In Cottle v. Superior Court (1992) 3 Cal.App.4th 1367, the appellate court rejected a claim the trial court failed to comply with the summary judgment statute when it issued an order in a complex litigation action that excluded evidence of physical injuries resulting from exposure to toxic chemicals after the plaintiffs failed to comply with the court's prior direction that each of them file a detailed statement establishing a prima facie claim. "We do not agree with petitioners' characterization of the order as a summary judgment motion. . . . Case law and various statutory provisions give courts broad and inherent powers and serve as the sources for the authority to issue such an order." (Id. at p. 1376.)