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Civil

Filing Papers

When filing papers with the court, please observe the following guidelines:

  1. Pleadings must comply with California Rules of Court, Rule 2.100 TO 2.119. Exhibits must be legible.
  2. Mandatory Electronic Filing and Service (Local Rule 10)
    1. All documents filed in civil, probate, and family law cases shall be filed and served electronically except when personal service is required by statute or rule and excluding ex parte applications (January 1, 2021)
  3. Electronic Filing Rules
    1. California Rules of court, 2.256 to 2.261 and Local Rule 10
  4. If the correct filing fee does not accompany the document to be filed, the document will be returned unfiled. 

Fee Waiver

Litigants meeting statutory income limitations may be eligible for a waiver of court fees and costs. A Request to Waive Court Fees must be filed with the first documents the litigant presents for filing a case. The Request is reviewed by a judge and a determination is made as to whether the litigant is eligible for the waiver. A clerk may also grant a fee waiver based on certain information.

Obtaining A Copy Of Document

Most civil court files are public records and may be viewed and copied by anyone. To obtain a copy of a file or a document in a file, a person may:

  1. Appear in person at the civil filing counter to make your request.  Prior to appearing for cases older than 10 years, it is suggested that you contact the civil division to check the availability of the case.
  2. Hire a private agency to assist you.
  3. Write a letter to the court including the required fees for copying and research, the case number if known, the names of the parties, the name of the document if copies of a specific document are being requested, and as much other information as can be provided. You may send a check made out to Yolo Superior Court, bearing the words "not to exceed (amount) dollars" in the memo section of the check. A receipt will be returned with your copies. Also, a self-addressed stamped envelope must be included for mailing the copies to the person requesting them. See the Uniform Fee Schedule for the amount of fees.

Status Of A Case

Case information is available here. Information about a pending or recently concluded civil case, except small claims or unlawful detainer cases, may be obtained by calling the Civil Division at (530) 406-6704 or by appearing in person at the Civil Legal Process Counter. Civil staff can assist in answering questions about the status of documents and upcoming scheduled hearings and events. Civil Staff may not give legal advice or tell anyone how to proceed in a case (see Government Code section 68082)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

A civil complaint commences a civil action.

A cross-complaint is a counter suit naming the Plaintiff and/or another party or parties.

A summons is a notice to a defendant that an action against him/her was filed in the court issuing the summons and notifying the defendant that a Judgment may be taken against him/her if the defendant does not answer the complaint within a certain time.

A Demurrer is a pleading that objects to possible legal defects in the specified document objected to.

Proof of service is a written statement signed by the server that the other party or parties received a copy of the documents filed.

This records the fact that the defendant defaulted by not answering within the prescribed period of time.

If a case is dismissed without prejudice the litigant can sue again on the same cause of action.

A Judgment is the final determination and outcome of a civil suit.

A Civil Harassment Restraining Order is an order to protect you from a person harassing you who is not a close family member and does not reside with you.

An Elder Abuse Restraining Order is an order to protect you (if you are 65 years of age or older or you are a dependent adult) from being physically, financially, mentally, or emotionally abused, neglected, abandoned, or abducted.

A Workplace Violence Restraining Order is an order to protect you, as an employee, from suffering unlawful violence or credible threats of violence. Only an employer can request a workplace violence protection order for an employee.

CMC is short for Case Management Conference which is an overview to address all the issues of the case.

A Settlement Conference is a meeting between opposing sides to attempt to reach a mutually agreed-upon resolution or settlement in the case.

Arbitration is an attempt to resolve the difference in the case and reach an agreement through a third party other than the judge.

A TSC is short for Trial Setting Conference where the Court will set a date for trial.

A TRC is short for Trial Readiness Conference where the Court will meet with the parties to an action to make sure the parties are ready to go to trial.

A Trial is when a case is presented to a judge or jury to decide the verdict in favor of a party.

You can obtain the tentative rulings by telephone by calling (530) 406-6806 or visit http://www.yolo.courts.ca.gov/online-services/tentative-rulings