Judge: Lynne M. Hobbs, Case: 22STCV39053, Date: 2025-05-07 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 22STCV39053    Hearing Date: May 7, 2025    Dept: 61

HECTOR SANTIAGO vs MIGUEL ANGEL SANTIAGO

Tentative:

Defendant Miguel Santiago’s Motion to Compel Answers to Special Interrogatories and for Monetary Sanctions is GRANTED. Plaintiff Hector Santiago is ordered to serve his responses to the defendant’s Special Interrogatories, Set No. 1, without objections, within 20 days of this ruling. Plaintiff is further ordered to pay the defendant sanctions of $773.74, payable within 60 days.

Defendant to give notice.

Discussion:

Defendant moves to compel Plaintiff to serve initial responses to Defendant’s Special Interrogatories, Set No. 1. Defense counsel testifies that he served Plaintiff with those discovery requests on October 4, 2024, and the responses were due on November 8, 2024, but no responses were ever received despite counsel giving Plaintiff extensions to serve those responses. (Motion, Declaration of J. Steven Kennedy (“Kennedy Decl.”), ¶¶ 2-8.)

In light of defense counsel’s declaration, the Court GRANTS Defendant’s request to compel Plaintiff’s initial responses to Defendant’s Special Interrogatories, Set No. 1.

Defendant also seeks sanctions of $1,473.74 against Plaintiff. Those sanctions consist of 4 hours defense counsel spent on the moving papers at his billing rate of $350 per hour (equals $1,400) plus motion filing costs of $73.74. (Kennedy Decl., ¶ 9.)  The Court grants the requested sanctions in the reduced amount of $773.74 against Plaintiff.