Judge: Lee S. Arian, Case: 22STCV28375, Date: 2024-08-14 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 22STCV28375    Hearing Date: August 14, 2024    Dept: 27

Hon. Lee S. Arian, Dept 27

MOTIONS TO COMPEL INITIAL RESPONSES AND REQUESTS FOR SANCTIONS

Hearing Date: 8/14/24 

CASE NO./NAME: 22STCV28375 ASHER DEAN HATCH vs SONIA SHOUKAT, et al.

Moving Party: Plaintiff/Cross Defendant

Responding Party: Defendant/Cross Complainant Sonia Shoukat

Notice: Sufficient 

Ruling: MOTIONS TO COMPEL INITIAL RESPONSES AND REQUESTS FOR SANCTIONS ARE GRANTED

On May 10, 2024, Cross-Defendant Asher Dean Hatch served Demand for Inspection and Production of Documents, Set One, Form Interrogatories, Set One, and Special Interrogatories, Set One on Cross-Complainant, Sonia Shoukat. Cross-Complainant did not provide any responses nor request any extensions prior to the statutory deadline. On July 3, 2024, Defense counsel wrote to Cross-Complainant’s counsel in an attempt to meet and confer regarding Cross-Complainant’s outstanding discovery responses, to which no response was provided. Cross-Defendant now moves the Court to compel initial responses.

No opposition or any filing indicating that the responses at issue were served prior to the hearing. Thus, the present motion is granted. Cross-Complainant is hereby ordered to provide complete and verified responses to Requests for Production, Set One, Form Interrogatories, Set One, and Special Interrogatories, Set One, without objections within 20 days of today.

Cross-Defendant requests sanctions in the amount of $810 per motion, which the Court finds reasonable. Sanctions are mandatory, and the Court finds Cross-Complainant did not act with substantial justification. Accordingly, Cross-Complainant Sonia Shoukat and her attorney are jointly and severally liable for sanctions in the amount of $2,400, payable to Cross-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.