"The Robing Room: CA State Judges

Hon. Katherine A. Bacal	See Rating Details
Judge Superior Court
San Diego County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 2.9 - 26 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 1.0 - 6 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

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General Rating Criteria

* Temperament		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Scholarship		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Industriousness		(1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
* Ability to Handle Complex Litigation		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Punctuality		(1=Chronically Late,10=Always on Time)
* General Ability to Handle Pre-Trial Matters		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
* General Ability as a Trial Judge		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
Flexibility In Scheduling		(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)

Criminal Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation		(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
General Inclination Regarding Bail		(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Plea Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved, 10=Very Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pretrial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)

Civil Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation		(1=Not at all Evenhanded,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Involvement in Settlement Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved,10=Very Involved)
General Inclination		(1=Pro-defendant, 10=Pro-plaintiff)

Comments

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What others have said about Hon. Katherine A. Bacal

Comments

Litigant

Comment #: CA53359
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She is mean, unfair and unprofessional.
She made up her mind before the evidence and said out loud -you better settle because you will not like the outcome.She ignored the law,and made fun of the lawyers. I hope one day she is forced to be a litigant in front of a judge like her. Arrogant, and ignores the law. She should be removed from the bench.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA53139
Rating:10.0

Comments:
With Judge Bacal you know what you are getting, a fair judge that follows the rules. Even after losing trials before her, I know it was fair.

Litigant

Comment #: CA53119
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I agree with all the reviews on here. Judge Bacal is a disgrace! We had no chance, Judge Bacal had her mind made up on our case before we even started. Of course we were shocked we lost our case and was heavily fined for it. We have a small struggling construction business and in this case am the little guy. When you have 5 solid witnesses, and she finds all 5 witnesses not credible, including a forensic accountant. What's the point of going to court when all 5 of your witnesses are not credible. Defense had no witnesses. She had no clue about simple accounting nor tried to understand. It`s been a couple of years now and every day we are reminded of the offense that occurred (in our accounting books now) Our life's is ruined for life because of Judge Bacal! And for what.. for doing everything right our entire life. She did not just hurt a family but all the employees who need to work. We thought we had a good attorney but She yelled at our attorney the entire time. He had no chance. She interrupted him numerous times and asked questions to get the answer she wanted to hear. We felt as if Judge Bacal had it out for our attorney for some reason? Judge Bacal met privately with the opposing attorney in between our hearing. We felt like that was wrong!! She did not yell at the opposing attorney at all. Then during the ruling she brought 3 other judges into the courtroom and showboated in front of them. Just obliviated us in front of those judges like she was doing some kind of great job. We felt like the criminals and was fined huge! Money we do not have for the reason of going to court. I will never go to court again and now know why most cases settle before. Opposing Attorneys can inflate their attorney fees and with no checks and balances. The whole thing is a joke!! What`s good is bad and what`s bad is good with this one! My advise is settle before going to court with this one. She is awful and if you think you have all the evidence on your side still settle! We had paper trails and emails with the tons of evidence. I believe Judge Bacal has anger issues!!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA51470
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Avoid it if you want a fair trial. 170.6.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA49290
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This is not a judge you want if you are a Plaintiff looking for a fair day in court. She is obviously biased toward local corporate defendants and refuses to follow the law. Very sad that a Judge is allowed to have such a negative impact on someone's life and deprive them of a fair trial.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA46805
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I don't want to hear nothing about her being a bad judge I don't want to hear crap out of that what she is is she's pro defended she's for the little guy okay she's not for the person in the suit that walks in there thinking they have a degree she's for common sense that's what she does she's she's with the little guy okay she doesn't play games and she's not there to play games with you she's not supposed to be liked by you guys at all she's a judge and she's going to have a lot of haters because of her because of the way that she judges I believe that she's fair and she is for the pro her I don't care what nobody got to say okay she's not playing games with nobody and y'all better understand it

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA39847
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
She’s not as evil as people perceive her to be. Trust me! Although I exploded on her because her clerks messed up my cases, she has not retaliated against me! She could of but has not! She may have her bad days but give her a chance! there’s still hope out there!

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA37202
Rating:9.1

Comments:
Judge Bacal does an incredible job of making sure that the parties have a level playing field. If you follow her very clearly laid out procedures you will have a smooth trial. That said, she is also easy to approach to address special circumstances that arise.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA36041
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Who allowed this individual to become a judge? She’s very incompetent, clearly hates her life, and obviously her job too. She screamed like a maniac at a basic Case Management Conference and interrupted the attorneys non stop. She’s completely unprofessional, and the list goes on and on. I feel so sorry for the attorneys who are stuck doing a trial in front of this one. Good luck getting justice. I feel like some judges should take a look at these reviews and re-evaluate their behavior and their career choices. ???????

Other

Comment #: CA35948
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Terrible. She is a disgrace to the legal system in California. Does not have a grasp of common legal concepts, is retaliatory and punitive to the individuals who appear in front of her bench if she does not like them or their attorney. She fawns over large firms and money.

Dan Webb, a very respected attorney, and litigator was correct when he stated at the end of the Adam Shacknai trial for a wrongful death lawsuit of Rebecca Zahau that the trial was a manipulation of the legal process:

He called the verdict a “catastrophic manipulation of the court system and the judicial process.”

Bacal is an enabler and a weak one at that.

There is hope that a number of cases are before the Appellate Court and that when examined, Bacal will have her day before the Judicial Council.

Court Staff

Comment #: CA33662
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
If you have information on judge Bacal, I want to hear from you. Email me. RadiantTruth@pm.me.

Very Truly,

Ventura County's Radiant Truth

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA32793
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Judge Bacal simply hates pro se plaintiffs and didn't even try to hide her efforts to sabotage my case from the start. She refused a timely peremptory challenge and sat on my request for default for weeks. She then allowed the big-law attorneys to file a demurrer and an anti-SLAPP motion a month late without a request for an extension, and the next day denied my default because there was a response on file. Her manipulation prevented me from amending my complaint before she heard the defendant's motion for an absurd $180,000 out-of-state plaintiff's bond, so I had to dismiss the case before she ruined me. I filed another case a year later and it was voided because I was told I was on the vexatious litigant list (which I was not). I had to deal with Jude Trapp (who was obviously working with Bacal), who got very angry at me for filing a perfect ex-parte and declaration because she couldn't find a reason to prevent the case from being filed. After the case was unvoided, I saw it was assigned to Judge Bacal and filed a peremptory challenge the same day. [
redacted by Ed.] She sits on a bench, but treats it like a throne. If you're big-law with a hopeless case, she's the judge for you. No one else has a chance.

Other

Comment #: CA31249
Rating:1.0

Comments:
My father 74yo was accused of sexual battery by former disgruntled tenants, he was unable to defend himself due to his age, health, and hearing issues so he partially lost the original judgment as the Plaintiff admitted she did not attempt to seek any medical help or contact the police yet begged us not to raise the rent 75$ when asked by the original Judge. We filled an appeal in hopes of Complete Justice but the Plaintiff changed her story under oath a second time and filled any gaps from her original story with more lies to gain full Judgment from Bacal. The Plaintiff turned a simple COMMENT my dad made because of Plaintiff’s behavior into a Physical action 3 years later. She told 2 different stories under oath. We had written statements from witnesses of the first trial and the fist story the Plaintiff told, medical records of my father’s condition as well as phone records of communication with the Plaintiff after the alleged incident but our Attorney did not present any of it which I think was due to her loss of confidence and train of thought from the constant corrections, remarks / attacks Katherine Bacal made each time our attorney spoke. From the very start Bacal was very sharp and short tempered when it came to us and our representation as if she was already biased to the Plaintiff. She helped victimize an innocent elderly person who has become depressed and baffled by how our Justice system, which he once admired, actually works and allows liars and criminals to abuse it taking advantage of honest hardworking people. Maybe our mistake was working with Holben & Associates who provided us with a Lawyer that was not able to perform under the circumstances Bacal created. In the end we may have been better off without representation but due to my Dads condition I wanted to be sure he was able to tell his whole story (the Truth), which he repeatedly explains to our family as if he is stuck in a loop before and after both trials. Unfortunately the stress and frustration in the court room again did not allow him to tell his story and having a lawyer merely made things worse for us and now not only are we paying for an Attorney who failed to represent us but we also have to unjustly reward criminals.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA28092
Rating:2.8

Comments:
No no no no no no. Intellectually deficient; makes clearly erroneous rulings over and over again; and possibly the most annoying Judge in America. She gets in the way of the trial lawyers and completely interrupts the flow of information to lawyers. Run for the hills. 170.6 immediately..

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA27729
Rating:9.8

Comments:
Judge Bacal is professional, even tempered, intelligent and does not suffer fools. If you are prepared and know your case, you should have no problem. She sees through b.s. and is no nonsense. We need more judges like her.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: CA19683
Rating:2.3

Comments:
Disgrace to the bench and doesn’t even attempt to hide her bias. Decisions so contrary to law in favor of big law firms who don’t even need to argue. Did a lot of research on her cases, and it’s a shame that so few people who’s lives she’s destroyed could afford an appeal. Why the hell is she still on the bench?

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA14948
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She failed to read through our motion and the entire file as one would think a judge would do when ruling on a motion. Consequently, she failed to follow the rules we cited. Her clerk was even less respectful of the rules and the litigants who are relying on the rules of procedure. Here's a word for a judge who doesn't follow civil procedure - tyrant. And she's supported by a staff who seem to enjoy the abuse of power.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA13085
Rating:1.7

Comments:
This judge does not know the law and makes up the law as she goes along. Assured us that had read our papers when she clearly had not. Insecure in her position as a judge. In fact, she should not be a judge but that's how political appointments work. Doesn't have the self confidence to admit she's wrong on a point of law and will not listen to anything she disagrees with. I will 170.6 her if I draw her on another case.

Other

Comment #: CA12992
Rating:1.0

Comments:
The judge does not understand the provisions of Proposition 103, passed by the California voters in 1988. Her recent decision in the State Farm case defies logic and is not reasonable.

If insurance companies dictate when and where rates are not excessive, all Californians are at the mercy of big corporations, motivated by profit.

This Judge needs to go back to school and study Prop 103 in particular.

She should have pursued a career as a university professor so that her decisions do NOT harm Californians.

Shame on Judge Bacal!

Litigant

Comment #: CA12763
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge is a disgrace to the judicial system. She seems to have the propensity to NOT listen to facts and can't see the forest for the trees. Had to deal with her stupidity for almost 8 years. Cost my family over $300k.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA12450
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
She seems insensitive and cruel.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA11836
Rating:1.8

Comments:
Glib. Smug. In competent. Totally uninterested in the facts of the case I was trying in front of her. The only worse judge I have encountered is John S. Meyer, who manages to makes this woman look like Abraham Lincoln.

Litigant

Comment #: CA11464
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Hands down the worst Judge in San Diego. How she is able to have a seat and decide the fate of others is a disgusting shame.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA10562
Rating:1.3

Comments:
Not accommodating to attorneys and shows no respect for others. She does not deserve to be a judge.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA9003
Rating:1.0

Comments:
How did this "person" get on the bench? She makes snap judgments without being informed of law or facts. She has a really bad temperament. I feel sorry for anyone who has to deal with her. Her poor staff . . . they are all going to end up out on stress leave. If you just don't speak, you may make it out alive. But if you have to talk, get ready for her to come at you like a hungry lion with a personality disorder.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA8145
Rating:10.0

Comments:
While her voice intonation can seem annoying (the last word of ever sentence goes higher), she is actually a very pleasant judge, who lets you try your case. I was a plaintiff attorney on a case and while I did not prevail, she showed excellent understanding of evidentiary objections (most of which I won) and did not waste the jurors or counsels time. Don't let her voice scare you away. She is harmless and very accommodating.

Other

Comment #: CA7813
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Judge Bacal does not follow the law and is pro-defense. I was shocked at her ignorance, bias and complete utter lack of knowledge of the law.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA7787
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Terrible Judge. Would not follow the law with respect to defaults.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA7736
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Terrible judge. She granted a motion for summary judgement (MSJ) in an employment case where the employer (ER) wrote down that employee (EE) was fired for an illegal reason. In the MSJ, the ER claimed EE was terminated for performance issues (even though there was no such documentation). There is no way this motion should have been granted. Worst ruling ever. Our appeal was successful and her ruling was reversed, but now we are back in front of her. I have witnessed her make numerous other horrible rulings as well (usually favoring the defense). It is truly shocking. I do not know if this judge has some kind of personal agenda or if she is just an idiot, but either way she should be avoided at all costs.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA7232
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She may be okay on pre-trial matters, but had her for trial and agree with the other negative comments. Very condescending, cold, pro-defense attitude. Weak on the law. Hard on the attorneys. One of the worst trial judges I have had in 40 years.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA7231
Rating:6.5

Comments:
I appeared in front of Judge Bacal for an ex parte. Though my papers were timely placed in the box the day before, apparently they were lost and the judge never saw them. At the hearing, the court trailed so that it could review a copy of my papers when it could have just made a decision without them. I appreciated that courtesy and extra work on Judge Bacal's behalf, and have not noticed the bad demeanor and poor legal reasoning that other posters have observed.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA6819
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She has no business on the bench. It is almost indescribable how truly awful she is . . . incompetent, miserable, moronic and rude. She will find a way to screw up your case. Stay away from this one. She is the reason that there is a need for judicial oversight and accountability.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA6750
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She is not a good judge. She has below average intelligence. Her demeanor is terrible. She is just rude and mean to everyone. She is not impartial, leaning heavily in favor of defendants. She was a defense attorney for years and believes it is her life's mission to rid the world of meritless cases. But in her opinion everything is meritless. If you are on the plaintiff's side, she will find a way to screw you.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA6593
Rating:1.0

Comments:
A terrible trial judge. Lazy. Horrible demeanor. Very biased and very pro-defendant.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA6592
Rating:2.9

Comments:
Terrible. Not very bright, and displays a condescending demeanor toward counsel, parties and witnesses alike. Paper her.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA6562
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She is the worst. After 20 years of practice, it is pretty hard to get to the top of my worst ever list but this judge wins the spot by wide margin. Not smart. Very poor rulings (remarkably consistent on this point). Angry. Hostile. Aggressive. Intolerant. Very pro-defense. Did I mention she is a moron? Kick her if at all possible. Really.

Other

Comment #: CA6404
Rating:6.0

Comments:
She whines and bitches too much.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA5830
Rating:1.0

Comments:
She is the worst judge ever. Run far and fast. Paper her every time. She has a horrible disposition. She is just a mean and nasty person which would be fine if she were intelligent and made good rulings, but she is not. She always sides with the defense. She has no idea on the law. She is not smart, not diligent and not competent.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA4907
Rating:3.3

Comments:
She is very pro-defendant. I watched her grant demurrers without leave to amend, even where leave is required (original complaint). She has granted summary judgments where there are clear disputes of fact. She still thinks that she works at Baker and needs to support the rights of defendants. I was shocked by her general demeanor. She was very cold to plaintiffs in general. I will paper her in the future, and hope for an even-keeled judge.