Judge: Lee S. Arian, Case: 22STCV31158, Date: 2025-01-28 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 22STCV31158    Hearing Date: January 28, 2025    Dept: 27

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES - CENTRAL DISTRICT

The present motions concern Plaintiff’s Form Interrogatories, Set Two, Requests for Production, Set Three, and Special Interrogatories, Set Two, served on Defendant SP Plus Corporation.

On October 22, 2024, Plaintiff served the subject discovery requests on Defendant. On November 26, 2024, Defendant served timely responses consisting solely of objections. On December 17, 2024, Plaintiff brought motions to compel further responses. Defendant opposes the motion, asserting that Plaintiff received verified further responses to the discovery requests at issue on December 19, 2024. (Jemmott Decl., ¶ 9.) Plaintiff filed a reply and does not dispute that Defendant served further responses; however, Plaintiff contends that the responses remain inadequate and seeks monetary sanctions.

As to Plaintiff’s contention that the further responses remain defective and inadequate, Plaintiff must meet and confer with Defendant regarding the new responses before seeking court intervention and then attend an Informal Discovery Conference.

As to the issue of sanctions, the Court denies Plaintiff’s request because Plaintiff’s motion is procedurally defective, as Plaintiff did not attend an IDC prior to having the motions heard.

The Personal Injury Hub Courts do not entertain motions to compel further discovery responses unless the parties have participated in an IDC. (Eighth Amended Standing Order for Procedures in the Personal Injury Hub Court at p. 7.) The Court may deny or continue a motion to compel further responses if the parties fail to schedule and complete an IDC before the hearing date. (Id.)

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’s 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.