Excerpt: ...or more parties are joint tortfeasors or co‐obligors on a contract debt shall be entitled to a hearing on the issue of the good faith of a settlement entered into by the plaintiff or other claimant and one or more alleged tortfeasors or co‐ obligors, upon giving notice in the manner provided in subdivision (b) of Section 1005.” (Code Civ. Proc. § 877.6(a)(1).) “A determination by the court that the settlement was made in good faith shall...

Excerpt: ... the clerk's service of this order. New or different allegations in the second amended complaint are to be set in boldface type. Explanation: General Demurrer A party may file a general demurrer on claims that “[t]he pleading does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 430.10, subd. (e); Estate of Moss (2012) 204 Cal.App.4th 521, 535 [“‘A demurrer can be utilized where the complaint itself is inc...

Excerpt: ...er judgment pursuant to the terms of the settlement. If requested by the parties, the court may retain jurisdiction over the parties to enforce the settlement until performance in full of the terms of the settlement.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 664.6.) “Code of Civil Procedure section 664.6 provides a summary procedure to enforce a settlement agreement by entering judgment pursuant to the terms of the settlement… The court retains jurisdiction to...

Excerpt: ...the motion as to Request Nos. 3, 5, and 6‐9. Defendant shall provide further verified responses, and produce all relevant documents and a privilege log if necessary, within 30 days of the date of service of the order by the clerk. Explanation: Plaintiffs move to compel further responses to their Request for Production of Documents, Set Two, which are broadly divisible into the following three categories: (1) all documents relating to the subjec...

Excerpt: ...ehicle ensued which form the basis of the Complaint for damages. Plaintiff brought two causes of action against each of defendant Lithia NF, Inc. (“Lithia”), and the moving defendant Nissan North America, Inc. (“Nissan”), for express and implied violations of the Song‐Beverly Act regarding warranties. Compel Arbitration Nissan moves to compel arbitration on an arbitration clause in a retail installment sales contract (“RISC”) made b...

Excerpt: ...dure authorizes a class action when ‘the question is one of a common or general interest, of many persons, or when the parties are numerous, and it is impracticable to bring them all before the court.' ‘[W]e have articulated clear requirements for the certification of a class' under this statute. ‘The party advocating class treatment must demonstrate the existence of an ascertainable and sufficiently numerous class, a well‐defined communi...

Excerpt: ...ts the requirements for certification before it can grant preliminary approval of the proposed settlement. An agreement of the parties is not sufficient to establish a class for settlement purposes. There must be an independent assessment by a neutral court of evidence showing that a class action is proper. (Luckey v. Superior Court (2014) 228 Cal.App.4th 81, 93‐95.) “Confronted with a request for settlement‐only class certification, a dist...

Excerpt: ...ggregate amount of costs and expenses, including attorney's fees based on actual time expended, determined by the court to have been reasonably incurred by the buyer in connection with the commencement and prosecution of such action.” (Civ. Code, § 1794, subd. (d).) The statute “requires the trial court to make an initial determination of the actual time expended; and then to ascertain whether under all the circumstances of the case the amou...

Excerpt: ...n: Notice of Hearing Following the progression of the asserted instruments, it appears that plaintiff has a basis for bringing this action. Assuming such evidence is admitted at the hearing, there appears a presumptive basis to grant the proposed judgment. Nevertheless, reflecting the general uniqueness conferred to real property, quiet title proceedings do not follow the typical path toward obtaining judgment. (Harbour Vista, LLC v. HSBC Mortgag...

Excerpt: ...r consistent with the court's summary adjudication ruling. Explanation: Summary Judgment/Adjudication A motion for summary judgment is generally directed toward an entire action or pleading. (Code of Civ. Proc., §437c, subd. (a).) By comparison “[a] party may move for summary adjudication as to one or more causes of action within an action ….” (§ 437c, subd. (f)(1).) Plaintiff's notice of motion confirms that the motion is directed to the...

Excerpt: ...ination in Violation of California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”); 2) Failure to Accommodate in Violation of FEHA; 3) Failure to Engage in a Good Faith Interactive Process in Violation of FEHA; 4) Retaliation in Violation of FEHA; 5) Associational DisabilityBased Discrimination in Violation of FEHA; 6) Discrimination and Retaliation in Violation of the California Family Rights Act; 7) Failure to Prevent Discrimination in Violation...

Excerpt: ...eement. Pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure section 1281.2, On petition of a party to an arbitration agreement alleging the existence of a written agreement to arbitrate a controversy and that a party thereto refuses to arbitrate such controversy, the court shall order the petitioner and the respondent to arbitrate the controversy if it determines that an agreement to arbitrate the controversy exists, unless it determines that: (a) The...

Excerpt: ...within 10 days of the date of service of this order. Explanation: This action stems from a fire that occurred at plaintiffs' home on July 4, 2018. Plaintiffs' original complaint, filed August 13, 2019, alleged the following causes of action against the moving parties: fifth cause action against defendant Nutting Enterprises, Inc. dba CPR Carpet and Restoration (“CPR”) for negligence; and seventh cause of action against CPR's surety, defendant...

Excerpt: ...d, resulting in a balance of $90) in favor of defendant and against plaintiff and its counsel, jointly and severally, payable within 30 days of service of this order. (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1348(a).) Explanation: The instant motions were filed on June 15, 2022. The opposition and reply papers confirm that code‐ compliant responses to the discovery at issue were served on August 15, 2022. Therefore, the court denies the instant motions as ...

Excerpt: ...ch the answer can be filed will run from service by the clerk of the minute order. To grant defendants' motion to strike the prayer for punitive damages and the allegations at paragraph 29 and 36 as to defendant Anderson only, that his conduct was “malicious and oppressive and warrants the imposition of punitive damages.” (Code Civ. Proc., §§ 436, 425.13.) The striking of the punitive damages allegations is without prejudice to plaintiffs f...

Excerpt: ...ure §473(d). Effectuating service on “Brandon – Person apparently in charge” at the purported “business office or usual place of business” was improper. A defunct business organization has no office or usual place of business. The Proof of Service indicates service at a “business address.” However, the unrefuted evidence establishes that 10 Seasons Court is a residential address. No one by the name of “Brandon” lives or works a...

Excerpt: ...settlement of the case, or part thereof, the court, upon motion, may enter judgment pursuant to the terms of the settlement. (Code Civ. Proc., § 664.6, subd. (a).) Here, the parties entered into a written settlement agreement including a stipulation for entry of judgment in the event defendant failed to pay the amounts it agreed to pay under the settlement agreement, and then failed to cure its default. It does not appear to be disputed that alt...

Excerpt: ...on to Strike Portions of the Second Amended Complaint Tentative Ruling: To sustain all defendants' demurrers to the first cause of action for failure to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, with leave to amend. (Code Civ. Proc., § 430.10, subd. (e).) To grant the motion to strike, in part, and deny, in part. The allegations pertaining to a physician or surgeon's statutory duty to report a patient diagnosed with a condition cha...

Excerpt: ... Civ. Proc., § 2025.480, subd. (j).) Explanation: Plaintiff in this action asserts various causes of action alleging sex abuse as a minor committed by teacher and defendant Stacey Aprile, employed by defendant Clovis Unified School District. Based on plaintiff's allegations of sexual assault, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (“CCTC”) conducted an investigation into plaintiff's allegations against Aprile. On March 1, 2022 plaint...

Excerpt: ... grant preliminary approval of the proposed settlement. An agreement of the parties is not sufficient to establish a class for settlement purposes. There must be an independent assessment by a neutral court of evidence showing that a class action is proper. (Luckey v. Superior Court (2014) 228 Cal. App. 4th 81 (rev. denied); see also Newberg, Newberg on Class Actions (T.R. Westlaw, 2017) Section 7:3: “The parties' representation of an uncontest...

Excerpt: ...lanation: Defendants have admitted to liability by allowing their default to be entered, so liability is not an issue. (Morehouse v. Wanzo (1968) 266 Cal.App.2d 846, 853 [by defaulting, defendants admit liability for the debt or obligation on all well pleaded causes of action].) However, default does not admit that the amount prayed for is the proper amount. (Brown v. Superior Court (1966) 242 Cal.App.2d 519, 526.) Damages must be proved up with ...

Excerpt: ... the motion to strike the “but not limited to” language. Plaintiffs are to file a Second Amended Complaint consistent with this ruling. Such pleading shall be filed within 10 days from the date of service of the minute order. Caltrans shall file its Answer to the Second Amended Complaint no later than 10 days after service of the Second Amended Complaint on it. Explanation: There are differences in the named plaintiffs from the original Compl...

Excerpt: ...rrer is to test the sufficiency of a plaintiff's pleading by raising questions of law. (Plumlee v Poag (1984) 150 Cal.App.3d 541, 545) The truth of the facts alleged in the complaint are assumed true as well as the reasonable inferences that may be drawn from those facts. (Miklosy v. Regents of University of California (2008) 2 Cal.4th 876, 883; see also Daniels v. Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. (2016) 246 Cal.App.4th 1150, 1168 [actual relianc...

Excerpt: ...ll, whenever an application for relief is made no more than six months after entry of judgment, is in proper form, and is accompanied by an attorney's sworn affidavit attesting to his or her mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or neglect, vacate any … resulting … dismissal entered against his or her client, unless the court finds that the default or dismissal was not in fact caused by the attorney's mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or neglect.�...

Excerpt: ...he entire complaint. (Code Civ. Proc., § 437c.) CRMC shall submit a proposed judgment consistent with the court's order within 10 days of the date of service of this order. Explanation: CRMC moves for summary judgment or adjudication of plaintiff's medical malpractice/wrongful death claim on the ground that it did not breach the standard of care. CRMC has presented the declaration of its expert, Dr. Gary W. Steinke, M.D., who opines that CRMC's ...

Excerpt: ...itrator in this matter; that defendants pay all of the costs of arbitration; and that the California Rules of Civil Procedure be the rules by which the arbitration is conducted. Explanation: Plaintiff refiled a survival action on behalf of decedent Sandra Troupe for negligence, to comply with Code of Civil Procedure section 377.34, subdivision (b). Defendants filed a motion to compel arbitration, citing an arbitration agreement (“the Agreement�...

Excerpt: ...360 (6 motions x $60 each). The additional filing fees must be paid on or before December 15, 2022. To order plaintiffs Candice Burciaga, Cady Wade, and Serenah Pickens, by and through her guardian ad litem, to serve separate, verified responses, without objections, to defendants' Form Interrogatories, Set One, Special Interrogatories, Set One, and Demand for Production, Set One (a separate set of which was served on each plaintiff), no later tha...

Excerpt: ...ing, grief, anxiety, humiliation and/or emotional distress. To exclude from the description of the subpoenas issued to each of Dignity Health Mercy Medical Center and Clovis Community Medical Center employment documents pertaining to manager/supervisor files, performance evaluations and reviews, and disciplinary actions related to plaintiff. Explanation: Plaintiff seeks to quash subpoenas seeking certain records from Kaiser Fresno Medical Center,...

Excerpt: ...Plaintiff brings a single cause of action under PAGA on behalf of himself and all aggrieved employees under Labor Code section 2698 et seq. Defendant now seeks an order compelling plaintiff to private arbitration of his PAGA claim as an individual, and to dismiss the representative portion of the PAGA claim brought on behalf of all aggrieved employees. Motion to Compel Arbitration A trial court is required to grant a motion to compel arbitration ...

Excerpt: ...ancing while dancing and drinking in violation of Newsom's orders”) and the allegations in the first sentence in paragraph 23, on page 6, lines 7‐9 (“El Bukanas was operating in violation of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, in that the business was allowing indoor and outdoor seating, failing to enforce social distancing and allowing patrons to order alcohol without ordering food”) are stricken. The motion to strike the remaining allega...

Excerpt: ...g or proceeding by adding or striking out the name of any party, or by correcting a mistake in the name of a party, or a mistake in any other respect; and may, upon like terms, enlarge the time for answer or demurrer. The court may likewise, in its discretion, after notice to the adverse party, allow, upon any terms as may be just, an amendment to any pleading or proceeding in other particulars...” “‘Code of Civil Procedure section 473, whi...

Excerpt: ... Code of Civil Procedure section 384, subdivision (b), so that the judgment can be amended and the distribution of any cy pres funds can be ordered. The parties are ordered to file a declaration from the administrator as to the payout and amount of uncashed checks no later than October 17, 2023. As required by California Rules of Court, rule 3.771(b), notice of the judgment is to be given to the class. Notice may be given by an insert with the se...

Excerpt: ...order. Explanation: Defendants Zisha Lipschutz and Esti Lipschutz demur generally and specially to the tenth through fifteenth causes of action1 , contending that there are no facts alleged to show these individual defendants are the alter egos of entity defendants Eminence Healthcare Services, LLC (EHS) and Centuri Health Ventures, LLC (Centuri) and that these causes of action are uncertain because they are pled against “all defendants” but ...

Excerpt: ...nc. (2001) 91 Cal.App.4th 224, 240; see Dunk v. Ford Motor Co. (1996) 48 Cal.App.4th 1794, 1803, fn. 9.) The trial court has a “fiduciary responsibility” as the guardian of the absentee class members' rights to decide whether to approve a settlement of a class action. (Luckey v. Superior Court (2014) 228 Cal.App.4th 81, 95.) A precertification settlement may stipulate that a defined class be conditionally certified for settlement purposes. Th...

Excerpt: ...erk's service of this order. New or different allegations in the first amended complaint are to be set in boldface type. Explanation: General Demurrer As a threshold matter, “to state a cause of action against a public entity, every fact material to the existence of its statutory liability must be pleaded with particularity.” (Peter W. v. San Francisco Unified Sch. Dist. (1976) 60 Cal.App.3d 814, 819.) In addition, a party may file a general ...

Excerpt: ...ntractors Indemnity Company (“ACIC”). The entirety of ACIC's $47,000 settlement is credited to defendant Bank of Stockton (“Bank”). (2) To grant plaintiff's motion for prejudgment interest in the sum of $16,013.28. (3) To grant plaintiff's motion for attorney fees in the sum of $157,382.50. (4) To grant the Bank's motion to tax costs claimed by plaintiff in the sum of $5,125.71, reducing the recoverable costs to $4,571.67. Explanation: Th...

Excerpt: ...expressly provided by statute, a prevailing party is entitled as a matter of right to recover costs in any action or proceeding.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 1032, subd. (b).) “‘Prevailing party' includes the party with a net monetary recovery, a defendant in whose favor a dismissal is entered, a defendant where neither plaintiff nor defendant obtains any relief, and a defendant as against those plaintiffs who do not recover any relief against tha...

Excerpt: ...ss nonmeritorious litigation meant to chill the valid exercise of the constitutional rights to petition or engage in free speech. (Code Civ. Proc., §425.16, subd. (a); see Martinez v. Metabolife Intern., Inc. (2003) 113 Cal.App.4th 181, 186.) The court engages in a two‐step process in determining whether an action is subject to the anti‐SLAPP statute: first, the court decides whether defendant has made a threshold showing that the challenged...

Excerpt: ...nts are directed to submit to this court, within five days of service of the minute order, a proposed judgment consistent with the court's summary judgment order. Explanation: In this action, plaintiff Los Arboles Family Apartments, LP (“Los Arboles”) seeks to invalidate and enjoin defendants from utilizing an easement created in 2007 burdening Los Arboles and benefitting the neighboring property. The easement, referred to as the Access Agree...

Excerpt: ...9. Code of Civil Procedure section 529, subdivision (a) provides, in relevant part: On granting an injunction, the court or judge must require an undertaking on the part of the applicant to the effect that the applicant will pay to the party enjoined any damages, not exceeding an amount to be specified, the party may sustain by reason of the injunction, if the court finally decides that the applicant was not entitled to the injunction. Damages wh...

Excerpt: ...der (1990) 217 Cal.App.3d 1509, 1512; see also Rev. & Tax. Code, § 23305.5, subd. (a)(2).) In addition, “a plea of lack of capacity of a corporation to maintain an action by reason of a suspension of corporate powers for nonpayment of its taxes ‘is a plea in abatement which is not favored in law, is to be strictly construed, and must be supported by facts warranting the abatement' at the time of the plea.” (Traub Co. v. Coffee Break Servic...

Excerpt: ...action, with leave to amend. (Code Civ. Proc., § 430.10, subd. (e), (f).) To overrule the demurrer to the fifth cause of action. To sustain the demurrer of defendant City of Fresno (“City”) to plaintiff's third, fourth, and sixth causes of action for failure to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, with leave to amend. (Code Civ. Proc., § 430.10, subd. (e).) Plaintiff shall serve and file its first amended complaint within...

Excerpt: ...ubdivision (b).1 On application, the court may, on any terms as may be just, relieve a party from a default taken against it due to mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect. (Code Civ. Proc., § 473, subd. (b).) In order to obtain relief under Code of Civil Procedure section 473, the party's application for relief, among other things, “shall be accompanied by a copy of the answer or other pleading proposed to be filed therein, othe...

Excerpt: ... than 20 court days from the date of this order, with the time to run from the service of this minute order by the clerk. Explanation: Code of Civil Procedure section 2023.010(g) makes “[d]isobeying a court order to provide discovery” a “misuse of the discovery process,” but sanctions are only authorized to the extent permitted by each discovery procedure. Once a motion to compel answers is granted, continued failure to respond or inadequ...

Excerpt: ...applicable summary judgment framework is well explained in Featherstone v. Southern California Permanente Medical Group (2017) 10 Cal.App.5th 1150: “In an employment discrimination case, an employer may move for summary judgment against a discrimination cause of action with evidence of a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the adverse employment action. [Citation.] A legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason is one that is unrelated to prohibit...

Excerpt: ... condition, and in any event defendants had no actual or constructive notice of the unsafe condition to create a duty that defendants thereon breached.1 A trial court shall grant summary judgment where there are no triable issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. (Code Civ. Proc. §437c(c); Schacter v. Citigroup (2009) 47 Cal.4th 610, 618.) The issue to be determined by the trial court in considerat...

Excerpt: ...rt may make an order approving or denying certification of a provisional settlement class after the preliminary settlement hearing. (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.769(d).) Before the court may approve the settlement, however, the settlement class must satisfy the normal prerequisites for a class action. (Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor (1997) 521 US 591, 625‐627; see also Newberg, Newberg and Rubenstein on Class Actions (Westlaw, 2017) Section 7...

Excerpt: ...plaint. The time in which the answer can be filed will run from service by the clerk of the minute order. Explanation: Demurrer Defendant‐attorney demurs to plaintiff's sole cause of action for legal malpractice on the grounds that the Third Amended Complaint (“TAC”) fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action and the pleading is uncertain. Objections that a complaint is ambiguous or uncertain, or that essential facts ap...

Excerpt: ...sponses to Special Interrogatories, Set One, as to Requests Nos. 14, 40‐45, and 53. To order GM to provide further responses to Request for Production of Documents, Set One, as to Requests Nos. 1, 6‐9, 15, 16, 24, 25, and 27. To deny the motion as to Request for Production of Documents, Set One, as to Requests Nos. 3, 17, 31 and 33. GM shall serve verified supplemental responses without objections within 20 days of the date of the service of ...

Excerpt: ... order…that the trial of any issue or any part thereof shall precede the trial of any other issue or any part thereof in the case….” (Code Civ. Proc., § 598.) Similarly, Code of Civil Procedure section 1048 provides that “[t]he court, in furtherance of convenience or to avoid prejudice, or when separate trials will be conducive to expedition and economy, may order a separate trial of any cause of action…or of any separate issue or of a...