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Michael C. Small

See more on Michael C. Small

Judge
Independent calendar
Los Angeles County Superior Court
Central District - Stanley Mosk Courthouse
Department/Division: 57 Courtroom/Floor: 517

111 N Hill St
Los Angeles , CA 90012-3014
(213) 633-0657



Appointed Los Angeles County Superior Court judge by Gov. Jerry Brown, March 27, 2015; senior counsel, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, 2001-15; chief counsel, ACLU Southern California, 1999-2000; visiting professor, UCLA, 1997-99; Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice, 1993-97; associate, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, 1987-93

Georgetown University Law Center, 1986



Judicial Profiles
Title Court Published
Judge Michael Small brings appellate rigor to complex LA trial court Los Angeles County Superior Court Mar. 19, 2026
Michael C. Small Los Angeles County (Alhambra) Mar. 27, 2016

Rulings
Case Category Published
Ammari v. Ammari
reversed and remanded
 Civil Procedure Dec. 26, 2025
Chinese Theater, LLC v. Starline Tours USA, Inc.
reversed and remanded
 Civil Procedure Nov. 7, 2025
Godoy v. Linzner
affirmed
 Trust and Estates Nov. 14, 2024
Autonomous Region of Narcotics Anonymous v. Narcotics Anonymous World Services Inc.
affirmed
 probate_and_trusts Apr. 27, 2022
Cundall v. Mitchell-Clyde
affirmed
 statutory_interpretation Jul. 2, 2020
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. v. Superior Court (Prime Healthcare La Palma LLC)
author
 Civil Procedure Aug. 2, 2017

Verdicts & Settlements
Case Name Topic Role Published
L.J., a minor, by and through his guardian ad litem, Gladys Sandoval, K.J., a minor, by an through her guardian ad litem, Jayleen Rios; Lucia J. an individual v. Los Angeles Unified School District Torts judge Jan. 23, 2026
Aidin Tehrani v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Consumer Law judge Jun. 20, 2025
Melanie Gonzalez, a minor by and through her Guardian ad Litem, Lucia A. Barrios Aldaco; Magie Alisia Gonzalez, a minor by and through her Guardian ad Litem, Maria A. Cruz Sal To; Cristian Gonzalez Valdez v. County of Los Angeles; City of Los Angeles; The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department; Carlos Turcios; Sylvia M. Turcios, and Does 1 through 100 Personal Injury judge May 30, 2025
Layne Leslie Britton v. Conrad Riggs, et al. Contracts judge Jul. 26, 2024
The People of the State of California v. Tony Tsungcheng Huang (aka Tony Huang and Tsungcheng Huang), individually and as managing director of TNS Management Group LLC, et al. Torts judge Jan. 26, 2024
The Community Action League, a California non-profit organization; California State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a non-profit organization, Judy Doe and Jane Roe v. City of Lancaster and City of Palmdale Civil Rights Plaintiff Feb. 25, 2012
Stewart Resnick, Lynda Resnick, Franklin Mint Co. v. Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Mark Lee Torts Plaintiff Feb. 26, 2011
RealNetworks Inc., et al. v. DVD Copy Control Association Inc., et al. Consolidated with Universal City Studios Production LLP, et al v. RealNetworks Inc., et al. Entertainment Law Apr. 3, 2010
Title Court Published
Judge Michael Small brings appellate rigor to complex LA trial court Los Angeles County Superior Court Mar. 19, 2026
Michael C. Small Los Angeles County (Alhambra) Mar. 27, 2016
Case Category Published
Ammari v. Ammari
reversed and remanded
 Civil Procedure Dec. 26, 2025
Chinese Theater, LLC v. Starline Tours USA, Inc.
reversed and remanded
 Civil Procedure Nov. 7, 2025
Godoy v. Linzner
affirmed
 Trust and Estates Nov. 14, 2024
Autonomous Region of Narcotics Anonymous v. Narcotics Anonymous World Services Inc.
affirmed
 probate_and_trusts Apr. 27, 2022
Cundall v. Mitchell-Clyde
affirmed
 statutory_interpretation Jul. 2, 2020
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. v. Superior Court (Prime Healthcare La Palma LLC)
author
 Civil Procedure Aug. 2, 2017
Case Name Topic Role Published
L.J., a minor, by and through his guardian ad litem, Gladys Sandoval, K.J., a minor, by an through her guardian ad litem, Jayleen Rios; Lucia J. an individual v. Los Angeles Unified School District Torts judge Jan. 23, 2026
Aidin Tehrani v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Consumer Law judge Jun. 20, 2025
Melanie Gonzalez, a minor by and through her Guardian ad Litem, Lucia A. Barrios Aldaco; Magie Alisia Gonzalez, a minor by and through her Guardian ad Litem, Maria A. Cruz Sal To; Cristian Gonzalez Valdez v. County of Los Angeles; City of Los Angeles; The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department; Carlos Turcios; Sylvia M. Turcios, and Does 1 through 100 Personal Injury judge May 30, 2025
Layne Leslie Britton v. Conrad Riggs, et al. Contracts judge Jul. 26, 2024
The People of the State of California v. Tony Tsungcheng Huang (aka Tony Huang and Tsungcheng Huang), individually and as managing director of TNS Management Group LLC, et al. Torts judge Jan. 26, 2024
The Community Action League, a California non-profit organization; California State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a non-profit organization, Judy Doe and Jane Roe v. City of Lancaster and City of Palmdale Civil Rights Plaintiff Feb. 25, 2012
Stewart Resnick, Lynda Resnick, Franklin Mint Co. v. Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Mark Lee Torts Plaintiff Feb. 26, 2011
RealNetworks Inc., et al. v. DVD Copy Control Association Inc., et al. Consolidated with Universal City Studios Production LLP, et al v. RealNetworks Inc., et al. Entertainment Law Apr. 3, 2010
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