Los Angeles area court records

A collection of historical cases that the Los Angeles Superior Court placed on long-term deposit at the Huntington Library in 1996. Additional material was subsequently transferred to the Huntington in 2002 and interfiled with the main collection. In 2008, the Court made a major addition to the collection by placing on long-term deposit the surviving case files and supporting materials of the Superior Court itself: Civil (1880-June 30, 1910); Probate: Second Series (1880-1892); Probate: Current Series (May 20, 1893-Sep. 25, 1900). The collection includes cases filed in the 1st and 17th District Court of California; Los Angeles County Court, Los Angeles Probate Court, Los Angeles criminal, Los Angeles Justices Court, and Superior and Probate Courts both civil and probate. In 2022, materials related to Los Angeles County Grand Jury activities were added, including reports, minutes, receipts, and accounting information. 1st/17th District Court of California: civil cases case # 1-5431, with gaps Mar. 1851-1879, also plaintiff and defendant indices registers of actions judgment books 1875-1879, judgment dockets 1876 - 1879, minute books (1860-1879), judgment books (1854-1877), and miscellaneous records.

To find the case number for cases filed before February 1, 1901, one can use the plaintiff- defendant database available online through the Huntington Digital Library. This database includes only case files that are physically located at the Huntington Library. A significant number of case files have not survived and are not in the database. For the case numbers of later cases, one needs to consult the appropriate index volumes. Once one has the case number, the case can be ordered for review through the Ahmanson Reading Room.

The series are open to the general public during regular Huntington business hours on the same basis as when they were kept at the Los Angeles County Archival Center, namely one case file at a time. Scholars approved for manuscript privileges according to normal Huntington screening procedures will have access to the case file. Photocopies are available at rates equal to or less than current comparable rates at the Los Angeles County Archival Center. In some cases, the fragile condition of individual items may necessitate prior conservation work and/or reproduction by photography rather than by photocopying/flat bed scanning. Some of these were removed during the inventory process and placed in a separate "Items Removed" series, itemized in the Appendix to this finding aid. In addition, several series of volumes of indices, registers, judgment books, etc., far from complete but all that survive, are also available to all.

Note: Some case files may be incomplete.

Note: Materials received in 2014, chiefly consisting of ledgers, are currently not available for paging due to conservation issues.