A son of actor and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger won a round in court when a judge ordered the deposition of one of three plaintiffs in a consolidated lawsuit who say they were injured in a 2020 automobile crash with the actor’s offspring in Brentwood.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Anne Hwang is presiding over the combined cases brought by plaintiffs Maryam Pirian and Manouchehr Pirian, as well as that of Gad Kakanyisa. According to court papers previously filed by Christopher Schwarzenegger’s attorneys, Kakanyisa was given notice to appear for a deposition on June 1 and did not initially object to that date, but within 48 hours of that date claimed he was not available.
On Friday, Hwang ordered Kakanyisa to appear for a deposition within 30 days and she also fined the plaintiff $1,545 in attorneys’ fees and costs.
“The court finds that plaintiff failed to appear at a properly noticed deposition without having served a valid objection,” Hwang wrote.
According to Schwarzenegger’s attorneys’ court papers, Kakanyisa did not respond to inquiries about rescheduling the deposition or his failure to appear at the June 1 session.
“This failure to meet and confer with defense counsel is unreasonable and plaintiff’s failures have caused unnecessary delays and undue expense,” according court papers filed by Schwarzenegger’s lawyers. They asked that the plaintiff be fined about $2,330, but the judge found that amount excessive.
The Pirians, both now 78, say they were driving south on Carmelina Avenue at Sunset Boulevard when the 25-year-old Schwarzenegger’s vehicle collided with theirs on Oct. 30, 2020. Kakanyisa, 52, was driving a second car allegedly struck by the actor’s son. All three plaintiffs named both Schwarzeneggers and the actor’s company, Oak Productions Inc., as defendants.
The Pirian-Kakanyisa lawsuit is separate from one also brought in Los Angeles Superior Court by 34-year-old Saam Takaloo against another Schwarzenegger son, actor and fitness model Joseph Baena, that is before Judge Lisa R. Jaskol. Takaloo alleges he was injured when his vehicle was struck by one driven by Baena on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway in Culver City on April 5, 2021. His lawsuit names the same defendants.
Baena is Schwarzenegger’s son with his former housekeeper, Mildred Baena, during an alleged affair that prompted the actor’s former wife, Maria Shriver, to file for divorce in 2011 when it became public. Baena, 25, was a contestant in 2022 during the 31st season of “Dancing With the Stars.”