Excerpt: ...in order. The motion is granted, conditioned on submission of a satisfactory supplemental declaration explaining Worksafe and the proposed cy pres provision. A. Background and Settlement Terms Defendant ISP2, and its subsidiaries also named as defendants, are in the business of SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 12 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CHARLES S TREAT HEARING DATE: 03/30/2023 10 operating a chain of restaurants...

Excerpt: ...f proposed class representative payments. A. Background and Settlement Terms Defendant is in the business of providing clinical outpatient intervention to autistic teens, and their families and caretakers, principally on an in-home basis. Each of plaintffs was employed by defendant for various periods in 2020-2022 in various hourly, non-exempt positions. SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 12 JUDICIAL OFFICER...

Excerpt: ...TE: 03/30/2023 7 A. Background and settlement Terms The original complaint was filed January 8, 2020. It is a class action complaint alleging that defendant violated the Labor Code by filing to provide required overtime and minimum wages, meal and rest periods, proper wage statements, and reimbursement of employee business expenses. The case does not include a claim under PAGA. Since preliminary approval was granted, the administrator has mailed ...

Excerpt: ...on and PAGA case. • Chiesa v. Airgas, No. 34-2022-00325292, filed in Sacramento County on August 17, 2022 as a class action. • Chiesa v. Airgas, No. 34-2022-00328503, filed in Sacramento County on October 19, 2022 by the same plaintiff as the precedng case, as a PAGA-onl',' case. Pursuant to an order of the Chief Justice entered February 16, 2023, Contra Costa Superior Court was assigned to decide the motion, and the Presiding Judge of this c...

Excerpt: ...rrer to the third and fourth causes of action is overruled. Defendant shall answer the complaint within 15 days. Background On September 2, 2022 Plaintiff Shonte Herse filed this action against Defendant Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Inc. ("HDMC"), alleging violations of California's Song-Beverly Act (SBA, Civil Code SS 1790 et seq.), and the federal Magnuson- Moss Warranty Act (MMWA) (15 U.S.C. SS 2300 et seq.). In the operative Second Amended ...

Excerpt: ... OF CALIFORNIA, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 12 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CHARLES S TREAT HEARING DATE: 03/23/2023 13 In a nutshell, the fundamental problem with TEG'S cross-complaint against Agra Tech is that it is a defense masquerading as a cross- complaint. Importantly, although there are numerous parties to this litigation, the only party that has sued TEG is Agra Tech. Accordingly, there are no claims against TEG, from plaintiff Natu...

Excerpt: ... bus driver. The original complaint was filed on April 24, 2019 as a class action. PAGA claims were added by amendment shortly thereafter. The first amended complaint is the operative pleading. The settlement would create a gross settlement fund of $150,000. The class representative payment to the plaintiff would be $5,000. Attorney's fees would be $50,000 (one-third of the settlement). Litigation costs would not exceed $12,000. The settlement ad...

Excerpt: ...e science research and clinical SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 12 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CHARLES S TREAT HEARING DATE: 03/16/2023 6 diagnostic products. Plaintiff worked in its manufacturing operations. The original complaint was filed on January 27, 2021 as a class achon. The class claims were dismissed pursuant to an unopposed motion based on an arbitration agreement and class action waiver, but PAGA claims...

Excerpt: ...A case (not a class action), alleging a variety of violations of the Labor Cuie concerning failure to provide rest and meal breaks, failure to pay minimum wages and overtime, and cascading derivative violations. In particular, plaintiff asserts alleged violations for work outside paid SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 12 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CHARLES S TREAT HEARING DATE: 03/16/2023 10 time, and violations as t...

Excerpt: ...before it an unrebutted factual showing by defendant which, if true, demonstrated to the Court's satisfaction that the proposed substitute plaintiff Norma Chayrez could not assert the claims at issue in the case, could not be an adequate class representative, and did not present a timely PAGA claim. As the Court summarized in that tentative ruling: [Chayrez] in fact worked at defendant only two days, in February 2020. During that time she did not...

Excerpt: ...ons and for retaliation for asserting rights as tenants. The demurrer is and sustained with leave to amend as to the Eleventh cause of action. It is otherwise overruled. Plaintiffs shall have 30 days from the date of this order in which to amend. Defendants shall have 30 days from service of the amended complaint, or from expiration of Plaintiffs' time to amend, in which to respond. Background/procedural History On September 1, 2021, plaintiff Sa...

Excerpt: ...tlement would create a gross settlement fund of $390,000. The class representative payment to the plaintiffs would be $7,500. Attorney's fees would be $130,000 (one- third of the settlement). Litigation costs would not exceed $12,500. The settlement administrator's costs are estimated at $7,000. PAGA penalties would be $40,000, resulting in a payment of $30,000 to the LWDA. The net amount paid directly to the class members would be about $185,000...

Excerpt: ... comply with rule 3.1116 of the California Rules of Court in future law and motion proceedings. Plaintiffs' Evidence. The bulk of plaintiffs' opposition evidence is of little value to the Court in deciding this motion. For example, plaintiffs' counsel attaches "Material safety data sheet[sl" and a related piece of correspondence as Exhibits 1-7 and 24, with no explanation of the nature or significance of these documents. Equally unhelpful are the...

Excerpt: ...t. Parties are ordered to submit plaintiff's individual PAGA claims to arbitration and this proceeding is otherwise stayed, pending the outcome of arbitration. (Code of Civil Procedure S 1281.4.) The Court notes that this is a PAGA-only action. The same plaintiff filed a parallel class action in this Court asserting substantively similar claims. That case was removed to federal court. Defendant filed a parallel moton in the federal case to compel...

Excerpt: ...ors, including its former Chief Executive Officer, Sam Bankman-Fried, are the subject of numerous pending civil actions, bankruptcy proceedings, and criminal investigations. Bankman-Fried and others are alleged to have misappropriated funds invested on the FTX.com platform, in part through another company owned by Bankman-Fried, Alameda Research. On November 11, 2022, FTX.com announced that it, FTX US, Alameda, and numerous related companies file...

Excerpt: ...nd stay further proceedings. (Some of these individuals appear in the case only as trustees for trusts.) The distinctions among these moving defendants are largely irrelevant to the motion, and unless otherwise required, they will be collectively called the “Rhoads defendants” or “Rhoads parties”. Plaintiffs in the case are John Frazer and Cecilia Cruickshank (husband and wife), both suing solely on behalf of a family trust of which they ...

Excerpt: ...mmissions, or that Puri otherwise interfered with Saini's ability to receive commissions from transactions involving the family and friends of Burt Benepal. (Complaint, ¶ 22 and ¶ 30.) • The parties may, but are not required to, arbitrate the claim that plaintiff Saini is owed a 30 percent referral fee for the transaction that closed on June 29, 2022. (Complaint, ¶ 22 and ¶ 23.) This action is stayed pending the outcome of the arbitration. ...

Excerpt: ...all not prejudice the parties' right to stipulate to arbitration for all plaintiffs, should the parties deem that a more efficient mode of proceeding. Defendants' request for judicial notice is granted. This action is stayed pending the outcome of the arbitration, and of any judicial reference, subject to further court order. The Original Purchaser Plaintiffs. The plaintiffs who were original purchasers of their homes do not dispute that their pu...

Excerpt: ... only on those issues relating to which entity or entities were responsible as the employer(s) of plaintiff Hill – Tesoro, or co-defendant Specialty Welding and Turn Arounds, LLC (SWAT). Background This action arises out of plaintiff's employment as a journeyman pipefitter for approximately three weeks from February 28 to March 19, 2019 at an oil refinery in Martinez owned and operated by defendant Tesoro. (Second Amended Complaint (2AC) ¶ 8.)...

Excerpt: ...a class action in this County, and amended the complaint to add a PAGA claim. NCR removed the case to federal court based on the Class Action Fairness Act. Kalaveras's class claims were then dismissed, and the action remanded to this Court. Meanwhile, Missreezadah filed a PAGA-only case in Los Angeles County. The latter case was dismissed voluntarily, and Missreezadah was added by amendment as a plaintiff in the Contra Costa action. After a succe...

Excerpt: ... require leave of court to amend. (Proposed defendant Quam is not a party in the case.) At a previous CMC the Court had informally observed that plaintiff's existing complaint is virtually SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 12 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CHARLES S TREAT HEARING DATE: 02/23/2023 9 devoid of any factual allegations. The present motion is presumably his response to that admonition. However, the proposed ...

Excerpt: ... a procedural and jurisdictional subtext here, which neither side tries to conceal. Plaintiff sued three defendants (not counting Does) in her complaint, and again in her first amended complaint: Wal-Mart Associates, Inc.; Walmart Inc.; and Emmy Rodriguez. Plaintiff is evidently of diverse citizenship from the two corporate defendants, but not from Rodriguez. Defendants removed the case to federal court on the basis of diversity, asserting that R...

Excerpt: ...tice of their request for a preliminary injunction by serving either a notice of motion or an order to show cause. (CRC 3.1150(a).) “An OSC must be used when … the party against whom the preliminary injunction is sought has not appeared in the action.” (Ibid.) “If the responding party has not appeared, the OSC must be served in the same manner as a summons and complaint.” (Ibid.) The OSC must describe the injunction to be sought at the ...

Excerpt: ...TY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 12 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CHARLES S TREAT HEARING DATE: 02/16/2023 18 Since preliminary approval was granted, the administrator has mailed notices to 115 class members. No objections or requests to opt out have been received. A. Background and Settlement Terms The original complaint was filed on August 30, 2021, raising class action claims on behalf of non-exempt employees, alleging that defendant violated the Labor Code in ...

Excerpt: ...ntiffs worked for defendants as hourly employees – Torres as a shipping/receiving clerk, and Rascon as a machinist. A. Background of the Case and Terms of Settlement This a PAGA case (not a class action), alleging a variety of violations of the Labor Code concerning failure to provide rest and meal breaks, failure to pay minimum wages and overtime, and cascading derivative violations. Among other things, the action alleges violations centering ...