kellam on August 28, 2018 against Judge Patricia Nieto was accepted and granted on August 31, 2018, and that another Code of Civil Procedure section 170.6 challenge filed by plaintiff/relator Newton W. Kellam on March 4, 2024 against Judge Steve Cochran was accepted and granted on March 5, 2024.  However, section 170.6, subdivision (a)(4) provides that, “[e]xcept as provided in this section, no party or attorney shall be permitted to make more than one such motion in any one action or special proceeding pursuant to this section[,]” and “only one motion for each side may be made in any one action or special proceeding.” 

Judge Cochran is unavailable to reconsider the March 5, 2024 order, which accepted plaintiff/relator Newton W. Kellam’s March 4, 2024 Code of Civil Procedure section 170.6 challenge to Judge Cochran and reassigned this matter to Judge Robert B. Broadbelt in Department 53 for all further proceedings, because he is disqualified pursuant to the March 5, 2024 order.  (Geddes v. Superior Court (2005) 126 Cal.App.4th 417, 425-426 [although, generally, one trial judge may not review the ruling of another trial judge, that principle “does not apply where the original judge is ‘unavailable’”].)

Therefore, the court issues an Order to Show Cause why the court should not, on its own motion, (1) reconsider and vacate Judge Cochran’s March 5, 2024 order accepting plaintiff/relator Newton W. Kellam’s March 4, 2024 Code of Civil Procedure section 170.6 challenge against Judge Cochran and reassigning this matter to Judge Robert B. Broadbelt in Department 53 for all further proceedings, and (2) issue a new order denying plaintiff/relator Newton W. Kellam’s March 4, 2024 Code of Civil Procedure section 170.6 challenge against Judge Cochran.  The court sets a hearing on the Order to Show Cause for the parties to be heard on this matter on May 1, 2024 at 10:00 a.m., in Department 53.  The court orders that any response to the Order to Show Cause shall be filed no later than April 26, 2024.

The court directs the clerk to give notice of this order.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

 

DATED:  April 18, 2024

 

_____________________________

Robert B. Broadbelt III

Judge of the Superior Court