When is the Jury “Impaneled and Sworn” for Purposes of the Five Year Rule of CCP § 583.310, et seq.

Jury impaneled and sworn

The case of RUTH McCLAMMA STUEVE et al., v. BUCHALTER NEMER et al., answered this very question. The Stueve case stated: Generally, an action must be “brought to trial” within five years of the filing of a civil complaint. (Code Civ. Proc., § 583.310, et seq.) 1 If the time period is not tolled by statute, the case must be dismissed. (§§ 583.340, 583.360.) Continue reading

Perpetrators Can No Longer Use a Loop Hole In CCP § 1002 to Hide Their Sex Abuses Under the Cloak of Confidentiality

dirty little secrets ccp 1002An Amendment to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1002 Prevents Hiding Certain Sex Abuses Behind Confidentiality Clauses

As of January 1, 2017, a bill amending California Code of Civil Procedure §1002 would prohibit a confidentiality or secrecy provision in a settlement agreement in a civil action for an act of childhood sexual abuse or an act of sexual assault against an elder or dependent adult and would prohibit a court from entering an order restricting access to or disclosure of any information obtained through discovery.

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