Anastasia Martinez v. County of Los Angeles

I.

BACKGROUND:

On September 14, 2022, Anastasia Martinez (“Plaintiff”) filed the instant 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (“section 1983”) action against County of Los Angeles (“County”), Alex Villanueva, California Commerce Club, Inc., and Danny Banuelos (collectively, “Defendants”). ECF Docket No. (“Dkt.”) 1. Plaintiff alleges violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment arising from an incident where Banuelos allegedly committed sexual battery on Plaintiff. Id. On December 21, 2023, Defendants filed a Motion for a Protective Order preventing the deposition of Undersheriff April tardy. Dkt. 97. The Motion is before the Court on the parties’ joint stipulation. Id. The Court finds the Motion appropriate for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 78; L.R. 7-15. Accordingly, the January 17, 2024 hearing is hereby VACATED. For the reasons below, Defendant’s Motion is DENIED.

II.

DISCUSSION

A. THE MOTION IS PREMATURE

1. Applicable law A court may for good cause enter a protective order under Rule 26(c) to “protect a party or person from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(c)(1). The party seeking to limit or…