Judge: Lee S. Arian, Case: 23STCV09291, Date: 2025-03-05 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 23STCV09291    Hearing Date: March 5, 2025    Dept: 27

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES - CENTRAL DISTRICT

 

BRITTANY DEMEO, et al.,

            Plaintiffs,

            vs.

 

STEPHANIE MILLSTONE, et al.,

 

 

 

            Defendants.

 

 

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    CASE NO.: 23STCV09291

 

[TENTATIVE RULING]

 

MOTION TO CONTINUE IS GRANTED IN PART

 

Dept. 27

1:30 p.m.

March 5, 2025

 

Plaintiffs filed the present case on April 24, 2023. Trial is currently set for March 7, 2025. Plaintiffs move the Court to continue trial on the basis that DeMeo’s treating physician, Greg Khounganian, is unavailable to be deposed before trial and to appear at trial. His soonest availability is March 19, 2025. Plaintiffs also cite several other retained experts who are unavailable to testify at trial. Plaintiffs now move the Court to continue trial to August 2025. No opposition has been filed.

The Court notes that this motion is being heard only two days before trial, which weighs against granting a continuance. Although Plaintiffs cite their expert’s unavailability, they should have accounted for their experts' schedules by proactively arranging depositions and confirming trial availability well in advance. Further, under California Rules of Court, standard 2.2, cases of this nature should be disposed of within two years of filing. This case still remains within that timeframe. The Court will grant a continuance to April 2025 to accommodate Dr. Khounganian’s deposition on March 19, 2025, while ensuring compliance with CRC 2.2.

The new Trial Date is set for April __, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. The Final Status Conference is continued to April__, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. With the exception of expert discovery, all other case-related deadlines will not follow the new trial date. 

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