Case Number: BC622427??? Hearing Date: February 22, 2017??? Dept: 92
ULLAH HAFIZ,
Plaintiff(s),
vs.
BEN MOSHE LEVY,
Defendant(s).
CASE NO: BC622427
[TENTATIVE] ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF?S MOTION TO COMPEL RESPONSES TO SPECIAL INTERROGATORIES, FORM INTERROGATORIES, REQUEST FOR PRODUCTION, AND REQUESTS FOR ADMISSION; MONETARY SANCTIONS.Plaintiff, Ullah Hafiz?s Motions to Compel are Granted. Defendant is ordered to serve verified responses to the outstanding discovery, without objections, within ten days. Plaintiff?s Motion to Deem RFAs Admitted is Granted. Plaintiff?s request for sanctions is granted in the amount of $3240.00. Defendant and his attorney of record, jointly and severally, are ordered to pay sanctions to Defendant, by and through counsel of record, in the amount of $3240.00, within twenty days.
Plaintiff propounded special interrogatories, form interrogatories, RFAs, and RPDs on Plaintiff on 9/9/2016. As of February 10, 2017, the date of Plaintiff?s reply in support of the motions, Defendant has not served responses – despite two meet and confer attempts and two extensions. Plaintiff therefore seeks an order compelling Defendant to respond, without objections, to the outstanding discovery and to pay sanctions.
Plaintiff?s motions to compel are granted. Defendant is ordered to serve verified responses to form interrogatories, special interrogatories and RPDs, without objections, within ten days. CCP ??2030.290(a),(b), 2031.300(a),(b).
Plaintiff also moves to deem RFAs admitted. The motion is granted. CCP ?2033.280(b).
Sanctions are mandatory. ??2030.290(c), 2031.300(c), 2033.280(c). Plaintiff seeks sanctions of $3180 for each of the four motions. The Court finds that the requested monetary sanctions are excessive. The Court finds one-half hour to prepare each of these substantially similar motions to compel is sufficient to compensate Plaintiff. The Court award two hours to appear at the hearing on the motion and one hours total for the four replies. The Court therefore awards a total of 5 hours of attorney time at $600/hour, or $3000 in attorneys? fees. The Court also awards four filing fees of $60 each, or $240 in costs. Sanctions are sought against and awarded against Defendant and his attorney of record, jointly and severally.