Riverside County has recently reorganized its probate court. The changes take effect during January 2011. The court has issued new local rules telling petitioners where to file probate, will contest, and trust litigation cases.
The Hemet probate court will no longer hear probate, will contest, or trust litigation cases. Its probate matters will be limited to adoptions and petitions for freedom from parental control. The Southwest Justice Center does not now and will not have any probate functions. In effect, Riverside County is consolidating its probate court at its Riverside and Palm Springs locations.
Notwithstanding this consolidation, long-cause probate case trials can still be assigned out to the general civil court for trial. It remains to be seen if consolidation of the probate court will result in this happening more or less frequently than it does now.