LASC General Order Requires the Name of Each Party on Amended Complaints and Cross-Complaints

The General Order Permits the Court and Parties to Identify the Parties Easily and With Precision  

General Order 2025-GEN-021-00, issued by Presiding Judge Sergio C. Tapia II and effective Sept. 19, 2025, requires the name of each party to be set out in the caption of any amended complaint or cross-complaint, permitting precise and easy identification of the parties in the operative pleading.
 
California Rule of Court Rule 2.111(4) requires that the name of each party be set out in the caption of any initial complaint or cross-complaint. Thereafter, parties may use a short title form of caption. Parties often utilize the designation “et al.” to signify there are other parties not set out in full in the short-title caption.

An amended complaint or cross-complaint supersedes the original. When a complaint or cross-complaint is amended, a party named initially may be omitted and new parties may be added to the caption. The short-title caption often does not capture these changes. With the requirement outlined in General Order 2025-GEN-021-00 to include the name of each party in the caption of any amended complaint or cross-complaint, the Court will now be able to identify parties in the operative pleading easily.

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