NICHOLAS LUDWIGSEN ET AL VS. ALI SHAFIE ET AL

Matter on calendar for Monday, August 25, 2025, Line 9, PLAINTIFF NICHOLAS LUDWIGSEN, JINYUAN LI's Motion To Compel Further Responses To Plaintiffs Requests For Production Of Documents And For Monetary Sanctions Of $3000 Against Defendant.

3 - Plaintiffs' motion to compel further responses from defendant Ali Shafie to plaintiffs' set one requests for production of documents and for $3,000 in monetary sanctions is granted. No later than September 16, 2025 Mr. Shafie must serve verified code-compliant responses without objections to plaintiffs' first set of requests for production of documents, produce all responsive documents, and he and his counsel must pay $3,000 in monetary sanctions to plaintiffs.

Plaintiffs' first set of discovery requests seek discoverable information and do not pose an undue burden on Mr. Shafie. All of Mr. Shafie's objections lack merit and are stricken. Mr. Shafie's responses to plaitniffs' first set of discovery are evasive and contrary to both the letter and spirit of California's civil discovery rules. Reasonable monetary sanctions of $3,000 are awarded because Mr. Shafie and his counsel acted without substantial justification.

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). | |