Judge: Lee S. Arian, Case: 20STCV37782, Date: 2024-11-15 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 20STCV37782    Hearing Date: November 15, 2024    Dept: 27

Hon. Lee S. Arian, Dept 27 

MOTIONS TO COMPEL INITIAL RESPONSES AND REQUESTS FOR SANCTIONS

Hearing Date: 11/14/24¿ 

CASE NO./NAME: 20STCV37782 BUIL SAMGYE TANG, INC. vs IN AE PARK

Moving Party: Defendant In Ae Park

Responding Party: Unopposed

Notice: Sufficient¿ 

Ruling: GRANTED

On October 1, 2020, Plaintiff filed the present case. On November 14, 2023, Defendant In Ae Park propounded Form Interrogatories, Set No. One, and Requests for Production of Documents, Set No. One, on Plaintiff Buil Samgye Tang, Inc. Responses to these discovery requests were due on December 19, 2023. However, responses have yet to be produced.

Plaintiff did not file an opposition or any document indicating that responses were provided prior to the hearing. Consequently, the motion is granted, and Plaintiff is ordered to provide complete and verified responses to Defendant’s Form Interrogatories, Set One, and Requests for Production of Documents, Set One, without objections, within 20 days of today.

Defendant requests $1,540 in sanctions for each motion. Sanctions are mandatory as the Court did not find Plaintiff to have acted with substantial justification. However, due to the straightforwardness of the issue and the lack of opposition, the Court reduces the sanctions to $1,500 for both motions. Plaintiff and its attorney are jointly and severally liable for sanctions in the amount of $1,500, payable to Defendant within 20 days of today.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE:

If a party intends to submit on this tentative ruling, the party must send an email to the court at sscdept27@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.