Judge: Audra Mori, Case: 20STCV45800, Date: 2022-09-09 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 20STCV45800    Hearing Date: September 9, 2022    Dept: 31

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES - CENTRAL DISTRICT

Defendant Mahmoud Vahedian Ghaffari dba Rumi Hostel’s (“Defendant”) Motion to Compel Further Responses to Form Interrogatories, set one, is premature and will be continued to a new date as set forth below following the parties participation in an Informal Discovery Conference (“IDC”) as required by the Court’s Standing Order Re: PI Court Procedures, which is available on the LA Superior Court’s website, under the Personal Injury section.

            Defendant has reserved an IDC for September 8, 2022, indicating that it is aware of this requirement.  However, this is only one court day before the hearing.  The court is hopeful the hearing on the motion will not be necessary following the IDC.  However, if the parties are unable to resolve all outstanding issues at the IDC, the parties must submit a joint statement of items in dispute at least two weeks prior to the continued hearing date.  The joint statement must be a single document, with analysis by both parties, addressing each remaining issue.  

The hearing on the motion is thus continued for at least three weeks after September 8, 2022, to __________________ 10:00 a.m. in Department 31 of the Spring Street Courthouse.   

The Court notes Defendant also has a Motion to Compel Further scheduled to be heard on September 20, 2022.  The Seventh Amended Standing Order provides, “PI Hub Courts may deny or continue a Motion to Compel Further Responses to Discovery unless the parties have participated in an IDC before the scheduled hearing on a motion to compel further discovery responses.”  If Defendant does not have an IDC scheduled specifically for the September 20 Motion to Compel Further, it must schedule the IDC immediately and use the Court Reservation System to continue the Motion to Compel Further to occur after the IDC.  Defendant is put on express notice that failure to do so may result in denial of the Motions to Compel Further, rather than continuance.

Defendant is ordered to give notice. 

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE:

• Parties are encouraged to meet and confer after reading this tentative ruling to see if they can reach an agreement.
• If a party intends to submit on this tentative ruling, the party must send an email to the court at sscdept31@lacourt.org with the Subject line “SUBMIT” followed by the case number.  The body of the email must include the hearing date and time, counsel’s contact information, and the identity of the party submitting.  
• Unless all parties submit by email to this tentative ruling, the parties should arrange to appear remotely (encouraged) or in person for oral argument.  You should assume that others may appear at the hearing to argue.  
• If the parties neither submit nor appear at hearing, the Court may take the motion off calendar or adopt the tentative ruling as the order of the Court.  After the Court has issued a tentative ruling, the Court may prohibit the withdrawal of the subject motion without leave. 

Dated this 9^th day of September 2022