A judge may, on motion, transfer an action or actions from another court to that judge's court for coordination with an action involving a common question of fact or law within the meaning of Section 404. The motion shall be supported by a declaration stating facts showing that the actions meet the standards specified in Section 404.1, are not complex as defined by the Judicial Council and that the moving party has made a good faith effort to obtain agreement to the transfer from all parties to each action. Notice of the motion shall be served on all parties to each action and on each court in which an action is pending. Any party to that action may file papers opposing the motion within the time permitted by rule of the Judicial Council. The court to which a case is transferred may order the cases consolidated for trial pursuant to Section 1048 without any further motion or hearing. The Judicial Council may adopt rules to implement this section, including rules prescribing procedures for preventing duplicative or conflicting transfer orders issued by different courts.
§ 403.Transfer For Coordination With Action Involving Common Question of Fact Or Law
Title 4. Of the Place of Trial, Reclassification, and Coordination of Civil Actions · Chapter 1. Place of Trial · Last amended 2003 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentence§ 403 lets a judge transfer related, non-complex civil actions from other courts into that judge's own courtroom for coordinated handling when they share a common question of fact or law, without going through the full complex-litigation coordination process.
Full Text of § 403
Plain-English Summary
Not every group of related cases needs the formal coordination machinery in § 404. § 403 offers a lighter-weight path: a judge may, on motion, pull an action from another court into that judge's own court for coordination with a case sharing a common question of fact or law. The motion must be backed by a declaration showing the standards in § 404.1 are met, that the actions are not complex as the Judicial Council defines that term, and that the moving party made a good-faith effort to get every party's agreement to the transfer. Notice goes to all parties and to every court where an action is pending, and any party may oppose.
Once the transfer is made, the receiving court may consolidate the cases for trial under § 1048 without any further motion or hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between this section and the coordination process in § 404?
§ 403 is a simpler, judge-to-judge transfer for ordinary, non-complex related cases, while § 404 sends complex cases to the Chairperson of the Judicial Council for a formal coordination proceeding.
Do all parties have to agree before a judge can transfer a related case under this section?
No, but the moving party must show a good-faith effort to obtain that agreement, and the other parties receive notice and a chance to oppose.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2002 ch 784 (SB 1316),s 55, eff. 1/1/2003. Amended by Stats 2000 ch 688 (AB 1669), s 2, eff. 1/1/2001.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
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