Judge: Serena R. Murillo, Case: 22STCV18607, Date: 2023-03-24 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 22STCV18607    Hearing Date: March 24, 2023    Dept: 29

TENTATIVE

Plaintiff Sabrina Forby’s unopposed motions to compel responses to form interrogatories, special interrogatories, request for production, and to deem matters admitted in requests for admission are GRANTED. Defendant Andrew Eugene Jones is ordered to provide verified responses without objections to the discovery requests within 30 days of this order. The truth of the matters in the request for admissions, set one, served on Defendant are admitted.

Plaintiff’s request for sanctions is GRANTED. Defendant Andrew Eugene Jones and counsel of record Christopher W. Dull are ordered to pay sanctions to Plaintiff in the amount of $684.95, jointly and severally, within 30 days of this order.

Plaintiff is ordered to pay $60 for the filing fee of the additional motion.

Legal Standard

Compel Interrogatories

If a party to whom interrogatories are directed fails to serve a timely response, the propounding party may move for an order compelling responses and for a monetary sanction.  (Code Civ. Proc., § 2030.290, subd. (b).) The statute contains no time limit for a motion to compel where no responses have been served. All that need be shown in the moving papers is that a set of interrogatories was properly served on the opposing party, that the time to respond has expired, and that no response of any kind has been served.  (Leach v. Superior Court (1980) 111 Cal.App.3d 902, 905–906.)

Deem RFAs Admitted 

“If a party to whom requests for admission are directed fails to serve a timely response, the following rules apply: (b) The requesting 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…. The Court, on motion, may relieve that party from this waiver on its determination that both of the following conditions are satisfied: (1) The party has subsequently served a response that is in substantial compliance with Sections 2033.210, 2033.220, and 2033.230. (2) the party’s failure to serve a timely response was the result of mistake, inadvertence, or excusable neglect…. (c) The court shall make this order, unless it finds that the party to whom the requests for admission have been directed has served, before the hearing on the motion, a proposed response to the requests for admission that is in substantial compliance with Section 2033.220.

Compel RPDs 

Where there has been no timely response to a demand for the production of documents, the demanding party may seek an order compelling a response.  (Code Civ. Proc. § 2031.300(b).)  Failure to timely respond waives all objections, including privilege and work product.  (Code Civ. Proc. § 2031.300(a).)  Thus, unless the party to whom the demand was directed obtains relief from waiver, he or she cannot raise objections to the documents demanded.  There is no deadline for a motion to compel responses.  Likewise, for failure to respond, the moving party need not attempt to resolve the matter outside court before filing the motion. 

Sanctions

Sanctions are mandatory in connection with a motion to deem matters specified in a request for admissions as true and motions to compel responses to interrogatories and requests for production of documents against any party, person, or attorney who unsuccessfully makes or opposes a motion to compel unless the court “finds that the one subject to the sanction acted with substantial justification or that other circumstances make the imposition of the sanction unjust.”  (Code Civ. Proc. §§ 2030.290(c), 2031.300(c), 2033.280(c).) 

Under CCP section 2023.030(a), “[t]he court may impose a monetary sanction ordering that one engaging in the misuse of the discovery process, or any attorney advising that conduct, or both pay the reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees, incurred by anyone as a result of that conduct. . . . If a monetary sanction is authorized by any provision of this title, the court shall impose that sanction unless it finds that the one subject to the sanction acted with substantial justification or that other circumstances make the imposition of the sanction unjust.”  Failing to respond or to submit to an authorized method of discovery is a misuse of the discovery process.  (Code Civ. Proc. § 2023.010.) 

Discussion

On July 1, 2022, Plaintiff served Form Interrogatories, Set One; Special Interrogatories, Set One; Request for Production of Documents, Set One; and Requests for Admissions, Set One on Defendant. (Vardanyan Decl., ¶ 2; Exh. A.) Defendant’s responses were due on August 22, 2022, after an extension to respond was granted. (Id, Exh. C.) Defendant has not served responses to the discovery in question. (Id., ¶ 5.)

As Plaintiff properly served discovery requests and Defendant failed to provide responses, the Court finds Plaintiff is entitled to a court order directing Defendant to provide verified responses without objections to the discovery requests served on Defendant.  The Court also finds Plaintiff is entitled to an order establishing the truth of the matters in the request for admissions served on Plaintiff. Therefore, the motions are granted. 

As the motions are granted, Plaintiff’s request for sanctions is also granted, but in reduced hours due to the simplicity of the motions and the nature of the concurrent facts. Thus, the Court orders Defendant and counsel of record Christopher W. Dull to pay monetary sanctions in the amount of $684.95 ($250 per hour, for two hours, plus $184.95 in filing fees), jointly and severally, within 30 days of this order.

However, Plaintiff has only filed 3 motions for 4 sets of discovery. As such, Plaintiff is ordered to pay $60 for the filing fee of the additional motion.

Conclusion

Accordingly, Plaintiff’s motions to compel responses to form interrogatories, special interrogatories, request for production, and to deem matters admitted in requests for admission are GRANTED. Defendant is ordered to provide verified responses without objections to the discovery requests within 30 days of this order. The truth of the matters in the request for admissions, set one, served on Defendant are admitted.

Plaintiff’s request for sanctions is GRANTED. Defendant and counsel of record Christopher W. Dull are ordered to pay sanctions to Plaintiff in the amount of $684.95, jointly and severally, within 30 days of this order.

Moving party is ordered to give notice.