A judge Wednesday set an expedited hearing for early next year on a motion brought on behalf of two girls who allege they were sexually abused by an imprisoned former Hollywood studio architect and now want sanctions imposed for his alleged refusal to answer written discovery questions.
The Van Nuys Superior Court suit names as defendants both the designer, Jeffrey Cooper, and the Calabasas Shul. The plaintiffs are identified only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2.
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In his ruling Wednesday, Judge James A. Kaddo scheduled the sanctions hearing for Jan. 9. In their court papers, the girls' attorneys maintain Cooper has disobeyed a Nov. 15 court order regarding the plaintiffs' inquiries.
"To date, no responses have been provided and thus Cooper is in violation of this court's order," the plaintiffs' lawyers state in their court papers.
Cooper in other instances also has not provided, or providing inadequate, responses to the girls' lawyers' discovery requests, the attorneys further maintain in their court papers.
The plaintiffs' attorneys asked for the expedited hearing because the first date available otherwise was June 5, the plaintiffs' lawyers further state.
The lawsuit was filed July 25, 2022, the same day Cooper was sentenced to eight years in state prison by Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Alan Schneider, who also ordered him to register as a sex offender.
Cooper, now in his early 70s, was convicted in May 2022 of three felony counts of lewd acts on a child involving Jane Doe 1, who was between 12 and 13 years old between 2005 and 2007 when she was abused at his home and later reported what had happened to authorities, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Jurors deadlocked on charges against Cooper that involved his second accuser, who was 6 years old when Cooper allegedly began grooming her.
Cooper testified in the criminal case and denied the allegations. He said there were multiple adults around at all times, including parents and the grandparents of one of the girls, who were longtime friends of the Coopers.
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