Judge: Stephen I. Goorvitch, Case: 21STCV43270, Date: 2023-03-23 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 21STCV43270    Hearing Date: March 23, 2023    Dept: 39

Aurora Ramuco v. Old Navy, LLC, Case No. 21STCV43270

Defendant Old Navy, LLC (“Defendant”) filed an ex parte application to continue the trial date, and all related dates, based upon the parties’ stipulation in order to participate in the LA Resolve mediation program for employment cases.  The ex parte application is granted in part and denied in part.  The Court advances and vacates the final status conference and trial dates and sets the following dates:

Final Status Conference:           Thursday, September 14, 2023, at 9:30 a.m.

Trial:                                        Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at 9:30 a.m.

The fact discovery deadlines shall be based on the former trial date (June 27, 2023).  The expert designation and discovery deadlines shall be based on the new trial date.  Defendant’s counsel is authorized to file a motion for summary judgment or adjudication based on the new trial date. 

The Court hereby orders the parties in the above-captioned case to participate in a Mandatory Settlement Conference (MSC) conducted by the Resolve Law LA Virtual MSC Program. The parties must immediately schedule the MSC date with Resolve Law LA as soon as possible within two weeks of today’s conference. A judge will be available on the date of the MSC to assist the parties and counsel if needed.

Parties and counsel are ordered to read and comply with the Resolve Law LA Virtual MSC Program’s procedures set forth below, as well as the local and California rules of court referenced in this order.

Resolve Law LA Virtual Program Background and Procedures:

This case has been ordered into the Resolve Law LA Virtual MSC Program for employment law cases. Resolve Law LA is a virtual program through which two qualified volunteer lawyers with experience in employment law cases (one from the plaintiff side and one from the defense) are assigned to help resolve cases pending in the Independent Calendar (IC) courts.  Cases may be assigned at any stage of the proceedings but will often be selected for this program at an early stage, with the goal of reducing case backlog, litigation costs and delays in resolution of employee/employer disputes. 

It is the parties’ responsibility to register the case for the MSC upon the case being ordered into the Resolve Law LA Virtual MSC Program.  Registration is done directly by counsel/parties on the Resolve Law LA website, www.resolvelawla.com.  If the Court has informed the parties that the MSC will be conducted on a specific date, plaintiff must immediately register the case for MSC on that date.  If the Court has set a time period in which the MSC is to be conducted, plaintiff must confer with defendant immediately to find mutually convenient date options for participating in the MSC prior to the cut-off date and then to register online for the program.  If plaintiff is unable or unwilling to comply with these registration requirements, defendant or defense counsel may complete the registration.  All counsel/parties are urged to visit the Resolve Law LA website and familiarize themselves with its contents and instructions. Complete contact information must be provided for each participant of the MSC. Please refer to the Sixth Amended Standing Order Re: Mandatory Settlement Conference (effective June 21, 2021) for more information and instructions.

Additionally, pursuant to California Rules of Court, Rule 3.1380(b) and Los Angeles Superior Court (“LASC”) Rule 3.25(d), trial counsel, the parties and persons with full authority to settle the case (including insurance company representatives) must attend virtually unless a judge has excused the virtual appearance for good cause. In addition, consistent with LASC Rule 3.25(e), a written MSC statement must be uploaded to the Resolve Law LA website five court days before the conference.

For questions, counsel are instructed to review the information on the Resolve Law LA Virtual MSC Program website at www.resolvelawla.com. If there remain unanswered questions, counsel may email the program directly at help@resolvelawla.com. Court staff do not schedule or monitor the MSC settings.

The parties shall complete the Resolve Law LA MSC on or before June 1, 2023.  The Court orders Defendant’s counsel to schedule the MSC. 

Defendant’s counsel shall provide notice.