CAA Vs. Range Takes New Twists With Court Wins & Tactical Shifts As Arbitration Trial Set For Next Month

deadline.com:

Fighting tooth and nail to stop depositions in the ongoing arbitration between the uberagency and its former employees over sliced off vested equity, Range and its Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher lawyers were given a blow this week by a LA Superior Court judge, again. “The request to stay all discovery is DENIED,” wrote Santa Monica-based Judge Mark Young after a hearing out on in the oceanside town on Tuesday. “Here, the Court will not stay all discovery pending a demurrer,” Judge Young added in his second ruling in the matter in as many weeks out of the suit filed by CAA against “unlawful” Range in September 2024. “The Court has not ruled on the merits of the demurrer, and, in fact, Plaintiff has not even filed their opposition.

Even if the Court was to grant the demurrer, there are scenarios where Plaintiff would be granted leave to amend and discovery would be appropriate.” In terms of Range’s desire to “quash subpoenas,” Judge Young ordered up a third way and set a February 26 morning hearing at the Santa Monica courthouse. “As requested in their moving papers, the Court will consider the ex parte application as Defendant’s opening brief,” he noted. “Plaintiff’s opposition will be due February 18, 2025, with Defendant’s reply brief due February 21, 2025.

The subpoenas are stayed until February 26, 2025.” A state of affairs that has CAA seeing blue skies all over. “Tuesday was a rough day for Range,” CAA counsel Elena Baca tells Deadline. “In the morning, the State Court firmly rejected Range’s attempt to halt all discovery into its unlawful conduct, as alleged in CAA’s lawsuit,” the Paul Hastings lawyer details. “Then, in the evening, Range made a sudden reversal before the Court of Appeal, attempting to reframe its