Reopening cases and vacating settlements
38 California OAH special education orders on reopening cases and vacating settlements, newest first, each with a plain-English summary. Search and filter these orders.
2026
- Order Granting Request to Reopen CaseOAH reopened Student's case against Los Angeles Unified after it was dismissed by mistake. A dismissal request meant for a different, unassigned filing was applied to this case.
- Order Granting Motion to Reinstate Case as to Los Angeles Unified School DistrictOAH reinstated Student's case against Los Angeles Unified after a paralegal's error dismissed the whole complaint instead of only the settling charter school. The mistake was excusable and promptly corrected.
2025
- Order Granting Request to Reopen CaseOAH reopened Student's case against Santa Clara Unified after finding it was wrongly dismissed, because the settlement still depended on court approval of a minor's compromise, not just board approval.
- Order Denying Request to Invalidate the April 10, 2025 Settlement AgreementOAH denied Student's request to void an April 10, 2025 settlement agreement Cupertino allegedly breached, because Student offered no evidence and OAH lacks jurisdiction over settlement-compliance claims.
2023
2022
- Order Granting Request to Reopen CaseOAH reopened Student's case and reinstated all dates because the dismissal was filed by mistake by a law firm that did not represent Student and had no authority to dismiss it.
- Order Taking No Action on Motion to Reinstate Due Process ComplaintOAH took no action on a request to reopen Student's dismissed case because Student's attorney had already withdrawn and could no longer file requests on Student's behalf.
2021
- Order Granting Joint Motion to Vacate Dismissal and Order Finding Settlement to Serve the Public Interest (Gov. Code § 1091(b)(15)(B))OAH vacated a mistaken dismissal and, acting as the 'court of competent jurisdiction,' found the settlement served the public interest so a school board with a parent-trustee could approve it.
- Order Denying Request to Vacate Dismissal and Reinstate Matter to CalendarOAH refused to reinstate Parent's case dismissed for inactivity because Parent had agreed to email service, received documents by email, and never explained missing the prehearing conference and filings.
2020
- Order Following Prehearing Conference, Vacating Order of Dismissal, Granting Request for Continuance, and Denying Other Motions as MootOAH vacated its dismissal of the charter school after Student's counsel explained Student did not want the dismissal yet, and granted the parties' joint request to continue the hearing to January 2021.
- Order Reopening CaseOAH reopened Student's case against South Bay Union School District after a dismissal because the parties never reached a final written settlement following mediation, and reset hearing dates.
- Order Granting Request to Reopen Case as to Antelope Valley Union High School DistrictOAH reopened Student's case against Antelope Valley and set aside the dismissal. Student's attorney had failed to report repeated delays in the board's vote on the settlement, and the dismissal would have unfairly harmed Student.
- Order Reopening CaseOAH reopened Student's case after Student mistakenly dismissed it before the charter school board approved the settlement, finding the error harmless, corrected within hours, and not prejudicial.
2019
- Order Granting Request to Reopen CaseOAH reopened Student's dismissed case because Palmdale's school board never approved the settlement agreement, and Palmdale did not explain why it failed to tell Student.
- Order Denying Motion to Reopen CaseOAH denied Student's motion to reopen his withdrawn case. Student's belief that withdrawing his case would also dismiss Garden Grove's consolidated case was not a mistake that justifies reopening.
2017
- Order Denying Request to Reopen CaseOAH denied Parent's request to reopen the case after she tried to rescind a signed settlement, because nothing in the agreement allowed rescission and OAH lacks authority to set aside settlements.
- Order Denying Request to Reopen CaseOAH denied Parent's request to reopen a mediation-only case settled and dismissed, because OAH cannot set aside settlement agreements and has no jurisdiction over a dismissed matter.
- Order Denying Student's Request to Set Aside Settlement AgreementOAH denied Parent's request to set aside a signed settlement with Desert Sands Unified, ruling it has no authority to undo a settlement for mistake and that a court action is the proper remedy.
- Order Denying Request to Reopen HearingOAH denied Student's request to reopen a completed consolidated hearing because the new events raised were outside the issues for hearing and could instead support a new due process complaint.
2016
- Order Denying Motion to Set Aside Settlement AgreementOAH denied Student's motion to set aside a final settlement agreement, ruling it lacks jurisdiction to rescind settlements when a party challenges the agreement's validity, such as by claiming coercion.
- Order of No ActionOAH declined to act on Parent's letter asking to set aside the settlement with the District and go to hearing, because the letter was not served on District's counsel and was not a formal motion.
- Order Granting Request to Reopen Case and Setting Status ConferenceOAH reopened Student's case against San Ysidro School District because Student's counsel mistakenly asked for a dismissal with prejudice instead of vacating hearing dates while a settlement awaited board approval.
- Order Denying Motion to Set Aside Dismissal and Reopen CaseOAH refused to set aside Student's dismissal and reopen the case because Student waited seven months without justification, showing no mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect; Student may refile non-time-barred claims.
- Order Denying Student's Request to Set Aside Settlement Agreement; Granting District's Motion to DismissOAH refused to set aside a signed settlement for claimed duress, mistake, and impossibility because it lacks that authority, and dismissed Student's case after the District's board approved the agreement.
- Order Denying Request to Set Aside Settlement AgreementOAH denied Parents' request to set aside a mediated settlement they said was signed under duress. OAH lacks authority to set aside or modify settlement agreements, and nothing in the agreement allowed Parents to rescind.
2015
- Order Granting Request to Reopen CaseOAH reopened Student's case because Student's former attorney had no authority to dismiss it; Parent only wanted to change lawyers. The consolidated hearing dates stay in place.
- Order Reopening Case and Granting Extension to File Amended ComplaintOAH reopened Student's case because it wrongly dismissed it while a pending request for more time was still under review, and gave Student until November 20, 2015, to amend.
- Order Denying Request to Reopen CaseOAH denied Student's request to reopen a decided case and pay to re-record an expert's lost testimony, because OAH loses jurisdiction under the IDEA once it issues a final decision.
- Order (1) Setting Aside Dismissal and Reopening Case and (2) Setting Status ConferenceOAH set aside the dismissal and reopened Student's case for good cause, because the settlement behind the dismissal still needed District board approval.
- Order Denying Request to Reopen CaseOAH denied Student's request to reopen a settled case after Parent tried to rescind consent, because the agreement gave no right to rescind and OAH lacks authority to set aside settlements.
- Order Denying Student's Request to Set Aside the Settlement Agreement and Set Dates for HearingOAH denied Parent's request to cancel a mediated settlement and set hearing dates, because OAH lacks jurisdiction to rescind a settlement agreement whose validity is disputed; that must go to court.
- Order Denying Request for ReconsiderationOAH denied Student's request to reconsider dismissal and set aside a signed settlement, finding no new facts or law and that OAH lacks authority to set aside or enforce settlement agreements.
- Order Denying Request to Reopen CaseOAH denied Parent's request to reopen a case withdrawn after a resolution-session settlement because the file was already closed, but said Parent may refile the same claims under a new case number.
- Order Reopening Case and Setting Status ConferenceOAH reopened Student's case after Student said a dismissal request had been filed by mistake while a mediated settlement still awaited Clovis's school board approval.
2014
- Order Denying Requests to Reopen Case and Ordering That No Further Documents Be Submitted in This CaseOAH denied Parent's requests to reopen a decided case because it lost jurisdiction once it issued its decision. It barred further filings in that case and treated new allegations as new hearing requests.
- Order Denying Request for Reconsideration or to Reopen CaseOAH denied Student's oral request to reconsider or reopen a case dismissed with prejudice, because OAH loses jurisdiction once a matter is dismissed.
2013
- Order Denying District's Request to Reopen CaseOAH denied Lincoln Unified's request to reopen Student's case to convert a mid-hearing dismissal without prejudice into one with prejudice, because the final dismissal order ended OAH's jurisdiction.
- Order Denying Request to Reopen CaseOAH denied Parent's request to reopen a case District had filed and later withdrawn, because only District, which filed the case, could seek to reopen it.