Judge: Michael Small, Case: 24STCV09855, Date: 2025-01-07 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 24STCV09855    Hearing Date: January 7, 2025    Dept: 57

Here are the Court's thoughts on the issues in the discovery dispute between Defendant/Cross-Complainant Anatasia Beverly Hills, LLC ("ABH") and Cross-Defendant Elite Model Management LA, LLC ("Elite") that are the subject of the informal discovery conference ("IDC") set for January 7, 2025.

First, the time frame for the discovery requests ABH has propounded on Elite should be January 1, 2021 to the present. The January 1, 2021 start date is commensurate with the beginning of Elite's relationship with Plaintiff Lara Kusez ("Kusez").

Second, the ABH discovery requests pertaining to Kusez are fair game and Elite should provide further responses to them.

Third, the discovery requests pertaining to third parties , e.g., contracts, lawsuits, communications involving persons other Kusez, do not seem relevant to ABH's cross-complaint against Elite.  Accordingly, Elite should not be required to provide further responses to these requests. 


Fourth, following the IDC, both sides are free to ignore the Court's thoughts.  However, if ABH pursues litigation over the discovery dispute, it will have to file three separate motions -- one for the form interrogatories, one for the special interrogatories, and one for the requests for production of documents.    ABH cannot combine the three motions into one, as it has done with the motion that was filed prior to the scheduling of the IDC.