Linda Lopez

United States District Court for the Southern District of California district Appointed by Joseph R. Biden (Democratic) 14 signed orders read

How Judge Lopez decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

She enforces arbitration agreements according to their terms, compelling arbitration as to the party bound by the clause while declining to stay the whole action.

“the Court GRANTS Defendants' Motion to Compel Arbitration as to Plaintiff Philip McGill but DENIES Defendants' request to stay this action pending arbitration.”

Procedural preferences

She grants a motion to dismiss without leave to amend where amendment would be futile, mooting related pending motions.

“For the foregoing reasons, the Court GRANTS Defendant's Motion to Dismiss without leave to amend and DENIES AS MOOT Plaintiff's Motion for Preliminary Injunction.”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Kelly v. County of San Diego
3:20-cv-02206-LL-MDD · 2022-03-23
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted

“Accordingly, Deputy Steinmeyer's motion to partially dismiss Plaintiff's First Amended Complaint (‘FAC’) is GRANTED. The claim in Plaintiff's FAC against Deputy Steinmeyer for ‘unreasonable/unlawful entry into and search of private property’ under the Fourth Amendment and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 is DISMISSED without prejudice.”

Lopez v. City of San Diego
3:24-cv-01577-LL-DDL · 2025-03-21
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted

“For the foregoing reasons, the Court GRANTS Defendant's Motion to Dismiss without leave to amend and DENIES AS MOOT Plaintiff's Motion for Preliminary Injunction.”

Preliminary injunction (plaintiff) Moot / procedural

“the Court ... DENIES AS MOOT Plaintiff's Motion for Preliminary Injunction.”

Brooks v. Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC
3:23-cv-01729-LL-VET · 2025-08-07
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Denied

“The Court DENIES the Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs' SAC for failure to join necessary and indispensable parties.”

Motions to strike (defendant) Granted

“The Court GRANTS without leave to amend the Motion to Strike the Unauthorized Deduction Class and those portions of the SAC that allege or relate to allegations that utility charges are unauthorized deductions.”

Brooks v. Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC
3:23-cv-01729-LL-VET · 2024-07-19
Motion to compel arbitration (defendant) Granted in part

“the Court GRANTS Defendants' Motion to Compel Arbitration as to Plaintiff Philip McGill but DENIES Defendants' request to stay this action pending arbitration.”

Brooks et al v. Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC et al
3:23-cv-01729-LL-VET · 2025-03-31
Motion for interlocutory appeal (plaintiff) Denied

“ORDER Denying 45 Plaintiff's Motion to Certify July 19, 2024 Order for Interlocutory Appeal. Signed by Judge Linda Lopez on 3/31/2025.”

Mascorro v. The City of San Diego et al
3:21-cv-01427-LL-AGS · 2022-03-08
Motion for reconsideration (plaintiff) Denied

“Accordingly, for the same reasons stated by Judge Bashant, Plaintiff’s motion for reconsideration [ECF No. 13] is DENIED.”

Default judgment (plaintiff) Denied

“Moreover, before a party may move for default judgment, there must be an entry of default. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(a)-(b); Symantec Corp. v. Glob. Impact, Inc., 559 F.3d 922, 923 (9th Cir. 2009). Accordingly, Plaintiff’s motion for default judgment [ECF No. 14] is DENIED.”

Cartwright v. San Diego Sheriff's Department
3:22-cv-01002-LL-JLB · 2023-07-24
Habeas petition (petitioner) Moot / procedural

“The Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus is DISMISSED AS MOOT without leave to amend”

Motions to dismiss (respondent) Moot / procedural

“Respondent’s Motion to Dismiss [ECF No. 16] is DENIED AS MOOT”

Torres v. Covello
3:25-cv-01048-LL-LR · 2025-06-06
Motion to proceed in forma pauperis (petitioner) Denied

“Petitioner’s request to proceed IFP is denied because Petitioner has not provided the Court with sufficient information to determine Petitioner’s financial status. ... Accordingly, the IFP motion is DENIED.”

Habeas petition (petitioner) Moot / procedural

“Petitioner’s Motion to Proceed IFP (ECF No. 6) is DENIED and the First Amended Petition is DISMISSED without prejudice. To have his case reopened, Petitioner must both (1) satisfy the filing fee requirement ... AND (2) file a Second Amended Petition which cures the deficiencies outlined in this Order no later than August 4, 2025.”

Dang v. Pontier et al
3:19-cv-01519-LL-DDL · 2025-03-27
Motion for recusal (defendant) Denied

“Accordingly, the Court DENIES Pontier’s Motion for Recusal.”

Sunil v. Casey
3:26-cv-01653-LL-DDL · 2026-04-15
Habeas petition (petitioner) Granted

“Accordingly, the Court GRANTS the Petition.”

Singh v. Warden, Imperial Regional Detention Facility
3:26-cv-01211-LL-JLB · 2026-03-05
Habeas petition (petitioner) Granted

“For the reasons above, the Court GRANTS Petitioner's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, DENIES AS MOOT the Motion for Temporary Restraining Order, and ORDERS that Respondents to immediately release Petitioner from custody subject only to the conditions of his preexisting parole.”

Motion for temporary restraining order (petitioner) Moot / procedural

“the Court GRANTS Petitioner's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, DENIES AS MOOT the Motion for Temporary Restraining Order”

Roble v. LaRose
3:26-cv-00843-LL-BJW · 2026-03-27
Habeas petition (petitioner) Denied

“For the reasons discussed above, the Court DENIES the Petition without prejudice.”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 231 days (N = 9).

Median motion-to-ruling time: 33 days (N = 3).

The sampled civil matters include automotive-warranty, telephone-consumer, disability-access, employment, civil-rights, habeas, trademark, and immigration-mandamus cases.

Put Judge Lopez's record to work

Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Lopez actually rules, not a generic AI guess.

Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Lopez's own signed orders and cites them.