Law & Motion Calendar

The tentative rulings will become the ruling of the Court unless a party desires to be heard.  If you desire to appear and present oral argument, YOU MUST NOTIFY the Judge’s Judicial Assistant by telephone at (707) 521-6604, and all other opposing parties of your intent to appear, and whether that appearance is in person or via Zoom, no later 4:00 p.m. the court day immediately preceding the day of the hearing.

If the tentative ruling is accepted, no appearance is necessary unless otherwise indicated.

TO JOIN “ZOOM” ONLINE:

Department 18 Hearings

• Meeting ID: 160—739—4368
• Password: 000169
• https://sonomacourt-org.zoomgov.com/j/1607394368?pwd=aW1JTWlIL3NBeE9LVHU2NVVpQlVRUT09
   

TO JOIN DEPARTMENT 18 “ZOOM” BY PHONE:

• By Phone (same meeting ID and password as listed for each calendar):
• Call: +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
   

PLEASE NOTE: The Court’s Official Court Reporters are “not available” within the meaning of California Rules of Court, Rule 2.956, for court reporting of civil cases.

Guide for Participating in Court Proceedings via Zoom for Dept 18:

• After joining the meeting and checking in with the clerk, please mute your audio when not speaking. This helps keep background noise to a minimum.
• Be mindful of background noise when your microphone is not muted. Avoid activities that could create additional noise, such as shuffling papers.
• Position your camera properly if you choose to use a web camera. Be sure it is in a stable position and focused at eye level, if possible. Make sure everything visible in the frame is appropriate for an appearance in court.
• If a confidential session becomes necessary it is incumbent on you to ensure you are able to participate from a private location so that unauthorized people cannot overhear or see the proceedings.
• Chat is enabled for the sharing of documents among participants and the court and to allow attorneys to communicate individually with each other or their clients only. No chat messages should be sent privately to the court as it would amount to an unauthorized ex parte communication. Neither should chat messages be sent to all participants unless directed by the court.
• The recording function has been disabled. Remember, the prohibition against recording court proceedings, even remote ones, remains.
• Be patient. Check in will take more time and the experience from those who have tried this before is that proceedings are a little slower generally.

1.         23CV02168, Weiss v. Satellite Healthcare, Inc.: Motion to be Relieved as Counsel
Counsel Raymond Ghermezian’s motion to be relieved as Plaintiff’s counsel is CONTINUED to Friday, January 30, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 18 to serve Kaiser’s counsel with the motion and lodge a revised Proposed Order with the Court.

The proof of service attached to the motion only shows service on Satellite Healthcare, Inc.’s counsel and Plaintiff Allen A. Weiss. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals’ counsel was not served with the motion in violation of California Rules of Court, Rule 3.1362(d), which requires that the motion and accompanying documents be served on the client and on all other parties who have appeared in the case. Furthermore, the next hearing in this matter is a Case Management Conference on May 5, 2026. However, the Proposed Order lodged with the motion states in sections 7.a. and 8. that the next hearing is on December 2, 2025, which has now passed. Lastly, the Proposed Order lists the Court’s address in sections 7.a. and 8. as “Dept 18 at 600 Administration Drive.” Department 18 is a Civil Department located in the Civil and Family Law Courthouse at 3055 Cleveland Avenue. Thus, Counsel Ghermezian shall lodge a revised Proposed Order showing the correct next hearing date and correct Court address under sections 7.a. and 8.

2.         25CV05055, Casadaban v. Velasquez: Petition for Release of Mechanics’ Lien
The Court previously continued the petition to November 14, 2025 to allow Petitioners to file a proof of service because it was not filed with the petition. At the November 14, 2025 hearing, the Court, again, continued the petition to December 12, 2025 at counsel’s request so that she could properly serve Defendant Jonathan Chavez Velasquez. Counsel had 28 days to serve Defendant Chavez Velasquez but failed to do so in those 28 days. Petitioners sought, by ex parte request, to continue this hearing again. The court is inclined to continue the matter one last time, therefore the hearing continued to January 30, 2026 at 8:30 a.m.

***This is the end of the Tentative Rulings***