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Law360 (June 2, 2020, 11:03 PM EDT) -- The Los Angeles County Superior Court announced Tuesday that it is deploying a new court-developed remote appearance system for civil suits and other matters, available beginning the week of June 22 to attorneys and self-represented litigants to help fight the COVID-19 health crisis.
The LACourtConnect system will allow for more hearings to be conducted remotely and "dramatically change the traditional in-person courtroom appearance model," according to the announcement.
The Superior Court said it will also be expanding its current use of video system WebEx to new litigation areas so that at least 580 courtrooms will have remote appearance technology by August.
"LACourtConnect will provide a safe and convenient alternative to coming through the courthouse doors to appear for your hearing," Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile said in a statement. "As we restore court operations on June 15 and gradually resume hearings beginning June 22, we want to assure litigants and attorneys the court will open its doors with infection control measures, social distancing and face covering requirements."
The Superior Court system shut down much of its operations in March, including all civil and criminal trials. The new announcement comes after all state courts in Los Angeles County were closed Monday due to widespread protests over police brutality, and three others were closed again on Tuesday.
LACourtConnect will be available starting the week of June 22 for civil settlements and probate matters and will be phased in over the summer for all limited civil, unlimited civil, and complex, family law and traffic courtrooms, according to the announcement.
Remote appearances have previously been handled through the CourtCall system, and the Superior Court said it "extends its gratitude and appreciation to CourtCall for its many years of valuable remote appearance services at the court." The CourtCall system would continue to be available in the coming months in courtrooms where the LACourtConnect system was not yet active, according to the announcement.
CourtCall costs $94, but the new LACourtConnect will cost $15 for an audio appearance, $23 for a video appearance, and be free for individuals with fee waivers in order to make the option "widely available," the Superior Court said.
"I want to thank our executive officer/clerk of the court Sherri R. Carter for her continuing efforts to introduce new technology which not only improves the services the court provides to court users and the legal community, but also addresses these unprecedented health and safety concerns," Judge Brazile said. "The COVID-19 pandemic — and the court's response — will lead to lasting changes in court operations as we develop and introduce even more technology solutions to modernize the largest trial court system in the nation."
The Los Angeles County Superior Court is not the only court system rethinking its approach to remote appearances.
A Texas state court insurance trial held in May appears to have been the first in the country to use the videoconferencing platform Zoom with jurors during the coronavirus pandemic. The public got to observe the jury selection process handled by two Texas state court judges and three attorneys as 25 potential jurors were vetted. But the trial itself happened behind virtually closed doors because it was a summary jury trial that's part of the mediation process in a hail and wind damage dispute between State Farm Lloyds and policyholder Virtuwave Holdings LLC.
In Virginia, a virtual federal bench trial was held in May. The case, in which Cisco Systems was accused of infringing a startup's network security patents, started out with a technical tutorial, and the judge, attorneys and witnesses all participated remotely. Other virtual bench trials have been taking place across the country, although they have been fairly limited so far.
Of the 702 judges who responded to an online survey by the National Judicial College, 48% reported they are using Zoom and 25% said they are using WebEx in their court proceedings in lieu of in-person sessions.
--Additional reporting by Ryan Davis, Katie Pohlman and Aebra Coe. Editing by Jay Jackson Jr.
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