Judge: Michael E. Whitaker, Case: 20STCV06331, Date: 2023-02-08 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 20STCV06331    Hearing Date: February 8, 2023    Dept: 32

PLEASE NOTE:   Parties are encouraged to meet and confer concerning this tentative ruling to determine if a resolution may be reached.  If the parties are unable to reach a resolution and a party intends to submit on this tentative ruling, the party must send an email to the Court at sscdept32@lacourt.org indicating that party’s intention to submit.  The email shall include the case number, date and time of the hearing, counsel’s contact information (if applicable), and the identity of the party submitting on this tentative ruling.  If the Court does not receive an email indicating the parties are submitting on this tentative ruling and there are no appearances at the hearing, the Court may place the motion off calendar or adopt the tentative ruling as the order of the Court.  If all parties do not submit on this tentative ruling, they should arrange to appear in-person or remotely (which is highly encouraged).  Further, after the Court has posted/issued a tentative ruling, the Court has the inherent authority to prohibit the withdrawal of the subject motion and adopt the tentative ruling as the order of the Court. 

TENTATIVE RULING

MOTIONS

            Defendant Sunil Singhania (Defendant) moves to compel the deposition of Plaintiff Ymani El (Plaintiff).  Further, Defendant moves to compel responses from Plaintiff to Form Interrogatories, set one (FROG); Special Interrogatories, set one (SROG); and Requests for Production and Inspections of Documents and Other Tangible Things, set one (RPD).  In addition, Defendant moves to deem admitted the matters specified in Requests for Admission, set one (RFA).   Defendant seeks monetary sanctions in connection with the five motions.  Plaintiff has not filed oppositions to the motions.

ANALYSIS

1. Deposition

“If, after service of a deposition notice, a party to the action or an officer, director, managing agent, or employee of a party, or a person designated by an organization that is a party under Section 2025.230, without having served a valid objection under Section 2025.410, fails to appear for examination, or to proceed with it, or to produce for inspection any document, electronically stored information, or tangible thing described in the deposition notice, the party giving the notice may move for an order compelling the deponent's attendance and testimony, and the production for inspection of any document, electronically stored information, or tangible thing described in the deposition notice.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 2025.450, subd. (a).)

Here, on October 11, 2022, Defendant served the subject deposition notice for Plaintiff, on Plaintiff, noticing the deposition for November 28, 2022, electronically and by mail.  Plaintiff did not appear for deposition.  As of the filing date of the motion, Plaintiff has not appeared for deposition.

1. Written discovery

    

Pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 2030.290, “[i]f a party to whom interrogatories are directed fails to serve a timely response . . . [t]he party to whom the interrogatories are directed waives any right to exercise the option to produce writings under Section 2030.230, as well as any objection to the interrogatories, including one based on privilege or the protection for work product under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 2018.010.  . . .   [and] The party propounding the interrogatories may move for an order compelling response to the interrogatories.”  (Code Civ. Proc., § 2030.290, subds. (a)-(b).)  

            Similarly, under Code of Civil Procedure section 2031.300, “[i]f a party to whom a demand for inspection, copying, testing, or sampling is directed fails to serve a timely response to it . . . [t]he party to whom the demand for inspection, copying, testing, or sampling is directed waives any objection to the demand, including one based on privilege or on the protection for work product under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 2018.010.  . . .   [and] The party making the demand may move for an order compelling response to the demand.  (Code Civ. Proc., § 2031.300, subds. (a)-(b).)  

            Pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 2033.280, subdivision (a), “[i]f a party to whom requests or admission are directed fails to serve a timely response . . .  [t]he party to whom the requests for admission are directed waives any objection to the requests, including one based on privilege or on the protection for work product[.]”  (Code Civ. Proc., § 2033.280, subd. (a).)  Where a party fails to respond to requests for admissions, the propounding party may move for an order that the genuineness of any documents and the truth of any matters specified in the requests be deemed admitted, as well as for a monetary sanction.¿ (Code Civ. Proc., § 2033.280, subd. (b).)

Here, Defendant served the FROG, SROG, RPD and RFA on Plaintiff on October 11, 2022, electronically and via mail.  Plaintiff’s responses were thus due by November 15, 2022.  As of the filing date of the motions, Defendant has not received responses from Plaintiff.  Accordingly, the Court finds that Plaintiff has failed to serve timely responses to the FROG, SROG, RPD and RFA.

1. Monetary Sanctions

Defendant requests monetary sanctions in connection with the five motions.  The Court finds Plaintiff’s failure to timely respond to the FROG, SROG, RPD and RFA, as well as Plaintiff’s failure to appear for deposition, to be abuses of the discovery process, warranting monetary sanctions.  (See Code Civ. Proc., §§ 2023.010, subd. (d), 2025.450, subd. (g)(1), 2030.290, subd. (c), 2031.300, subd. (c), 2033.280, subd. (c).)  Accordingly, the Court will impose monetary sanctions against Plaintiff, in the amount of $1,500, which represents six hours of attorney time to prepare the moving papers, and attend the hearing, at $200 per hour, plus the filing fees of $300, at $60 per filing fee.

CONCLUSION AND ORDER

Therefore, the Court grants Defendant’s motion to compel Plaintiff to appear for deposition per Code of Civil Procedure section 2025.450, and orders Plaintiff to appear for deposition within 30 days of notice of the Court’s order, unless Defendant stipulates otherwise. 

Further, the Court grants Defendant’s motions to compel responses to the FROG, SROG, and RPD per Code of Civil Procedure sections 2030.290 and 2031.300.  As such, the Court orders Plaintiff to serve verified responses to the FROG, SROG, and RPD, without objections, within 30 days of notice of the Court’s orders.

The Court grants Defendantt’s motion to deem admitted the matters specified in the RFA per Code of Civil Procedure section 2033.280, and orders the matters specified in the RFA deemed admitted.

Finally, the Court orders Plaintiff to pay monetary sanctions in the amount $1,500 to Defendant, by and through counsel for Defendant, within 30 days of notice of the Court’s orders.

Defendant is ordered to provide notice of the Court’s orders and file a proof of service of such.