Excerpt: ...issions are deemed admitted by defendants. (Code Civ. Proc., § 2033.280, subd. (b).) Plaintiff's request for monetary sanctions is DENIED. The request is not codecompliant. Plaintiff did not cite in the notice of motion a specific code section authorizing sanctions. (Code Civ. Proc., §§ 2023.030‐2023.040; see Weil & Brown, Cal. Practice Guide: Civil Proc. Before Trial (Rutter Group 2018) at § 8:2000 [“The notice of motion must contain a r...

Excerpt: ...horities, the Sills are seeking further responses and production responsive to request for production of document numbers 17, 23, and 29‐30. The Court believes the appropriate provision for the motion may be Code of Civil Procedure section 2025.480, but it is not clear as the Sills failed to file the Notices of Deposition and Requests for Production of Documents as an exhibit. In fact, the Sills submitted no evidence whatsoever to support their...

Excerpt: ...e for the San Francisco County Superior Court. The Clerk is directed to transmit to the clerk of the Superior Court for San Francisco County a certified or exemplified copy of this order, together with all papers in the proceeding on file. The Defendants are directed to send notice to the parties. The case is set for a review hearing on September 18, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. in Dept. A of the Napa County Superior Court. The hearing is to confirm receipt...

Excerpt: ... and that as a result, the Court is without authority to issue sanctions pursuant to that section. In reply, Plaintiff contends that her meet and confer letter providing 23 days' notice of her intention to bring a motion for sanctions under Civil Procedure Code section 128.7, satisfied the requirements of section 128.5. Not so. The safe‐harbor provision at issue reads: If the alleged action or tactic is the making or opposing of a written motio...

Excerpt: ...e third, fourth, and fifth causes of action in the first amended verified cross‐complaint and make a request for judicial notice. A. Third Cause of Action The Belchers' demurrer to the third cause of action for quiet title/easement by necessity on the ground of failure to state sufficient facts is SUSTAINED WITHOUT LEAVE TO AMEND. Defendants/cross‐complainants Michael F. Nichelini and Kelly J. Nichelini, Robert Charles Lee and Terri Lynn, Nic...

Excerpt: ...the appeal of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California's order [restricting the Defendant Attorney General of California…from enforcing California Health and Safety Code § 25982 against Plaintiffs' USDA‐approved poultry products containing foie gras] in Ass'n des Eleveurs de Canards et d'Oies du Quebec v. Harris (C.D. Cal. Jan. 7, 2015) 79 F.Supp.3d 1136. On September 15, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the...

Excerpt: ...y as to WFM's ‘corporate policy' on retention and preservation of video because there was no such uniform policy at the time of the incident.” (Blaxter Decl. at 2:8‐11.) Plaintiff counters that “Defendant will have to produce those of its officers, directors, managing agents, employees, or agents who set policies to formally state on the record that there was no policy, and Plaintiff will have the opportunity to inquire further also on th...

Excerpt: ...ction or proceeding.” (Code Civ. Proc. § 1032, subd. (b).) In order to recover costs, the prevailing party is required to file and serve a Memorandum of Costs. (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1700(a).) To be recoverable, costs must be reasonable in amount and reasonably necessary to the conduct of litigation. (Code Civ. Proc. § 1033.5, subd. (c)(1)‐(3).) If the items listed in the Memorandum of Costs appear proper on their face, then the verif...

Excerpt: ...dant/cross‐complainant Bruce Tucker Construction Inc. (“BTC”) shall serve verified codecompliant further responses, without objections, within 20 calendar days of service of notice of entry of order. The motion is denied as to interrogatory numbers 304.1, 314.7, 321.2, 321.5, 321.9‐321.10, 323.1‐323.3, and 324.1. BTC objects to interrogatory number 304.1 on the ground of relevance because it deals with insurance policy numbers, effectiv...

Excerpt: ...uding terminating sanctions consisting of an order striking the party's pleading. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2023.030, subd. (c).) If a party fails to obey an order compelling further response to interrogatories, “the court may make those orders that are just, including the imposition of…a terminating sanction….” (Code Civ. Proc. § 2023.030, subd. (d).) In lieu of, or in addition to, that sanction, the court may impose a monetary sanction….�...

Excerpt: ...ight to recover costs in any action or proceeding.” (Code Civ. Proc. § 1032, subd. (b).)1 On February 26, 2019, the Court granted Defendant's motion for summary judgment as to all causes of action asserted by Plaintiff. Defendant is therefore the prevailing party in the action as to all counts and is entitled to costs “except as otherwise expressly provided by statute.” (Code Civ. Proc. § 1032, subd. (b).) Analysis of the present motion i...

Excerpt: ...s without authority to dismiss the action. On January 25, 2019, the Court entered an order sustaining Defendant Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s demurrer without leave to amend. The Court therein announced its finding that it is without jurisdiction over the present matter. The Court set an OSC re: Dismissal for March 12, 2019. However, on January 30, 2019, Defendant filed a Notice of Stay of proceedings, pursuant to section 362, subdivision (a) of t...

Excerpt: ...y cannot be properly joined unless served with the summons and complaint; notice does not substitute for proper service. Until statutory requirements are satisfied, the court lacks jurisdiction over a defendant.” (Ruttenberg v. Ruttenberg, 53 Cal.App.4th 801, 808.) Once a defendant files a motion to quash, the burden is on the plaintiff to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, the validity of the service, and the court's jurisdiction over ...

Excerpt: ...iper failed to satisfy any of the elements of Civil Code section 846 by not alleging the land was open to the public for a recreational purpose, Piper entered the premises for such a purpose, or Piper was engaged in any recreational activity. Based on the arguments going to the elements of the claim, Palmer is contending the complaint fails to state sufficient facts to state a cause of action. This is a ground for a general demurrer, but not for ...

Excerpt: ...ntegrity of the judicial process and prevent prejudice to the parties.” (Motion at 2:7‐13.) Rule 3.7 of the Rules of Professional Conduct provides that an attorney shall not act as an advocate in a trial in which the attorney is likely to be a witness unless: (1) the attorneys' testimony relates to an uncontested issue or matter; (2) the testimony relates to the nature and value of legal services rendered in the case; or, (3) the lawyer has o...

Excerpt: ...r Damages and Equitable Relief in the matter of Brewer v. First American Title Co. The Court finds that the fact of its filing is irrelevant to the issues presented in the present motion. Similarly, judgments entered by the Superior Court of California in and for the County of Orange do not constitute binding authority on this Court, and the Court finds that the fact of the filing of the Order Granting Final Approval of Class Action Settlement an...

Excerpt: ...QA), directing respondent County of Napa (County) to set aside and vacate its certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and project approvals for the Napa Syar Quarry Expansion Project. Upon review of the moving papers, the Court tentatively agrees with Petitioner on two grounds: (1) the EIR fails to provide sufficient evidentiary support for the County's decision to use the five‐year averaged operations baseline for measurin...

Excerpt: ...annot establish the elements of any of the causes of action contained in the first amended complaint. This is not a valid ground for summary judgment. (See Code Civ. Proc., § 437c, subd. (a) [a motion for summary judgment asks the Court to determine the entire action has no merit and to terminate the action without the necessity of a trial].) Defendants also did not advance any evidence in their separate statement as to why the entire action has...

Excerpt: ...apa County Assessor, Napa County Auditor‐Controller, and Napa County Treasurer‐Tax Collector, contending there are no triable issues of material fact pertaining to their Complaint, in which Plaintiffs allege causes of action for (1) refund of property taxes, (2) declaratory relief, (3) denial of constitutional rights, (4) denial of procedural due process, and (5) writ of administrative mandamus. Preliminarily, as noted by Defendants, Plaintif...

Excerpt: ...r monetary sanctions for bringing its motion is DENIED. The request is not code‐compliant. Plaintiff did not cite in the notice of motion any code section authorizing sanctions. (Code Civ. Proc., §§ 2023.030‐ 2023.040; see Weil & Brown, Cal. Practice Guide: Civil Proc. Before Trial (Rutter Group 2018) at § 8:2000 [“The notice of motion must contain a request for sanctions and must: . . . Cite the authority for such sanctions.”].) Any r...

Excerpt: ...rther responses to FLP's form interrogatories (FI) – general (set one) numbers 2.5, 8.4, 8.6‐8.8, 9.1‐9.2, 10.2, 12.2‐12.3 and 50.1‐50.6, FI – employment (set one) numbers 200.4, 201.1‐201.2, 204.3, 210.2‐210.4, 210.6, and 212.2‐212.3, and special interrogatories (SI) (set one) numbers 4‐14, 16‐21, 23‐25, and 27‐28.1 Plaintiff Vannessa Scott‐Allen opposes. A. Separate Statement Motions to compel further responses to in...

Excerpt: ...pel arbitration and stay proceedings. That petition was based on an arbitration agreement with a class action waiver between Plaintiff and Defendant. On December 21, 2018, Plaintiff filed a First Amended Complaint asserting only one cause of action under California Labor Code, section 2698, et seq. (PAGA claim). Thereafter, Defendants renewed their petition to compel arbitration and stay proceedings. As an initial matter, Defendants contend that ...

Excerpt: ...in 20 calendar days of service of notice of entry of order. The City's request for monetary sanctions is DENIED. Devine did not oppose the motion, which means monetary sanctions are not warranted. (See Code Civ. Proc., §§ 2030.290, subd. (c) [providing that monetary sanctions are warranted against any party, person, or attorney who “unsuccessfully . . . opposes a motion to compel . . . .”]; 2031.300, subd. (c) [same].) The City raises for t...

Excerpt: ...ntegrated enterprise issues (before the discrimination, retaliation, and fraud liability, and damages issues), liability and compensatory damages, and punitive damages pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure sections 598 and 1048, subdivision (b), and request to preclude the admission of evidence of defendants' profits, wealth, or financial condition until after the trier of fact returns a verdict for plaintiff awarding actual damages and finds defen...

Excerpt: ...endants to file a reply.1 Cootes thereafter filed her second supplemental opposition along with a request for judicial notice. Cootes attached to the second supplemental opposition a proposed first amended complaint. Defendants filed their reply and an objection to the request for judicial notice. The Court subsequently granted Cootes' request to file a sur reply as well as a response to the objection to her request for judicial notice. The Court...