Case Number: BC627361 Hearing Date: June 04, 2018 Dept: 4

MOVING PARTY: Defendant Susan Scovel Richarz

RESPONDING PARTY: Plaintiff Randi Aarons

(1) Motion to Compel Answers to Form Interrogatories

(2) Motion to Compel Answers to Special Interrogatories

(3) Motion to Compel Response to Request for Production of Documents

The court considered the moving papers and plaintiff’s counsel’s declaration.

BACKGROUND

On July 15, 2016, plaintiff Randi Aarons filed a complaint against defendant Susan Scovel Richarz for premises liability based on a fall down stairs on July 17, 2014.

LEGAL STANDARD

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.

CCP §2030.290(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.

Request for Production of Documents

Where there has been no timely response to a CCP §2031.010 demand, the demanding party must seek an order compelling a response. CCP §2031.300. Failure to timely respond waives all objections, including privilege and work product. 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. Where the motion seeks only a response to the inspection demand, no showing of “good cause” is required. Weil & Brown, Civil Procedure Before Trial, 8:1487.

DISCUSSION

Defendant requests that the court compel plaintiff to serve verified responses without objections to defendant’s first sets of form interrogatories, special interrogatories, and demand for production of documents, served on January 10, 2018. On March 6, 2018, having received no answers, defense counsel wrote to plaintiff’s counsel, requesting the overdue responses. As of the filing date of the motions, defense counsel had not received responses.

In response, defense counsel submitted his declaration stating that he made several attempts to contact plaintiff to respond to discovery. On May 23, 2018, plaintiff served verified responses without objections.

The motion is therefore MOOT.

Under CCP § 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.” Under CCP § 2023.010, an example of the misuse of the discovery process is “(d) Failing to respond or to submit to an authorized method of discovery.”

Sanctions are mandatory in connection with 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.” CCP §§ 2030.290(c), 2031.300(c).

Cal. Rules of Court, Rule 3.1348(a) states: “The court may award sanctions under the Discovery Act in favor of a party who files a motion to compel discovery, even though no opposition to the motion was filed, or opposition to the motion was withdrawn, or the requested discovery was provided to the moving party after the motion was filed.”

Defendant requests sanctions against plaintiff in the amount of $400 for each motion. The court finds that $510 ($165/hr. x 2 hrs. plus $180 in filing fees) is a reasonable amount of attorney’s fees and costs to be awarded against plaintiff in total for all three motions.

The court ORDERS:

The court orders plaintiff Randi Aarons to pay to defendant a monetary sanction in the amount of $510 within 30 days in total for all three motions.

Defendant is ordered to give notice of this ruling.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: June 4, 2018

____________________________

Dennis J. Landin

Judge of the Superior Court