When a petition for coordination may be disposed of on the determination of a specified issue or issues, without a hearing on all issues raised by the petition and any opposition, the assigned judge may order that the specified issue or issues be heard and determined before a hearing on the remaining issues.
Rule 3.528.Separate hearing on certain coordination issues
Division 4. Parties and Actions · Chapter 7. Coordination of Complex Actions · Article 3. Petitions and Proceedings for Coordination of Complex Actions · Last amended 2007 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3.528 lets the assigned judge decide a petition for coordination by hearing and ruling on one or more specific issues first, without waiting for a hearing on every issue the petition and any opposition raise, whenever a narrower hearing could resolve the petition on its own.
Full Text of Rule 3.528
Plain-English Summary
Some petitions turn entirely on one question — whether the cases share enough common facts, say, or whether a procedural requirement was met. Rule 3.528 lets the assigned judge isolate that question rather than schedule a hearing on everything the petition and any opposition raise.
If the judge sees that a specified issue or issues could dispose of the petition on their own, the judge may order that narrower issue heard and decided first, before turning to whatever else remains. When the threshold issue resolves the petition, the broader hearing may never need to happen at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can a judge hold a hearing on just part of a coordination petition?
When the petition could be disposed of by deciding a specified issue or issues, without a hearing on every issue the petition and any opposition raise.
Does this rule replace the standard hearing requirement of Rule 3.527?
No. It lets the judge sequence issues within the hearing process, narrowing what gets decided first rather than eliminating the hearing requirement.
Who decides whether to split the hearing this way?
The assigned judge, exercising discretion over how the petition is heard and decided.
Amendment History
Rule 3.528 renumbered effective January 1, 2007; adopted as rule 1528 effective January 1, 1974; previously amended effective January 1, 2005.
Source & verification. Rule text is reproduced verbatim from
the Judicial Council of California. Adopted by the Judicial Council of California.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: bifurcated hearing coordination petition californiacrc 3.528 separate hearing issuessplitting coordination hearing by issuethreshold issue coordination petition