SHALENDRA PRASAD VS. VINCENT BIKWAN IP ET AL

Matter on the Law & Motion / Discovery calendar for Wednesday, October 22, 2025, Line 4. PLAINTIFF SHALENDRA PRASAD's MOTION TO CONSOLIDATE ACTIONS OF CASE(S) CGC-23-610835, CGC-24-612232 WITH CASE CGC-25-622032.

This is an opposed motion to consolidate Prasad v. Bikwan Ip, et al., Case No. CGC-23-610835, with two earlier-filed actions that have already been consolidated: Huang v. Uber Technologies, Inc., et al., Case No. CGC-23-610835, and Liu v. Uber Technologies, Inc., et al., Case No. CGC-24-612232. A hearing is required.

Moving plaintiff Shalendra Prasad contends that this personal injury case should be consolidated because it arises out of the same motor vehicle accident at issue in Huang v. Uber and Liu v. Uber. Prasad was an Uber driver, and is a defendant in Huang v. Uber, a case brought by the survivors of one of the passengers in Prasad's car, and in Liu v. Uber, a case brought by the other passenger. The defendants in Prasad's case (Vincent Bikwan Ip, Omar Sanchez Ortiz, and Sanchez & Sons Transport LLC) are defendants in the Huang and Liu actions.

The Huang plaintiffs oppose consolidation because the damage claims are unrelated, and because there will be juror confusion surrounding Prasad's presence as a defendant in two actions and a plaintiff in the third action. The Huang plaintiffs raise the additional concern that significant discovery has already occurred in the older cases. Other parties do not oppose. Prasad has submitted no reply brief.

The court does not see any realistic prospect of juror confusion: jurors are often asked to apportion fault regardless of whether a party appears as a plaintiff or defendant. There are common facts and witnesses, and consolidation for all purposes would seem to promote judicial efficiency and obviate the risk of inconsistent adjudications. The court is inclined to order consolidation but requires a hearing to clarify (1) whether Prasad seeks consolidation for all purposes or for trial only; and (2) what discovery Prasad seeks and whether the Huang plaintiffs' concerns about duplicative discovery will be borne out.

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