Judge: Michelle C. Kim, Case: 23STCV04327, Date: 2024-05-16 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 23STCV04327    Hearing Date: May 16, 2024    Dept: 31

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA  

FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES - CENTRAL DISTRICT 

 

CHRISTIAN FRANK STEVENS, 

Plaintiff(s),  

vs. 

 

JOHN DOE, ET AL., 

 

Defendant(s). 

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      CASE NO: 23STCV04327 

 

[TENTATIVE] ORDER DENYING WITHOUT PREJUDICE MOTION TO BE RELIEVED AS COUNSEL  

 

Dept. 31 

1:30 p.m.  

May 16, 2024 

 

Plaintiff Christian Frank Stevens (“Plaintiff”) attorney of record, Astghik Ghevondyan, Esq. of Downtown L.A. Law Group (“Counsel”), seeks to be relieved as counsel. Counsel contends relief is necessary because contact with Plaintiff was lost. 

 

Counsel declares the moving papers have been served at Plaintiff’s last known address, which Counsel confirmed was current within the past 30 days by conversation. The Court is unclear how Counsel was able to confirm Plaintiff’s address if the basis for the motion is that Counsel had lost all contact with Plaintiff. The Court requests Counsel to provide more specificity in his declaration as to how the address was confirmed as current.  

 

Further, Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1362(d) requires service of the notice of motion and motion, the declaration, and the proposed order. Here, Counsel provides proof of service regarding the notice of motion and motion, and declaration. However, there is no proof of service demonstrating that the proposed order had been served on Plaintiff.  

 

Accordingly, the motion to be relieved as counsel is denied without prejudice. 

 

Counsel is 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.¿¿ 

  • Unless¿all¿parties submit by email to this tentative ruling, the parties should arrange to appear remotely (encouraged) or in person for oral argument.¿ You should assume that others may appear at the hearing to argue.¿¿ 

  • 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 15th day of May 2024 

 

  

 

 

Hon. Michelle C. Kim 

Judge of the Superior Court