Rule 3.520 Motions filed in the trial court

When multiple similar lawsuits exist in different courts, a party may want to combine them into one coordinated case. To start that process, a party sometimes needs to ask a judge for permission before submitting a formal request to the Judicial Council, which oversees California courts.

To get permission, the party must file a noticed motion with the court where one of the lawsuits is pending. This means other parties get advance notice about the request. The motion must include a proposed order that, if signed, gives the party permission to move forward with the coordination request.

Once a judge grants permission, the party must serve the signed order on all other parties and send it to the Chair of the Judicial Council. The judge can also pause all related cases in that court for up to 30 days to give the party enough time to prepare and submit the full coordination petition.