Citing three issues, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s attorneys filed court papers Tuesday asking a judge to delay until February this month’s scheduled trial to determine a woman’s damages stemming from a 2022 traffic accident with the actor and former governor.
In her Beverly Hills Superior Court lawsuit, plaintiff Cheryl Augustine contends the former governor was negligent when his SUV collided with the plaintiff’s Toyota Prius at Sunset Boulevard and Allenford Avenue in Los Angeles, as the former body builder made a left turn against a red arrow signal on Jan. 21, 2022.
The trial was originally scheduled to begin Oct. 12, but Judge Edward Moreton Jr. was already presiding over another trial and put Augustine’s case on a trailing status. However, on Tuesday the actor’s attorneys filed court papers with the judge in advance of a Wednesday hearing asking that the trial be delayed until Feb. 16 or another date convenient to the court.
According to defense attorneys, Augustine’s lawyer has already begun a jury trial in Long Beach Superior Court that is expected to last a month. In addition, the defense’s life care planning expert witness is unavailable for most of late December 2026 and January 2027 because of a scheduled medical procedure, and Schwarzenegger has pre-existing contractual commitments through November and December, according to the defense attorneys’ court papers.
The life care expert, nurse Stephanie Engler, will address the validity of Augustine’s claimed future medical care needs as well as her associated damages, according to the defense attorneys’ court papers, which further state that both sides are agreeable to delaying the start of trial.
Schwarzenegger, now 79, was traveling so fast that his Yukon lifted up on two wheels, landing primarily on the Prius, but also on a Porsche and Toyota on Allenford, according to Augustine’s attorneys’ court papers. Augustine also is suing Schwarzenegger’s production company, Oak Productions Inc. Schwarzenegger has conceded negligence, but disputes the amount of damages the woman is seeking.
The collision has allegedly caused a significant change in the plaintiff’s personality and personal relations and she will continue to decline as a result of a traumatic brain injury, her attorneys say. Her interactions with others have been negatively impacted and her family relationships have deteriorated because she has become short-tempered, irritable and unreasonable, Augustine’s lawyers further state in their court papers.