Benjamin F Coats

High-handed. Cruel. Refuses to answer questions. Plays games. Has temper tantrums. Has no integrity at all. Unethical. Unjust. Unfair. Mean-spirited and harmful. Avoid at all costs. Terrible.

Ive only had Judge Coats in civil cases - He's very fair and wants to keep his cases moving along; come prepared, don't waste the court's time, try and meet and confer in advance.

He reads everything, gets it, takes the bench on time, and cuts to the chase. He is not there to be your friend. He is there to do his job. Attorneys who try to wing it or try to mislead him, even in the slightest, will not like him. He will call you on that instantly and he will be, shall we say…unimpressed. I LIKE him.

Goodness, this judge needs to start handling more of his work and stop assigning it out to" staff". One of his clerks even takes over his work and keeps it all secret from him. Very embarrassing. This wrongdoing demonstrates a true ignorance of the law and the misuse and abuse of his official power.

This judge is so biased and prejudiced, this litigant went ahead and settled the case at great loss. Ironically, the opposing party admitted they had been lying all along, but only after the case had settled. Why this judge is on the bench, I cannot imagine because it has nothing to do with fairness or justice.

I write this as both a criminal defense attorney and a practicing civil attorney who has handled everything from homicide and serious felony cases to civil appeals that are published. The appointment of Ben Coats to the bench was a mistake. His demeanor can appear friendly, but he is the kind of person who can smile at you while picking your wallet and stabbing you in the back. His prior experience is in insurance defense, including medical malpractice, which is easy when you just settle and spend other people's money. His knowledge of contract law, real estate, labor law, and criminal law is deficient, to the point that he would fail the bar exam because it is below entry level. He compensates from this with fake kindness, and his judicial ethics are questionable at best. I've seen him handle one felony prelim, which he approached with the "just do what the deputy District Attorney" asks attitude. Needs to go back to private practice in insurance.

I had a tough civil jury trial before Judge Coats. He handled pretrial matters with detailed tentative rulings, presided over the trial with fairness to both sides and good temperament and rendered highly detailed rulings on post-trial motions.

The recent posted comments are very true, and I would CCP Section 170.6 exclude him from any future litigation. He lacks all of the important attributes of any good judge. He has no respect for civil rights. He is unwilling and unable to discuss the law. It's his way or the highway. He literally threatened and bullied counsel before counsel had a chance to speak. He lacks fairness, and he seems very hateful and unfair. He wasn't even willing to explain some caustic, cryptic comments he made to ensure that the parties had no idea what he meant. Huge Ego. Not a decent or fair judge.

Shocking, really. Hard to imagine that yet another entitled male judge could be so hateful, pompous and dictatorial. He does not care what the law is. Justice means nothing to him. He's intent on sticking it to the party he hates and gloating about it. Such a petty and mean person.

Absolutely AWFUL judge ! Definitely needs to be voted out. Ignorant and arrogant. 170.6 him immediately and VOTE HIM OFF THE BENCH !

Vain, pompous, mean-spirited official lacking any sense of fairness or decency. Very harmful. Unfair. Extremely Biased.

Coats reads your briefs. Decorum and KISS goes a long way in his courtroom. Do not interrupt him or show emotion when opposing counsel or witnesses are speaking. Not the easiest judge to appear in front of, but I'll take a slightly cranky judge who reads my briefs over an easier going judge who doesn't read my papers.