Excerpt: ...il October 20, 2023, and a CMC shall be set for 8:30 a.m. on September 19, 2023. Any party seeking to extend the stay will need to file a noticed motion seeking such relief. Background This action arises out of a long-running dispute among five siblings, the children of Silvio Garaventa, Sr. and Mary Garaventa, following the death of Mary Garaventa. The siblings are direct and indirect owners of the plaintiff, Garaventa Enterprises, Inc., a close...

Excerpt: ...alendar days before the next CMC. The parties shall update the court as to the status of the stay and whether it can be vacated. (4) Plaintiff shall file and serve notce of entry of this order. Background Plaintiff Kevin Winans filed this acton to recover damages for battery, use of excessive force, civil rights violations pursuant to 42 USC section 1983, etc., against Defendants City of Brentwood Police Department and Officers Jonathan Davis and...

Excerpt: ...s the burden on both these issues. (Code of Civil Procedure 5405.30; see also, Kirkeby v. Superior Court (2004) 33 Cal.4th 642, 647.) A motion to expunge a lis pendens usually involves two questions. First, is whether the complaint involves a real property claim. (Code of Civil Procedure 5405.31.) Defendant concedes that the complaint here involves a real property claim. Probable Validity of Plaintiff's Claim Next, the Court considers the merits ...

Excerpt: ...e; (4) quiet title; (5) breach of fiduciary duty; (6) constructive trust; (7) partition by sale of real property; and (8) partition by sale of real property. Defendant demurs to all Plaintiff's causes of action pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure ("CCP") S 430.10 on several grounds; in the alternative, Defendant moves to stay or enjoin pursuant to CCP S 418.10 and 526(a) based on pending family law proceedngs in Contra Costa Case No. D22-03945. F...

Excerpt: ...the action filed by the other two defendants heard concurrently with the demurrer. Background This action arises out of a long-running dispute among five siblings, the children of Silvio Garaventa, Sr. and Mary Garaventa, following the death of Mary Garaventa. The siblings are direct and indirect owners of the plaintiff, Garaventa Enterprises, Inc., a closely held corporation. (Compl. "115-25.) The Court will use first names of the siblings in th...

Excerpt: ...s filed their motion for summary judgment or, in the alternative, summary adjudication ("MSJ") on June 10, 2022. Plaintiff filed fts initial opposition to the MS] on August 11, 2022. Thereafter, on August 24, 2022, the Court issued a tentative ruling continuing the hearing on the MSJ and ordering Defendant to re-file its opposition so as to comport with the applicable California Rules of Court and Code of Civil Procedure. No party contested this ...

Excerpt: ..., filed this suit to recover for injuries sustained while operating a motor grader. Defendant American Equipment Company ("AMECO") allegedly manufactured, sold, or leased the defective equipment and defendant NorCal Rental Group, LLC ("NorCal") allegedly helped manufacture, supply and/or repair the defective equipment. On August 24, 2022, NorCal filed a cross- complaint against AMECO for express contractual indemnity. The cross-complaint alleged ...

Excerpt: ...se of Acton and denied, in part, as to the Second and Third Causes of Action, as fully explained below. Discussion Legal Standard "The function of a demurrer is to test the sufficiency of the complaint as a matter of law." (Holiday Matinee, Inc. v. Rambus, Inc. (2004) 118 Cal.App.4th 1413, 1420.) A complaint "is sufficient if it alleges ultimate rather than evidentiary facts" (Doe v. City of Los Angeles (2007) 42 Cal.4th 531, 550), but the plaint...

Excerpt: ...RIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 36 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CLARE MAIER HEARING DATE: 06/01/2023 10 Plaintiff filed the Complaint initiating this matter on March 13, 2023. She filed proofs of service of summons indicating that both Defendants, County of Contra Costa and Arnold Josselson, M.D., were personally served with the summons and Complaint on March 17, 2023 by delivering copies of her filings with the Board o...

Excerpt: ...T OF CALIFORNIA, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 36 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CLARE MAIER HEARING DATE: 06/01/2023 2 opposition and Joinder to the Motion. Defendant seeks to transfer the instant case to Calaveras County. For the following reasons, Defendant's motion is granted. Analysis The default venue for civil actions is "the superior court in either the county where the injury occurs or the injury causing death occurs or the county where...

Excerpt: ...vor of Defendants. Factual Background Plaintiff alleges that he was injured in a motor vehicle accident by an ambulance operated by Michael Dayton and owned by AMR. The form complaint alleges those facts, that the accident occurred on April 23, 2019 on Clayton Road in Concord, and that Defendants' acts were negligent. (Attachment to Compl.) The Complaint alleges one cause of achon for negligence arising out of the accident. The Complaint was file...

Excerpt: ...ure to meet their initial burden. Background Plaintiffs seek to quiet title against defendant Shadelands Medical Center Owners Association. Defendant is the owners association of owners of units in the Shadelands Medical Center condominium project ("Shadelands"), a common interest development as defined in Section 4100 of the California Civil Code. Historically, Shadelands was developed by Vertical Ventures - Wiget Lane, LLC ("Vertical"). Vertica...

Excerpt: ...fendants' motion to confirm is granted, and Plaintiff's motion to vacate, change or correct the award is denied. Background This action involves a dispute over the assets of Katherine Hill-Ford, who died on November 30, 2015. Defendant Anita Budde is Hill's daughter. Plaintiff Lawrence Ford, who is not Budde's father, married Hill in 2006. Defendant Frankie Ross is Hill's financial advisor. Ford alleges that Hill filled out beneficiary designatio...

Excerpt: ...ad litem) is suing the Defendant for negligence claims related to an accident. Defendant was driving when she hit Plaintiff who was crossing the street while in the crosswalk. Plaintiff is seeking punitive damages based on malice. The facts supporting punitive damages are that at the time of the accident, Defendant's driver's license was suspended for "lack of knowledge or skill". Defendant's license was suspended because she had slowed her vehic...

Excerpt: ...son Village Homes Corporation filed this action for breach of contract and negligence on SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 36 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CLARE MAIER HEARING DATE: 06/01/2023 6 February 7, 2023. Plaintiff is a nonprofit mutual housing corporation. Plaintiff currently has several hundred members who occupy over 400 housing units in Richmond, California. Rather than own individual properties themselves,...

Excerpt: ...gainst David Eckert, Baywoods Homeowners Association (hereinafter "Baywood HOA"), and Homeowners Management Co., LLC. The action was filed on October 28, 2021, and the operative First Amended Complaint ("FAC") was filed on August 19, 2022. The FAC purports to allege three causes of action using a judicial council form complaint: (1) breach of contract, (2) general negligence, and (3) intentional tort. Specifically, plaintiff alleges that on or ab...

Excerpt: ...lace Matter Back on Active calendar ("Motion"). For the reasons set forth below, the Moton is denied. However, the Court on its own moton will reconsider its earlier ruling in a very limited manner as set forth at the end of this order. Plaintiff is granted limited leave to amend as set forth below. Procedural Background Plaintiff filed the Complaint in this matter on December 30, 2020. The Complaint pertains to alleged injuries sustained by Plai...

Excerpt: .... For the following reasons, the Motion is denied. SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 36 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CLARE MAIER HEARING DATE: 05/18/2023 Page 11 of 26 Request for Judicial Notice Plaintiffs' unopposed request for judicial notice of Contra Costa County Tax Assessor Records and California Department of Energy Climate Zone Designations by Zip Code is granted. (Evid. Code SS 452, 453.) General Description...

Excerpt: ... alleges Fay Servicing, LLC ("Fay") is the servicer for her mortgage loan secured by the Property. (Compl. 2, 5.) She alleges she submitted "a completed loan modification application" to Fay on "December 13, 2021," though she contends in her opposition the date is a typographical error and is really December 13, 2022. (Compl. '1 9; Opp. p. 3, II. 19-23.) Plaintiff alleges on January 17, 2023, Fay requested her two most recent paystubs, which she ...

Excerpt: ...23 the Court issued an Order awarding and striking certain costs to Defendant for prevailing on Susan Clancy's claims. On behalf of Timothy Clancy, plaintiff has filed a memorandum of costs, and Defendant has filed a motion to tax costs claiming that certain of the costs are non-recoverable. Analysis Except as otherwise provided, a prevailing party is entitled as a matter of right to recover costs in any action or proceeding. (S 1032, subd. To ob...

Excerpt: ... value under the Probate Code. Probate Code section 18100 states that "[w]ith respect to a third person dealing with a trustee or assisting a trustee in the conduct of a transaction, if the third person acts in good faith and for a valuable consideration and without actual knowledge that the trustee is exceeding the trustee's powers or improperly exercising them... The third person is fully protected in dealing with or assisting the trustee just ...

Excerpt: ...tration award. For the reasons set forth, the Court requests supplemental briefing by the parties before the Court issues a ruling on the merits of the motion. The parties shall file and serve supplemental briefs no longer than 10 pages double-spaced by May 22, 2023 addressing the issues set forth below. The hearing on the motion and Plaintiff's response is continued to 9:00 a.m. on June 1, 2023. On July 21, 2022, Ford commenced an arbitration be...

Excerpt: ... CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 36 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CLARE MAIER HEARING DATE: 05/04/2023 Factual Background Plaintiff owns a 2008 GMC Yukon 1500 (the "Vehicle"). The Vehicle was towed to Defendant Lehmer's Concord Buick GMC ("Defendant") on or about May 13, 2020 as it was having engine problems. This included sputtering of the engine and an illuminated 'check engine' light. Defendant inspected the Vehicle and determined there was an...

Excerpt: ... CALIFORNIA, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY MARTINEZ, CA DEPARTMENT 36 JUDICIAL OFFICER: CLARE MAIER HEARING DATE: 05/04/2023 and S 430.50(a) on the grounds that "the underlying Notice of Termination is fatally defective because it failed to serve the appropriate Tenant and the Landlord is estopped from enforcing the Sublease." (Notice at 1:27-28.) For the following reasons, the Demurrer is overruled. Legal Standard "The function of a demurrer is to test th...

Excerpt: ...ice Kugler (collectively "Defendants")'s Demurrer to Plaintiff Maureen Mbadike-obiora, MD ("Plaintiff" or "Dr. Mbadikeobiora")'s Fourth Amended Complaint for (1) breach of contract, (2) accounting, (3) breach of fiduciary duty, (4) breach of implied covenant of gtnd faith and fair dealing, (5) intentional and negligent misrepresentation, and (6) declaratory relief. For the following reasons, Defendants Demurrer is sustained, with leave to amend. ...