JUDGE JOHN P. DOYLE

DEPARTMENT 58

Hearing Date: December 9, 2019

Case Name: Alpine Group v. Gooding & Company, Inc., et al.

Case No.: 19STCV02637

Motion: Motion to Compel

Moving Party: Plaintiff Alpine Group

Responding Party: Defendants Falcon Woods, LLC and Charles M. Seeger

Tentative Ruling: The Motion to Compel is granted.

Plaintiff seeks to compel the deposition of Michael Mak Hotung which was noticed for October 23, 2019, in Washington, DC. Hotung is seemingly a resident of Hong Kong.

Defendants Falcon Woods, LLC and Charles M. Seeger principally oppose the Motion on the grounds that (1) Hotung—as a non-party—cannot be required to appear for a deposition via a notice of deposition and (2) a foreign resident cannot be ordered to appear in California for a deposition.

If a foreign deponent “is a party to the action or an officer, director, managing agent, or employee of a party, the service of the deposition notice is effective to compel the deponent to attend and to test