Excerpt: ...dant and cross -co mplainant Mighty Mart, Inc. (“Mighty Mart”) (collectively, “defendants”), for a total fee award of $188,188.00 against plaintiff and cross -defendant Morteza Javaherie (“plaintiff”). To deny an award of costs, without prejudice. Explanation: Defendants joi ntly seek an award of attorney fees pursuant to Civil Code section 1717 following a court trial on plaintiff's first amended complaint and defendants' cross -com...

Excerpt: ...mplaint to allege that defendant Mostafa Heidari ("defendant Heidari"), his attorney Henry Nunez, and "others" misrepresented to plaintiff that he could not qualify to become an ARCO dealer because he did not have two years' experience, and, as a result, defendant Heidari needed to remain on title to both the staton and the land and plaintiff would have to work at the staton for two years to gain the requisite experience. Plaintiff seeks to alleg...

Excerpt: ...ode of Civil Procedure section 425.16, on the ground it is a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) action. To grant defendant's request for attorney's fees and costs, in the amount of $1,800 in fees and $503 in costs. (Code Civ. Proc. § 425.16, subd. (c)(1).) Plaintiff shall pay fees and costs to defendant within 30 days of the date of service of this order. To overrule defendant's demurrer as moot in light of the ruling on the ...

Excerpt: ...tween the parties. (Code Civ. Proc., § 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.) As an initial matter, the court notes that, notwithstanding the breadth of the request stated in the Notice of Motion, defendant's memorandum of points and authorities only actually makes arguments regarding the request to strike the prayer for punitive dama...

Excerpt: ...n to quash a subpoena requiring production of documents. If a subpoena requires … the production of books, documents, or other things … at the taking of a deposition, the court, upon motion … may make an order quashing the subpoena entirely, modifying it, or directing compliance with it upon those terms or conditions as the court shall declare, including protective orders. In addition, the court may make any other order as may be appropriat...

Excerpt: ... has succeeded in stating a cause of action – the court does not concern itself with the issue of the plaintiff's possible difficulty or inability in proving the allegations of their complaint. (Gruenberg v. Aetna Ins. Co. (1973) 9 Cal.3d 566, 572; Highlanders, Inc. v. Olsan (1978) 77 Cal.App.3d 690, 697.) The complaint is liberally construed, which “means that the reviewing court draws inferences favorable to the plaintiff, not the defendant...

Excerpt: ...h respect to the second cause of action, this motion addresses the sufficiency of the first cause of action for intentional infliction of emotional distress. The elements of a cause of action for intentional infliction of emotional distress (“IIED”) are: (1) extreme and outrageous conduct by the defendant with the intention of causing, or reckless disregard of the probability of causing, emotional distress; (2) the plaintiff's suffering sever...

Excerpt: ... and $285 against defendant Surinder Kaur Sandhu, payable within 30 days of the date of service of this order. The matters specified in plaintiff's Requests to Admit (Set Two) propounded on defendant Devinder Sihota and defendant Surinder Kaur Sandhu, are deemed admitted, unless defendants serve, before the hearing, proposed responses to the requests that are in substantial compliance with Code of Civil Procedure section 2033.220. Explanation: Fa...

Excerpt: ...the date of service of this order. All new allegations shall be in boldface. Explanation: “ ‘Code of Civil Procedure section 473, which gives the courts power to permit amendments in furtherance of justice, has received a very liberal interpretation by the courts of this state.... In spite of this policy of liberality, a court may deny a good amendment in proper form where there is unwarranted delay in presenting it.... On the other hand, whe...

Excerpt: ...uit against public participation (SLAPP) action, and dismiss the complaint with prejudice. (Code Civ. Proc., § 425.16.) Explanation: Under Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16, “[a] cause of action against a person arising from any act of that person in furtherance of the person's right of petition or free speech under the United States Constitution or the California Constitution in connection with a public issue shall be subject to a specia...

Excerpt: ...are subject to trial court review and approval, ensuring that any negotiated resolution is fair to those affected.” (Williams v. Superior Court (2017) 3 Cal.5th 531, 549, citing Lab. Code, § 2699, subd. (l)(2) [“The superior court shall review and approve any settlement of any civil action filed pursuant to this part. The proposed settlement shall be submitted to the agency at the same time that it is submitted to the court.”].) The trial ...

Excerpt: ...the court's order within 10 days of the date of service of this order. Explanation: CVSH 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. CVSH has presented the declaration of its expert, Dr. Errol Omaar Ozdalga, M.D., who opines that CVSH's care and treatment of decedent did not fall below the standard of care. Since CVSH did not breach t...

Excerpt: ... 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.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 473, subd. (b).) Relief pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure...

Excerpt: ...date of this order. Explanation: Plaintiff has alleged that defendants are liable because they failed to take reasonable steps to prevent her son, decedent Matthew Gonzalez, from committing suicide while he was in custody at the Fresno County Jail. She alleges that defendants should have realized that decedent was depressed and suicidal because he asked for a spiritual advisor to absolve him of his sins before he died, that he made statements in ...

Excerpt: ... judgment. To deny summary adjudication of issues one, three and four. To grant summary adjudication of issue five. To grant summary adjudication of issue two, which results in the summary adjudication of the second cause of action in favor of cross‐defendants. (Code of Civ. Proc., § 437c, subd. (f).) Explanation: A trial court shall grant summary judgment where there are no triable issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to j...

Excerpt: ...ntal declaration by his attorney to challenge certain procedural aspects of the motion, arguing as follows: (1) the motion was untimely served under Code of Civil Procedure section 1005, subdivision (b); (2) the motion was untimely filed pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 3.1702(b)(1); (3) the motion should not be heard as the parties are involved in an arbitration that was set to commence on December 5, 2022; (4) the moving papers are d...

Excerpt: ...Brandi Marie Smith to Request for Admissions, Set One, and Request for Sanctions By Plaintiffs for an Order Compelling Initial Responses from Defendant Raquel Morelos to Form Interrogatories, Set One; Special Interrogatories, Set One; and Request for Production of Documents, Set One; and Request for Sanctions By Plaintiffs for an Order Deeming Admissions of Defendant Raquel Morelos to Request for Admissions, Set One, and Request for Sanctions Ten...

Excerpt: ... Northrop Grumman Corp. (1998) 67 Cal.App.4th 995, 999.) As in demurrers, grounds for the motion must appear on the face of the challenged pleading or on facts which the court may judicially notice. (Saltarelli & Steponovich v. Douglas (1995) 40 Cal.App.4th 1, 5.) When reviewing a pleading, a demurrer or motion for judgment on the pleadings admits the truth of all material allegations and a court will “give the complaint a reasonable interpreta...

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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...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: ...p. (1998) 67 Cal.App.4th 995, 999; see also Templo v. State of Calif. (2018) 24 Cal.App.5th 730, 735 [“‘motion for judgment on the pleadings is equivalent to a demurrer'”].) Accordingly, a defendant is entitled to a judgment on the pleadings where the plaintiff's complaint shows, on its face, that its causes of action are barred by an applicable statute of limitations. (Hunt v. County of Shasta (1990) 225 Cal.App.3d 432, 440; see also Commi...

Excerpt: ...judgment. To deny summary adjudication of issues one, two, three and four. To grant summary adjudication of issue five. (Code of Civ. Proc., § 437c, subd. (f).) Explanation: 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, subd. (c).) Summary adjudication is the proper mechanism for challenging a particular “c...

Excerpt: ...en (7) days of the date of service by the clerk of this order, a proposed judgment dismissing this action as to them. The court denies defendants' additional request for monetary sanctions. Explanation: Code of Civil Procedure section 2023.010, subdivision (g) construes “[d]isobeying a court order to provide discovery” to be a “misuse of the discovery process,” but sanctions are only authorized to the extent permitted by each discovery pr...

Excerpt: ...laintiff 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: ...y department at defendant Madera Community Hospital (MCH) on April 15, 2020 in great pain and was diagnosed with a torn artery which required surgery. Decedent was subsequently transferred to a couple other medical facilities, but passed away on April 24, 2020. Plaintiff alleges that MCH negligently failed to exercise the proper degree of knowledge and skill in examining, diagnosing, treating, and caring for decedent. As the moving party, a defen...

Excerpt: ...g: To overrule defendant Clovis Unified School District's (“CUSD”) demurrer to the fourth cause of action of the First Amended Complaint (“FAC”). (Code Civ. Proc., § 430.10, subds. (b), (d).) CUSD shall file its answer to the FAC within 10 days of service of the order by the clerk. To quash the subpoena served on Saint Mary's Medical Center (“St. Mary's”), without prejudice to CUSD serving a more narrowly tailored subpoena. (Code Civ...

Excerpt: ...r arising out of such contract or transaction, or the refusal to perform the whole or any part thereof, … shall be valid, irrevocable, and enforceable, save upon such grounds as exist at law or in equity for the revocation of any contract. (9 U.S.C. § 2.) “In recognition of Congress' principal purpose of ensuring that private arbitration agreements are enforced according to their terms, we have held that the FAA pre‐empts state laws which ...

Excerpt: ...f contract. (Code Civ. Proc., § 437c.) Explanation: Plaintiffs have met their burden of showing that defendants' second cross‐ claim for breach of contract is barred by the statute of frauds. Under Civil Code section 1624, “The following contracts are invalid, unless they, or some note or memorandum thereof, are in writing and subscribed by the party to be charged or by the party's agent: [¶] (1) An agreement that by its terms is not to be ...

Excerpt: ...n, (6) fraudulent concealment, (7) constructive fraud, (8) breach of contract, (9) breach of written contract, (10) unjust enrichment, and (11) unfair competition. Defendant Lometti initially did not respond to the complaint. Plaintiff entered defendant Lometti's default on May 22, 2018, but it was set aside on February 1, 2019 when the court determined that defendant Lometti did not have actual notice of the complaint and summons. Defendant Lome...

Excerpt: ...confer regarding the protective order. To grant defendant's motion to compel further responses to Request for Production No. 18 and direct plaintiff to serve a written verification. To grant plaintiff's motion to compel further responses to Requests for Production Nos. 26, 28 and 31, subject to a protective order. To direct the parties to meet and confer regarding the protective order. To grant plaintiff's motion to compel further responses to Re...

Excerpt: ...mended complaint and dismiss the action against defendant. (Code Civ. Proc., §§ 2023.010, subd. (g); 2030.030, subd. (d).) Defendant shall submit a proposed judgment consistent with the court's order within 10 days of service of the minute order. Explanation: Code of Civil Procedure section 2023.010, subdivision (g) makes “[d]isobeying a court order to provide discovery” a “misuse of the discovery process,” but sanctions are only author...

Excerpt: ...n “while alleviating [the defendant's] difficult choice between defending either the civil or criminal case.” (Pacers, Inc. v. Superior Court (1984) 162 Cal.App.3d 686, 690.) Pursuant to both the United States and California Constitutions, a person has the right to refuse to answer potentially incriminating questions put to him or her in any proceeding. (U.S. Const., 5th Amend.; Cal. Const., art. 1, § 15; see Evid. Code, § 940.) The privile...

Excerpt: ...visions continuing in full force and effect. (See Defendant's Evidence, Ex. A [Dispute Resolution Agreement].) To grant defendant's motion to stay the pending court action until the arbitration has been resolved. (Code Civ. Proc., § 1281.4.) In light of the court's order granting the motion to compel arbitration, the demurrer set for October 27, 2022 is taken off calendar as moot. Explanation: Pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure secti...