Tenchil

BACKGROUND

In July 2020, plaintiffs filed a personal injury complaint against defendant Zachary Scott arising from a July 2018 car accident. They did not serve defendant with the summons and complaint until August 2022. Defendant filed an answer (a general denial with affirmative defenses) and served initial discovery requests on each plaintiff—form interrogatories, special interrogatories, and demands for identification and inspection of documents. The court set a final status conference for August 23, 2023, and a trial date for September 6, 2023.2 Neither plaintiff responded to defendant’s discovery requests, nor did their counsel respond to defense counsel’s meet and confer letter. Accordingly, on November 18, 2022, defendant filed concurrent motions to compel each plaintiff’s responses to the unanswered discovery requests and for sanctions. Plaintiffs did not oppose the motions. The court granted the motions to compel as to Jose on March 29, 2023, and as to Daniel on March 30, 2023. The court denied the requests for sanctions. On April 10, 2023, defendant’s counsel served a notice of ruling on plaintiffs’ counsel stating plaintiffs

Statutory references are to the Code…