Judge: Christopher K. Lui, Case: 24STCV11332, Date: 2025-02-13 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 24STCV11332    Hearing Date: February 13, 2025    Dept: 76

            Plaintiff alleges that the club where she worked as a dancer committed wage theft and wage and hour violations. Moreover, individual Defendant Michael James ordered other persons to commit assault and battery against Plaintiff.

            “Plaintiff and Defendant” move to consolidate 24TCV11332 with 24STCV11257. 

TENTATIVE RULING 

The hearing on “Plaintiff and Defendant’” motion to consolidate 24TCV11332 with 24STCV11257 is CONTINUED to March 10, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. Further briefing is due by March 3, 2025. 

The moving parties must present more argument than simply “Counsel for the Plaintiff's [sic] in both matters are the same.  The Defendants are the same in both cases. The time periods relating to the core allegations are the same, and both  cases rely upon the same witnesses and core events.” Motion Page 2:4-6.  The motion does not discuss whether the proposed consolidation would be a complete consolidation for all purposes, a consolidation for pretrial purposes only, or consolidation for trial.  It appears to the Court that there are common issues of fact or law between the cases, but there are also plaintiff-specific allegations.  In the absence of a clear definition of the type of consolidation sought, and some description of how discovery, possible summary judgment motions, and any possible settlement discussions can be managed, it is not clear to the Court that the benefits of consolidation outweigh the potential detriments.