Chris Pine Accused of Using Overseas Vacation and Movie Shoot as Excuses to Delay Deposition

Chris Pine’s neighbor demanded the actor be ordered to appear for a deposition after months of him allegedly giving her the runaround, In Touch can exclusively reveal.

According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Helen Yu, the well-known entertainment lawyer who sued Chris, 44, for trespass, nuisance, and negligence, claimed she has been attempting to depose the actor since January 2023.

She said she served four notices requesting that the actor show up and answer questions under oath. Helen also asked Chris to produce documents relevant to the case. The most recent notice told Chris to show up on October 2.

Helen said Chris’ lawyers asked for yet another continuance. She said despite that effort to schedule a new deposition date and even providing weekend dates, Chris’ team has yet to provide an available date.

Helen argued, “The court should order [Chris] to appear for a deposition and produce the documents that have been requested. The order should include a specific date for the deposition and a warning that if [Chris] does not comply with the court’s order, the court may impose monetary and/or other sanctions, including terminating sanctions.”

Further, she said, “The court should not solve the problem that Pine was created by continuing the trial, as that would only reward Pine for his persistent failure to comply with his discovery obligations.”

Helen said that Chris’ lawyers told her in July that the actor would be busy filming a movie and on vacation out of the country until October. She said she scheduled the October 2 depo based on that information.

In her motion, she pointed out that the trial is scheduled for November 18, and she needs to depose Chris ASAP.

“Either [Chris] 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 [Chris’] deposition and enabling discovery to be completed.

In either case, the behavior is unacceptable,” Helen’s motion read. Helen pleaded with the court to step in and order Chris to appear for a depo by the end of the month.

As In Touch previously reported, in her lawsuit, Helen explained that her home shares a boundary with Chris’ property.

Chris bought the three-bedroom, three-bathroom, 2,205 square-foot home in 2010 for $3 million.

In her suit, Helen accused Chris of installing numerous Ficus Benjamina trees on his property that she said led to her experiencing problems on her property.

Helen’s suit read, “Ficus Benjamina are known to have extremely invasive root systems. Through action or inaction, [Chris has] unreasonably, negligently, or intentionally caused or allowed the root systems of [his trees] which were planted on the boundary line between the properties and encroach upon [Helen’s home], causing substantial and ongoing damage to the [Helen’s home], including cracking of walls and substantial damages to the plumbing and pipes, pool, pool deck, and other areas of in or around [Helen’s home], creating an unreasonably unsafe condition, and interfering with [Helen’s] use and enjoyment of [her] property.”

Helen demanded unspecified damages.

Chris denied the accusations. He countersued Helen, claiming a fence she put up was on his property line.

Helen denied his accusations about her fence.

“The hardship that [Helen] would suffer if forced to removed improvements from the disputed property would be greatly disproportionate to any hardship that [Chris] would suffer if the improvements are permitted to remain,” her attorney argued.

Chris has not responded and the judge has yet to rule on Helen’s motion to compel the actor’s deposition.