The order issued after the case management conference or review controls the subsequent course of the action or proceeding unless it is modified by a subsequent order.
Rule 3.730.Case management order controls
Division 7. Civil Case Management · Chapter 3. Case Management · Adopted 2007 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3.730 provides that the order issued after a case management conference or review controls the subsequent course of the action unless a later order modifies it.
Full Text of Rule 3.730
Plain-English Summary
Rule 3.730 is short, but it does real work: it turns the case management order from a planning document into a binding one. Once the court enters the order under rule 3.728, that order controls how the case proceeds from that point forward — the deadlines, the trial date, the assignments it sets are what govern, not whatever informal understanding the parties might reach on their own.
The rule also builds in the obvious escape valve. The order controls only until it’s modified by a subsequent order. If circumstances change and a deadline or date set earlier no longer makes sense, the fix is to seek a new order from the court, not to treat the earlier order as optional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a California case management order bind the parties going forward?
Yes. Rule 3.730 provides that the order controls the subsequent course of the action or proceeding.
Can a case management order be changed later?
Yes, but only by a subsequent order. Rule 3.730 says the original order controls unless it’s modified that way.
If a deadline in the case management order no longer works, what should a party do?
Ask the court for a subsequent order modifying it. Under rule 3.730, nothing short of a new order changes what the existing order requires.
Amendment History
Rule 3.730 adopted effective January 1, 2007.
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
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