Judge: Kerry Bensinger, Case: 22STCV03053, Date: 2023-05-11 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 22STCV03053    Hearing Date: October 6, 2023    Dept: 27

Tentative Ruling

Judge Kerry Bensinger, Department 27

HEARING DATE:     October 6, 2023                                 TRIAL DATE:  December 6, 2023

CASE:                         Douglas Gonzalez v. Roger Trucking, et al.

CASE NO.:                 22STCV03053

MOTION FOR TERMINATING SANCTIONS

MOVING PARTY:               Defendant Knight Transportation, Inc.

RESPONDING PARTY:     No opposition

I.          BACKGROUND

            On January 25, 2022, Plaintiff, Douglas Gonzalez, filed this action against Defendants, Roger Trucking, Robert Nunez Urbina, Knight Transportation Inc. (“Knight Transportation”), and Martin Ferlito for injuries arising from a motor vehicle collision.  Plaintiff is self-represented. 

On July 6, 2023, the Court granted Defendant’s Motions to Compel Plaintiff’s Responses to Form Interrogatories, Special Interrogatories, and Request for Production of Documents.  Plaintiff did not oppose the motion or appear at the hearing.  Pursuant to the Court’s order, Plaintiff was ordered to provide verified responses to the discovery within 30 days of the Court’s order.

On July 7, 2023, Defendant served Plaintiff with notice of the Court’s July 6, 2023 ruling.  However, to date, Plaintiff has not served responses.  Defendant now seeks an order for terminating sanctions.  Defendant also seeks monetary sanctions.

The motion is unopposed.

II.        LEGAL STANDARDS

Code of Civil Procedure section 2023.030 gives the court the discretion to impose sanctions against anyone engaging in a misuse of the discovery process.¿ Misuse of the discovery process includes failure to respond to an authorized method of discovery or disobeying a court order to provide discovery.  (Code Civ. Proc., § 2023.010, subds. (d), (g).)¿ A court may impose terminating sanctions by striking pleadings of the party engaged in misuse of discovery or entering default judgment.¿ (Code Civ. Proc., § 2023.030, subd. (d).)¿ A violation of a discovery order is sufficient for the imposition of terminating sanctions.¿ (Collison & Kaplan v. Hartunian (1994) 21 Cal.App.4th 1611, 1620.)¿ Terminating sanctions are appropriate when a party persists in disobeying the court’s orders.¿ (Deyo v. Kilbourne (1978) 84 Cal.App.3d 771, 795-796.)¿¿¿ 

The court should consider the totality of the circumstances, including conduct of the party to determine if the actions were willful, the detriment to the propounding party, and the number of formal and informal attempts to obtain discovery.  (Lang v. Hochman (2000) 77 Cal.App.4th 1225, 1246.)  If a lesser sanction fails to curb abuse, a greater sanction is warranted.  (Van Sickle v. Gilbert (2011) 196 Cal.App.4th 1495, 1516.)  However, “the unsuccessful imposition of a lesser sanction is not an absolute prerequisite to the utilization of the ultimate sanction.”  (Deyo, supra, 84 Cal.App.3d at p. 787.)        

Before any sanctions may be imposed the court must make an express finding that there has been a willful failure of the party to serve the required answers.  (Fairfield v. Superior Court for Los Angeles County (1966) 246 Cal.App.2d 113, 118.)  Lack of diligence may be deemed willful where the party understood its obligation, had the ability to comply, and failed to comply.  (Deyo, supra, 84 Cal.App.3d at p. 787; Fred Howland Co. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County (1966) 244 Cal.App.2d 605, 610-611.)  The party who failed to comply with discovery obligations has the burden of showing that the failure was not willful.  (Deyo, supra, 84 Cal.App.3d at p. 788; Cornwall v. Santa Monica Dairy Co. (1977) 66 Cal.App.3d 250; Evid. Code, §§ 500, 605.)¿ 

A terminating sanction is a “drastic measure which should be employed with caution.”¿ (Deyo, 84 Cal.App.3d at p. 793.)¿ “A decision to order terminating sanctions should not be made lightly.  But where a violation is willful, preceded by a history of abuse, and the evidence shows that less severe sanctions would not produce compliance with the discovery rules, the trial court is justified in imposing the ultimate sanction.”¿ (Mileikowsky v. Tenet Healthsystem (2005) 128 Cal.App.4th 262, 279-280.)¿ While the court has discretion to impose terminating sanctions, these sanctions “should be appropriate to the dereliction and should not exceed that which is required to protect the interests of the party entitled to but denied discovery.”¿ (Deyo, 84 Cal.App.3d at p. 793.)¿ “[A] court is empowered to apply the ultimate sanction against a litigant who persists in the outright refusal to comply with his discovery obligations.”¿ (Ibid.)  Discovery sanctions are not to be imposed for punishment, but instead are used to encourage fair disclosure of discovery to prevent unfairness resulting for the lack of information.¿ (See Midwife v. Bernal (1988) 203 Cal.App.3d 57, 64 [superseded on other grounds as stated in Kohan v. Cohan (1991) 229 Cal.App.3d 967, 971].)¿ 

III.      DISCUSSION

            As the Court stated in Deyo, supra, 84 Cal.App.3d at pp. 795-796, “[t]erminating sanctions are appropriate when a party persists in disobeying the court’s orders.”  Terminating sanctions are appropriate here for that very reason.  Plaintiff did not provide responses to Defendant’s discovery requests, disobeyed a Court Order compelling Plaintiff to provide responses, and has failed to file an opposition to this motion.    

            The Court finds Plaintiff knew of his discovery obligations and knew of the Court Order compelling his compliance.  The Court finds Plaintiff’s failure to provide discovery responses was willful as was his disobedience to the Court’s Order.  Given Plaintiff’s apparent disinterest in prosecuting this action and apparent abandonment of the case, the Court finds lesser sanctions would not curb the abuse.  

IV.       CONCLUSION

            Based on the foregoing, the motion for terminating sanctions is GRANTED.  Plaintiff Douglas Gonzalez’s Complaint against Defendant Knight Transportation, Inc. is dismissed with prejudice. 

            The request for monetary sanctions is denied.

Moving party to give notice. 

Dated:   October 6, 2023                                           ___________________________________

                                                                                    Kerry Bensinger

                                                                                    Judge of the Superior Court

            Parties who intend to submit on this tentative must send an email to the Court at SSCDEPT27@lacourt.org indicating intention to submit on the tentative as directed by the instructions provided on the court website at www.lacourt.org.  Please be advised that if you submit on the tentative and elect not to appear at the hearing, the opposing party may nevertheless appear at the hearing and argue the matter.  Unless you receive a submission from all other parties in the matter, you should assume that others might appear at the hearing to argue.  If the Court does not receive emails from the parties indicating submission on this tentative ruling and there are no appearances at the hearing, the Court may, at its discretion, adopt the tentative as the final order or place the motion off calendar.