Judge: Michael Small, Case: 20STCV37011, Date: 2024-02-07 Tentative Ruling

Inform the clerk if you submit on the tentative ruling. If moving and opposing parties submit, no appearance is necessary.

Case Number: 20STCV37011    Hearing Date: February 7, 2024    Dept: 57

Pending before the Court is the motion of Defendant/Cross-Complainant Mark Fisher to compel Plaintiff/Cross-Defendant Facecake Marketing Technologies, Inc. to provide answers to certain discovery requests and provide  further answers to certain other discovery requests, and for an  order imposing issue and evidentiary sanctions against Facecake.  The Court is denying the motion without prejudice on the ground that it impermissibly combines multiple discovery motions into one.  The motion seeks to compel Facebook to respond to some requests for production of documents and respond to both special and form interrogatories, and to provide further responses to some document requests and some form and special interrogatories.   By the Court's count,, that is six separate motions.  Motions to compel responses are separate from motions to compel further responses.  Motions related to form interrogatories, special interrogatories, and production of documents should be  separate as well as each relates to a separate type of discovery.  On top of that, the motion asks for issue and evidentiary sanctions, making seven motions.  That one should be a  separate motion too.   The Court is unaware of any authority that permits a party embroiled in a discovery dispute to fold seven motions into one, while paying one filing fee, for a single motion. The Court takes no position on the merits of the myriad forms of relief that Fisher is seeking in the single motion.  Fisher is free to file separate discovery motions along the lines outlined herein.  If the hearing dates Fisher obtains on the motions bumps up too close to the schedule trial, then Fisher may seek relief to advance the hearing dates and consolidate the dates into a single or two/three dates.  Seven motions need not require seven hearing dates.