Court decides complex status after a counterdesignation (court deadline)
30 days after date the defendant's counter civil case cover sheet (cm-010) counterdesignation was filed, under Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.402(a), (b).
Rule text
(a): "If a Civil Case Cover Sheet (form CM-010) designating an action as a complex case has been filed and served and the court has not previously declared the action to be a complex case, a defendant may file and serve no later than its first appearance a counter Civil Case Cover Sheet (form CM-010) designating the action as not a complex case. The court must decide, with or without a hearing, whether the action is a complex case within 30 days after the filing of the counterdesignation." (b): "A defendant may file and serve no later than its first appearance a counter Civil Case Cover Sheet (form CM-010) designating the action as a complex case. The court must decide, with or without a hearing, whether the action is a complex case within 30 days after the filing of the counterdesignation."
Calculate this deadline
- Trigger (Date the defendant's counter Civil Case Cover Sheet (CM-010) counterdesignation was filed): Friday, November 6, 2026.
- Exclude the trigger day and count 30 calendar days: Sunday, December 6, 2026.
- That day is a Sunday, so the deadline moves to the next court day: Monday, December 7, 2026 (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 12, 12a, 12b, 10; Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1.10).
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.402(a), (b)
(a): "If a Civil Case Cover Sheet (form CM-010) designating an action as a complex case has been filed and served and the court has not previously declared the action to be a complex case, a defendant may file and serve no later than its first appearance a counter Civil Case Cover Sheet (form CM-010) designating the action as not a complex case. The court must decide, with or without a hearing, whether the action is a complex case within 30 days after the filing of the counterdesignation." (b): "A defendant may file and serve no later than its first appearance a counter Civil Case Cover Sheet (form CM-010) designating the action as a complex case. The court must decide, with or without a hearing, whether the action is a complex case within 30 days after the filing of the counterdesignation."Official source
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 12, 12a, 12b, 10; Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1.10
CCP 12: "The time in which any act provided by law is to be done is computed by excluding the first day, and including the last, unless the last day is a holiday, and then it is also excluded." CCP 12a(a): "If the last day for the performance of any act provided or required by law to be performed within a specified period of time is a holiday, then that period is hereby extended to and including the next day that is not a holiday. For purposes of this section, “holiday” means all day on Saturdays, all holidays specified in Section 135 and, to the extent provided in Section 12b, all days that by terms of Section 12b are required to be considered as holidays." CCP 12b: "If any city, county, state, or public office, other than a branch office, is closed for the whole of any day, insofar as the business of that office is concerned, that day shall be considered as a holiday for the purposes of computing time under Sections 12 and 12a." CCP 10: "Holidays within the meaning of this code are every Sunday and any other days that are specified or provided for as judicial holidays in Section 135."Official source
- Court-side deadline, shown for tracking only; no party act is due. Runs from FILING (not service) of the counterdesignation, so no CCP 1013 extension. The party deadline itself (defendant's counterdesignation, complex or noncomplex, 'no later than its first appearance') is event-based, not a day count; see not_modeled. NOTE: the rule has no 15-day counterdesignation period; the counterdesignation deadline is the defendant's first appearance. Directory time limit; consequence of court missing it is not stated.
- If the clerk's office is closed or inaccessible on the last day (weather, emergency or local closure orders), the deadline may be extended. Check local orders.
This calculator applies the cited rules to the dates you enter. It is not legal advice. Court orders, local rules, and case-specific facts can change a deadline; verify before relying on it. Rule set pending attorney review.
Worked example
Date the defendant's counter Civil Case Cover Sheet (CM-010) counterdesignation was filed on Monday, March 15, 2027, personal service: due Wednesday, April 14, 2027.
- Trigger (Date the defendant's counter Civil Case Cover Sheet (CM-010) counterdesignation was filed): Monday, March 15, 2027.
- Exclude the trigger day and count 30 calendar days: Wednesday, April 14, 2027.
Notes
Court-side deadline, shown for tracking only; no party act is due. Runs from FILING (not service) of the counterdesignation, so no CCP 1013 extension. The party deadline itself (defendant's counterdesignation, complex or noncomplex, 'no later than its first appearance') is event-based, not a day count; see not_modeled. NOTE: the rule has no 15-day counterdesignation period; the counterdesignation deadline is the defendant's first appearance. Directory time limit; consequence of court missing it is not stated.
Related deadlines
- Case management statement (15 days before)
- Meet and confer before initial case management conference (30 days before)
- Serve complaint and file proof of service (60 days after)
- Serve summons and complaint (mandatory 3-year limit) (36 months after)
- File proof of service of summons (statutory outer limit) (60 days after)
- Earliest discretionary dismissal for failure to serve (2 years) (24 months after)
- Responsive papers to OSC re failure to serve or default (rule 3.110) (5 days before)
- Bring action to trial (mandatory 5-year limit) (60 months after)
Local rules by county
County local rules and courtroom procedures can add to or change this deadline. Pick a county to calculate with them applied.
- Alameda
- Alpine
- Amador
- Butte
- Calaveras
- Colusa
- Contra Costa
- Del Norte
- El Dorado
- Fresno
- Glenn
- Humboldt
- Imperial
- Inyo
- Kern
- Kings
- Lake
- Lassen
- Los Angeles
- Madera
- Marin
- Mariposa
- Mendocino
- Merced
- Modoc
- Mono
- Monterey
- Napa
- Nevada
- Orange
- Placer
- Plumas
- Riverside
- Sacramento
- San Benito
- San Bernardino
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Joaquin
- San Luis Obispo
- San Mateo
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Santa Cruz
- Shasta
- Sierra
- Siskiyou
- Solano
- Sonoma
- Stanislaus
- Sutter
- Tehama
- Trinity
- Tulare
- Tuolumne
- Ventura
- Yolo
- Yuba
Rules current as of 2026-10-25. Confirm against the official source and any local rule or court order before relying on a date. Rules changelog.