Excerpt: .... Defendant Rudy Holguin is ordered to serve verified responses, without objections, to plaintiff Sylvia Kissing's Form Interrogatories, Set One, Special Interrogatories, Set One, and Request for Production of Documents, Set One, no later than 20 days from the date of this order, with time to run from the service of this minute order by the clerk. To impose monetary sanctions in favor of plaintiff Sylvia Kissing, and against defendant Rudy Holgui...

Excerpt: ... file a Notice of Related Case in the Los Angeles Superior Court Case Number 20STCV33816 or submit proof that such has already been filed. Explanation: Misjoinder of Parties Code of Civil Procedure section 389 articulates when a nonparty must be joined to the action. A person is a necessary and indispensable party where 1) complete relief cannot be obtained in the nonparty's absence, 2) the nonparty claims an interest relating to the subject of t...

Excerpt: ...st Amended Complaint are to be set in boldface type. Explanation: Demurrer to the First Cause of Action for Breach of Contract Defendant demurs to the first cause of action for breach of contract on the grounds that the Complaint fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. “A written contract may be pleaded either by its terms—set out verbatim in the complaint or a copy of the contract attached to the complaint and incorp...

Excerpt: ...sses, the ends of justice, or the economy and efficiency of handling the litigation would be promoted thereby, on motion of a party, after notice and hearing, make an 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 av...

Excerpt: ...on for failure to state facts sufficient to state a cause of action and uncertainty. (Code Civ. Proc., § 430.10, subd. (e), (f).) To sustain, with leave to amend, De La Pena's demurrer to the second cause of action for failure to state facts sufficient to state a cause of action (Code Civ. Proc., § 430.10, subd. (f).) To overrule De La Pena's demurrer to the first, fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth causes of action. To overrule FAIHP's demurrer t...

Excerpt: ... Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. in Dept. 502. The deadline for plaintiff and defendant to file supplemental briefing is Friday, February 3, 2023. The briefs shall be no longer than ten pages in length. Explanation: “The motion for summary judgment shall be granted if all the papers submitted show that there is no triable issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” (Code Civ. Pr...

Excerpt: ...t does not resolve the issues, defense counsel shall file a declaration, on or before February 10, 2023, stating the efforts made. Explanation: Defendant did not satisfy the requirement to meet and confer prior to filing the demurrer and motion to strike. Code of Civil Procedure sections 430.41 and 435.5 make it very clear that meet and confer must be conducted “in person or by telephone.” (Id., subd. (a) as to both.) Sending written communic...

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: ... at 3:30 p.m. in Dept. 502 Explanation: 1. Fair, Adequate, and Reasonable Settlement The court “bears the responsibility to ensure that the recovery represents a reasonable compromise, given the magnitude and apparent merit of the claims being released, discounted by the risks and expenses of attempting to establish and collect on those claims by pursuing litigation. The court has a fiduciary responsibility as guardians of the rights of the abs...

Excerpt: ..., 2023 at 3:30 p.m. in Dept. 502 Explanation: 1. Fair, Adequate, and Reasonable Settlement The court “bears the responsibility to ensure that the recovery represents a reasonable compromise, given the magnitude and apparent merit of the claims being released, discounted by the risks and expenses of attempting to establish and collect on those claims by pursuing litigation. The court has a fiduciary responsibility as guardians of the rights of t...

Excerpt: ...t”) is a Little Caesars Pizza franchisee. Tenant assumed a lease entered into on August 18, 2003 for 1,265 square feet in Landlord's retail shopping center. The Lease includes the following provision at Section 26.09: … at any time during the term of this Lease, upon at least thirty (30) days prior written notice to Tenant (“Notice of Relocation”), Landlord may require Tenant to relocate to another leased space within the Shopping Center ...

Excerpt: ...The new amendments shall be in bold print. Should plaintiff elect not to amend, defendants shall file responsive pleadings within twenty (20) days from the date of this order. The demurrer is overruled in all other respects. Explanation: In deciding a demurrer, the test is whether the 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...

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: ...admitted and compelling defendant's responses to plaintiff's Form Interrogatories, Set One, and Request for Production of Documents, Set One. The requests for monetary sanctions made by both parties are denied. Explanation: Notice Defects: Proof of service by mail may be made by either an affidavit or certificate “setting forth the exact title of the document served and filed in the cause…” (Code Civ. Proc., §1013a, subds. (1)‐(4), empha...

Excerpt: ...file an undertaking, in the amount of $50,000, under Code of Civil Procedure section 1030. Section 1030, subdivision (a), states, When the plaintiff in an action or special proceeding resides out of the state, or is a foreign corporation, the defendant may at any time apply to the court by noticed motion for an order requiring the plaintiff to file an undertaking to secure an award of costs and attorney's fees which may be awarded in the action o...

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: ...isappropriated. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2019.210.) Plaintiff is ordered to file a notice of compliance no later than 20 days from the date of this order, with time to run from the service of this minute order by the clerk. To deny plaintiff's motion for an order compelling responses to request for production of documents. (Coder Civ. Proc. § 2031.300.) Explanation: Defendants' Motion for Protective Order Defendants seek a protective order directing ...

Excerpt: ...bid.) Defendant shall pay sanctions to plaintiff's counsel within 30 days of the date of service of this order. Explanation: Under Code of Civil Procedure section 1281.97, subdivision (a), “In an employment or consumer arbitration that requires, either expressly or through application of state or federal law or the rules of the arbitration provider, the drafting party to pay certain fees and costs before the arbitration can proceed, if the fees...

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: ...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: ...d, Inc., dba Re/Max Gold. (Code Civ. Proc., § 4301.10, subd. (e).) NorCal shall file its Answer to the FAC within 10 days of service of the minute order. Explanation: In this action, plaintiff sues all involved in a real estate transaction in which Ms. Lewis purchased the “Subject Property,” and intended to purchase the assisted living facility business (“Assisted Living Business”) operated on that property. It appears that Ms. Lewis suc...

Excerpt: ...rvice by the clerk of the minute order. All new allegations in the pleading are to be set in boldface type. Explanation: Defendant demurs to plaintiff's Complaint, which alleges a single cause of action for medical malpractice. Defendant contends that the cause of action is barred by the applicable statute of limitations under Code of Civil Procedure section 340.5. The function of a demurrer is to test the sufficiency of a plaintiff's pleading by...

Excerpt: ...f Civil Procedure section 418.10, subdivision (a)(1), “A defendant, on or before the last day of his or her time to plead or within any further time that the court may for good cause allow, may serve and file a notice of motion for one or more of the following purposes: (1) To quash service of summons on the ground of lack of jurisdiction of the court over him or her.” When a defendant moves to quash on the ground that service of summons did ...

Excerpt: ...fendants Carolina Transportation, Inc., Carolina Logistic, Inc., and Dispatch & Services, Inc. (collectively “Carolina defendants”) move to quash service of summons for lack of personal jurisdiction over them. The Carolina defendants are each incorporated in the State of North Carolina and each has its principal place of business in North Carolina. (Hoover Decl., ¶ 3.) Additionally, the Carolina defendants have no offices or employees in Cal...

Excerpt: ...ed in time and to records for only the body parts/issues of which plaintiff complains. Plaintiff appears to have placed every conceivable form of economic recovery at issue in her Complaint. In her Complaint, page 3, at paragraph 11, every box is checked for damages and plaintiff adds: “ALL ECONOMIC AND NON‐ECONOMIC DAMAGES KNOWN AND UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF AT THIS TIME, BUT SUBJECT TO PROOF AT THE TIME OF TRIAL; PLUS STATUTORY INTEREST.” Both...

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: ...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: ...tion to vacate the judgment and/or the clerk's entry of default that preceded it. However, that discretion can be exercised only if the moving party establishes a proper ground for relief, by the proper procedure, and within the statutory time limits. (Cruz v. Fagor America, Inc. (2007) 146 Cal.App.4th 488, 495.) Here, defendant moves to set aside its default, entered on July 21, 2022, pursuant to the discretionary relief afforded under Code of C...

Excerpt: ...ersy thereafter 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 st...

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: ...omplaint, i.e., whether it states facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action upon which relief may be based. (Code of Civil Procedure §430.10, subd. (e); Friedland v. City of Long Beach (1998) 62 Cal.App.4th 835, 841–842.) In making this determination, the court may consider all material facts pleaded in the complaint and those arising by reasonable implication therefrom; it may not consider contentions, deductions or conclusions of fact...

Excerpt: ...n boldface type. Explanation: The court's tentative ruling for defendant's demurrer to the third amended complaint was to sustain the demurrer without leave to amend. Upon plaintiff counsel's vehement representations at oral argument that curative facts could be plead, the court modified its tentative ruling and granted leave to amend as to the first cause of action (breach of contract) only. In particular, at oral argument, counsel argued that a...

Excerpt: .... (Wershba v. Apple Computer, Inc. (2001) 91 Cal.App.4th 224, 240; see Dunk v. Ford Motor Co. (1996) 48 Cal.App.4th 1794, 1803, fn. 9, 19.a) 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 c...

Excerpt: ...s such, Loya requests the court grant it permission to intervene to protect its interests in this matter. Intervention is the procedure by which a non‐ party to an action may become a party. (See Code Civ. Proc., § 387.) Intervention may be as of right or permissive. (Ibid.) Here, Loya seeks permissive intervention pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 387, subdivision (d)(2), which provides that “[t]he court may, upon timely applicati...

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: ..., U.S.A. is directed to submit to the court a proposed judgment consistent with the summary adjudication ruling within ten (10) days from the date of this order. To grant plaintiffs motion for leave to file a first amended complaint. The amended complaint “shall not include a cause of action under the Song–Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.” (Dagher v. Ford Motor Co. (2015) 238 Cal.App.4th 905, 929; Code Civ. Proc., § 473, subd. (a)(1) [“The...

Excerpt: ...ncellation pursuant to Civil Code sections 1689.5 through 1689.14; breach of contract; unfair business practices; injunctive relief; and declaratory relief. Plaintiffs allege, among other things, that defendants subjected plaintiffs to high‐pressure and fraudulent sales practices that resulted in financial loss, damage to credit, emotional distress, and other related injuries. Plaintiffs allege that defendants caused plaintiffs to be enrolled i...

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: ... 20CECG01868 for purposes of trial only. A copy of this order shall be filed in each case. Lemons v. Ballantyne, Superior Court Case No. 19CECG00924 is designated as the lead case. To vacate the trial date of June 26, 2023. Trial, and all related dates, shall commence on April 15, 2024. To overrule plaintiff's objections. Explanation: “When actions involving a common question of law or fact are pending before the court, it may order a joint hea...

Excerpt: ...ponses, without objections, to Form Interrogatories, Set One; Special Interrogatories, Set One; and Request for Production of Documents, Set One, and produce all documents responsive to the Requests for Production of Documents. To grant the motion seeking an order deeming the truth of matters specified in the Requests for Admission, Set One, established pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 2033.280, subdivision (b) against defendant Johnny...

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: ...tative Ruling: To grant the motion to compel responses. Within 20 days of service of the order by the clerk, plaintiff Kimberly Ramirez shall serve verified responses, without objections, to defendant's Form Interrogatories – General [Set One], Form Interrogatories – Employment [Set One], Special Interrogatories [Set One], and Requests for Production of Documents. As for the motion to establish admissions, this is denied in part, as moot, sin...

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: ...xtinguishment of the deed of trust because they have now paid off the loan in full, they have not presented any admissible evidence to support their asserted facts. The only evidence submitted in support of the application is the declaration of plaintiffs' counsel, who does not appear to have personal knowledge of the facts to which he testifies. (See declaration of Ian Brady filed on March 14, 2022.) Therefore, his statements regarding the owner...

Excerpt: ...laintiffs are entitled to judgment on the pleadings with regard to their contract and specific performance claims, although not their fraud claim, as defendant had been deemed to have admitted the truth of plaintiffs' claims when he failed to respond to plaintiffs' requests for admissions. (Court's Order of July 20, 2022, pp. 6‐8.) However, the court also found that plaintiffs needed to prove up their damages before obtaining a final judgment o...

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: ...alescent Hospital v. Sup. Ct. (Sims) (2006) 143 Cal.App.4th 1558, 1562‐63.) Defendant's motion for protective order prohibiting Ms. Hare's deposition or, in the alternative, limiting the scope of Ms. Hare's deposition is rendered moot. Explanation: Defendant seeks a protective order prohibiting the deposition of Ms. Hare or, in the alternative, limiting the scope of Ms. Hare's deposition to identifying the sources of information contained in he...

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...