Excerpt: ...the proposed class meets 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 (rev. denied); see also Newberg, Newberg on Class Actions (T.R. W...

Excerpt: ...y demur to the entirety of the Complaint of plaintiffs Julie Osborn and Carolyn Michelle Barnes, an individual and as trustee to the Homer R. Osborn Living Trust, UTD December 4, (together "plaintiffs"). Defendants further generally demur to the entirety of the Complaint for failure to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. The Complaint states twelve causes of action: (1) financial elder abuse; (2) physical and emotional elder a...

Excerpt: ...ll run from service by the clerk of the minute order. Explanation: Demurrer Generally The function of a demurrer 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 test is whether plaintiff has succeeded in stating a cause of action; the court does not concern itself with the issue of plaintiff's possible difficulty or inability in proving the allegations of the ...

Excerpt: ...ourt intends to overrule the demurrer to the other affirmative defenses. Defendant shall serve and file its first amended demurrer within ten days of the date of service of this order. All new allegations shall be in boldface. Explanation: under Code of Civil Procedure secton 430.20, "A party against whom an answer has been filed may object, by demurrer as prov-ded in Section 430.30, to the answer upon any one or more of the following grounds: (a...

Excerpt: ...ept as otherwise provided by law and subject to the power of the court to transfer actions or proceed-ngs as provided in this title, the superior court in the county where the defendants or some of them reside at the commencement of the action is the proper court for the trial of the action." (Code Civ. Proc., S 395, subd. (a).) Also, "if a defendant has contracted to perform an obligation in a particular county, the superior court in the county ...

Excerpt: ...ising out of Cuttone's representation of Guadalupe Villagomez, plaintiffs mother, against plaintiff, Villagomez Farms, lnc„ 2 Boyz, Inc., Stella Villagomez, All Ag, Inc., and Frank Villagomez in the related action Villagomez v. Villagomez, et al., case no. filed February 15, 2022. ("The Elder Abuse action." ) However, plaintiff has failed to demonstrate that he has standing to move for the disqualification of Cuttone or his firm, as Leonel Vill...

Excerpt: ...ed in opposition to the motion to compel that the motion is untimely, since plaintiff did not file it within 60 days of the date when the record was completed, which defendant claims is the date it served its objections to the deposition notice. (Code Civ. Proc. S 2025.480, subd. (b); Unzipped Apparel v. Bader (2007) 156 Cal.App.4th 123, 115-118.) However, defendant is incorrect. Defendant relies on Code of Civil Procedure section 2025.480, which...

Excerpt: ...e following conditions, the motion is: (1) brought before the same judge that made the order; (2) made within 10 days after service upon the party of notice of the entry of the order; (3) based on new or different facts, circumstances, or law; and (4) made and decided before entry of judgment. Code of Civil Procedure section is jurisdictional. (Gilberd v. AC Transit (1995) 32 Cal.App.4th 1494, 1499.) A party requesting the court reconsider its pr...

Excerpt: ...ections Initially, the court notes that it sustains Defendants' objections 5, 7, 8, 11,12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, and 20to the declaration of Russel Martone, filed May 24, 2023. The remainder of the objections are overruled. Merits In considering whether to issue a preliminary injunction, the court should consider (1) the likelihood that the moving party will prevail on the merits at trial, and (2) the interim harm that the moving party is likely to...

Excerpt: ...n be amended and the distribution of any cy pres funds can be ordered. Documentation as to the amount paid to class members must be filed on or before July 3, 2024. Explanation: 1. Class Certification The court has already granted the motion for preliminary approval and certification of the class and found that the class is sufficiently numerous and ascertainable to warrant certification for the purpose of approving the settlement. In addition, t...

Excerpt: ...e amended and the distribution of any cy pres funds can be ordered. Documentation as to the amount paid to class members must be filed on or before July 3, 2024. Explanation: 1. Class Certification The court has already granted the motion for preliminary approval and certification of the class, and has found that the class is sufficiently numerous and ascertainable to warrant certification for the purpose of approving the settlement. In addition,...

Excerpt: ...tal filing shall be made no later than p.m. on October 24, 2023. Explanation: Plaintiff Kelly Roberts ("plaintiff") brings a single cause of action under PAGA on behalf of herself and all aggrieved employees under Labor Code secton 2698 et seq. Defendants Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. and Beauty Systems Groups LLC (together "defendants") now seek an order compelling plaintiff to arbitrate her PAGA claim as an individual, and to dismiss the represen...

Excerpt: ...77, 78 and 80 of Plaintiff's request for production of documents, set three within twenty (20) days from the date of this order. Explanation: Discovery requests are generally afforded liberal construction. (See Code of Civ. Proc., S 2017.010; Williams v. Superior Court (2017) 3 Cal.5th 531, 541.) A motion seeking further responses in a request for further production of documents "shall set forth specific facts showing cause justifying the discove...

Excerpt: ...-defendants' demurrer and motion to strike set for September 12, 2023. Explanation: The default entered on April 24, 2023 was in error. The March 8, 2023 prtnf of service as to defendant was defective because the time did not indicate whether it was served at 11:00 a.m. or II:W p.m. and was signed on February 29, 2022, predating the filing of the complaint. The court may correct clerical mistakes in its judgment or orders and set aside any void j...

Excerpt: ... view to substantial justice between the parties. (Code Civ. Proc. S 452.) The allegations in the complaint are considered in context and presumed to be true. (Clauson v. Superior Court (1998) 67 Cal.App.4th 1253, 1255.) Mere legal conclusions of oppression, fraud or malice are insufficient to support punitive damages allegations and therefore may be stricken. (Perkins v. Superior Court (1981) 117 Cal.App.3d 1, 6.) However, if looking to the comp...

Excerpt: ...ts for judicial notice, subject to limitations as described in the explanation below. Explanation: Defendant City of Fresno moves to strike the entire complaint under Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16, contending that the complaint is a strategic lawsuit against public participation ("SLAPP suit"), and thus it is subject to being stricken unless plaintiff can show by admissible evidence that he has a probability of prevailing on the merits o...

Excerpt: ...e Whelan Decl.; Jenkins Decl.) While there has been much discussion between counsel, it is apparent that the parties had arrived at an impasse. The court finds that the parties have sufficiently engaged in the meet and confer process. Merits Request Numbers 40, 42, and 43—Waiver of Privilege The primary issue with these requests appears to be the existence of an "ADA List" which is referenced in defendant's produced documents, but was not itsel...

Excerpt: ...na Luna motion and as to the Rufino Hernandez motion. Explanation: "Any party may obtain discovery . by taking in California the oral depsition of any person, including any party to the action." (Code Civ. Proc., S 2025.010.) Proper service of a notice of deposition compels any deponent to attend, to testify, and to produce documents if requested. Civ. Prcyc., S 2025.280, subd. (a).) Where a party deponent fails to appear at a properly noticed de...

Excerpt: ...s and their attorneys. Explanation: under Code of Civil Procedure section 1008, subdivision (a), a party moving for reconsideration of a court order must show that there are "new or different facts, circumstances, or law" that justify reconsideration of the order. (Code Civ. Proc. S 1008, subd. (a).) "The party making the application shall state by affidavit what application was made before, when and to what judge, what order or decisions were ma...

Excerpt: ...order. All new allegations shall be in boldface. Explanation: Plaintiffs' third cause of action alleges that defendant AAA Tree Service, LLC made a fraudulent promise without the intent to perform it. "'Promissory fraud' is a subspecies of the action for fraud and deceit. A promise to do something necessarily implies the intention to perform; hence, where a promise is made without such intention, there is an implied misrepresentation of fact that...

Excerpt: ...claration, the declaration requires members having more than 50 percent of the votes in the association, in a single class voting structure, or members having more than 50 percent of the votes in more than one class in a voting structure with more than one class, to vote in favor of the amendment, the association, or any member, may petition the superior court of the county in which the common interest development is located for an order reducing...

Excerpt: ... Jones ("Jones") argues that the defendant Daniel Ash ey's ("Ashley") present motion is untimely, the motion is timely. As Ashley states, the deposition occurred on August 2, 2022. Following meet-and-confer efforts, documents responsive to the disputed Deposition Request for Production No. 3 were produced on January 11, 2023. Pursuant to the parties' agreement, all compel deadlines were to be calculated from the January 11, 2023 production date. ...

Excerpt: ...e extent authorized by the chapter governing any particular discovery method or any other provision of this title, the court, after notice to any affected party, person, or attorney, and after opportunity for hearing, may impose the following sanctions against anpne engaging in conduct that is a misuse of the discovery process: * * * (d) The court may impose a terminating sanction by one of the following orders order dismissing the action or any ...

Excerpt: ...ke a supplemental complaint or answer, alleging facts material to the case occurring after the former complaint or answer." (Code Civ. Proc., S 464, subd. (a).) "A 'supplemental' pleading is used to allege facts occurring after the original pleading was filed. In contrast, the additional allegations in an 'amended' pleading address matters that had occurred before the original pleading was filed." (Foster v. Sexton (2021) 61 Cal.App.5th 998, 1032...

Excerpt: ...eritorious litigation meant to chill the valid exercise of the constitutional rights to petition or engage in free speech. (Code Civ. Proc., 5425.16, subd. (a); see Martinez v. Metabolife Intern. , Inc. (2003) 113 Cal.App.4th 181, 186.) plaintiffs/cross-defendants prevailed on their ant-SLAPP motion as to the second cause of action in defendant/cross-complainant's cross complaint. The prevailing defendant on a special motion to strike "shall be e...