Big changes are afoot in the Orange County court system thanks to a lack of state funding.
The Harbor Justice Center in Laguna Hills will close July 1, and family-law cases handled in Santa Ana Superior Court will be moved to the Lamoureaux Justice Center in Orange.
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Orange County Superior Court Presiding Judge Thomas Borris had earlier indicated the county could no longer afford to lease the Laguna Hills courthouse. What exactly that means was spelled out today, reports City News Service.
The cases that had been at the courthouse at 23414 Moulton Pkwy., Laguna Hills, will be transferred to the Harbor Justice Center, 4601 Jamboree Rd., Newport Beach. Traffic-infraction cases will be shuttled from Laguna Hills to Newport Beach starting Monday.
The Santa Ana courthouse on Civic Center will stop accepting family-law case filings on June 28, with all such cases transferred to the justice center at 341 The City Dr. S., Orange, by July 1.
Meanwhile, all probate and mental-health cases now being handled in Orange will be moved to Santa Ana as of July 1. Santa Ana is also picking up from the North Justice Center at 1275 N. Berkeley Ave., Fullerton, limited civil cases, except for unlawful-detainer claims such as in landlord-tenant disputes.
Small claims, unlawful-detainer and civil-harassment claims will continue to be heard in Fullerton.
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