The rules in this chapter implement the Civil Action Mediation Act, Code of Civil Procedure section 1775 et seq. Under section 1775.2, they apply in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles and in other courts that elect to apply the act.
Rule 3.890.Application
Division 8. Alternative Dispute Resolution · Chapter 4. Civil Action Mediation Program Rules · Last amended 2009 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3.890 states that the chapter’s rules implement the Civil Action Mediation Act and apply mandatorily in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, plus any other California court that chooses to adopt the program.
Full Text of Rule 3.890
Plain-English Summary
Rule 3.890 is the on-ramp for the whole Civil Action Mediation Program chapter. It ties the rules that follow to their source statute, the Civil Action Mediation Act, and tells the reader exactly who has to follow them.
Los Angeles County’s superior court is required to run the program under the Act. Every other California trial court is free to opt in — nothing in this chapter forces a smaller county to send cases to mediation under these rules — but once a court elects to apply the Act, this chapter’s rules on eligible cases, mediator panels, attendance, and reporting govern how it runs the program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which court must follow the Civil Action Mediation Program rules?
The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, must apply them under the Civil Action Mediation Act.
Can a county outside Los Angeles use this mediation program?
Yes. Rule 3.890 lets any California trial court elect to apply the Act, and once it does, this chapter’s rules govern its program.
What statute do rules 3.890 through 3.898 implement?
The Civil Action Mediation Act, codified beginning at Code of Civil Procedure section 1775.
Amendment History
Rule 3.890 renumbered effective July 1, 2009; adopted as rule 1630 effective March 1, 1994; previously amended and renumbered as rule 3.870 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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