There is no Riverside-specific local form called a “Trial Setting Conference Statement.” For a Trial Setting Conference (TSC) in Riverside County Superior Court, the operative filing is the Judicial Council Case Management Statement, Form CM-110, due at least 15 days before the hearing, supplemented by whatever the assigned trial department requires. What actually matters at the hearing is arriving with concrete answers to the questions the court’s pretrial procedures tell you to expect, because the judge plans to set a trial date that day.
What to File Before the Hearing
Riverside’s local forms page lists RI-CI025, a Stipulation and Order to Advance Trial Setting Conference, but that form is for moving the TSC to an earlier date. It is not a case information statement.1Superior Court of California. Local Forms
The statement the court actually reads is the Case Management Statement on Judicial Council Form CM-110, filed at least 15 days before the Case Management Conference that precedes trial setting. CM-110 covers discovery status, jury demand, estimated trial length, and related cases, which are the same subjects the judge will press you on at the TSC.2Riverside Superior Court. Pretrial Procedures in Riverside Superior Court California Rules of Court Rule 3.727 sets out the full subject list the court considers, including pending motions, insurance coverage issues, and alternative dispute resolution.3Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 3.727 – Subjects To Be Considered at the Case Management Conference
Individual trial departments can go further. Riverside’s pretrial guide states that each of the twelve trial departments has discretion to adopt its own practices, and department-specific procedures control where they conflict with the general document.2Riverside Superior Court. Pretrial Procedures in Riverside Superior Court Once your case is assigned, check the online docket and the department’s standing orders for any added filing.
What the Judge Will Ask You at the TSC
The court’s stated goal is to set a trial date at the first TSC, generally five to six months out, and it intends to hold only one TSC per case. Coming without answers means the judge may continue the conference and issue an Order to Show Cause regarding sanctions.2Riverside Superior Court. Pretrial Procedures in Riverside Superior Court
Have specific answers ready on each of the following:
- Whether the case will be ready for trial in roughly five to six months, and if not, exactly why and when it will be.
- At least two proposed trial dates, agreed to by all parties, no more than six months out.
- Backup availability if those dates are taken: trial counsel, clients, experts, and witnesses, plus planned vacations for every Friday in that window.
- Whether you demand a jury, the date you deposited jury fees, and whether that deposit was timely.
- A realistic estimate of trial length in days.
- The nature and date of any past or upcoming mediation, and whether a mandatory settlement conference should be scheduled.
- Whether clients and their insurance representatives can attend on the trial date.
Work these out with opposing counsel before you walk in. The court schedules trials on Fridays, and the judge will want dates that survive contact with everyone’s calendar. If your Friday is a holiday, expect the last court day of that week, and know that up to five or six trials may be set on the same Friday.2Riverside Superior Court. Pretrial Procedures in Riverside Superior Court
The Jury Fee Deposit
If you want a jury, you must post a nonrefundable $150 deposit. The default deadline is on or before the date of the initial case management conference. Miss it and you waive a jury unless another party on your side of the case has already paid. The judge will ask at the TSC whether the deposit was made and whether it was timely, so know your own case status before you appear.
If you first appeared after the initial case management conference or more than 365 days after the complaint was filed, the fee is due at least 25 calendar days before trial. Late payment is one of the most common ways litigants accidentally end up with a bench trial.
Filing, Service, and Remote Appearance
Riverside accepts electronic filings for unlimited civil, complex, limited civil, unlawful detainer, and small claims cases through its approved portal.4Journal Technologies. eFiling and Court Reservation System The portal charges a $9.45 e-filing service provider fee plus 2.75% of any court filing fee, and those charges are nonrefundable. A credit card is required even with a fee waiver.5Journal Technologies. eFiling Services Paper filing at the clerk’s window remains available.
Every document filed must also be served on all other parties. The person who delivered the documents completes a Proof of Service on Form POS-040, recording what was served, on whom, when, where, and how, and you file that proof so the clerk can confirm notice before the hearing.6Judicial Council of California. Proof of Service – Civil
Riverside uses Zoom for remote appearances. For non-evidentiary hearings like the TSC, no advance notice to the court is required. You do need to tell opposing parties you’ll appear remotely, and informal notice by phone, email, or text is acceptable.7Superior Court of California – County of Riverside. Remote Appearances TSCs run Monday through Thursday.
Continuances and Last-Minute Calendar Changes
A continuance of the TSC is possible by motion, ex parte application, or stipulation, but the pretrial procedures document says counsel should assume a trial date will be set rather than the TSC being continued.2Riverside Superior Court. Pretrial Procedures in Riverside Superior Court The court also reviews its calendar one to three court days in advance, so hearings can be vacated or moved on short notice. Check the online docket the afternoon before your TSC to confirm it is still on.
What Happens If You Come Unprepared
Missing a filing deadline, failing to appear, or showing up without answers can trigger an Order to Show Cause on sanctions. Under Rule 2.30, the court may order reasonable monetary sanctions for rule violations, plus the opposing party’s reasonable attorney’s fees and costs incurred on the sanctions motion.8Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court Rule 2.30 – Sanctions for Rules Violations in Civil Cases
Behind the individual hearing sits a harder deadline. California law requires every civil action to be brought to trial within five years of filing, and if that date passes the court must dismiss.9California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 583.310 The TSC is where the court locks in the schedule that keeps your case away from that cliff, which is why the judge treats it as a working hearing and expects you to do the same.