People v. Financial Casualty & Surety, Inc.
The court held that California's COVID-19 Emergency Rule 9 tolls only statutes of limitations on the filing of initial civil pleadings and does not toll the 185-day (plus possible 180-day extension) appearance period for a surety to move to vacate a bail-bond forfeiture, so the forfeiture deadline remains unchanged and the trial court's summary-judgment judgment is affirmed.
Date Filed: May 16, 2022
Case Name: People v. Financial Casualty & Surety, Inc.
Case Number: B309234
Court: California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Three
The court decides whether California’s COVID‑19 Emergency Rule\u202f9 tolls the 185‑day (plus possible 180‑day extension) appearance period for a surety to move to vacate a bail‑bond forfeiture. It holds that the rule only tolls statutes of limitations on the filing of initial civil pleadings, and the appearance period is not a statute of limitations; therefore the forfeiture deadline is unchanged and the trial court’s summary judgment stands. This ruling preserves the strict procedural timeline for bail‑bond forfeiture actions and confirms that pandemic‑related tolling provisions do not extend those deadlines.
This case summary was prepared for educational purposes. For the authoritative version, please refer to the full opinion or the official California Courts website.