Tentative Rulings on Five Sealing Motions

Hansen v. The Coca-Cola Company, Case No. 2016-21046

July 12, 2019, Dept. 72

1. Overview and Procedural Posture.

This is an action by the grandchildren of Hubert Hansen, who died in 1951. The plaintiffs are: Hubert Hanson Intellectual Property Trust; Jeanne Hansen; Timothy Hansen; and Maureen Todd. They seek a share of the profits from defendants' beverage sales using the "Hansen's" brand under the California Celebrities Rights Act, Civil Code section 3344.1. The complaint was filed June 22, 2016. ROA 1. The court incorporates its ruling from February 15, 2019 (ROA 401), for a more complete recitation of the procedural posture and history of the case. On that day, the court denied defendants' summary judgment motions.

The trial is set for August 23, 2019, having been continued several times. The court appointed a discovery referee last summer, and his work began in earnest last November 29. He has been kept very busy, having issued the fol