Special court for high-tech litigation set

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Dec 26, 2005 | by Malaika Fraley, STAFF WRITER

REDWOOD CITY -- San Mateo will be the first county in the Bay Area with a courthouse dedicated to high-technology cases and other complex litigation, beginning in January.

The specialized court is the county's response to the growing number of complex civil cases involving science and technology that began during the economic boom in 1999, San Mateo County Superior Court Presiding Judge George Miram said.

"We have Silicon Valley to the south, that certainly extends into San Mateo County, and biotech research companies in the north, which puts us at the confluence of two major economic industries," Miram said. "As the community we live in changes, a court is trying to change the way we handle complex cases and address their special needs."

The specialized court will be located at the central courthouse on Humboldt Street in San Mateo and will have two assigned judges, Judge Carol Mittlesteadt and Judge Steven Dylina.

Qualities of judges

Mittlesteadt was chosen for her extensive experience with complex litigation as both an attorney and a trial judge. Dylina has received specialized training from the state for presiding over science and technology cases.

Miram said complex cases are those that require a high level of scientific expertise by the trial judge, involve a large number of parties and require more resources than typical lawsuits.

The subject matter includes patents, intellectual propriety and the transfer of knowledge, and rigorous employee separation agreements in the research arena, Miram said. Asidefrom science and technology cases, the court will hear litigation from the construction industry that includes numerous contractors.

The San Mateo courthouse is first priority in bringing the aged facilities up to date to meet modern electronic, multimedia needs. Miram said the court is applying for grants to fund the upgrades, which eventually will be installed in every courtroom.

The court has wanted to launch a complex-litigation court for several years but is only able to do so now that it's up to its full staff of 26 judges.

While there are other complex-litigation courts in the state, they rarely have a dedicated, free-standing building like the San Mateo court.

Large counties, such as Santa Clara and San Francisco, receive extra funding from the state to handle complex litigation, but mid- size counties such as San Mateo don't typically see such large amounts of such litigation. It's one of the things that makes the area unique, Miram said.