Judge: Lee S. Arian, Case: 23STCV009652, Date: 2025-01-08 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 23STCV009652    Hearing Date: January 8, 2025    Dept: 27

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES - CENTRAL DISTRICT

Plaintiff moves to compel Defendant Zemin Garcia, Inc. to provide further responses to Nos. 2-10 of Plaintiff’s Special Interrogatories, Set Two.

On December 17, 2024, an Informal Discovery Conference was held. The Court found that the issues were resolved, but noted that if further responses were later deemed insufficient, Counsel could proceed with a motion to compel.

On January 6, 2026, Plaintiff filed a declaration stating, “On December 17, 2024, the parties participated in an informal discovery conference. It was represented by defense counsel at that time that his client would supplement Special Interrogatories Nos. 2 through 10. That did not occur as Defendant only supplemented Special Interrogatories Nos. 2, 5, and 8. As such, Defendant’s discovery responses are still deficient as to Nos. 3-4, 6-7, and 9-10.” Defendant did not file a declaration contesting Plaintiff’s allegation or explain why further responses to Nos. 3-4, 6-7, and 9-10 were not provided.

Accordingly, the Court finds that Defendant agreed to provide further responses to Nos. 2-10 but failed to do so. Defendant offered no justification for withholding responses to Nos. 3-4, 6-7, and 9-10, nor did it explain why only partial supplementation was provided. The Court also finds no legitimate basis for Defendant’s failure to supplement the remaining interrogatories. Since Defendant’s responses to all interrogatories at issue are based on the same objections, and given that Defendant supplemented Nos. 2, 5, and 8, it logically follows that Nos. 3-4, 6-7, and 9-10, which are subject to the same reasoning/objection, should have also been supplemented. Thus, the court Orders Defendant to provide further responses to Nos. 3-4, 6-7, and 9-10 of Plaintiff’s Special Interrogatories, Set Two, within 20 days of today.

Moving Party to give notice.

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. 

__________________________ 

Hon. Lee S. Arian  

Judge of the Superior Court