Celebrity photographer Grigor Balyan sued Lohan and her assistant Paola Demara, claiming he was run over by Lohan's car outside a nightclub on January 10, 2010. Demara was driving, Lohan was in the passenger seat. Balyan had been attempting to take photographs of Lohan.
Tuesday, Judge Ronald Sohigian ordered Lohan to pay $1,000 to Balyan for missing two deposition appointments. The judge also ordered Lohan to appear for the deposition on April 8 at Balyan's lawyer's office in Beverly Hills.
Balyan's attorney, Neil Steiner, told Eyewitness News that Lohan had agreed to show up for the deposition at least two times before, and failed to appear each time. The last meeting was scheduled for January 31, the day after Lohan last appeared in an L.A. courtroom in a criminal case.
Steiner said one of Lohan's lawyers told him Lohan was in New York on the 31st and would not be able to attend the L.A. deposition, even though Lohan was widely photographed in Los Angeles that day.
"We made numerous attempts to get Lohan's side of the story, sent several notices, had various conversations with her attorney, to no avail," Steiner said. He said he has already taken the assistant's deposition, who claims she did not see the impact on Balyan. "Since Lohan was sitting in the passenger seat, she had the best view of my client, who was standing by the right side of the car. I just want to ask her what she saw that night."
Lohan's attorney in this case, Julia Azrael, said she's trying to secure dates with Lohan's personal attorney, but her "continued efforts have not succeeded yet." Judge Sohigian replied that "trying is not altogether satisfactory." Sohigian told Azrael that he did not want to be "horsed around."
Sohigian said no deviation from the April 8 date would be accepted, except by a written document signed by attorneys for both sides.
Balyan is asking for more than $25,000 to cover his injuries, property damage and negligence.
