Excerpt: ...counsel shall call the court to take the demurrer as to defendant Person off calendar. If it does not resolve the issues, counsel for defendant Person shall file a declaration on or before November 1, 2023, stating, in detail, the efforts made. Defendant Fresno Unified School District's demurrer is continued in order to have the motions heard the same date. Explanation: Ctxle of Civil Procedure section 430.41, subdivision (a), makes it clear that...

Excerpt: ...he motion to strike without leave to amend. If oral argument is timely requested, it will go forward Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at 3:30 p.m., in Dept. 403. Explanation: Self-represented plaintiff Victor M. Alvaro Garcia filed a three-page Judicial Council form complaint against defendant Carmen Elizabeth Tharp. The defendant demurs to the complaint on the ground that it lacks the necessary allegations to state a cause of action against her. Mee...

Excerpt: ... further responses to her requests for production of documents, set one, special interrogatories, set one, and form interrogatories — employment, set one. To deny plaintiff's request for monetary sanctions against defendant and its counsel. To grant monetary sanctions against plaintiff and her counsel, in the amount of $1,350. Plaintiff shall pay sanctions to defendant within 30 days of the date of service of this order. Explanation: Under Code...

Excerpt: ...If a timely request for oral argument is made, such argument will be entertained on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. Explanation: Meet and Confer Plaintiffs assert that defendants failed to comply with Code of Civil Procedure section 435.5. Specifically, plaintiffs argue that defendants failed to meet and confer with plaintiffs regarding the issues raised by the motion to strike, though defendants still had ample time to meet and confer ...

Excerpt: ...efendant California Department of Transportation ("Defendant") seeks to stay the present matter in favor of allow-ng a parallel proceeding between it and plaintiff Maisa Kurdi ("Plaintiff") to proceed. An application for a stay is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court. (Thomson v. Continental Ins. Co. (1967) 66 Cal.2d 738, 746.) In exercising its discretion, the court should consider the importance of, among other things, avoiding ...

Excerpt: ... matters specified in the Requests for Admission, Set Two, are to be deemed admitted unless each defendant serves, before the hearing, a proposed response to the Requests for Admission that is in substantial compliance with Code of Civil Procedure section 2033.220. (Code Civ. Prcyc., S 2033.280, subd. To grant monetary sanctions against defendants Harpreet Singh and Nijjar Cargo Solutions, Inc., in the amount of $940.00 as to each defendant. Mone...

Excerpt: ... To sustain defendant Graney's special demurrers to causes of action Sustain special demurrers to causes of action 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11-14, with plaintiff granted 10 days' leave to file a second amended complaint. (Code Civ. Proc., S 430.10, subd. To sustain Graney's general demurrers to causes of action 6, 7, 9, 10, 12 and 14, with leave to amend as to all but 6 and 12. To overrule general demurrers to causes of action 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 11 and 13....

Excerpt: ...f the minute order. Explanation: The function of a demurrer is to test the suffciency 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 his complaint. (Highlanders, Inc. v. Olsan (1978) 77 Cal.A...

Excerpt: ...two on the back, but here counsel has not signed any of the lines. The form is mandatory and must accompany every default judgment application. (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1800(a).) Therefore, since the request for default judgment is incomplete, the court cannot grant the application. Also, while plaintiff's CEO, Richard Torosian, has provided a declaration summarizing the amount of damages, which are based on the unpaid shipping invoices, Mr. ...

Excerpt: ...ic situaton. In March 2020 the decedent, Anthony Choza, Jr., was a pedestrian on Hughes near Brown Avenue in Fresno when he was struck by a vehicle driven by defendant David Zarucchi. The plaintiffs allege the lack of lighting at the location created a dangerous condition to public property and was a substantial factor causing the decedent's death. The plaintiffs are the decedent's wife, individually and on behalf of the decedent's estate, and hi...

Excerpt: ...Wershba v. Apple computer, Inc. (2001) 91 cal.App.4th 224, 240; see Dunk v. Ford Motor co. (1995) 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 apprcwe 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...

Excerpt: ...l interrogatories, as a result of plaintiff's counsel's failure to appear at the scheduled Pretrial Discovery Conference. Plaintiff's counsel filed opposition to defendant's request for a Pretrial Discovery Conference, and was aware of the date the court had initially set for said conference, and was also aware of the contnuance granted, which set the conference for August 4, 2023. Counsel states he failed to appear because even though his office...

Excerpt: ...r v. Atlantic Richfield co. (2001) 25 cal.4th 826, 859, fn. 29; Ten Eyck v. Industrial Forklifts co. (1989) 216 Cal.App.3d 540, 545.) Once judgment is entered, it "may correct judicial error only through certain limited procedures such as motions for new trial and motions to vacate the judgment." (APRI Ins. Co. v. Superior Court, supra, 76 Cal.App.4th at p. 181.) Mandatory Relief Pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 473, subdivision (b) Th...

Excerpt: ...trate." (Garlach v. Sports Club Co. (2012) 209 Cal.App.4th 1497, 1505) "Thus, in ruling on a motion to compel arbitration, the court must first determine whether the parties actually agreed to arbitrate the dispute." (Mendez v. Mid- Wilshire Health Care Center (2013) 220 Cal.App.4th 534, 541.) Defendant American Honda Motor Co., Inc. ("Honda") moves to compel arbitration of plaintiffs' action pursuant to an arbitration clause in the retail instal...

Excerpt: ...uent bad faith denial (in part) of his insurance policy claim. The complaint includes the following causes of acton: breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Plaintiff seeks the following: general, special, economic, and consequential damages (according to proof), puritive damages, attorney's fees, costs, and pre-judgment interest. Defendant filed its motion to strike with regard to Paragraph 34 (Page ...

Excerpt: ... which contained an arbitration clause. Problems with the vehicle ensued, and this "lemon law" action was filed on November 8, 2022, against Kia, but not the seller. The Complaint alleges the following causes of action: (1) Violation of the Song-Beverly Act— Breach of Express Warranty; (2) Violation of the Song-Beverly Act— Breach of Implied Warranty; and (3) Violation of the Song-Beverly Act section 1793.2. Kia now moves to compel arbitratio...

Excerpt: ...n ten (10) days from the date of this order. Explanation: Plaintiff's allegations of medical negligence typically require competing expert opinion to defeat a motion for summary judgment. (See Nieto v. Blue Shield of California Life & Health Ins. Co. (2010) 181 Cal.App.4th 60, 75; Flowers v. Torrance Memorial Hospital Medical Center (1994) 8 Cal.4th 992, 1001.) In other words, defendant is entitled to summary judgment and the motion must be grant...

Excerpt: ... Procedure section 439 and 435.5; specifically, to meet and confer with plaintiff regarding the issues raised by the motion for judgment on the pleadings and motion to strike. If the parties cannot agree on the purported deficiencies in the complaint, defendant may calendar another hearing date for the motions and must comply with Code of Civil Procedure secton 439 and 435.5 in doing so. If the parties need more time to meet and confer, they may ...

Excerpt: ...ll dollar amounts filled in, within 5 days of the clerk's service of this order. To set a hearing at October 1, 2024, at 3:30 p.m. in Department 503 as a hearing date for an Amended Judgment pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure secton 384. A verified report of payouts of settlement funds and a proposed amended judgment shall be submitted no later than September 11, 2024. Explanation: "Before final approval, the court must conduct an inquiry into t...

Excerpt: ...emurrers to the seventh, eighth, and ninth causes of action as to all defendants, with leave to amend only as to Beau and Sunshine Pennington. To sustain the demurrers to the fifth and eleventh causes of action, without leave to amend. Plaintiff is granted 10 days' leave to file the Third Amended Complaint, which will run from service by the clerk of the minute order. New allegations/language must be set in boldface type. To overrule the motion t...

Excerpt: ...o compel further responses to her requests for production of documents, set one, special interrogatories, set one, and form interrogatories — employment, set one. To deny plaintiff's request for monetary sanctions against defendant and its counsel. To grant monetary sanctions against plaintiff and her counsel, in the amount of $1,755. Plaintiff shall pay sanctions to defendant within 30 days of the date of service of this order. Explanation: Un...

Excerpt: .... To impose monetary sanctions in the amount of $6,825 against defendant South Bay Safety Inc. (not its attorney). Defendant South Bay Safety Inc. (not its attorney) shall pay the monetary sanctions to plaintiff's counsel within thirty (30) days from the date of this order. If a timely request for oral argument is made, such argument will be entertained on Friday, October 6, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. Explanation: Code of Civil Procedure secton 2023.010...

Excerpt: ... evidence in the light most fawrable to plaintiffs'" and "'liberally construe plaintiffs' evidentiary submissions and strictly scrutinize defendant['s] own evidence, in order to resolve any evidentiary doubts or ambiguities in plaintiffs' favor.'" (McDonald v. Antelope Valley Community College Dist. (2008) 45 Cal.4th 88, 96-97, citations omitted.) The court does not weigh evidence or inferences (Aguilar v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (2001) 25 Cal.4th...

Excerpt: ...e clerk. Explanation: Initially the court notes that in previously granting leave to amend, plaintiff was directed to place all new allegations in boldface type. Plaintiff did not follow this direction. In the future please place new allegations in boldface type when requested, to facilitate the evaluation of such a long amended pleading. Also, plaintiff's opposition brief does not have page numbering, as required by Cal. Rules of Court, rule 2.1...

Excerpt: ...fornia, Inc. and Javier Rene Gonzalez-Martinez are directed to file an answer within ten days of service of the minute order by the clerk. Explanation: Plaintiff Emma Kormas ("Plaintiff") filed a First Amended Complaint ("FAC") for eight causes of action: 1. Intentional Misrepresentation; 2. Negligent Misrepresentation; 3. Breach of Fiduciary Duty; 4. Financial Elder Abuse; 5. Negligence; 6. Negligent Supervision and Training; 7. Concealment; and...