Nash v. Combs: Parties Jointly Ask Court to Move Trial From June 28 to Oct. 26, 2027

In the matter of Nash v. Combs et al., No. 2:25-cv-11033 (C.D. Cal.), plaintiff Deonte Nash and defendant Sean “Diddy” Combs, together with five company defendants, filed a joint stipulation on Nov. 3, 2026. They ask United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong to continue the June 28, 2027 jury trial to Oct. 26, 2027, “or another date convenient to the Court,” and to move the related deadlines in the Civil Trial Order (ECF No. 49 at 1–2). A stipulation is an agreement the court must approve.

Background

Nash sued in Los Angeles County Superior Court, and defendants removed the case. The stipulation states that the complaint “alleges a course of abuse and related misconduct spanning approximately a decade during Plaintiff’s employment from 2007 to 2018” (ECF No. 49 at 2). The docket shows that the court denied the motions to dismiss on May 26, 2026 (ECF No. 41) and that defendants answered on June 9, 2026 (ECF No. 43).

The Stated Grounds

The parties ask for about 120 days, which they call “good cause” under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16(b)(4), the rule that lets a court change a scheduling order (ECF No. 49 at 2). Their reasons, in the order the stipulation gives them:

1. Written discovery. The stipulation states that “[d]iscovery is extensive and ongoing” and that the number of parties and the period at issue require more time (ECF No. 49 at 2).
2. Discovery to date. The parties exchanged initial disclosures, and Nash “met and conferred with Defendants to obtain more full and complete responses.” The stipulation adds: “Defendants have represented they have had issues gaining access to defendants, documents and things due to their client’s incarceration.” Nash served written discovery on all defendants on Oct. 6, 2026. Responses are due Nov. 5, 2026, “but Defendants have represented they need more time” (ECF No. 49 at 2).
3. Depositions. The parties expect several fact-witness depositions, and Nash expects to depose the Rule 30(b)(6) witnesses of the entity defendants, meaning the people each company designates to speak for it (ECF No. 49 at 2–3).
4. Deposition of Combs. The stipulation states that Combs is held at FCI Allenwood Low in Pennsylvania and that under Rule 30(a)(2)(B), which requires the court’s permission to depose a person in prison, Nash “must obtain leave of court.” Nash “anticipates filing a separate motion for that relief imminently after obtaining full written discovery responses and productions from Defendants.” The parties cite “access, security, scheduling, and recording requirements” at the institution (ECF No. 49 at 3).
5. Experts. The parties “anticipate designating several experts” and say the expert deadlines must follow the extended fact-discovery period (ECF No. 49 at 3).

The parties state that counsel conferred on Oct. 27, 2026, by phone and on Oct. 28 and Nov. 2 by email, and that this is their first request to continue the trial date. They write that the request “is made in good faith to complete the identified work and is not made for purposes of delay” (ECF No. 49 at 3).

The Proposed Schedule

The stipulation sets out the current and proposed dates (ECF No. 49 at 4):

1. Jury trial: June 28, 2027, to Oct. 26, 2027.
2. Final pretrial conference and hearing on motions in limine: June 9, 2027, to Oct. 7, 2027.
3. Fact discovery cut-off: Dec. 23, 2026, to April 22, 2027.
4. Initial expert disclosures: Dec. 30, 2026, to April 29, 2027. Rebuttal disclosures: Jan. 13, 2027, to May 13, 2027.
5. Expert discovery cut-off: Jan. 27, 2027, to May 27, 2027.
6. Last day to hear dispositive motions: March 18, 2027, to July 15, 2027.
7. Settlement conference deadline: March 31, 2027, to July 29, 2027.
8. Trial filings: first round, May 12, 2027, to Sept. 9, 2027; second round, May 26, 2027, to Sept. 23, 2027.

The Proposed Order

Plaintiff’s counsel also submitted a proposed order, which is unsigned and undated (ECF No. 49-1). It would grant the stipulation, find “good cause under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16(b)(4),” and set each date in the schedule above (ECF No. 49-1 at 1–2). It would leave “[a]ny appearance times and courtroom assignments established in the Civil Trial Order” unchanged (ECF No. 49-1 at 2). It adds a third paragraph the stipulation does not contain: “This Order modifies the schedule only. Any request for leave to depose Sean Combs while incarcerated must be presented separately under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(a)(2)(B)” (ECF No. 49-1 at 2).

What’s Next

The docket shows no order on the stipulation. The parties state that they “will continue to comply with the existing schedule unless and until the Court enters an order granting this request” (ECF No. 49 at 4). On the current schedule, fact discovery closes Dec. 23, 2026. The case is assigned to Judge Frimpong and Magistrate Judge Pedro V. Castillo.

Counsel and Sources

Counsel: Brett Schreiber, Meagan Dove, Katie Llamas, Kristina Aiad-Toss (pro hac vice) and Vanessa Trujillo, Singleton Schreiber, LLP, for Plaintiff. Michael Schonbuch and Jonathan D. Gottlieb, Schonbuch Hallissy LLP, for Defendants Sean Combs, CeOpco, LLC, 207 Anderson LLC, Bad Boy Entertainment LLC, Bad Boy Entertainment Holdings, Inc., and Janice Combs Publishing LLC. Sources: ECF Nos. 41, 43, 49 and 49-1 on the No. 2:25-cv-11033 docket.

Diddy Docket reports on public court records. Parties are presumed innocent or not liable unless proven otherwise. This is not legal advice.