Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP / Getty Images
BEVERLY HILLS (CNS) - A judge Wednesday granted a request by Arnold Schwarzenegger's attorneys to delay until February this month's scheduled start of 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 asking that the trial be delayed until a date in February. On Wednesday, the judge granted the defense motion and set the new trial date for Feb. 22 to be preceded by a Feb. 17 final status conference.
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, the defense attorneys' court papers further state.
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 were 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.