Excerpt: ...oldface type. Explanation: Two causes of action are alleged in the First Amended Complaint: (1) general negligence; and (2) damages arising from the operation of a motor vehicle. Defendant now demurs to each cause of action, based upon Code of Civil Procedure sections 430.10, subdivisions (e) and (f). Government Code section 815.2 provides that a public entity is liable for the injury proximately caused by an act or omission of its employee withi...

Excerpt: ...itions of four of plaintiff's designated expert witnesses following their nonappearances on May 26, 2021. Defendant had unilaterally noticed the depositions after unsuccessfully attempting to obtain dates from plaintiff's counsel. Defense counsel failed to communicate or confer with plaintiff's counsel about the scheduling of the depositions after the nonappearances, and instead proceeded to file a motion to compel some eight months later. Code o...

Excerpt: ...de Civ. Proc., § 430.10, subds. (e) and (f).) To grant the motion to strike and deny, as moot, plaintiff's motion to permit discovery of defendants profits and financial information. (Code Civ. Proc., §§ 435 and 431.10, subd. (b); Civ. Code, § 3295, subd. (c).) To grant leave to amend. Should plaintiff desire to amend, the Second Amended Complaint shall be filed within ten (10) days from the date of this order. The new amendments shall be in ...

Excerpt: ...cy; KNPZ Insurance Services; Morrison Insurance Associates; Sarkhosh Insurance Agency; and Seabury Copeland & Anderson Insurance Company. To grant and quash the subpoenas issued on July 23, 2021 to Cuttone & Maestro CPA and Nunes & Nunes CPA. Explanation: Plaintiff brings suit against defendants, alleging that defendants became its employees on January 1, 2014, with an agreement to not receive income from outside sources; that plaintiff later dis...

Excerpt: ...ured or distributed by defendant FCA US, LLC (“FCA”). As a part of that transaction, plaintiffs signed a Retail Installment Sales Contract (“RISC”) which contained an arbitration clause. Problems with the vehicle ensued, and this “lemon law” action was filed on 10/23/20, against both Fresno Chrysler and FCA. The operative pleading is the First Amended Complaint, alleging the following causes of action against FCA only: (1) Violation o...

Excerpt: ...dgment against defendant Dr. Janda. Dr. Janda filed an answer, but it was later stricken and his default was entered when he refused to answer discovery or participate in the litigation. Also, plaintiff has adequately proved up her damages, including her request for $120,000 in general damages and $9,600 in lost wages. While plaintiff has not submitted any evidence other than her own declaration regarding her general damages, it does appear that ...

Excerpt: ...dgment 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); Schacter v. Citigroup (2009) 47 Cal.4th 610, 618.) The moving party bears the burden of showing the court that the plaintiff 'has not established, and cannot reasonably expect to establish, a prima facie case ... .' [Citation.]" (Miller v. Department of Corrections (2005) 36 Cal.4th 446, 4...

Excerpt: ...ants are solely responsible for arbitration fees. Explanation: Plaintiffs filed a complaint for damages for the wrongful death of decedent Sandra Troupe, for elder abuse pursuant to the Elder Adult and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, and for negligent hiring and supervision. In response, defendants filed a petition to compel arbitration, citing an arbitration agreement (“Agreement”) among the parties. In opposition, plaintiffs do not co...

Excerpt: ...ndants are solely responsible for arbitration fees. Explanation: Plaintiffs filed a complaint for damages for the wrongful death of decedent Donald Stegmeir, for elder abuse pursuant to the Elder Adult and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, and for negligent hiring and supervision. In response, defendants filed a petition to compel arbitration, citing an arbitration agreement (“Agreement”) among the parties. In opposition, plaintiffs do no...

Excerpt: ...c., §§ 598, 1048, subd. (b); Grappo v. Coventry Financial Corp. (1991) 235 Cal.App.3d 496, 503‐504; see also Cook v. Superior Court (1971) 19 Cal.App.3d 832, 834.) The court also has the power to “provide for the orderly conduct of proceedings before it,” and to “amend and control its process and orders so as to make them conform to law and justice.” (Civ. Proc. Code § 128, subd. (a)(3), (8).) Here, defendant claims that it has reaso...

Excerpt: ..., §3540), the Education Employees Relations Act (“EERA”) permits public school employees to participate and form in representative organizations and prevents the employers from denying such rights. (Gov. Code., §§ 3543; 3543.5; Public Employment Relations Bd. v. Modesto City Schools Dist. (1982) 136 Cal.App.3d 881, 894 (Modesto).) The EERA authorizes “appropriate temporary relief or restraining order[s]” (Gov. Code, § 3541.3, subd. (j...

Excerpt: ...tive) an incentive award in the amount of $8,000. To award attorney fees in the amount of $157,500. To set a hearing at April 21, 2022, at 3:30 p.m. in Department 502 as a hearing date for an Amended Judgment pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 384. A verified report of payouts of settlement funds and a proposed amended judgment shall be submitted no later than April 11, 2022. Explanation: Final Approval of Settlement California Rules of ...

Excerpt: ...or a deposition within thirty (30) days of the hearing on this motion. (Code Civ. Proc., §§ 2025.450, subd. (a), 2025.280, subd. (a).) To impose monetary sanction in the amount of $1,295.00, payable to counsel for Defendant/Cross Defendant GSF Jackson Park Place Investors, L.P. within 30 days of the clerk's service of this minute order. Explanation: Motion to Compel Deposition Testimony Proper service of a notice of deposition compels any depon...

Excerpt: ...ent in both cases. Plaintiff is directed to submit to this court, within 5 days of service of the minute order, a proposed judgment for each case consistent with the court's summary judgment orders. Explanation: A party moving for summary judgment or adjudication has the initial burden of production to make a prima facie showing that there are no triable issues of material fact. (Aguilar v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (2001) 25 Cal.4th 826, 850.) A pl...

Excerpt: ...6, and requests for production of documents, set one, numbers 1 to 14. To grant monetary sanctions of $1,695 against Ultimate Solar and its counsel, Sofian Dawood, which shall be paid within 30 days of the date of service of this order. To deny the request for evidentiary sanctions without prejudice. However, if plaintiff fails to serve its verified further responses within 10 days of the date of service of this order, the court will entertain de...

Excerpt: ....250.) However, the court intends to deny the request to list additional persons on the notice. The notice must only list the people who were listed as mineral rights holders on the original 1964 deed. To order defendants to pay plaintiff's legal expenses incurred in the present litigation, in the amount of $8,345. (Ibid.) When defendants have paid plaintiff's litigation expenses, the case against them will be dismissed. The case against the Weld...

Excerpt: ... the parties to meet and confer as to the privileges asserted on demand for production, set eight. Explanation: Plaintiffs seek to compel further responses to requests for production of documents pertaining to communication between certain individuals and plaintiff Douglas Hecker (“Hecker”), and for the hard drives on which Hecker worked. On June 25, 2021, pursuant to Local Rule 2.1.17, plaintiffs filed a Request for Pretrial Discovery Confer...

Excerpt: ...e date of service of this order. To grant the request for monetary sanctions in the amount of $3,600, payable to plaintiffs' counsel within thirty (30) days from the date of this order. Explanation: Further Production of Documents Discovery requests are generally afforded liberal construction. (See Code of Civ. Proc., § 2017.010; Williams v. Superior Court (2017) 3 Cal.5th 531, 541.) A motion seeking further responses in a request for further pr...

Excerpt: ...3, 2020, plaintiffs filed suit against defendants for breaching a contract to install insulation foam. Plaintiffs bring five causes of action: (1) breach of contract; (2) negligence; (3) violation of Business and Professions Code section 7031; (4) fraudulent misrepresentation (intentional and negligent); and (5) violation of Business and Professions Code section 7160. On September 4, 2020, defendants/cross‐complainants brought a cross‐complai...

Excerpt: ...25.16, subd. (c)(1).) Even where the plaintiff dismisses the moving defendant prior to the hearing, courts have uniformly held that the trial court retains jurisdiction to award attorney fees against plaintiff. (Law Offices of Andrew L. Ellis v. Yang (2009) 178 Cal.App.4th 869.) This is justified by reasoning that if a plaintiff is able to avoid fees by dismissing the moving defendant prior to the hearing, this would deprive the defendant of the ...

Excerpt: ...he class; and (2) additional evidence is needed to support a finding that certification will provide substantial benefits to litigants and the courts. The class representative must be able to represent the class adequately. (Caro v. Procter & Gamble (1993) 18 Cal.App.4th 644, 669.) “[I]t has never been the law in California that the class representative must have identical interests with the class members.” (Classen v. Weller (1983) 145 Cal.A...

Excerpt: ...he litigation would be promoted thereby ….” (Code Civ. Proc., § 598.) In addition, “the decision to bifurcate is discretionary with the trial court.” (Regents of University of California v. Sheily (2004) 122 Cal.App.4th 824, 833; Royal Surplus Lines Ins. Co., Inc. v. Ranger Ins. Co. (2002) 100 Cal.App.4th 193, 205 [“It is within the discretion of the court to bifurcate issues or order separate trials of actions ... and to determine the...

Excerpt: ...de of Civil Procedure, section 1255.010 [the probable amount of compensation to be awarded to defendants], plaintiff has failed to provide notice of its motion to all the requisite parties. Notice Requirement: A motion for prejudgment possession must be served on the “record owner of the property and on the occupants, if any.” (Code Civ. Proc. § 1255.410, subd. (b).) “'[R]ecord owner' means the owner of the legal or equitable title to the ...

Excerpt: ...North America, Inc.'s person most knowledgeable and custodian of records to attend his or her deposition, and to produce documents pursuant to the demand for production of documents served with the deposition notice. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2025.450.) To deny plaintiffs' request for sanctions against defendant. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2025.450(g)(1).) To deny plaintiff's motion to compel Lithia Nissan of Clovis's person most qualified and Timothy Bowden,...

Excerpt: ...out of tortious injury to her spouse, but arising out of injury to her spouse by way of violations of the Fair Employment and Housing Act and Labor Code; and alternatively that defendant is immune from common law claims.1 The standard of review in a motion for judgment on the pleadings is well settled; the motion is confined to the face of the pleading under attack, and all facts alleged in the complaint must be accepted as true. (Rangel v. Inter...