Orange County Superior Court to Launch Civil Unlimited Pilot Program for Resolving Discovery Disputes and Expediting Law and Motion Hearings

Santa Ana, CA – The Orange County Superior Court is excited to announce the launch of a new Civil Unlimited Pilot Program dedicated to promptly resolving discovery motions and reducing law and motion hearing delays in the participating departments. This initiative, set to begin on June 30, 2025, is part of the Court’s ongoing delay reduction efforts.

Participating Departments:
The following departments have been designated to participate in this pilot program:

• Department C15 – Hon. Michael J. Strickroth
• Department C24 – Hon. Lindsey E. Martinez
• Department C28 – Hon. Thomas S. McConville
• Department N16 – Hon. Donald F. Gaffney
• Department W8 – Hon. Sheila O. Recio

Program Overview:
A new, dedicated discovery department will be created to streamline the resolution of discovery disputes and reduce calendar congestion in the participating departments by centralizing discovery motions in a single, dedicated department. On an expedited basis, all discovery motions filed in the participating departments will be set for an informal discovery conference in the dedicated discovery department with the Hon. Andre De La Cruz presiding. Only if the conference is unsuccessful, will the motion proceed to full briefing and a formal hearing in the discovery department.

Next Steps:
A brown bag meeting will be held at Costa Mesa Justice Center to provide additional, detailed information about the pilot program.

Download the program flyer.

TITLE: Introducing the Unlimited Civil Dedicated Discovery Department
SPEAKERS: Honorable David J. Hesseltine, Civil Panel Supervising Judge; Honorable Andre De La Cruz, Dedicated Discovery Department Judge
DATE: Thursday, June 26, 2025
TIME: 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM
LOCATION: Costa Mesa Justice Complex, Department CM01 - 3390 Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (In Person & Remote)

Click here to view the official news release.