Judge: Anne Hwang, Case: 22STCV31117, Date: 2024-09-09 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 22STCV31117    Hearing Date: September 9, 2024    Dept: 32

PLEASE NOTE:   Parties are encouraged to meet and confer concerning this tentative ruling to determine if a resolution may be reached.  If the parties are unable to reach a resolution and a party intends to submit on this tentative ruling, the party must send an email to the Court at sscdept32@lacourt.org indicating that party’s intention to submit.  The email shall include the case number, date and time of the hearing, counsel’s contact information (if applicable), and the identity of the party submitting on this tentative ruling.  If the Court does not receive an email indicating the parties are submitting on this tentative ruling and there are no appearances at the hearing, the Court may place the motion off calendar or adopt the tentative ruling as the order of the Court.  If all parties do not submit on this tentative ruling, they should arrange to appear in-person or remotely.  Further, after the Court has posted/issued a tentative ruling, the Court has the inherent authority to prohibit the withdrawal of the subject motion and adopt the tentative ruling as the order of the Court. 

TENTATIVE RULING

BACKGROUND

On December 21, 2023, Plaintiff Kelajae Kareem McClain (“Plaintiff”) served Requests for Admission, Set One on Defendant County of Los Angeles (“Defendant”). (Martin Decl. ¶ 2, Exh. 1.)

On February 12, 2024, Defendant served responses. (Martin Decl. ¶ 2, Exh. 2.) Plaintiff asserted the responses were deficient and attempted to meet and confer.

On April 25, 2024, Defendant served seven supplemental responses out of the twelve deficient responses that Plaintiff identified. (Id. ¶ 6, Exh. 6.)

On May 13, 2024, Plaintiff filed the instant motion to compel further responses to Request for Admission Set One. On June 7, 2024, the parties participated in an informal discovery conference (“IDC”) regarding the various discovery motions that Plaintiff filed. The issues were not resolved, but the moving party was instructed to continue the remaining motions and schedule additional IDCs for each. (Min. Order, 6/7/24.)

ANALYSIS

The Court’s Eighth Amended Standing Order for Procedures in the Personal Injury Hub requires counsel to participate in an Informal Discovery Conference (“IDC”) before the Court will hear any motion to compel further responses to discovery, and provides that PI Hub Courts may deny or continue any motion if parties fail to schedule and complete an IDC before the scheduled hearing. There is no indication in the record that Plaintiff filed an IDC statement with the Court or scheduled an IDC for this particular motion, in accordance with the Court’s June 7, 2024 order. As a result, no IDC has taken place.

Accordingly, Plaintiff is ordered to schedule IDCs and reschedule the hearing dates on the motion.

Plaintiff is ordered to provide notice of the Court’s orders and file a proof of service of such.