The Los Angeles County Superior Court, the largest courthouse in the country, remained closed on Monday as it tried to recover from a ransomware attack on its systems, officials said.
The attack was discovered on Friday and does not appear to be related to the CrowdStrike software update that paralyzed Windows computers around the world last week, affecting governments, airlines and other organizations, court officials said in a news release Sunday.
The closure extended to all 36 courthouses in the county, but officials did not expect it to last beyond Monday.
“The court continues to proceed rapidly through the restoration and recovery phase, but as of Sunday evening, many critical systems remain offline,” Presiding Judge Samantha Gessner said in a statement. “One more day will allow the court’s team of specialists to focus on bringing systems back online so the court can resume operations as quickly, smoothly, and safely as possible.”
According to the announcement, the affected court systems include the My Jury Duty Portal, court websites and court case management systems.
A team of consultants, vendors and law enforcement officials was working to get the systems up and running again, but parts of them were still inaccessible as of Sunday, officials said.
Court officials did not answer questions about how the attackers gained control of the systems, whether the county paid the ransom, what sensitive information, if any, was leaked or if any data was lost.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office referred questions to superior court clerks.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that no inmates would be transported to court on Monday because of the closure, but the courthouse disruption “will not affect the release dates of inmates who have been sentenced and are scheduled for release on that day,” the department said.
Meanwhile, county officials said release orders from juvenile hall and transfers to programs could be delayed.
Eviction and eviction orders were suspended for the day, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The attack did not affect the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, authorities said in a news release, adding that they were in contact with superior courts “to ensure that our clients’ rights are protected.”
The public defender’s office will remain open Monday and attorneys will remain available to provide legal advice.
“The right to a speedy trial is a cornerstone of justice and it is our top priority,” the office said in a statement. “We are actively monitoring the impact of this attack on the trial calendar and will take all necessary legal action to protect our clients’ constitutional and legal rights.”
The Public Defender’s Office will also prioritize expedited release procedures for eligible clients.
Officials said emergency matters such as warrants and transfer orders are to be handled by a Department of Children and Family Services judge. Transfers of children scheduled to appear in court on Monday have been canceled.
A child support hearing scheduled for Monday did not proceed as scheduled due to the court being closed, and participants were to be notified of a new court date. Motions were not even accepted on Monday due to the court being closed.
There may be delays in the Department of Mental Health guardianship proceedings and CARE Court Services.