Civil actions: discovery status conference.

Existing law establishes the Civil Discovery Act, which governs the rules and procedures related to discovery in all civil cases, and specifies, among other things, the time for completion of discovery. The act authorizes a party to resolve certain discovery disputes by filing a noticed motion. This bill, until January 1, 2023, would authorize a court to conduct an informal discovery conference between the parties to a civil action upon request by a party or on the court's own motion to discuss discovery matters in dispute between the parties, as specified. The bill would authorize a court that grants or orders an informal discovery conference to toll the deadline for filing a discovery motion, or make any other appropriate discovery order. If an informal discovery conference is not held within 30 calendar days from the date the court granted the request, the bill would require that the request for an informal discovery conference be deemed denied, and that any tolling period previously ordered by the court would continue to apply. The bill would further provide that the outcome of an informal discovery conference does not bar a party from filing a discovery motion or prejudice the disposition of a discovery motion.