LASC: SUPERIOR COURT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY TO REOPEN JULY 23, WITH LIMITED FUNCTIONALITY AS THE COURT RECOVERS FROM A RANSOMWARE ATTACK

The Superior Court of Los Angeles County will reopen tomorrow, July 23, with many technology functions restored and some technology functions either operating with limited functionality or remaining offline after a ransomware attack first detected on Friday, July 19, left most of the Court’s internal and external systems inaccessible.

“I am grateful to the countless court staff who worked tirelessly over the past 96 hours since the attack was first detected to bring many of our network systems back online and ensure the largest trial court in the nation is able to reopen for business,” said Presiding Judge Samantha P. Jessner. “The decision to close the Court yesterday was not a decision we took lightly, but in this instance, was necessary in order to restore the integrity of our systems before we reopened our doors to court users. The Court will not function fully and completely tomorrow but promising and steady progress continues to be made ensuring that we will recover from this attack and restore access to justice for the millions of court users that rely on the Court. I am confident that collectively, we will emerge from this incident stronger and more secure than ever.”

The Court’s Technology Services Division staff has restored the integrity of the Court’s network and brought many systems and services back online, including the Court’s case management systems. The Court continues to work with local, state and federal law enforcement and partners at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Management to investigate the attack. Due to the sensitivity of the investigation, the Court will not comment further on the specifics of the ransomware attack at this time.

Please see below for more information on the status of specific court functions for tomorrow, July 23. The Court continues on a path towards normal operations, but court users should expect delay. The Court requests patience with court staff and judicial officers as they endeavor to provide meaningful access to justice with limited functionality. It is also recommended that litigants and court users without a matter on calendar tomorrow or who do not have an urgent need for immediate assistance consider visiting the Court next week.

Courthouses and Clerks’ Offices

• All 36 courthouses and clerks’ offices throughout Los Angeles County will be open tomorrow during normal business hours from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., with court staff available to assist court users and answer questions.

Court Proceedings

• Court proceedings scheduled tomorrow, July 23, will proceed in some fashion. Litigants or their counsel with proceedings that did not take place on Friday, July 19, or Monday, July 22, will receive notice of a continuance date in the future from the Court.

Remote Appearances

• The Court’s remote appearance platform LACourtConnect is expected to be back online for Civil cases only. Parties in Family Law and Probate cases will not be able to appear remotely and must appear in person. WebEx appearances will also be available for Criminal, Mental Health and Juvenile matters.

Electronic Recording

• The Court’s electronic recording system will be available in courtrooms where that is the method of capturing the verbatim record.

Jury Duty

Individuals with jury duty service the week of July 22 – July 26 and whose Group Number is 1, 2, 3, 4,v87 or 97 must report at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 23, to the courthouse to which they were summoned.vIf your Group Number is not listed above, you do not need to report to the courthouse on Tuesday, July 23. The Group Number can be found just under the barcodes on your juror summons.

The Court’s Jury Duty Portal is expected to be back online tomorrow. Jurors whose service week is designated for July 22 – July 26 should follow the instructions on their summons and call (213) 972- 0970 or visit www.lacourt.org/jury for reporting instructions.

Restraining Orders

• The Court will accept filings for Temporary Restraining Orders in person at any Family Law Clerk’svOffice throughout Los Angeles County.

Electronic Filing

• Electronic filing remains available for filing of case initiating documents only. Electronic filing of subsequent documents in existing cases remains unavailable at this time.

Call Centers

• The Court’s Call Centers will be available once again during normal business hours. A list of Call Centers and their associated numbers are available here.

Self-Help Centers

• The Court’s Self-Help Centers will be open tomorrow to assist self-represented litigants in person. Visit this website to locate the self-help center closest to you.

Court Website

• Certain pages of the Court’s website at www.lacourt.org are available now. Other pages will come back online over the next few days as the remainder of the Court’s systems are brought back online.

The Court will continue to timely communicate as additional services and programs are restored. For up to the minute updates on the Court’s recovery from the ransomware attack, follow the Court on X, @LASuperiorCourt, Instagram, @LASuperiorCourt, or visit the Court’s Temporary Media Center.