09/12/2025 — CV2024050683 CEBALLOS, VIVIAN 09/12/2025 HONORABLE MICHAEL D. GORDON View Minute Entry ↑ top
- Source
- Minute Source
Clerk of the Superior Court
*** Electronically Filed ***
09/16/2025 8:00 AM
SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA
MARICOPA COUNTY
CV 2024-050683
09/12/2025
Docket Code 089
Form V000A
Page 1
CLERK OF THE COURT
HONORABLE MICHAEL D. GORDON
G. Duran/Y. Rodriguez
Deputy
VIVIAN CEBALLOS
BENJAMIN ROBERT JEMSEK
v.
SOLERA CHANDLER HOMEOWNERS
ASSOCIATION INC
KARL J GRUSE
ROBERT J LYDFORD
JUDGE GORDON
MINUTE ENTRY
Central Court Building – Courtroom 402
8:37 a.m. This is the time set for a Trial Setting Conference. Plaintiff, Vivian Ceballos, is
represented by counsel, Benjamin Robert Jemsek. Defendant, Solera Chandler Homeowners
Association Inc., is represented by counsel, Robert Lydford. All parties appear virtually.
A record of the proceedings is made digitally in lieu of a court reporter.
Discussion is held regarding the status of the case and setting a trial date.
Accordingly,
IT IS ORDERED setting this matter for a 6-day Jury Trial on September 8, 2026, at
9:30 a.m. (and concluding by 4:30 p.m. on September 16, 2026) in this Division before:
The Honorable Michael D. Gordon
Maricopa County Superior Court
SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA
MARICOPA COUNTY
CV 2024-050683
09/12/2025
Docket Code 089
Form V000A
Page 2
Central Court Building
Courtroom 402
201 W. Jefferson St
Phoenix, Arizona 85003
Phone: 602-372-0762
Trial days in this matter will be as follows: September 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, and 16, 2026.
Trial hours and days are normally 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (with a lunch recess from noon
to 1:30 p.m. and two 15-minute recesses, daily), Monday through Thursday.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED setting a Final Trial Management Conference for August
7, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. (time allotted: 1 hour) in this Division. All counsel (and any self-
represented party) shall appear in person unless otherwise ordered.
8:45 a.m. This matter concludes.
NOTE: All Court proceedings are recorded digitally and not by a court reporter. Pursuant
to Local Rule 2.22, if a party desires a court reporter for any proceeding in which a court reporter
is not mandated by Arizona Supreme Court Rule 30, the party must submit a written request to
the assigned judicial officer at least ten (10) judicial days in advance of the hearing and must pay
the authorized fee to the Clerk of the Court at least two (2) judicial days before the proceeding.
The fee is $140 for a half-day and $280 for a full day.
Requests for interpreters, court reporters or video conference must be made at least
fourteen (14) days prior to the trial/hearing date.
Trial time will be divided between Plaintiff(s) and Defendant(s). Trial is held from 9:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. Each trial day is budgeted to be 4.5 hours of
actual in court time, exclusive of breaks and bench conferences. The Court reserves for itself 4.5
hours for the Court to do its portion of voir dire, read preliminary and final jury instructions, and
for jury deliberations. The parties will then be splitting the remaining time for each party's
portion of voir dire, opening statements, witness examinations, and closing arguments. The
Court uses a timer to keep track of your time. When you are out of time, you are out of words.
Based on the trial setting, the Court sets the following deadlines and makes the following
orders. The dates set forth in this order are firm dates and will not be extended or modified by
this Court absent good cause. Lack of preparation will not ordinarily be considered good cause.
DUTIES BEFORE THE FINAL TRIAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA
MARICOPA COUNTY
CV 2024-050683
09/12/2025
Docket Code 089
Form V000A
Page 3
MOTIONS IN LIMINE. All motions in limine shall be filed no later than 5:00 p.m. on
July 20, 2026. Written responses to motions in limine may be filed no later than 10 calendar days
after service of the motion. No replies shall be filed. The Court may hear argument at the final trial
management conference or may rule without oral argument. The parties must comply with Ariz. R.
Civ. P. Rule 7.2(a) before filing any motion in limine. Each side will be limited to filing no more
than 5 motions in limine. However, either side may file a brief of unlimited length addressing
evidentiary issues anticipated to arise at trial.
JOINT PRETRIAL STATEMENT. The parties shall file with the Court no later than
5:00 p.m. on July 31, 2026, a Joint Pretrial Statement, signed by all counsel (and any self-
represented party) and containing the following. This order modifies the requirements of Ariz. R.
Civ. P. 16(f).
1. List of Claims. The Joint Pretrial Statement must contain a list of all claims or causes of
action on which a verdict is sought by any party. Such list shall specify (1) the cause of
action (e.g., breach of contract, negligence, etc.), (2) each party asserting that cause of
action, (3) each party against whom that cause of action is asserted, and (4) whether any
claim is not subject to trial by jury. If any claim is not subject to trial by jury, a joint
proposal for how that claim will be tried should be included (i.e., hybrid trial, separate
bench trial, etc.).
2. No List of Issues. The requirements of Ariz. R. Civ. P. 16(f)(2)(A), (B) and (C) are
waived. The parties need not prepare a list of stipulations, agreed contested issues or
other issues considered material. Disputes over what issues are properly in the case will
be decided under Rule 26.1. The parties may, if they wish, submit one or more separate
stipulations regarding facts, evidence or other matters.
3. Summary of the Case for Jury Selection. The Joint Pretrial Statement must include an
agreed-upon brief (generally less than 200 words) summary of the case for jury selection
purposes. If the parties cannot agree, they must submit separate proposed summaries.
4. Final Trial Witnesses. The Joint Pretrial Statement must include an exhibit entitled
Final Trial Witness List, which must list each witness a party expects to call at trial (in
person or by deposition) and the day on which they expect to call that witness. If the
Court finds that a party unreasonably included witnesses not likely to be called at trial, it
may consider appropriate sanctions.
5. Trial Exhibits. As required by Rule 16(f)(E), all trial exhibits must be listed in the Joint
Pretrial Statement along with objections. The Court typically resolves objections to
SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA
MARICOPA COUNTY
CV 2024-050683
09/12/2025
Docket Code 089
Form V000A
Page 4
exhibits at trial, but objections must be listed in the Joint Pretrial Statement to be
preserved. If the Court finds that a party unreasonably included exhibits not likely to be
used at trial, it may consider appropriate sanctions.
6. Deposition Designations. Deposition designations and objections should not be
included in the Joint Pretrial Statement, but must be submitted to the Court three judicial
days before the start of trial. The Court will resolve deposition designations as follows:
By 4:00 p.m. the day before a party plans to read deposition testimony, that party must
provide the Court a hard copy of the deposition transcript with (1) the portions to be read
highlighted, (2) any counter-designations highlighted in a different color, and (3) any
objections written in the margin. The Court will rule on any objections by the next day.
If the party plans to play a video deposition, the transcript must be provided by 4:00 p.m.
two days before the deposition will be played.
7. Other Matters. The Joint Pretrial Statement must include the matters in Ariz. R. Civ. P.
16(f)(2)(H) - (M).
JURY INSTRUCTIONS; VOIR DIRE. The parties shall meet and agree on as many
proposed jury instructions as possible. The parties shall file with the Court, with their Joint Pretrial
Statement, copies of:
1. Proposed voir dire questions.
2. Agreed-upon preliminary and final jury instructions and proposed forms of verdicts.
3. Separate sets of requested instructions that have not been agreed upon. Recommended
Arizona Jury Instructions (“RAJI”) may be referred to by name without reprinting, but if
the RAJI contains options for the Court the party should indicate which options it is
requesting.
Jury instructions not requested by the final trial management conference will be deemed
waived unless good cause exists for the untimely request.
SETTLEMENT. The parties are reminded to promptly notify the Court of any settlement
pursuant to Ariz. R. Civ. P. 5.3(d). One day’s jury fees will be assessed unless the Court is notified
of settlement before 2:00 p.m. on the judicial day before the trial.
DUTIES AT TRIAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
At the final trial management conference, the parties shall be prepared to discuss:
SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA
MARICOPA COUNTY
CV 2024-050683
09/12/2025
Docket Code 089
Form V000A
Page 5
1. The claims and parties as to which a verdict is sought.
2. The length of the trial and any time limits to complete the trial in the allotted time.
3. Any scheduling or equipment issues.
4. Voir dire.
5. Any special issues regarding exhibits or deposition designations.
6. Preliminary jury instructions.
7. The case summary for jury selection purposes.
8. Motions in limine.
9. The potential for settlement before trial.
EXHIBIT REQUIREMENTS
IT IS ORDERED that the parties submit any proposed hearing exhibits as follows:
1. Submit Hearing Exhibits through Case Center. This division is using Case Center
(also known as Case Lines), a statewide electronic exhibit portal. Attorneys must submit
exhibits through Case Center; Self-Represented Litigants can request to opt-out of Case
Center by contacting the judge’s division at [email protected], or (602)
372-0762. Unless otherwise ordered, Exhibits must be submitted at least 5 business days
(not including weekends) before the hearing as provided below.
2. Opting Out of Case Center (Self-Represented Litigants only). A Self-Represented
Litigant may opt out of Case Center no less than 10 calendar days before the
trial/evidentiary hearing (or within 24 hours of being served with notice if the party is
served less than 10 calendar days before the evidentiary hearing). The Self-Represented
Litigant must email the other Self-Represented Litigants or counsel and the assigned
judicial division to notify the court that they are opting out and to request instructions for
submitting exhibits. Self-Represented Litigants must comply with the deadline for
submitting Exhibits. Each party must make sure the Court has the party’s valid current
email address. If you do not have an email address, you can obtain a free one through
SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA
MARICOPA COUNTY
CV 2024-050683
09/12/2025
Docket Code 089
Form V000A
Page 6
accounts.google.com. Each party must register for Case Center at
https://digitalevidence.azcourts.gov/?tlang=en-US. The website has links to training
resources that will guide you through uploading exhibits and navigating Case Center. The
Clerk of Court will send an email invitation to each party (or their attorney of record)
with a case-specific Case Center link for uploading exhibits before the first hearing. For
subsequent hearings in the same case, parties will not receive another email and should
access the case on the Case List page. For instructions, See
azcourts.gov/Portals/0/222/TrainingVideos/Invitation-CaseList-CaseFilter-3-2-2022.mp4.
For assistance with Case Center invitations only, email the Clerk of Court at
[email protected]. The email subject line should include the case
number. The body of the email should include the parties’ names, the assigned judge’s
name and explain that the sender is requesting help with a Case Center invitation.
3. Exhibit Format. Case Center accepts most digital formats (including photographs,
PDFs, Word files, audio files, and video files). Case Center automatically numbers the
exhibits. Plaintiff/Petitioner’s exhibits have a P- prefix (Exhibit P1, P2, etc.) and
Defendant/Respondent’s exhibits have a D- prefix (Exhibit D1, D2, etc.). During the
hearing, the parties must refer to exhibits using the Case Center exhibit numbers. For
assistance with Case Center, contact AOC Support Services at (602) 452-3519 (option 5)
or [email protected], Monday – Friday 7 AM – 6 PM, excluding State holidays.
4. Exhibit Upload Assistance. Scanners are available at each of the regional court Law
Library Resource Centers. Each scanner has an attached computer and instructions on
how to upload exhibits into Case Center.
5. Exchange Exhibits. At least 5 business days (not including weekends) before the
hearing, you must give the other party copies of all exhibits you submitted for use at the
hearing.
6. Physical Exhibits. The Courtroom Clerk will handle marking physical exhibits for Self-
Represented Litigants who opt out of Case Center. Attorneys who submit physical
exhibits must create a placeholder in Case Center and include “Physical Exhibit” in the
name of the exhibit prior to submitting the physical exhibit(s) to the judge’s division. The
collection of physical exhibits must have a Physical Exhibit Case Coversheet that
includes the following: (1) the name of the party submitting the exhibit(s); (2) the case
number; (3) the date of hearing; and (4) the exhibit number(s) and description(s). In
addition, each individual exhibit must have an Exhibit Coversheet printed on color paper
indicating the physical exhibit’s exhibit number in Case Center. For Self-Represented
Litigants, if any individual exhibit is a document that is longer than ten (10) pages, each
page of the exhibit should be numbered. Division staff will provide the exhibits to the
SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA
MARICOPA COUNTY
CV 2024-050683
09/12/2025
Docket Code 089
Form V000A
Page 7
Courtroom Clerk for marking. The Courtroom Clerk will mark physical exhibit(s) with
the same exhibit number used in Case Center
7. Devices and WiFi. If needed, hearing participants may request to use a court-provided
devices to view and present exhibits during an evidentiary hearing. All requests for
access to a court-provided device must be submitted to the division via email 5 calendar
days before the Hearing. Hearing participants can connect to the court’s free
MCPUBLIC WiFi for up to 90 minutes. For evidentiary hearings/trials longer than 90
minutes, WiFi users, the parties may request access to MCSponsored WiFi which will
allow access to WiFi without the need to reconnect after 90 minutes by emailing the
assigned division 10 calendar days in advance of any Hearing. Self-Represented Litigant
access will be valid for 60 days; lawyer and nonlawyer representative access will be valid
for 365 days.
8. Remote Witnesses. Any party who calls a witness who is appearing remotely (i.e., by
telephone or videoconference) should either (1) provide the witness with a copy of all
exhibits or (2) ensure that the remote witness has an electronic device available that
allows them to view exhibits displayed on a screen through either Case Center or Teams.
9. Exhibit Presentation During Hearings. Unless indicated otherwise in any hearing-
specific court minute entry or order, offerors may, but are not required to, use Case
Center to present (e.g., show to the court, a witness, or the jury) evidence during a
Hearing. Options for presentation of evidence include but are not limited to the
following: (1) use of paper copies of the exhibits that have been uploaded to Case Center;
(2) use of evidence presentation software and/or PDF viewers to display PDFs of exhibits
that have been uploaded to Case Center; (3) screen sharing of Case Center through Court
Connect (Teams); and (4) use of Case Center “Presentation” mode to share exhibits.
Parties are strongly encouraged to download PDFs of their Case Center exhibits and/or
have paper copies available in the event there are technological difficulties in the
courtroom.
10. Additional resources. For Case Center related training and questions, the parties may
wish to visit the Thomson Reuters Case Center Home Page at
https://answers.legalprof.thomsonreuters.com/casecenter-us/search. For technical issues
with Case Center, parties may contact AOC Support Services Monday – Friday from 7:00
AM – 6:00 PM, excluding State holidays, at (602) 452-3519, 1-800-720-7743 (toll free),
or [email protected]. The parties may also wish to review A.O. 2024-080 at
https://superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/departments/superior-court/civil/case-center/ for
additional information regarding Case Center.
SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA
MARICOPA COUNTY
CV 2024-050683
09/12/2025
Docket Code 089
Form V000A
Page 8
NOTE: Depositions will not be marked as exhibits. If you plan to read from a
deposition or use the deposition for impeachment purposes, you will need to supply an
ORIGINAL transcript to the courtroom clerk for filing. Copies will not be filed with the
clerk.
NOTICE: Exhibits Marked But Not Offered
Exhibits submitted to the Court for an evidentiary hearing/trial, whether through hard copy or
submitted electronically, that are marked as exhibits but are not offered into evidence at the
evidentiary hearing/trial will be destroyed following the hearing/trial, unless a party requests that the
evidence be returned at the conclusion of the hearing/trial. Such requests must be filed with the
Court and served on all parties in advance of the hearing or by no later than the conclusion of the
hearing/trial.
USE OF COURTROOM EQUIPMENT
All parties are expected to be familiar with the workings of the courtroom’s electronic
equipment. If there is a need to become familiar with this division’s electronic equipment, please
make an appointment through this Division’s Courtroom Assistant to test the equipment no later
than one week prior to the scheduled proceeding.
COMMUNICATION WITH DIVISION
Preferred communication with this Division is via email to the judicial assistant, Jill
Duce, at [email protected]. For any and all such written communication, all
other parties to the case shall be endorsed. The phone number for this division is (602) 372-0762.
12/19/2025 — CV2024050683 CEBALLOS, VIVIAN 12/19/2025 HONORABLE MICHAEL D. GORDON View Minute Entry ↑ top
- Source
- Minute Source
Clerk of the Superior Court
*** Electronically Filed ***
12/22/2025 8:00 AM
SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA
MARICOPA COUNTY
CV 2024-050683
12/19/2025
Docket Code 375
Form V000A
Page 1
CLERK OF THE COURT
HONORABLE MICHAEL D. GORDON
C. Nasui
Deputy
VIVIAN CEBALLOS
BENJAMIN ROBERT JEMSEK
v.
SOLERA CHANDLER HOMEOWNERS
ASSOCIATION INC
KARL J GRUSE
JUDGE GORDON
MINUTE ENTRY
The Court having received the December 18, 2025, Notice of Settlement,
IT IS ORDERED placing this matter on the Dismissal Calendar for dismissal on
February 19, 2026, without further notice, unless prior to said date, a stipulated judgment is
entered or filed, a stipulation for dismissal, along with a proposed form of order, is submitted to
the Court before that date, a proper joint report and proposed scheduling order is filed, or the Court
otherwise extends the deadline for good cause shown.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED any pending motions are hereby deemed moot.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED vacating the Final Trial Management Conference set for
August 7, 2026.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED vacating the 6-day Jury Trial set to commence on
September 9, 2026.
