Judge: Elaine Lu, Case: 25STCV05337, Date: 2025-05-12 Tentative Ruling
Case Number: 25STCV05337 Hearing Date: May 12, 2025 Dept: 9
The Court hereby
distributes a tentative ruling for the Case Management Order. The parties are welcome to provide input and
propose modification(s) to any aspect of the CMO at the Initial Status
Conference. If all parties submit on the
tentative CMO prior to the commencement of the May 12,2025 ISC, the Court will
adopt the tentative CMO, and the parties need not appear. However, if there is any matter not addressed
in the CMO that any party would like to discuss, that party should not submit
on this tentative but instead appear at the ISC to raise the issue.
SUPERIOR
COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
FOR
THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
RACUEL
FLENNAUGH vs VALENCE SURFACE TECHNOLOGIES
25STCV05337
[TENTATIVE]
CASE MANAGEMENT ORDER
This action has been designated as
complex pursuant to CRC 3.400(a), and thus requires exceptional judicial
management. All provisions of this CMO are deemed necessary to carry out the
purposes of Rule 3.400(a), and to promote effective decision-making by the
Court. They are based upon individual consideration of this complex action, including
the Status Conference Reports previously filed by the parties.
1.
Defendants
state in the Joint Initial Status Conference statement that an employment
staffing agency may have to be added as a party. The parties are ordered to meet and confer to
discuss the potential for adding an employment staffing agency as a party –
either by way of Plaintiff’s filing a Doe amendment, Plaintiff’s filing an
amended complaint, or Defendants’ filing a cross-Complaint. The Court hereby lifts the stay to permit
Plaintiff to file a Doe amendment or an amended complaint to add an employment
staffing agency as a party by no later than June 13, 2025, and the Court
hereby lifts the stay to permit Defendants to file a cross-complaint against
the employment staffing agency by no later than June 13, 2025. If no party files a Doe amendment, an amended
complaint, or a cross-complaint adding an employment staffing agency by June
13, 2025, then by no later than June 13, 2025 the parties are ordered to
file a Joint Status Report Re: Addition of Employment Staffing Agency (explaining
whether any party intends to add an employment staffing agency to this action
as a defendant or cross-defendant, and if so, why they have not already done
so). A Non-Appearance Case Review re
mediation efforts is set for June 20, 2025 at 8:30 AM, Department
9.
2.
Defendant
is researching whether Plaintiff signed an arbitration agreement and/or class
action waiver.
3.
The
Parties indicate that they are open to exploring private mediation after an
exchange of informal discovery. The
parties are ordered to meet and confer regarding their willingness to schedule
a mediation. The parties are further
ordered to file a Joint Status Report Re: Mediation Efforts, including whether
the Parties have agreed to mediate, the identity of any mediator they may have
selected, and the date of any mediation they may have scheduled, no later than July
24, 2025. A Non-Appearance Case Review
Re Mediation Efforts is set for July 31, 2025 at 8:30 AM, Department
9.
4.
The
Court hereby lifts the stay to permit Defendant to file and serve a Motion to
Compel Arbitration or a Responsive Pleading to the Complaint. Defendant must
file and serve a Motion to Compel Arbitration or a Responsive Pleading by no
later than June 13, 2025. Before
filing any demurrer or other motion, the moving party must contact the
Court Staff in Department 9 to obtain a hearing date and a briefing schedule. The Court sets a Non-Appearance Case Review
Re: Filing and Serving of Defendant’s Responsive Pleading for June 20, 2025,
8:30 AM, Department 9.
5.
The
operative complaint currently does not include any claim for civil penalties
pursuant to Labor Code section 2699 (PAGA penalties). No later than June 13, 2025, Plaintiff
must file and serve a status report as to: (a) whether Plaintiff intends to either
file a separate action for PAGA penalties or file an amended complaint in the
instant action adding a claim for PAGA penalties; and (b) if so, when Plaintiff
intends to file the claim for PAGA penalties (either as a complaint in a
separate action or by way of amendment to the complaint in this action). A Non-Appearance Case Review Re Status
Report Re Potential Addition of PAGA Penalties is set for June 20, 2025 at
8:30 am, Department 9.
6.
Phased Discovery. Discovery shall be
phased. Upon the filing of any motion to
compel arbitration, the stay shall be lifted, and the parties will be permitted
to conduct discovery on the arbitration issue only. Once an answer is filed and served or, if
applicable, after the Court rules on the motion to compel arbitration or
pleading challenge, the Court will permit class certification discovery
only. Informal discovery is permitted. Merits-based discovery will be allowed after
a successful class certification motion. If there is a dispute concerning
whether a given discovery request is arbitration based, or certification or
merits-based, the parties are to set up a telephonic conference with the court
pursuant to the instructions herein.
7.
Class list discovery.
The decision in In Re Insurance Installment Fee cases (2012) 211
Cal.App.4th 1395, 1426-1429, held that the notice procedure prescribed by the
trial court and followed by the defendant was necessary to protect privacy
rights under the California Constitution.
Therefore, upon the Court’s lifting of the stay on class certification
discovery, the parties shall use the procedure described in Belaire-West
Landscape v Superior Court (2008) 149 Cal.App.4th 554 to notify putative
class members, as described in the applicable paragraph of the currently
operative complaint, giving them the opportunity to opt out. The parties must share the cost of the
procedure equally.
a. Plaintiff
is to take the lead and prepare a proposed letter to be sent out by the
agreed-upon third party administrator.
The parties must discuss and settle upon a final version.
b. The
letter must be written using the administrator’s letterhead, not that of any
party.
c. The
defense must turn over the contact information consisting of name, address,
phone number, and email address (if available) to the third-party
administrator.
d. In the
event the putative class list is greater than 400 people, the administrator
must randomly select a sample of no more than 400. The contact information for those persons
who did not opt out must be turned over to the plaintiff.
8.
Payroll Records Discovery. Responses to any
payroll record discovery requests must be uniquely numbered and redacted so
that putative class member’s identifying information, i.e., name, social
security numbers, etc. are not revealed.
9.
Protective Order.
Parties are alerted that model protective orders may be found at Los
Angeles Superior Court website at http://www.lacourt.org/division/civil/CI0043.aspx. The parties are encouraged to use these model
orders as shown, or if modified, as a template for the modified order. A redlined courtesy copy must be posted on
the e-service bulletin board and lodged with the court at the time of filing.
The parties must use the redlined version to identify any changes proposed to
the model order.
10.
E-service & E-filing. Electronic service is not the same as
electronic filing. The parties have
agreed, and the Court has signed an order authorizing Case Anywhere as the
e-service to be used in this case.
Argument must not be posted on the bulletin board. For information on electronic filing in the
Complex Courts, please refer to https://www.lacourt.org/division/efiling/efiling2.aspx and http://www.lacourt.org/division/efiling/pdf/ComplexefilingFAQs.pdf.
11.
Class Certification Motion. Class
Certification Motion filing and serving deadline is May 12, 2026.
The plaintiff is reminded that the plaintiff’s brief must contain a trial
plan. The trial plan MUST be
filed as a separate brief. As with all
other motions, Counsel must call the Court to obtain a hearing date and
briefing schedule PRIOR to filing and serving the motion for Class
Certification. The Court sets a Non-Appearance
Case Review for May 19, 2026, 8:30 AM, Department 9.
12.
Telephonic conferences. The Court handles discovery motions
informally, using telephonic conferences and LA CourtConnect. Counsel must post
a message via their Electronic Service Provider to request any informal
discovery conference or other conference. The Court will either reply to the
message or issue a Minute Order setting the conference. The telephonic conference will automatically
be taken off calendar if all relevant parties have not scheduled the telephonic
conference with LA CourtConnect. Parties
must file and serve a 5-page joint brief two days before the conference. Since
these conferences are informal, no court reporter or audio recording is
permitted.
13.
Potential Related Cases. Counsel are ordered to file and serve a
Notice of Related Case for any potentially related cases pursuant California
Rule of court Rule 3.300, including any PAGA case involving the same
representative plaintiff. This is a
continuing obligation on both plaintiffs and defendants while this case is
pending.
14.
Settlement.
File a Notice of Settlement on Judicial Council form CM-200, a mandatory
form.
a. Consider using the form wage and hour
settlement agreements now available on the court’s website at https://www.lacourt.org/forms/all – “Civil Forms” section.
With input and unanimous consensus from an Ad Hoc Wage and Hour
Committee, the court posted: (1) a form class action settlement
agreement, (2) a form class action/PAGA settlement
agreement, (3) and a form PAGA settlement agreement. Using these
forms should cut down on attorney negotiation time and reduce the lag time
between a successful mediation and execution of a long form agreement. Filing a motion that is based on a form
agreement and includes a redlined copy identifying modifications will also
expedite the court’s review process and help reduce the current backlog on
hearings.
b. If settlement includes dismissal of
class action claims (such as a PAGA only settlement or an individual settlement), then Plaintiff
must comply with CRC 3.769 and 3.770 in order to obtain dismissal of class
claims. Do NOT use Judicial
Council Form Civ-110, Request for Dismissal.
Plaintiff
is ordered to download (1) the instant signed order from the Court’s
website, (2) the minute order for today, and (3) the signed order authorizing
electronic service provider, to give formal notice of each of these to all
other parties, and to file proof of service of such within five (5) days.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
DATED: May 12,2025
__________________________
ELAINE
LU
Judge
of the Superior Court