BRIGID ACUNA VS. THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA ET AL

Matter on calendar for Monday, August 24, 2026, Line 11, PLAINTIFF BRIGID ACUNA's Motion To Compel Further Responses To Plaintiff's Requests For Production Of Documents, Set One; For An Order Compelling Code-Compliant Document Identification (CCP Section 2031.280(A)); Request For Monetary Sanctions.

2 - Plaintiff Brigid Acuna's motion to compel further responses to her set one requests for production of documents and request for monetary sanctions is denied without prejudice to her filing another motion regarding the amended responses served by the defendant The Regents of the University of California on July 28, 2026 after the parties engaged in code-compliant meet and confer and reached an impasse regarding every request which Acuna seeks a further response.

No later than September 22, 2026 Acuna must pay the Regents $706 in reasonable monetary sanctions. Acuna's failure to engage in a meet and confer regarding the Regents' amended responses lacked substantial justification. Her contention that she "preserved her right to file" this motion without a meet and confer regarding the amended responses is contrary to California law and the basic premise of discovery adjudication that the court should decide only those disputes that the parties have not been able to decide after a meaningful good faith attempt to do so.

The Regents' requested amount of monetary sanctions is excessive. All that was needed to oppose this motion was to state what was obvious from the moving papers that there had been no meet and confer regarding the amended responses and the parties might have been able to reduce the issues on this motion or eliminate the need for this motion had there been a meaningful good faith meet and confer. At most that should have taken two hours of the time of the Regents' counsel at the reasonable hourly rate of $353.

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/HEK). | |