Judge: Mark V. Mooney, Case: 19STCV28803, Date: 2022-10-14 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 19STCV28803    Hearing Date: October 14, 2022    Dept: 68

EVELYN CRISTINA RIVAS GONZALEZ,  et al. v. 7934 LAUREL CANYON BLVD., LLC, et al.

19STCV28803

Tentative Ruling on:

PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO DEEM DOCUMENTS AS GENUINE

DEFENDANTS MOTION FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER

This is a habitability complaint for damages. Plaintiffs are ten individuals who filed a complaint on August 14, 2019, against four Defendants who own and operate an apartment complex in which Plaintiffs live or lived.  One Defendant is now deceased.

Before the Court are a motions to deem documents to be genuine due to the failure to timely respond to admissions, and motions for a protective order.  The discovery was served July 20, 2022.  The motions for a protective order were filed at the end of August 2022.

The Court would note that requesting a party to admit the genuineness of documents is favored by the Court as an important tool to properly advance a case and to aid the court in the judicious use of time should the matter progress to trial.  Little is achieved by forcing the court to endure multiple witnesses and hours of time merely proving the genuineness of documents.  So too, admissions of facts also assist in the expeditious trial of matters by eliminating the further need for evidence on the matters admitted.

The parties have chosen to run to the court before they have exhausted reasonable efforts to resolve these disputes.

The Court orders the parties to conduct a meaningful meet and confer to discuss all issues raised by the discovery at issue.  Exchange of correspondence shall not be sufficient.  The parties must, in good faith, make a meaningful effort to resolve this dispute.  Further, the Court orders the parties to participate in an informal discovery conference with the court in approximately 2 weeks in order to resolve any disputes that remain.  The court and parties shall select an appropriate date at the hearing of this matter.