SARAH WHITE VS. ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION ET AL

Set for Law and Motion/Discovery Calendar on Thursday, March 19, 2026, Line 7.

1 - Defendants National Center for APEC and CW Worldwide Meetings, Inc.'s motions to change venue to Monterey County are DENIED. Code of Civil Procedure section 397(b) provides that the court may change the place of a trial "[w]hen there is reason to believe that an impartial trial cannot be had therein."

Moving Defendants here have not carried their burden to establish a reason to believe that an impartial trial cannot be had in San Francisco. Moving Defendants present news articles and internet postings showing that the incident was publicized in 2023 when the incident occurred and in 2025 when Plaintiff filed suit. Defendants have not shown a widespread feeling of prejudice extending over a long time. (See People v. Ocean Shore Railroad, Inc. (1938) 24 Cal.App.2d 420 [no abuse of discretion in transferring venue when defendants filed nearly 200 affidavits which referred to the widespread feeling of prejudice extending over a long period of years against the defendants].)

Nor do the local inconveniences experienced by some during the conference suggest substantial prejudice toward any party in this case. This record is clearly distinguishable from the record before the court in Ocean Shore. The court finds that Moving Defendants' showing falls far short of that necessary to move a case under section 397(b) and the court is confident any actual fairness issues can be addressed in voir dire. Therefore, the motion is denied.

For the 9:00 a.m. calendar, all attorneys and parties may appear in Department 302 remotely or in person. Remote hearings will be conducted by videoconference using Zoom. (Dept. 302 Zoom ID 160 409 7690; Passcode 516287.) To appear remotely at the hearing, go to the court's website at sfsuperiorcourt.org under "Online Services," navigate to "Tentative Rulings," and click on the appropriate link, or dial the corresponding phone number.

Any party who contests a tentative ruling must send an email to contestdept302tr@sftc.org with a copy to all other parties by 4pm stating, without argument, the portion(s) of the tentative ruling that the party contests. The subject line of the email shall include the line number, case name and case number. The text of the email shall include the name and contact information, including email address, of the attorney or party who will appear at the hearing.

Counsel for the prevailing party is required to prepare a proposed order which repeats verbatim the substantive portion of the tentative ruling and must email it to contestdept302tr@sftc.org prior to the hearing even if the tentative ruling is not contested.

The court no longer provides a court reporter in the Law & Motion Department. Parties may retain their own reporter, who may appear in the courtroom or remotely. A retained reporter must be a California certified court reporter (CSR), for only a CSR's transcript may be used in California courts. If a CSR is being retained, include in your email all of the following: their name, CSR and telephone numbers, and their individual work email address. =(302/JMQ) | |