Telephonic Appearances for Judge Taylor

Parties requesting telephonic attendance at a hearing should contact the Court's Courtroom Deputy at (619) 557-6018 no less than 48 business hours prior to the hearing.

The Court will advise whether a telephonic appearance is appropriate as soon as reasonable.Given the Court's schedule, parties should not delay such requests.

The Court generally does not allow telephonic appearances for parties who intend to argue.

Telephonic hearings are not appropriate at the first and last pre-trial conference. To the extent parties wish to appear telephonically at any interim pre-trial conference, they should so request at the time of the initial or immediately preceding pre-trial conference.

Parties who wish to monitor a hearing, to attend to procedural matters, or to argue the case where extraordinary circumstances exist may be allowed to appear telephonically. Extraordinary circumstances include an attorney's illness, advanced or problematic pregnancy, injury that impairs an ability to travel, family or other emergency, unanticipated transportation problems, or family needs such as a childcare emergency. Geographic distance of counsel from the courtroom, in and of itself, generally does not justify a telephonic argument.

In addition, where a true emergency arises less than 72 business hours before a hearing, a party may contact the Courtroom Deputy with an emergency telephonic appearance request.

Parties appearing telephonically must utilize a phone that is free of static and must call from a location where there is no disruptive background noise. In the event of disruptive static or background noise, the Court may terminate the telephonic appearance. In such a case, the Court may or may not otherwise terminate or continue the hearing. As a result, parties must accept this risk when appearing telephonically.

Parties appearing telephonically must call in 15 minutes prior to the scheduled hearing time and must remain available throughout the Court's hearing calendar. Particularly in the case of a law and motion calendar where multiple matters are scheduled, the Court cannot guarantee the point in time when the telephonic hearing will occur. In cases where large numbers of parties wish to appear telephonically, the Court may ask that a participant provide a bridge line.

In cases where multiple parties observe a hearing telephonically, the Court will not require appearance(s) except by the attorney directly connecting the conference call to the courtroom.