Hon. Joseph E. Capella. Part 23 and Trial Assignment Part, Room 711.

Practitioner Intelligence

From attorneys who have appeared in this part. Last updated: August 5, 2026.

Enforcement-Focused Conferences

Justice Capella enforces prior court orders directly on the record. He addresses non-compliance with combined demands, bills of particulars, affirmative-defense particulars, and insurance coverage demands on the call. Room 711 is the Trial Assignment Part rather than a dedicated medical malpractice part, but medical malpractice matters do reach this Part for conferencing, and the observations below come from those appearances.

What You Need to Know

• ADR emphasis, backlog focus. As Administrative Judge, Justice Capella is pushing ADR and working to clear post-2020 case backlogs. Expect active case management and pressure to move cases forward.
• Bring your compliance history. Know the date of the last order, the precise demands outstanding, and the reason for any delay. Vague "still working on it" answers will not satisfy the part.
• Insurance coverage demands count. Disclosure of policy limits and primary/excess coverage is enforced as part of compliance, not optional.
• Prepare an order that resolves the gap. Come ready with a proposed compliance order with dates certain for the outstanding items.

Practice Notes from Recent Appearances

In a March 2026 med-mal compliance conference, the defendant had not complied with a November 2025 court order. Outstanding items included responses to initial combined demands, bill of particulars for affirmative defenses, and insurance coverage disclosure. Justice Capella addressed the non-compliance directly on the record and moved the case forward with a compliance order. Approach any conference in Room 711 assuming the court knows the full posture of the case and expects you to know it as well.

Trial Assignment Part Updates (Spring 2026)

• Active TAP settlement conferences. Room 711 continues to run a steady TAP calendar through Spring 2026 with personal injury matters being conferenced for settlement. Counsel covering TAP appearances should arrive with current demand and offer figures, settlement authority confirmed in writing, and any recent IME or expert reports in hand.
• Med-mal demand figures. Recent TAP conferences before Justice Capella have involved nursing home and hospital matters with demand figures in the high six-figure and low seven-figure range. The Part treats settlement negotiations as substantive, so bring valuation support rather than a bare number.
• Trial exposure is real. The Trial Assignment Part can send a case out to trial if it does not settle. Counsel covering a settlement conference here should know what happens next if the conference does not resolve the case.