JANE DOE 1 VS. SAN FRANCISCO WALDORF SCHOOL ASSOCIATION, A ET AL

Set for Law and Motion/Discovery Calendar on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Line 5. Defendant Jason Davis's motion to quash deposition subpoenas for production of business records to San Francisco Police Department, Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, and Ukiah Police Department is DENIED.

Plaintiff moves to quash the subpoenas under Code of Civil Procedure 1987.1. Subdivision (a) provides, in relevant part: "If a subpoena requires the attendance of a witness or the production of books, documents, electronically stored information, or other things before a court, or at the trial of an issue therein, or at the taking of a deposition, the court may make an order quashing the subpoena entirely, modifying it, or directing compliance with it upon those terms or conditions as the court shall declare, including protective orders." (Code Civ. Proc. 1987.1, subd. (a).)

When privacy interests are at stake, courts must balance the plaintiff's right to discover relevant facts against the privacy interests of persons subject to discovery. (Hill v. National Collegiate Athletic Association (1994) 7 Cal.4th 1.) Here, the subpoenaed records are reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence. (See Code Civ. Proc. 2017.010.) The court finds that Plaintiffs' right to discover these relevant facts outweighs Defendant's privacy interests here, especially considering that evidence that a person committed a prior crime or civil wrong is admissible to prove facts such as motive, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, or identity. (See Evid. Code 1101.) As such, Defendant's motion to quash is denied.

For the 9:00 a.m. calendar, all attorneys and parties may appear in Department 302 remotely or in person. Remote hearings will be conducted by videoconference using Zoom. (Dept. 302 Zoom ID 160 409 7690; Passcode 516287.) To appear remotely at the hearing, go to the court's website at sfsuperiorcourt.org under "Online Services," navigate to "Tentative Rulings," and click on the appropriate link, or dial the corresponding phone number.

Any party who contests a tentative ruling must send an email to contestdept302tr@sftc.org with a copy to all other parties by 4pm stating, without argument, the portion(s) of the tentative ruling that the party contests. The subject line of the email shall include the line number, case name and case number. The text of the email shall include the name and contact information, including email address, of the attorney or party who will appear at the hearing.

Counsel for the prevailing party is required to prepare a proposed order which repeats verbatim the substantive portion of the tentative ruling and must email it to contestdept302tr@sftc.org prior to the hearing even if the tentative ruling is not contested.

The court no longer provides a court reporter in the Law & Motion Department. Parties may retain their own reporter, who may appear in the courtroom or remotely. A retained reporter must be a California certified court reporter (CSR), for only a CSR's transcript may be used in California courts. If a CSR is being retained, include in your email all of the following: their name, CSR and telephone numbers, and their individual work email address. =(302/RCD) | |