MAGISTRATE JUDGE ERIN GUY CASTILLO (EGC)
United States District Court - Eastern District of California
2500 Tulare Street, Courtroom # 7, 6th Floor
Fresno, California 93721
Courtroom Deputy Clerk, Wendy Kusamura
[email protected]
Office: (559) 499-5902
Fax: (559) 499-5903
e-mail:
[email protected]
1. Consent
Due to the pressing workload of the two district judges and the priority of criminal cases under the U.S. Constitution,
the parties are strongly encouraged to consent to magistrate judge jurisdiction in an effort to have their cases
adjudicated in a timely and cost effective manner. The law requires district judges to give their criminal docket
priority over civil and other matters. If your case is before a district judge, the proceedings in the case Cincluding
trialCmay be delayed and the litigation costs associated with the case may increase. Presently, when a civil trial is
set before the district judge, any criminal trial set which conflicts with a civil trial, even though the civil trial was set
first, will take priority. Continuances of civil trials under these circumstances will no longer be entertained, absent a
specific and stated finding of good cause, but will instead trail the completion of the criminal case. While the parties
are under no obligation to consent to magistrate jurisdiction, magistrate judges trial calendars are more flexible and
accommodating because magistrate judges are not required to conduct felony trials.
DECLINATION OF CONSENT FORM ARTICLE ON MAGISTRATE JUDGE
IN E.D. Cal. (Fresno Division)
2. Civil Law and Motion Calendar:
a) Civil Law & Motion: Hearings are on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. in Courtroom # 7. Motion dates are
subject to change at the court’s discretion.
b) Meet & Confer Requirement: Before filing a motion in a case in which the parties are represented by
counsel, counsel shall engage in a prefiling meet and confer to discuss thoroughly the substance of the
contemplated motion and any potential resolution. Counsel should resolve minor procedural or other
nonsubstantive matters during the meet and confer process so that briefing on motions that proceed to
hearing are directed only to those substantive issues requiring resolution by the court. In the notice of
motion, counsel for the moving party shall certify that meet and confer efforts have been exhausted
and include a summary of meet and confer efforts.
c) Clearing of Law & Motion Dates: Parties do not need to clear a motion hearing date. File your moving
papers in accordance with the Local and Federal Rules; if the date conflicts with the Court’s calendar, the
Court will reschedule the matter by minute order. MOTION DATES ARE NOT RESERVED.
d) Length of Briefs: Unless prior leave of Court is obtained seven days before the filing date, all moving and
opposition briefs or legal memorandum in civil cases shall not exceed 25 pages. Reply briefs filed by moving
parties shall not exceed 10 pages. Any brief exceeding 15 pages shall include a table of contents and a table
of authorities. Briefs that exceed the page limitations without leave may not be considered.
e) Courtesy Copies: Courtesy Copies of ALL Motion-Related Pleadings over 25 pages should be properly
tabbed, fastened, and clearly identified as a "Courtesy Copy" (to avoid duplicate and erroneous filing by court
staff) and shall be mailed in hard copy to the Court, Attn: Judge Guy Castillo.
f) Law & Motion Hearings: On short notice, Minute Orders may be issued vacating the hearing and taking the
matter under submission pursuant to Local Rule 230(g) (Fed. R. Civ. P. 78) - please refer to the court’s
Notice of Electronic Filing.
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Judge Guy Castillo's Courtroom Procedures- Revised June 17, 2026
3. Scheduling Conferences:
A JOINT Scheduling Conference Report, prepared and executed by all counsel, shall be electronically filed in
compliance with the requirements set forth in the Order Setting Mandatory Scheduling Conference, at least seven
(7) calendar days prior to the Scheduling Conference, and a copy shall be e-mailed, to
[email protected]. Parties are directed to use the template of the joint scheduling report, which is
available on Judge Guy Castillo’s website under the heading “Case Management.”
4. Settlement Conferences:
a) Prerequisites: The case must be ready for meaningful settlement discussions. Plaintiff must make a
demand to defendants and initial settlement negotiations must take place before the Settlement Conference
being held.
b) Settlement Conference Order: Approximately one month before the Settlement Conference, the Court will
issue its Order re Settlement Conference.
c) Settlement Conference Statements: Confidential Settlement Conference Statements are MANDATORY
from each party, and must comply with the Court's Order re Settlement Conference. The Settlement
Conference Statements must be submitted to Judge Guy Castillo's chambers at least seven (7) calendar
days prior to the Settlement Conference.
d) Appearances: The attorneys who will try the case and parties with full and complete settlement authority
are required to personally attend the Settlement Conference
5. Remote Appearances:
a) Zoom or Telephonic appearances for scheduling conferences and certain law and motions by local or
out-of-town counsel are generally acceptable with prior approval.
b) Please notify the Courtroom Deputy if one or more attorneys will be appearing remotely, so that a notation
can be placed on the court calendar and the dial in information can be provided.
6. Informal Telephonic Conference re Discovery Dispute:
a) Before filing a discovery motion or seeking an informal telephonic discovery conference, the parties shall
meet and confer in a good faith effort to resolve the dispute without court action.
b) Judge Guy Castillo will resolve discovery disputes outside the formal Local Rule 251 procedures pursuant to
the parties' request. The parties must agree among themselves to the informal discovery process before
contacting the Court. By requesting an informal discovery dispute conference, the parties are agreeing to
be bound by any discovery ruling arising out of the informal proceedings.
c) Within 3 days of requesting an informal discovery dispute conference, the parties shall submit to the court
and serve on opposing counsel a 2-3 page summary of the dispute. The parties’ summaries (without
exhibits or attachments) MUST be emailed to
[email protected].
d) Once the court receives the parties’ summaries, an informal telephonic conference will be held within one
week or as soon as is practicable.
e) Parties must note that under the "meet and confer" requirements, the court requires, in addition to any written
correspondence the parties may engage in (letters and/or email), that the parties speak with each other
about the discovery dispute. This requirement may be accomplished in person, over the telephone or
through videoconferencing.
f) If during a deposition, an objection or dispute can’t be resolved, you may, after meeting and conferring,
contact the Court to see if Judge Guy Castillo can resolve it informally without the need to postpone or file a
motion.
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Judge Guy Castillo's Courtroom Procedures- Revised June 17, 2026
7. All Documents Requiring Court Approval:
As required by Local Rule 137(b), counsel shall submit all proposed orders, stipulations, etc., in Microsoft Word
format, to chambers at
[email protected]. Pursuant to Local Rule 131(c), the documents should
include the attorneys= electronic signatures (i.e. /s/First/Last Name), as well as the date the document was signed.
8. Protective Orders
Parties are instructed to use the Court’s Model Protective Orders available on Judge Guy Castillo’s website. If the
parties intend to deviate from the Model Protective Orders, the parties are instructed to provide the Court with a
redlined version of proposed changes against the Model Protective Order.
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Judge Guy Castillo's Courtroom Procedures- Revised June 17, 2026
