Excerpt: ...(2) trespass, (3) negligence, (4) nuisance, (5) fraud, (6) intentional infliction of emotional distress, and (7) declaratory and injunctive relief. Plaintiffs are owners of real property located in Los Angeles. Defendants Bravmann and Koll own a neighboring house adjacent to Plaintiff's property. The complaint arises from the allegation that Defendants built a fence and gate encroaching onto Plaintiff's property. Defendants allegedly relied on an...

Excerpt: ...eges that in 2020, he was audited by the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) for his 2015 and 2017 taxes. (Compl. ¶ 9.) Plaintiff hired Defendants to handle this matter. (Id., ¶ 10.) Plaintiff alleges that Defendants regularly missed deadlines to respond or provide information to the FTB, resulting in erroneous assessments of Plaintiff's taxes. (Id., ¶¶ 13-18, 27-30.) Defendants also allegedly missed the deadline to appeal the 2015 audit despite tellin...

Excerpt: ...f contract, (2) implied indemnity, (3) negligence, (4) conversion, and (5) fraud. The case involves a construction project that took place in Ventura County. The property is owned by RB. BFF was the general contractor on the project, and R&M was the subcontractor. Duarte owns and operates R&M. The complaint alleges that R&M performed its work negligently, causing multiple shutdowns and delays. BFF terminated R&M from the project, and Duarte alleg...

Excerpt: ... warranty of fitness, (3) negligent misrepresentation, (4) fraudulent misrepresentation, and (5) unfair competition. The complaint arises from the following facts. Plaintiff is a manufacturer of health and fitness oriented food products, such as cookies. Defendant sells a variety of ingredients to food manufacturers, including Plaintiff. The particular ingredient at issue in this case is the antioxidant CytoGuard. CytoGuard is a cultured dextrose...

Excerpt: ...nt part as follows: On July 13, 2015, Plaintiff purchased a new 2021 Mercedes S580 (“Vehicle”) manufactured by Mercedes. During the warranty period the vehicle developed defects. LEGAL STANDARD Attorney's fees are mandatory to the prevailing plaintiff under the Song-Beverly Act. (Kim v.Euromotors West/The Auto Gallery (2007) 149 Cal.App.4th 170, 178; Drouin v. Fleetwood Enterprises (1985) 163 Cal.App.3d 486, 493. Pursuant to California Civil ...

Excerpt: ...Defendant E&B Natural Resources Management Corporation (E&B) sought to purchase a 25% stake in WGH. Due to financial issues with its lenders, E&B could not directly deal with WGH. Instead, E&B allegedly formed Defendant Triton LA, LLC (Triton) to hold E&B's 25% interest in WGH. The complaint alleges that the arrangement was induced by fraud and that Defendants merely sought to take over WGH's assets for themselves. Triton allegedly demanded a hig...

Excerpt: ...nneth Eldon, and State Farm Insurance Company. The operative First Amended Complaint, filed July 25, 2022, alleges (1) personal injury and property damage, (2) breach of contract, (3) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and (4) bad faith denial of insurance coverage. Plaintiffs owned a duplex in Los Angeles, in which Robert Blaisch and Kenneth Eldon were tenants. The duplex burned down in a fire due to the alleged negli...

Excerpt: ... filed January 18, 2023, alleges (1) battery, (2) assault, (3) battery by peace officer, (4) negligent hiring, (5) negligence, (6) negligent use of deadly force, (7) intentional infliction of emotional distress, and (8) violation of the Bane Act. Plaintiff alleges that he was attending a protest on May 30, 2020, in Los Angeles when Officer Dameworth fired a rubber bullet, striking him. (SAC ¶¶ 10-12.) The incident allegedly left Plaintiff with ...

Excerpt: ...tiff's purchase of a 2022 Mercedes Benz C300W (Vehicle). Discussion Defendant Mercedes moves to compel Plaintiffs to submit this action to binding arbitration. Merecedes presents a copy of the Vehicle's Retail Installment Sale Contract (Sale Contract) entered into by Plaintiff and Fletcher Jones Motorcars of Fremont. (Ameripour Decl. Ex. 2.) Plaintiff's causes of action fall within the broad scope of this arbitration clause because the causes of ...

Excerpt: ...age records; (2) unfair business practices; (3) constructive discharge; and (4-5) intentional/negligent infliction of emotional distress. The operative First Amended Complaint, filed May 27, 2022, adds causes of action for discrimination, harassment, and violation of civil rights. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant Desai hired Plaintiff as the general manager at Defendant's restaurant, R Bar. Defendant did not classify or pay Plaintiff as an employ...

Excerpt: ...fendants failed to pay a JAMS invoice needed to continue the arbitration. The Court thereafter granted Plaintiff's motion to withdraw from arbitration. On August 3, 2023, Plaintiff filed the instant motion for sanctions in connection with the withdrawal from arbitration. Defendants filed their opposition on August 15, 2023. Plaintiff replied on August 21, 2023. LEGAL STANDARD “In an employment or consumer arbitration that requires, either expre...

Excerpt: ...rumer. The SAC asserts causes of action for (1) legal malpractice, (2) accounting malpractice, (3) breach of fiduciary duty, (4) fraudulent concealment, and (5) financial elder abuse. Defendant Lanning and his law firm represented Plaintiff for over thirty years in connection with estate planning. However, unbeknownst to Plaintiff, Defendants also began representing Plaintiff's son, Shervin. Defendants did not disclose this conflict of interest a...

Excerpt: ...ees and costs that SORT obtained against the County in a CEQA case. SORT filed an amended petition on November 16, 2021. The underlying dispute stems from a development project by Real Parties in Interest Doug Gaudi, Joanna Gaudi, Paul Zerounian, and Robert Friedman (collectively, Real Parties.) The County approved Real Parties' applications for two land use entitlements in connection with the project. SORT challenged the County's project approva...

Excerpt: ...t Defendant E&B Natural Resources Management Corporation (E&B) sought to purchase a 25% stake in WGH. Due to financial issues with its lenders, E&B could not directly deal with WGH. Instead, E&B allegedly formed Defendant Triton LA, LLC (Triton) to hold E&B's 25% interest in WGH. The complaint alleges that the arrangement was induced by fraud and that Defendants merely sought to take over WGH's assets for themselves. Triton allegedly demanded a h...

Excerpt: ...t stems from the allegation that Defendants have maintained their property in a way that has resulted in water intrusion onto Plaintiffs' property. On July 3, 2023, Defendants filed the instant motion to strike punitive damages from the complaint. Plaintiffs filed their opposition on July 17, 2023. LEGAL STANDARD Any party, within the time allowed to respond to a pleading, may serve and file a notice of motion to strike the whole or any part of t...

Excerpt: ... terminated Plaintiff as retaliation for Plaintiff's complaints regarding COVID safety. The operative First Amended Complaint, filed June 14, 2022, asserts causes of action based on Labor Code sections 6310, 6311, 1102.5, 232.5, and Business and Professions Code section 17200. On February 24, 2023, Defendant filed a motion for summary judgment. The motion was initially set to be heard on May 10, 2023. However, the motion was continued to June 21,...

Excerpt: ... Kay (Kay), and Does 1 through 10, alleging violations of FEHA, wrongful discharge, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The operative First Amended Complaint, filed January 29, 2020, adds Defendants Diana Eid (Eid) and Janae Bueno (Bueno) and asserts additional FEHA claims. Eid and Bueno were subsequently dismissed on summary adjudication, along with certain FEHA claims. Plaintiffs worked for Disney from the 1980s until ...

Excerpt: ...ct, (2) quantum meruit, (3) account stated, and (4) open book account. Plaintiff was the subcontractor on a construction project in which RCG was the primary contractor. Plaintiff and RCG entered into a written agreement whereby Plaintiff would complete a portion of the project relating to the fabrication and installation of structural steel. RCG also allegedly ordered additional work from Plaintiff and promised to pay for it. Mikhail is allegedl...

Excerpt: ...y Plaintiff would recruit and refer employees to Defendant in exchange for a fee. The action arises from Defendant's alleged failure to pay the requisite fee. On February 28, 2023, Defendant filed an answer to the complaint, admitting all of the allegations except two. Defendant denies paragraph 13 of the complaint because it has no record of saying “thanks for your patience” in response to a payment request. (Answer ¶ 3(b).) Defendant also ...

Excerpt: ... Plaintiff sued, among others, EVOLV; Kenneth Bruce Shaevel, EVOLV's chief executive officer; KBLED, Inc., a company owned in part by Shaevel; and All-In Energy Group, LLC, an investor in EVOLV, for wrongful termination, breach of contract, unlawful retaliation and unfair business practices. This Court sustained demurrers and dismissed Plaintiff's causes of action for wrongful termination and unfair business practices. On June 23, 2021, the Court...

Excerpt: ...DWWS), Rona Kay (Kay), and Does 1 through 10, alleging violations of FEHA, wrongful discharge, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The operative First Amended Complaint, filed January 29, 2020, adds Defendants Diana Eid (Eid) and Janae Bueno (Bueno) and asserts additional FEHA claims. Eid and Bueno were subsequently dismissed on summary adjudication, along with certain FEHA claims. Plaintiffs worked for Disney from the 1...

Excerpt: ...intiffs Danae Locatelli, Danielle Peckham, Deborah Koch, and Duane Otrambo against Defendants Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Inc., and Does 1 through 100. Defendants Livanova Deutschland, GMBH and Livanova Holdings USA, Inc. were identified as Does 1 and 2, respectively. The action stems from the death of Decedent Dora Otrambo after a medical procedure. On March 17, ...

Excerpt: ...983 against Defendants County of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Detective Josue Torres, and Sergeant Jose Rojas. Plaintiff was arrested and charged with the murder of Miguel Herrera. Plaintiff alleges that he was misidentified by a witness to the incident. Plaintiff alleges that he was wrongfully arrested and prosecuted. The information against Plaintiff was eventually dismissed, and he filed this action for malicious prosecution....

Excerpt: ...oe Samuel Bailey and Renew Spinal Care, Inc. The operative First Amended Complaint was filed on March 27, 2020. The purported Second Amended Complaint on July 31, 2023 is not properly filed because a party may only amend a complaint once without leave of court. (See Code Civ. Proc., § 472(a).) The FAC asserts a single cause of action for breach of written settlement agreement. The FAC alleges that Plaintiffs loaned money to Defendants and that t...

Excerpt: ...t Amended Complaint on November 18, 2021, asserting breach of contract, trespass, conversion, fraud, and unjust enrichment. On September 3, 2021, Defendants filed a cross-complaint against Plaintiff for breach of contract, unlawful retention of security deposit, unjust enrichment, and conversion. The matter came on for a court trial from May 2-4, 2023, after which the Court entered judgment: (1) for Plaintiff Crocker & Towne Wholesale Mart, LLC a...

Excerpt: ... complaint alleges that Defendant E&B Natural Resources Management Corporation (E&B) sought to purchase a 25% stake in WGH. Due to financial issues with its lenders, E&B could not directly deal with WGH. Instead, E&B allegedly formed Defendant Triton LA, LLC (Triton) to hold E&B's 25% interest in WGH. The complaint alleges that the arrangement was induced by fraud and that Defendants merely sought to take over WGH's assets for themselves. Triton ...

Excerpt: ...) breach of contract, (2) implied indemnity, (3) negligence, (4) conversion, and (5) fraud. The case involves a construction project that took place in Ventura County. The property is owned by RB. BFF was the general contractor on the project, and R&M was the subcontractor. Duarte owns and operates R&M. The complaint alleges that R&M performed its work negligently, causing multiple shutdowns and delays. BFF terminated R&M from the project, and Du...

Excerpt: ... provide accurate wage records; (2) unfair business practices; (3) constructive discharge; and (4-5) intentional/negligent infliction of emotional distress. The operative First Amended Complaint, filed May 27, 2022, adds causes of action for discrimination, harassment, and violation of civil rights. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant Desai hired Plaintiff as the general manager at Defendant's restaurant, R Bar. Defendant did not classify or pay Pla...

Excerpt: ...operative First Amended Complaint, asserting claims for interference with contract, interference with prospective economic advantage, fraud, and constructive trust. On May 23 and 25, 2023, Defendants filed the instant two demurrers against the FAC, primarily arguing that Plaintiff's claims to recover her supposed inheritance are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Probate Court. Plaintiff filed her opposition on June 14, 2023. Defendants...

Excerpt: ...e operative First Amended Complaint, filed June 15, 2023, asserts (1) quiet title, (2) declaratory relief, and (3) injunctive relief. Plaintiffs own a parcel of real property in Woodland Hills, California. In 2021, Plaintiffs acquired the property from the previous owner, Gonzales. AFCU has a money judgment against Gonzales from 2009, which AFCU plans on enforcing against the property, leading Plaintiffs to file this action. Plaintiffs allege tha...

Excerpt: ...t Defendant E&B Natural Resources Management Corporation (E&B) sought to purchase a 25% stake in WGH. Due to financial issues with its lenders, E&B could not directly deal with WGH. Instead, E&B allegedly formed Defendant Triton LA, LLC (Triton) to hold E&B's 25% interest in WGH. The complaint alleges that the arrangement was induced by fraud and that Defendants merely sought to take over WGH's assets for themselves. Triton allegedly demanded a h...

Excerpt: ...llation of instrument, and declaratory relief. Plaintiffs are owners of a home located in North Hollywood (the Property). Plaintiffs purchased the Property in 2003. The prior owner of the Property, William E. James (James), had a loan from Washington Mutual Bank FA, secured by a Deed of Trust recorded against the Property (WaMu Deed of Trust). Plaintiffs allege that James paid off the WaMu loan but that the Deed of Trust was erroneously not recon...

Excerpt: ...reach of contract and (2) quantum meruit. The FAC alleges that the parties entered into a written fee agreement in 2004, which encompassed representation in several matters. (FAC ¶ 7.) Plaintiff was retained to represent Defendant in business matters related to Defendant's divorce. (Id., ¶ 8.) Around July 2011, Plaintiff left the law firm he was working for and formed his own firm, and Defendant decided to have Plaintiff continue representing h...

Excerpt: ...od Partners, LLC, and 3240 Wilshire Associates, LLC (collectively, Harridge) against Defendants Varde Partners, Inc., Mountain Real Estate Capital, LLC, VP Met LLC, VP Inglewood, LLC, VP Wilshire, LLC, and MRECV Blake Street, LLC (collectively, Varde and MREC). Harridge is a real estate development company who partnered with investors Varde and MREC on numerous projects. Some of the projects sold at a profit and others sold at a loss. As a safety...

Excerpt: ...rporation, and Allen Brumer. The SAC asserts causes of action for (1) legal malpractice, (2) accounting malpractice, (3) breach of fiduciary duty, (4) fraudulent concealment, and (5) financial elder abuse. Defendant Lanning and his law firm represented Plaintiff for over thirty years in connection with estate planning. However, unbeknownst to Plaintiff, Defendants also began representing Plaintiff's son, Shervin. Defendants did not disclose this ...

Excerpt: ...was dismissed without prejudice. The case was restored to active status in October 2022 after the failure of arbitration. The order of dismissal was vacated. The complaint alleges that Defendant did not pay for advertising services provided by Plaintiff. On May 24, 2023, Defendant filed a cross-complaint against Plaintiff, alleging that Plaintiff did not provide the services as promised. On June 13, 2023, Cross-Defendant filed the instant demurre...

Excerpt: ...ber 2022, the parties agreed to renew their mediation efforts. Thinking that the parties would mediate rather than arbitrate, Defendant inadvertently failed to pay JAMS's initial filing fee within 30 days of the invoice. The parties mediated in January 2023 but were unsuccessful. Immediately after the mediation failed, Defendant paid the JAMS arbitration filing fee. Based on the lateness of this payment, Plaintiff sought to withdraw from arbitrat...

Excerpt: ...ay (Kay), and Does 1 through 10, alleging violations of FEHA, wrongful discharge, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The operative First Amended Complaint, filed January 29, 2020, adds Defendants Diana Eid (Eid) and Janae Bueno (Bueno) and asserts additional FEHA claims. Eid and Bueno were subsequently dismissed on summary adjudication, along with certain FEHA claims. Plaintiffs worked for Disney from the 1980s until 20...

Excerpt: ...h of the warranty of habitability, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, nuisance, violation of Civil Code section 1942.4, violation of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC), and violation of Business and Professions Code section 17200. On July 10, 2023, Plaintiffs filed the instant motion for trial preference based on several Plaintiffs being minors. Defendant Freeman filed his opposition on July 20, 2023. Plaintiffs replied ...

Excerpt: ...that Defendant E&B Natural Resources Management Corporation (E&B) sought to purchase a 25% stake in WGH. Due to financial issues with its lenders, E&B could not directly deal with WGH. Instead, E&B allegedly formed Defendant Triton LA, LLC (Triton) to hold E&B's 25% interest in WGH. The complaint alleges that the arrangement was induced by fraud and that Defendants merely sought to take over WGH's assets for themselves. Triton allegedly demanded ...

Excerpt: ...Plaintiff in the underlying action because Defendants simultaneously represented two other clients seeking recovery from the same entity. Any recovery by one of the clients would necessarily have reduced the recovery of the others. For statute of limitations purposes, Plaintiff filed the instant action before the underlying case was resolved. The underlying action has since been settled. To handle the resolution in the underlying action, Plaintif...

Excerpt: ...ts. In 2019, M&R engaged Giardino to be the Office Managing Partner (OMP) of M&R's New York City Office. Giardino was defined as an Income Partner under M&R's Partnership Agreement. Giardino allegedly failed to properly manage the NYC office, and he allegedly ran a secret legal services business in competition with M&R. M&R seeks recovery based on breach of contract, bad faith, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, conversion, inducing breach of contr...

Excerpt: ...s old who was terminated while on medical leave and replaced by a younger, less qualified employee. Defendant M.S. Aerospace was allegedly Plaintiff's employer, and Defendant Smith is allegedly a manager of M.S. Aerospace. On October 31, 2022, the Court granted Defendant's motion to compel arbitration. Arbitration was thereafter initiated, and an arbitrator was appointed. However, on May 17, 2023, JAMS issued an invoice for $86,000 that was due u...

Excerpt: ... violations. As part of discovery, Plaintiff propounded certain Requests for Production to which Defendant Jet Aviation initially objected based on scope. After meeting and conferring, the parties agreed to limit the RFPs to certain date ranges, custodians, and search terms. On July 6, 2023, Plaintiff filed the instant motion to compel compliance with the RFPs because Defendant has not produced the documents by the agreed-upon deadlines. Defendan...

Excerpt: ... video wall fell down from a stage upon Plaintiff at an event held at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. The Court previously granted in part Defendants' motion to strike punitive damages claim from Plaintiff's complaint. Plaintiff then filed a first amended complaint (FAC) on March 23, 2023. Defendants now move to strike Plaintiff's claim for punitive damages from her FAC and associated language within the FAC. Plaintiff opposes the motion. ANALYSIS ...

Excerpt: ... an approximately 1,2000 pound, ten foot tall, video wall fell down from a stage upon Plaintiff Tracey Iraca (Tracey) at an event held at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. The Court previously granted in part Defendants' motion to strike punitive damages claim from Plaintiffs' complaint. Plaintiff then filed a first amended complaint (FAC) on March 23, 2023. Defendants now move to strike Plaintiffs' claim for punitive damages from their FAC and assoc...

Excerpt: ...ollision. Plaintiff moves to quash the subpoenas issued by Defendants to (1) Kaiser Permanente Southern California; (2) Kaiser Permanente, The Central Release of Information Unit; and (3) Kaiser Permanente Radiology Release of Information Unit. In the alternative, Plaintiff moves for a protective order. Defendants oppose the motion. Plaintiff replies. On June 7, 2023, the original hearing date for the instant motion, the Court continued the heari...

Excerpt: ...us condition at issue, in addition to the already plead theory that Defendant had actual notice of said dangerous condition, based on new facts learned through discovery and a recent Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Defendant. Defendant opposes the motion. ANALYSIS Amendments to Pleadings: General Provisions Under Code of Civil Procedure section 473, subdivision (a)(1), “The court may, in furtherance of justice, and on any terms as may be p...

Excerpt: ... that Defendant E&B Natural Resources Management Corporation (E&B) sought to purchase a 25% stake in WGH. Due to financial issues with its lenders, E&B could not directly deal with WGH. Instead, E&B allegedly formed Defendant Triton LA, LLC (Triton) to hold E&B's 25% interest in WGH. The complaint alleges that the arrangement was induced by fraud and that Defendants merely sought to take over WGH's assets for themselves. Triton allegedly demanded...

Excerpt: ...trespass, and (3) unjust enrichment. The complaint alleges that the parties entered into a written contract wherein Plaintiff agreed to provide furniture in connection with the sale of a property in Beverly Hills. Defendants were allegedly obligated to make monthly payments for continued use of the furniture. Defendants allegedly breached the contract by defaulting on payments, retaining possession of the furniture, and failing to return the furn...