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2013 California Rules of Court

Rule 8.122. Clerk's transcript

(a) Designation

(1)A notice designating documents to be included in a clerk's transcript must identify each designated document by its title and filing date or, if the filing date is not available, the date it was signed. The notice may specify portions of designated documents that are not to be included in the transcript. For minute orders or instructions, it is sufficient to collectively designate all minute orders or all minute orders entered between specified dates, or all written jury instructions given, refused, or withdrawn.

(2)Within 10 days after the appellant serves its notice designating a clerk's transcript, the respondent may serve and file a notice in superior court designating any additional documents the respondent wants included in the transcript.

(3)Except as provided in (b)(4), all exhibits admitted in evidence, refused, or lodged are deemed part of the record, but a party wanting a copy of an exhibit included in the transcript must specify that exhibit by number or letter in its notice of designation. If the superior court has returned a designated exhibit to a party, the party in possession of the exhibit must deliver it to the superior court clerk within 10 days after the notice designating the exhibit is served.

(Subd (a) amended effective January 1, 2010; previously amended effective January 1, 2005, January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2008.)

(b) Contents of transcript

(1)The transcript must contain:

(A)The notice of appeal;

(B)Any judgment appealed from and any notice of its entry;

(C)Any order appealed from and any notice of its entry;

(D)Any notice of intention to move for a new trial or motion to vacate the judgment, for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, or for reconsideration of an appealed order, and any order on such motion and any notice of its entry;

(E)Any notices or stipulations to prepare clerk's or reporter's transcripts or to proceed by agreed or settled statement; and

(F)The register of actions, if any.

(2)Each document listed in (1)(A), (B), (C), and (D) must show the date necessary to determine the timeliness of the appeal under rule 8.104 or 8.108.

(3)Except as provided in (4), if designated by any party, the transcript must also contain:

(A)Any other document filed or lodged in the case in superior court;

(B)Any exhibit admitted in evidence, refused, or lodged; and

(C)Any jury instruction that any party submitted in writing and the cover page required by rule 2.1055(b)(2) indicating the party requesting it, and any written jury instructions given by the court.

(4)Unless the reviewing court orders or the parties stipulate otherwise:

(A)The clerk must not copy or transmit to the reviewing court the original of a deposition except those portions of a deposition presented or offered into evidence under rule 2.1040.

(B)The clerk must not include in the transcript the record of an administrative proceeding that was admitted in evidence, refused, or lodged in the trial court. Any such administrative record must be transmitted to the reviewing court as specified in rule 8.123.

(Subd (b) amended effective July 1, 2011; previously amended effective January 1, 2007, January 1, 2008, and January 1, 2011.)

(c) Deposit for cost of transcript

(1)Within 30 days after the respondent files a designation under (a)(2) or the time for filing it expires, whichever first occurs, the superior court clerk must send:

(A)To the appellant, notice of the estimated cost to prepare an original and one copy of the clerk's transcript; and

(B)To each party other than the appellant, notice of the estimated cost to prepare a copy of the clerk's transcript for that party's use.

(2)A notice under (1) must show the date it was sent.

(3)Within 10 days after the clerk sends a notice under (1), the appellant and any party wanting to purchase a copy of the clerk's transcript must deposit the estimated cost with the clerk, unless otherwise provided by law or the party submits an application for, or an order granting, a waiver of the cost.

(Subd (c) amended effective July 1, 2009; previously amended effective January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2008.)

(d) Preparation of transcript

(1)Within 30 days after the appellant deposits the estimated cost of the transcript or the court files an order waiving that cost, the clerk must:

(A)Prepare an original and one copy of the transcript, and certify the original; and

(B)Prepare additional copies for which the parties have made deposits.

(2)If the appeal is abandoned or dismissed before the clerk has completed preparation of the transcript, the clerk must refund any portion of the deposit under (c) exceeding the preparation cost actually incurred.

(Subd (d) amended effective January 1, 2007; previously amended effective January 1, 2003.)

Rule 8.122 amended effective July 1, 2011; repealed and adopted as rule 5 effective January 1, 2002; previously amended and renumbered as rule 8.120 effective January 1, 2007, and as rule 8.122 effective January 1, 2008; previously amended effective January 1, 2003, January 1, 2005, July 1, 2009, January 1, 2010, and January 1, 2011.

Advisory Committee Comment

Subdivision (a). Subdivision (a)(1) allows a party designating documents for inclusion in the clerk's transcript to specify portions of such documents that are not to be included, e.g., because they are duplicates of other designated documents or are not necessary for proper consideration of the issues raised in the appeal. The notice of designation should identify any portion to be omitted by means of a descriptive reference, e.g., by specific page or exhibit numbers. This provision is intended to simplify and therefore expedite the preparation of the clerk's transcript, to reduce its cost to the parties, and to relieve the courts of the burden of reviewing a record containing redundant, irrelevant, or immaterial documents.

Subdivision (b). The supporting and opposing memoranda and attachments to any motion to vacate the judgment, for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, or for reconsideration of an appealed order are not required to be included in the clerk's transcript under subdivision (b)(1)(D) but may be included by designation of a party under (b)(3) or on motion of a party or the reviewing court under rule 8.155.

Subdivision (b)(1)(F) requires the clerk's transcript to include the register of actions, if any. This provision is intended to assist the reviewing court in determining the accuracy of the clerk's transcript.

Subdivision (c). Under subdivision (c)(2), a clerk who sends a notice under subdivision (c)(1) must include a certificate stating the date on which the clerk sent it. This provision is intended to establish the date when the 10-day period for depositing the cost of the clerk's transcript under this rule begins to run.

The superior court will make the determination on any application to waive the fees for preparing, certifying, copying, and transmitting the clerk's transcript.

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