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Law360 (March 16, 2020, 11:30 PM EDT ) Los Angeles Superior Court will shutter for the next three days in an effort to control and prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the court's presiding judge announced late Monday night.
Despite resisting closure last week, Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile said the state court will be closed to the public from March 17 until March 19. The court will reopen March 20 for the limited purpose of handling essential emergency matters, the judge said.
Judge Brazile said the court is committed to providing equal access to justice through the fair and efficient resolution of cases, but added that it is "imperative" that the court align with the most recent guidelines issued by national, state and local public health officials.
"Let me be clear: we will continue to serve the needs of the most vulnerable people in Los Angeles County — our children, the elderly, domestic violence victims, people whose life and liberty interests are at stake, and in many other emergent cases as is possible and safe," he said in a statement.
The court closure is disrupting a number of cases that were scheduled to have hearings on Tuesday.
In one case, Jeff Bezos is fighting a defamation suit brought by his girlfriend's brother, Michael Sanchez, accusing the Amazon CEO and his security adviser, Gavin de Becker, of planting false information with media outlets painting Sanchez as the source of sexually charged text exchanges between his sister and Bezos that were reported on last year, contributing to Bezos' separation from his ex-wife, MacKenzie Bezos.
A status conference will also be interrupted for a recently settled lawsuit that alleged "B-Movie King" Roger Corman mismanaged his sons' trust fund.
Parties involved in a slew of lawsuits against Southern California Edison over the Woolsey Fire that tore through Los Angeles and Ventura counties in 2018 were also supposed to meet in court Tuesday.
The court closure comes a day after L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti closed all bars, restaurants — except take out and delivery — and nightclubs in the city until at least March 31.
Meanwhile, residents in six counties in the Bay Area, where the Northern District of California sits, are being directed to shelter in place, meaning people will be restricted to their homes and all but essential and emergency businesses will be closed.
As of Saturday, there were 335 cases of COVID-19 and six deaths in California, according to the latest statistics published by the California Department of Public Health. Of those, 82 cases arose through community spread of the virus in 15 California counties — including Sacramento, San Joaquin, San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Cruz, Ventura and San Diego — and 91 other cases are still under investigation.
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Friday to help combat the coronavirus pandemic, freeing up billions of dollars to fund the response and help states, small businesses and individuals while allowing for a broader federal role in coordination.
The announcement and news leading up to it spurred multiple courts to suspend operations in coronavirus hot spots across the country, including in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Washington.
--Additional reporting by Dorothy Atkins, Andrew Kragie, Sarah Jarvis, Mike LaSusa, Craig Clough and Michael Phillis. Editing by Michael Watanabe.
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