Judge: Michelle C. Kim, Case: 19STCV00950, Date: 2023-04-14 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 19STCV00950    Hearing Date: April 14, 2023    Dept: 31

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES - CENTRAL DISTRICT

Plaintiffs’ Motion to Compel Further Responses to Special Interrogatories, set two, is premature and will be continued to a new date as set forth below.  While an Informal Discovery Conference (“IDC”) was held on September 21, 2022, that IDC concerned further discovery as to Plaintiffs’ Form Interrogatories, set one, and Special Interrogatories, set one. (See Min. Order, Sept. 21, 2022; see also IDC Form, Sept. 1, 2022.) Thus, the parties are ordered to participate in an Informal Discovery Conference (“IDC”) regarding any additional discovery as required by the Court’s Standing Order Re: PI Court Procedures, which is available on the LA Superior Court’s website, under the Personal Injury section.

 The hearing on the MTCF is continued to July 27, 2023 1:30 p.m. in Department 31 of the Spring Street Courthouse.  Moving Party is ordered to use the online reservation management system to schedule an IDC, which must go forward per the terms set forth in the Standing Order.  Moving Party is ordered to use the online reservation management system to schedule an IDC, which must go forward per the terms set forth in the 2/24/20 Standing Order.  The IDC must be scheduled at least two weeks prior to the continued hearing date on the MTCF.  

If the above date is not convenient for the parties and/or an IDC cannot be scheduled, for whatever reason, within the necessary time period, Moving Party must use the online reservation system to promptly continue the hearing on the motion to a date at least two weeks after the IDC.

The court is hopeful the hearing on the MTCF will not be necessary.  If the parties are unable to resolve all outstanding issues at the IDC, the parties must submit a joint statement of items in dispute at least two weeks prior to the continued hearing date.  The joint statement must be a single document, with analysis by both parties, addressing each remaining issue. 

Plaintiffs are ordered to give notice. 

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: 

• Parties are encouraged to meet and confer after reading this tentative ruling to see if they can reach an agreement. 
• If a party intends to submit on this tentative ruling, the party must send an email to the court at sscdept31@lacourt.org with the Subject line “SUBMIT” followed by the case number.  The body of the email must include the hearing date and time, counsel’s contact information, and the identity of the party submitting.   
• The Court is not available to hear oral argument on this date.  If the parties do not submit on the tentative and want oral argument, the hearing will have to be continued, and the parties must work with the clerk to find an available date for the continuance.
• If the parties neither submit nor appear at hearing, the Court may take the motion off calendar or adopt the tentative ruling as the order of the Court.  After the Court has issued a tentative ruling, the Court may prohibit the withdrawal of the subject motion without leave.

Dated this 14^th  day of April, 2023