Judge: Deborah C. Servino, Case: 30-2022-01245447, Date: 2022-10-21 Tentative Ruling

NO TENTATIVE RULINGS

Defendants Alin Munteanu and Vasile Popovici in the lead case (collectively “Defendants”) move to compel Plaintiff Saint Mary (The Falling Asleep of the Ever Virgin Mary) Romanian Orthodox Church’s (“Plaintiff”), to provide further responses to Munteanu’s first sets of request for production of documents, special interrogatories and form interrogatories, and Popovici’s first sets of request for production of documents and special interrogatories.

As a preliminary matter, the exhibits to the Fransen Declaration were not properly electronically bookmarked, rendering the 273 pages of exhibits unwieldy.  (See Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.110(f)(4).) 

In its opposition, Plaintiff asserts that amended discovery responses were served and documents were produced on October 6, 2022. (Fransen Decl., at ¶ 10 [ROA 130].) The amended responses were purportedly attached to the opposing declaration as Exhibit H.  Except for the amended responses to the requests for production of documents, (PDF pages 182-272), the remainder of Exhibit H consists of the original “objections-only” discovery responses dated June 2, 2022. Thus, it is unclear whether Plaintiff served amended responses to Defendant Munteanu’s form interrogatories and special interrogatories and to Defendant Popovici’s special interrogatories.

Counsel should be prepared to address at the hearing, whether amended responses for the special interrogatories and the form interrogatories were served.