What are the judge’s reasons for taking Chris Pine’s deposition?

Hollywood star Chris Pine has until later this month to appear for a deposition in his ongoing lawsuit with a neighbor in Los Angeles.

This comes after a judge at the Los Angeles Superior Court upheld a motion by his neighbor, the entertainment lawyer Helen Yu, to order Pine to submit to deposition ahead of a scheduled trial in November. The 44-year-old has until October 25 to be deposed, In Touch reported on Wednesday, citing court documents.

What is the Chris Pine-Helen Yu lawsuit about?

Pine and Yu’s legal battle, which began in 2022, revolves around a series of ficus trees that the actor planted in the yard of his LA home. Yu has complained that the trees’ extensive roots have grown onto her side of the wall separating the two properties, causing damage to her yard.

“Ficus Benjamina are known to have extremely invasive root systems,” Yu’s complaint reads, per People. “Through action or inaction, Defendants have unreasonably, negligently, or intentionally caused or allowed the root systems of the Hill Oak Property trees which were planted on the boundary line between the properties and encroach upon the Yu Property, causing substantial and ongoing damage to the Yu Property, including cracking of walls and substantial damages to the plumbing and pipes, pool, pool deck, and other areas of in or around the Yu Property, creating an unreasonably unsafe condition, and interfering with Plaintiff’s use and enjoyment of the Yu property.”

Pine, meanwhile, alleges that Yu’s wall illegally encroaches on his yard.

How much is Pine’s neighbour asking for?

Per TMZ, Yu is seeking over $500,000 in damages from the actor, who is best known for his roles in the Star Trek reboot movies and the DC Comics films Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984.

Yu motion leads to Pine deposition order

As revealed by In Touch, Yu complained in a motion this month that Pine was stalling excessively on being deposed, and asked the court to order him to testify.

Yu said she has been trying to arrange Pine’s deposition since January 2023, but has been told by his team that he was either busy working or was on vacation, or that his lawyer was occupied with another case. Earlier this year, Pine’s team requested a continuance of the trial date, which had already been postponed before, until April 2025.

“Either [Pine] does not want to be deposed, or his counsel is attempting to get around the trial court’s ruling denying his most recent application to continue the trial by refusing to cooperate in scheduling deposition and enabling discovery to be completed,” Yu’s motion said, per In Touch. “In either case, the behavior is unacceptable.”

Although the judge’s precise explanation for ordering Pine to be deposed this month has not been made public, they evidently agree with Yu that he cannot delay any further.