Judge: Mark H. Epstein, Case: 21SMCV01794, Date: 2023-11-03 Tentative Ruling

If the parties wish to submit on the tentative ruling and avoid a court appearance on the matter, the moving party must contact the opposing party and all other parties who have appeared in the action and confirm that each will submit on the tentative ruling. Please call the court no later than 4:30 p.m. on the court day before the hearing, leave a message with the court clerk at (310) 260-3629 advising her that all parties will submit on the tentative ruling and waive hearing, and finally, serve notice of the Court's ruling on all parties entitled to receive service. If any party declines to submit on the tentative ruling, then no telephone call is necessary, and all parties should appear at the hearing.

Case Number: 21SMCV01794    Hearing Date: November 3, 2023    Dept: I

The court is inclined to GRANT the motion to be relieved.  However, counsel must inform the clients that they are unrepresented and will be defaulted if they are entities who continue without representation.  To address plaintiff’s concern that this is a ploy for more time, the court will set an OSC re: status of representation and consideration of striking the answer of any unrepresented non-human entity.  The hearing will be approximately 30 days from now.  If defendant entities (all of them, not just those at issue in this motion) are not represented by counsel, the court may strike the answer and enter default at that time.  The court also notes that it is unlikely to continue the trial even if all defendants do appear at the OSC with counsel.