"The Robing Room: CA State Judges

Hon. Holly E. Kendig	See Rating Details
Judge Superior Court
Los Angeles County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 4.4 - 33 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 2.0 - 3 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. Holly E. Kendig

Comments

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA38822
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Smart. Fair

Patient I tried a long bifurcated-liability and damages- trial before her. Both verdicts for plaintiff and her trial and post trial rulings were correct. Verdict affirmed on appeal. Not hesitant to appear before her again. But be prepared—she will be and expects you also to be prepared

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA31461
Rating:1.0

Comments:
You can always tell the blatantly fake reviews: No specifics, just hyperbole like this nonsense: "The most scholarly judge I have ever appeared before. Judge Kendig made me a better lawyer." What a load of crap! I would rank this Judge as quite literally the very worst Judge I have ever been before. An example of her ineptness? She set aside a default based on the Defendant's Declaration which incorrectly stated she had been served four months after the lawsuit was filed. However, the Proof of Service in the file clearly showed the Defendant was served 3 weeks after the case was filed. Judge Kendig relied on the Declaration of the Defendant rather than the Proof of Service. In fact, she did not even realize she had never even looked at the Proof of Service and instead had only gone by the Defendant's Declaration. This is just one of the things she did. She was rude and insulting to the attorneys. It's Judges that are this bad that make attorneys hate going to court. If you don't 170.6 this Judge and vote against her in the elections then be prepared for a miserable experience.

Other

Comment #: CA28743
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
I enjoyed being a juror in a month long trial. She was very good at keeping things moving and making the jury experience enjoyable.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA26677
Rating:1.4

Comments:
Has a well deserved reputation of bias against civil plaintiffs. One of the few judges I've seen that clearly tries to favor the defense, intentionally. I don't say that lightly, but it's true. Can be verbally abusive. Unless you're a defendant, 170.6 quickly.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA23765
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Great judge. Well read on cases at issue and the law. Engages counsel on legal arguments. Courteous and runs a well balanced courtroom.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA19504
Rating:10.0

Comments:
I appeared before her in a case that was set for trial in her court. She has a nice temperament. She is not hard on lawyers, and sets workable schedules. She is very, very smart. If you have a lousy case, you probably don't want her as a judge. If you have a good case, and novel issues of law are at issue, this is the judge for you. I have practiced law in Los Angeles for over 30 years, and she is one of my favorites.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA18977
Rating:3.8

Comments:
If she likes you, you can do okay in her courtroom. She seems to have a preference for male attorneys. She is very unpredictable, which isn't a great trait in a civil trial lawyer. I would not want to try another case in her courtroom, although there is some chance she might treat me well on a second go-round.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA15481
Rating:1.2

Comments:
I've waited a long time to post this review. When, immediately after the hearing, other attorneys you've never met go out of their way to come talk to you on the street and tell you "you've GOT to appeal that ruling" you know just been in front of a lousy judge. Judge Kendig was incapable of applying basic logic let alone basic legal principles. I represented the plaintiff in a discrimination matter. I'd been making law & motion appearances for over 25 years when I appeared in Kendig's courtroom. I have never been so frustrated and angry with a judge, and I have never some so close to being slapped with contempt as I tried repeatedly to explain that she was missing a glaringly obvious logical and legal point. When I dared stoop to the tactic of posing hypothetical questions to the judge to try to get her to understand, or to help me understand her thinking so perhaps I could solve the problem, I was brutally shut-down. During my wait in the audience as well as during my appearance Judge Kendig exhibited little intellectual curiosity. She clearly had made her mind up in advance and nothing was going to change it.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA15105
Rating:2.3

Comments:
I find Judge kendig, to be very biased, and judgemental, with little ability or inclination to see thru obvious lies, and very unwilling to unravel webs of deciet to get to the Truth.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA12993
Rating:2.1

Comments:
Reviewing the various postings, there is no middle ground, and those who give this judge high marks are undoubtedly those who have benefited from her favoritism, in court or out.
I urge anyone who is interested in a preemptively unbiased evaluation of her qualifications to read the various appellate opinions in which she has been reversed. She regularly ignores both the federal and California constitutions, as well as blackletter precedent. From my personal experience she is either ignorant of certain well-settled legal principles, or feigns such ignorance in order to enter her own, predetermine rulings. Again, don't take my word for it, take a look at the Second District opinions reversing her decisions.
She's at the very top of my 170.6 list.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA12787
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Please, please do not believe any rating over a 1. The ratings you see that are 10 are family opinions. This is the worst judge you will ever deal with. If she favors you, you have to feel sorry for your opponent because nothing will be based upon the law. A 170.6 for sure.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA11672
Rating:1.8

Comments:
She should be an automatic 170.6. If Kendig takes a disliking to an attorney she will make his/her life a living hell. After she picks the side she likes, nothing else matters. She doesn't even try and hide her bias and hostility. She hates being disagreed with and has the temperament of a rabid animal. She's the worst judge I've appeared before in twenty years of practice.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA11354
Rating:8.6

Comments:
Judge Kendig is one of the best at Stanley Mosk. She sticks to her guns on legal issues (she seems to know the cases she cites and discusses, unlike many other judicial officers who rely upon their research attorneys alone). She's an excellent judge for plaintiff or defense. She can be impatient, but that is usually with attorneys who are not complying with rules or wasting time.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA11064
Rating:2.0

Comments:
The reason she is biased and stubborn about it and doctors the reporter's transcript is because she's on the take. I figure she taking money because she screwed me at strategic points in my case and seemed to have ex-parte communications with the other side because they talked about things that I had not heard ever mentioned in my presence. The 10 ratings are probably written by her or her cronies. She violated the law and management sided with me against her when I talked to them. She should be fired or I might sue the courthouse or the state of California who are responsible for her conduct.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA9956
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
She denied my motion for summary judgment because I was moving to have several causes of actions dismiss. She said "you cannot have causes of actions dismissed on a motion for summary judgment. Only the entire action."

She doesn't know the law. Intemperate, lazy. Doesn't know her job and doesn't care to learn it.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA9941
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Disturbingly bad! She ignored the law and the law she didn't ignore she was wrong on. Even when I pointed out statutory law....which she checked because she didn't know what she should have, she still ignored the law and stood by her tentative. She acts like show knows everything and in one hearing alone I showed she was flat out wrong three different times....all to no avail. Is it that hard for the LASC to find decent judges???

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA9573
Rating:1.9

Comments:
She's right at the top of my 170.6 list.

Other

Comment #: CA9571
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Staggeringly ignorant of some fundamental legal principles, and incredibly intransigent -- even in the face of clear authority contrary to her preconceived (and erroneous) conclusions.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA9518
Rating:9.3

Comments:
Good judge. Very bright. Fair. Capable of crabbiness if the attorney screws up.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA8929
Rating:3.1

Comments:
I sympathize with all the negative opinions below. She's smart, articulate, well educated - but unfortunately she acts really stupid far too often. She's stubborn too. Falls into the time waster category as well. I wish I could say she's the great judge she obviously she of herself as, but she's not.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA8820
Rating:4.7

Comments:
Be prepared to have your hearings set out between 12 and 18 months. Slowest calendar in Stanley Mosk.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA7872
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Horrendous calendar management and doesn't care. Vindictive, doesn't know the law and doesn't care. She'll decide who she thinks is right and make every ruling for that side regardless of whether the clear law supports her decision or not. Time for hearing on demurrer: six months. Time for hearing on discovery motion: 10 months. She should not be on the bench. 170.6 her.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA7631
Rating:1.5

Comments:
I personally found her to be biased and unwilling to adhere to fact specific case law.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA7630
Rating:10.0

Comments:
The most scholarly judge I have ever appeared before. Judge Kendig made me a better lawyer.

Criminal Defense Lawyer

Comment #: CA6569
Rating:1.7

Comments:
Great if your on the defense. Plus your case will anguish forever because she can't handle her law and motion calendar or trial calendar. Just filing a demurrer will get you an extra year. 170.6 if your plaintiff, especially if your case is anything more than completely simple. Absolutely zero understanding of the law, and extremely biased against plaintiffs. Will insinuate plaintiff's counsel is lying and worse. She needs to get off the bench.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA5889
Rating:1.0

Comments:
One of the most biased, intemperate, insecure judges on the bench.

Litigant

Comment #: CA5396
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Her quote to my Attorney: "I should have you sanctioned for representing people like this."
"an unlawful detainer case is unwinnable".
Notables-lowly process servers get a free pass,
as do wealthy real estate moguls.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA4872
Rating:9.9

Comments:
She is very smart and very well-prepared.

Civil Litigation - Govt.

Comment #: CA4621
Rating:1.4

Comments:
I sat through a trial of a colleague's, so I had the benefit of watching her and her decision-making process when it came to ruling on objections. It was clear to me that she had absolutely no deliberative process whatsoever. She was solidly in the plaintiff's camp, and sustained every one of his "speaking" objections. Her doing so, and not admonishing the plaintiff's attorney, allowed him to testify and destroy the momentum of the defense attorney during his examination. I truly have never seen a more biased judge. She makes Judge Manny Real look neutral. She's god-awful.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA4310
Rating:2.2

Comments:
The best comment that I ever heard about her is that she should just get up from the bench and take a seat at the defense table. She is the judge that 170.6 was made for. Save yourself a huge headache and paper her or she will ruin your life.

Other

Comment #: CA3317
Rating:4.0

Comments:
Mercurial. On a run of the mill case she's fine. On a complicated case she doesn't want to deal with it. Tends toward indecision. She transfers the burden back to the attorneys.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA2459
Rating:1.4

Comments:
A definite 170.6

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA2413
Rating:2.4

Comments:
I found Judge Kendig to be a very biased judge and, like others here have said, once she makes up her mind, there is no argument that you could make to change it. In my case, I read CA Supreme Court dicta to her to support my position to which she replied that I was wrong. Then when I later got another Court Order showing that her previous decision was wrong, she got even worse. And regardless of her credentials (I know many people who bought their way into Ivy League schools), all that her prior positions and her appointment to the bench show is that she is very political. It does not make her a fair and impartial jurist.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA2411
Rating:9.9

Comments:
Excellent judge. Need more like her.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1864
Rating:10.0

Comments:
This judge is the most underrated judge currently sitting on any California superior court.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1405
Rating:2.5

Comments:
Judge Kendig does not read the caselaw that is cited in the briefs nor does she follow prevailing authority on certain issues. She is neither polite nor courteous to certain attorneys. As stated by one of the other commentators, once she makes up her mind, she cannot be swayed away from that point, which is not proper for a judicial officer. She ignores her obligations to both sides. I will definitely 170.6 her if I ever have another case assigned to her.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1372
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Judge Kendig is extremely intelligent and is well versed in procedure and evidence. She is very knowledgeable with respect to most areas of substantive law and is a quick learner if she is faced with an unfamilar legal issue. Many attorneys have initially underestimated her abilities by allowing her polite and proper court demeanor and williness to listen compeletely to both sides. That is a mistake and an attorney can gain great advantage on his/her opponent by not making it.

She has her law degree from Yale and was on its law review. Do the math and figure out what other justice and well know national politicians attending Yale law school while Judge Kendig was earning her degree. She was the first woman senior partner litigator at O'Melveny & Myers, and I believe was head of its litigation department for several years before being appointed to the bench. She was and still is a better lawyer than any lawyer that appears in her department.

She is a registered democrat. I only know this because of the background research our firm performed when a case was assigned to her department. Before appearing before her I had concerns because my clients and I are republicans for Orange County, and wealthy republicans at that.

Not only did I litigate a matter over a period of 4 months before her, but I sat in her courtroom on countless mornings during law and motion calendar waiting for our trial to commence. Never did I see any type of bias or agenda, overt or otherwise. In fact, and I feel there are only a few judges in the State that I would also be comfortable saying this about, the only agenda Judge Kendig has is to follow the law and treat all parties and counsel equally. While no person can eliminate all of their personal biases, there is not a civil matter that I would hesitate bringing before Judge Kendig, as I would rather have a judge who may look at things very differently than I do but has the goal of following the law and treating all parties equally, than a judge with an agenda, even if I think the agenda favors my client.

But, in that ringing endorsement are two negatives in being before Judge Kendig. The first is that she gives all sides essentially all the time they need to present their argument or case. As a result, her docket is huge, and it takes forever to get her to finally pull the trigger, end the argument and make the decision. The second is that she is so smart and knowledgeable, she often times spots issues none of the counsel in the case had considered, and she doesn't hesitate to offer up her observations to either side and at any point. I fully understand the purpose for doing it, but it can make some proceedings in her department a bit unpredictable.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: CA1301
Rating:7.0

Comments:
Judge Kendig is highly intelligent and sophisticated. Once she decides the outcome she wants, the case is over. She knows how to steer the case into a place where her discretion determines the outcome.
Her instincts are pro-little guy, so plaintiffs can get a good deal.