Excerpt: ...ditions that the defendants caused, (c) she is concerned t hat she will be blackballed in the industry for suing her prior employer, and (d) defendants are trying to obtain a litigation advantage by making her disclose her real name, and they are seeking to shame and embarrass her. Code of Civil Procedure section 367 provides that an action “must be prosecuted in the name of the real party in interest, except as provided by statute.” Plaintif...

Excerpt: ... from other matters properly subject to judicial notice. (Blank v. Kirwan (1985) 39 Cal.3d 311, 318.) The issue is the sufficiency of the pleading, not the truth of the facts alleged. Thus, no matter how unlikely or improbable, the allegations made must be accepted as true for the purpose of ruling on the demurrer. (Del E. Webb Corporation v. Structural Materials Co. (1981) 123 Cal.App.3d 593, 604.) Absent court orders or other items subject to j...

Excerpt: ...ealment, or nondisclosure); (b) knowledge of falsity (or ‘scienter'); (c) intent to defraud, i.e., to induce reliance; (d) justifiable reliance; and (e) resulting damage. [Citation.]” (Small v. Fritz Companies, Inc. (2003) 30 Cal.4th 167, 173, internal quotation marks omitted.) In this medical negligence case, Plaintiff alle ges in the FAC that prior to Dr. Hennessy treating him, the defendants “made written affirmative representations ass...

Excerpt: ...d, and (3) it has filed a separate motion for a stay that has not yet been heard. The four discovery motions (ROAs 60, 64, 68, and 72) are GRANTED. Defendant is ORDERED to serve verified responses within 15 days. Sanctions are ORDERED against defendant and its counsel, joint and several, in the amounts requested in th e motions, payable to the plaintiff within 15 days. The defendant's request for sanctions is DENIED. Procedural Background The c...

Excerpt: ...ers, directors, managing agents, employees, or agents o f entity deponents who are most qualified to testify on its behalf].) If the party being deposed objects to the deposition notice, it must object to same at least three calendar days prior to the date for which the deposition is scheduled. (Code Civ. Proc. , § 2025.410, subds. (a) & (b).) “If, after service of a deposition notice, a party to the action or an officer, director, managing a...

Excerpt: ...een filed may object, by demurrer or answer as provided in S ection 430.30 , to the plead ing on any on e or more of the followin g grounds: … (e) The pleading does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. (f) The pleading is uncertain. As used in this subdivision, ‘uncertain' includes ambiguous a nd unintelligible.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 430.10, subds. (e) & (f); see Code Civ. Proc., § 430.50, subd. (a) [demurrer may be...

Excerpt: ... offer to compromise on February 20, 2023. (Exhibit F to the declaratio n of attorney Bryan Reynolds submitted with the opposition.) The terms of the statutory offer to compromise provides in ¶ 10 that defendant Jaguar Land Rover of North America “will pay Plaintiff's attorney's fees, expenses and costs in an amount to be det ermined by the Court to have been reasonably incurred pursuant to Civil Code Section 1794(d).” Subdivision (d) of sec...

Excerpt: ... untimely. A demurrer must be filed “within 30 days after service of the complaint.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 430.40, subd. (a).) The “demurring party shall be granted an automatic 30 -day extension of time within which to file a responsive pleading, by filing and serving, on or before the date on which a demurrer would be due, a declaration stating under penalty of perjury that a good faith attempt to meet and confer was made and explaining...

Excerpt: ...se of action for breach of contract, the plaintiff must prove (1) the contract, (2) plaintiff's performance of the contract or excuse for nonperformance, (3) the defendant's breach, and (4) resulting damage to the plaintiff.” (Richman v. Hartley (2014) 224 Cal.App.4th 1182, 1186.) “[T]he complaint must indicate on it s face whether the contract is written, oral, or implied by conduct.” (Otworth v. Southern Pacific Transportation Co. (1985)...

Excerpt: ...Legislature enacted sec tion 1102.5 in 1984 to provide whistleblowers with protection from employer retaliation. [Citation.]” (People ex rel. Garcia -Brower v. Kolla's, Inc. (2023) 14 Cal.5th 719, 722.) Section 1102.5(b) “ ‘reflects the broad public policy in encouraging workplace whistleblowers to report unlawful acts without fearing retaliation.' [Citations.]” (Id. at p. 723.) “Section 1102.5 provides whistleblower protections to emp...

Excerpt: ... or regula tion per Labor Code section 1102.5(c). Defendants Hancock Jaffe Laboratories, Inc. (“HJL”) and Robert Berman (“Berman” and, collectively, “Defendants”) separately move the Court to interpret material provisions of Plaintiff's Employment Agreement and for t he following findings: A. Section 6(d) of the Agreement Required Plaintiff to Provide Written Notice of Specific Circumstances Constituting “Good Reason”, Allow 30 ...

Excerpt: ...Plaintiff's objection is sustained and the evidence is exc luded. (The video is described in the police report, which Plaintiff submitted as evidence.) Merits The elements of a negligence claim and a premises liability claim are the same: a legal duty of care, breach of that duty, and proximate cause resulting in injury. (Kesner v. Superior Court (2016) 1 Cal.5th 1132, 1159.) Premises liability “is grounded in the possession of the premises and...

Excerpt: ...n order compelling further response to the de mand if the demanding party deems that any of the following apply: (1) A statement of compliance with the demand is incomplete. (2) A representation of inability to comply is inadequate, incomplete, or evasive. (3) An objection in the response is without m erit or too general. (b) A motion under subdivision (a) shall comply with each of the following: (1) The motion shall set forth specific facts sho...

Excerpt: ...nia 92651 (the “Property”) and (2) awarding Defendants their reasonable attorney's fees in the amount of $5,692.50 incurred in preparation, filing, attendance and argument on this Motion. In this instance, there is no dispute that the case involves a real property claim . In this transaction for the purchase of real property in Laguna Beach, several offers and counteroffers went back and forth. However, the gist of the agreement was that the...

Excerpt: ... authority which support that incorrect information in a caption to a Memorandum of Costs warrants striking the entire Memorandum of Costs. When legal argument with citation to authority is not furnished on a particular point, the court may treat the point as forfeited and move on without consideration. (Okasaki v. City of Elk Grove (2012) 203 Cal.App.4th 1043, 1045, fn. 1.) Tentative Ruling: The Court DENIES the motion to the extent it seeks to ...

Excerpt: ...cation, the court shall issue a right to attac h order if it finds all of the following: (1) The claim upon which the attachment is based is one upon which an attachment may be issued; (2) The plaintiff has established the probable validity of the claim upon which the attachment is based; (3) The attac hment is not sought for a purpose other than the recovery on the claim upon which the attachment is based; and (4) The amount to be secured by th...

Excerpt: ... amount of $120,832.44 against Defendant, OTA Franchise Corporation (“OTAF”), as follows. Upon filing of the Complaint, or at any time thereafter, the plaintiff may apply for a Right to Attach Order (“RTAO”) and writ of attachment by filing an application for the order & writ with the court in which the action is brought. Code Civ. Proc. § 484.010. If a debtor is a corporation, all of its assets are subject to attach ment. Code Civ. Pr...

Excerpt: ... all of the following: 1. The claim upon which the attachment is based is one upon which an attachment may be issued; 2. The plaintiff has established the probable validity of the claim upon which the attachment is based; 3. The attachment is not sought for a purpose other than the recovery on the claim u pon which the attachment is based; and 4. The amount to be secured by the attachment is greater than zero. Code Civ. Proc., § 484.090(a). A cl...

Excerpt: ...ately met and conferred before the filing of this Demurrer. Defendant argues that Pl aintiff's newly added basis for liability against it, Code of Regulations Title 5 § 5551, fails. Defendant cites to C.A. v. Williams S. Hart Union High School Dist., 53 Cal. 4th 861 (2012), wherein the California Supreme Court held that school principals a nd other supervisory employees “have the responsibility of taking reasonable measures to guard pupils ag...

Excerpt: ...ns in Redlands, California.” (¶1 of SAC.) The Complaint asserts Plaintiff has standing to sue as an unincorporated association pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 369.5. (¶1 of SAC.) Pursuant to this provision, “[a] partnership or other unincorporated association, whether organized for profit or not, may sue and be sued in the name it has assumed or by which it is known.” Code Civ. Proc., §369.5, subd. (a). As discussed in Tenan...

Excerpt: ...otional distress. Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16 applies to any cause of action arisin g from an “act in furtherance of a person's right of petition or free speech under the United States or California Constitution in connection with a public issue.” Code Civ. Proc., § 425.16, subds. (b)(1), (e). Any such cause of action “shall be subject to a special motion to strike, unless the court determines that the plaintiff has established ...

Excerpt: ...is entitled to mandatory attorney fees [and costs].” (Ketc hum v. Moses (2001) 24 Cal.4th 1122, 1131 (Ketchum); Code Civ. Proc, § 425.16, subd. (c)(1).) The “prevailing defendant on a motion to strike be allowed to recover attorney fees and costs only on the motion to strike, not the entire suit.” (LaFayette Mor ehouse, Inc. v. The Chronicle Publishing Co. (1995) 39 Cal.App.4th 1379, 1383; S.B. Beach Properties v. Berti (2006) 39 Cal.4th 3...

Excerpt: ...eement signed by Plaintiff Milton Crews Clark (“Plaintiff”) permits a contractu al fee claim here. (ROA 1499, Ex. 2, at ¶ 15.) Although the fees provision therein allows fees to be recovered by the prevailing party only to the extent incurred “to enforce the compensation provisions of this Agreement,” the right to recovery is recipro cal under Civil Code §1717(a). So fees may be recovered on an action either to enforce the compensation ...

Excerpt: ...ne whether the plaintiff has shown good cause that the official has unique or superior personal knowledge of discoverable information. If not, as will presumably often be the case in the instance of a large national or international corporation, the trial court should issue the protective order and 24 first require the plaintiff to obtain the necessary discovery through less intrusive methods.” Liberty Mutual Insurance Company v. Superior Cour...

Excerpt: ...s or her burden of showing that a cause of action has no merit if the party has shown that one or more elements of the cause of action, even if not separately pleaded, cannot be established, or that there is a complete defense to the cause of action. Once the defendant or cross- defendant has met that burden, the burden shifts to the plaintiff or cross- complainant to show that a triable issue of one or more material facts exists as to the cause ...

Excerpt: ...aken on 3/7/24 and the transcript has not yet been prepared . He says the deposition was originally noticed for 1/30/24 but defendants delayed such that the deposition did not go forward until 3/7. Plaintiff summarizes portions of Mr. Ip's deposition at ¶¶3, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 28, 30, 31, 32 & 35 of his declaration. However, he requests a continuance pursuant to CCP §437c(h) so that the actual transcript can be submitted with the spe...

Excerpt: ...e sections 2030.290, a party who fails to serve t imely responses to interrogatories waives any objection to the requested discovery. Code Civ. Proc., § 2030.290(a). The party propounding the interrogatories or requests for production may move for an order compelling responses to the discovery. Code Civ. Proc., § 2030.290(b). “Unlike a motion to compel further responses, a motion to compel responses is not subject to a 45 – day time limit, ...

Excerpt: ...District met and conferred and timely filed a Jo int Statement pursuant to the Court's February 26, 2024 Minute Order. Per the Joint Statement, the parties agree to a mental examination of Plaintiff, and have resolved one issue, agreeing that Plaintiff may be asked questions about past mental history pe rtaining to issues she claims resulted from or were exacerbated by the subject incident. According to the Joint Statement, three conditions that...

Excerpt: ...urther responses which identify the documents responsive to each r equest. Thus, Defendant is compelled to provide further 26 responses to each request which identifies the documents responsive to each request. Defendant is also compelled to provide further responses to Requests Nos. 37 -41. These requests seek documents regarding repair codes. To the extent Plaintiff seeks only the two, twopage, pdf documents, Defendant is compelled to produce ...

Excerpt: ...of $86,469.53 within 15 days, as well as an order that D efendant pay Plaintiff for reasonably incurred attorneys' fees in the total amount of $7,164 relating to collecting the payment of attorney's fees, costs, and expenses. No opposition has been filed. Code of Civil Procedure section 664.6 provides, in pert inent part: If parties to pending litigation stipulate, in a writing signed by the parties outside of the presence of the court or orally...

Excerpt: ...Plaintiffs”) (“Motion 2” below). I. Motion 1 Motion 1 is DEN IED. In determining whether exercise of state -court jurisdiction is consistent with due process, the inquiry must focus on the relationship among the defendant, the forum, and the litigation. (Rush v. Savchuk (1980) 444 U.S. 320, 327.) The presence of pr operty in a state may bear on the existence of jurisdiction by providing contacts among the forum State, the defendant, and the...

Excerpt: ...on the grounds Plaintiffs have not sufficiently alleged facts to support a claim for punitive damages. Civil Code § 3294(a) provides for punitive damages “[i]n an action for breach of an obligation not arising from contract, where it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that the 28 defendant has been guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice. . .” Section 3294(c) defines malice, oppression and fraud as follows: “(1) “Malice” means ...

Excerpt: ...n or proceeding until an arbitration is had in accordanc e with the order to arbitrate or until such earlier time as the court specifies.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 1281.4.) “The purpose of the statutory stay [required pursuant to section 1281.4] is to protect the jurisdiction of the arbitrator by preserving the st atus quo until arbitration is resolved. [Citations.] [¶] In the absence of a stay, the continuation of the proceedings in the trial ...

Excerpt: ...) Strike out any irrelevant, false, or improper matter inserted in any pleading (b) Strike out all or any part of any pleading not drawn or filed in conformity with the laws of this state, a court rule, or an order of the court.” Code of Civil Procedure, § 436. “[T]o establish the insurer's ‘bad faith' liability, the insured must show that the insurer has (1) withheld benefits due under the policy, and (2) that such withholding was �...

Excerpt: ...Johnson v. Superior Court (2006) 143 Cal.App.4th 297, 305.) “The standard of care in a medical malpractice case requires that physicians exercise in diagnosis and treatment that reasonable degree of skill, knowledge and care ordinarily possessed and exercised by members of the medical profess ion under similar circumstances.” (Munro v. Regents of University of California (1989) 215 Cal.App.3d 977, 983- 984.) Here, the undisputed evidence demo...

Excerpt: ...hin 30 days of service of the notice of ruling. For purposes of the above - referenced responses and responsive documents, the term “Engine Defect” shall mean: [D]efects which result in symptoms [of] an illuminated check engine light, reduced power mode, fuel pressure se nsor leaking, vehicle leaking clear fluid, fuel leak at the fuel rail, DTC P0087, DTC P0172, DTC P0260, DTC P2DEE, DTC P228A, DTC P228B, DTC P228C, DTC P2490, DTC P2627, DTC...

Excerpt: ...nts Compass California, Inc. and Art Heckman's motions to compel plaintiffs Mary Nathan and Reuben Nathan to provide further responses to Request for Production of Documents, Set One, are GRANTED in part and WITHDRAWN in part by moving parties. (Code Civ. Proc., § 2031.310 [authorizing motion to compel]; Sinaiko Healthcare Consulting, Inc. v. Pacific Healthcare Consultants (2007) 148 Cal.App.4th 390, 409 [court's discretion where responses serv...

Excerpt: ...020, Plaintiff Luciano Jimenez, as an individual and on behalf of all ot hers similarly situated (“Plaintiff”), filed a Complaint against Defendant Arcadia Chair Company, Inc. (“Defendant”). (ROA 2.) The Complaint alleged the following seven causes of action: 1. Failure to Pay All Overtime Wages; 2. Failure to Pay All Minimum W ages Owed; 3. Meal Period Violations; 4. Rest Period Violations; 5. Failure to Provide Accurate, Itemized Wage ...

Excerpt: ...020, Plaintiff Luciano Jimenez, as an individual and on behalf of all ot hers similarly situated (“Plaintiff”), filed a Complaint against Defendant Arcadia Chair Company, Inc. (“Defendant”). (ROA 2.) The Complaint alleged the following seven causes of action: 1. Failure to Pay All Overtime Wages; 2. Failure to Pay All Minimum W ages Owed; 3. Meal Period Violations; 4. Rest Period Violations; 5. Failure to Provide Accurate, Itemized Wage ...

Excerpt: ...not avoid an anti -SLAPP motion directed at a cause of action in a pending complaint (e.g., the second cause of action for intentional infliction of emotional distress) by filing an amended complaint that effectively drops the claim without prejudice. (See Salma v. Capon, at p. 1294 [legislative poli cy of early evaluation and expeditious resolution of claims arising from protected activity]; see also JKC3H8 v. Colton, at p. 478 [same].) Since ...

Excerpt: ...this portion of his claim. For the reasons set forth below, the motion is GRANTED. PRELIMINARY MATTERS Because the evidence objected to is immaterial to the Court's ruling, the Court declines to rule on the parties' evidentiary objections. However, the Court must comment on Disney's “Objections to Purported Evidence Submi tted by Plaintiff in Support of His Separate Statement of Undisputed Material Facts,” which are included in Disney's reply...

Excerpt: ...2004) 122 Cal.App.4th 1229, 12461247.) A self -represented litigant is not en titled to any greater consideration than other litigants and attorneys. (Petrosyan v. Prince Corp. (2013) 223 Cal.App.4th 587, 594 [self -represented litigants are entitled to same treatment as represented parties]; see Cal. Rules of Court, Rule 1.6(15) [de fines “parties” as including both self -represented persons and persons represented by an attorney of record ...

Excerpt: ...”.) (Judgment at p. 9, lines 4- 5.) In the instant motion, D efendants state their argument was that “the verdict should be reduced pursuant to section 877.6 of the Code of Civil Procedure in the amount stipulated by the release between Plaintiff and former defendants Managed Facilities Solutions, Inc. and Adam Kida n….” (Mov. Pts. & Auth. at 5, lines 11 -13.) The court notes that Defendants' previously filed Trial Brief on the issue sta...

Excerpt: ...commission reports and commission summaries for all put ative class members, within 20 days. Plaintiffs served a request for production of documents seeking documents relevant to seeking class certification, including documents concerning the “salaries, wage levels, hourly rates, commissions, and/or bonuses of each and every COVERED EMPLOYEE” (Request for Production No. 72). Defendants provided unverified responses with various objections t...

Excerpt: ...t if it granted TPG's motion to amend and/or motion to bring defendant into case (scheduled to be heard on February 22, 2024), the court may reconsider another trial continuance. (9/18/2023 Minute Order.) At that time, however, the court did not vacate the February 29, 2024 hearing on the motion to continue trial. And, TPG did not wit hdraw its motion to continue the trial date, even though it appeared to be somewhat outdated. On December 8, ...

Excerpt: ...for a properly noticed deposition. In a minute order dated January 27, 2023, the Court granted Defendant's motion to compel and ordered her to sit for deposition by February 17, 2023. (ROA 164.) Defendants renoticed Doe's deposition for February 15, 2023. This notice was electronically served on her counsel of record. (Lakhman Decl. Ex. 4.) On February 10, defense counsel followed up with a Zoom link for the deposition (which was to be conducted ...

Excerpt: ...dants (as opposed to entity defendants), a good faith effo rt at personal service must first be attempted before utilizing substitute service – i.e., there must be a showing that the summons “cannot with reasonable diligence be personally delivered” to the individual defendant. (Code Civ. Proc., § 415.20(b).) After a good faith attempt at personal service, an individual defendant may be sub -served by: (1) leaving a copy of the summons an...

Excerpt: ... is denied. It is unnecessary to ask the court to take judicial notice of materials previously filed in this case. A party may “simply call the court's attention to such papers.” (Weil & Brown, Cal. Practice Guide: Civil Procedure Before Trial (The Rutter Group 2023) ¶ 9:53.1a.) Merits Defendant moves to set aside the default and default judgment, pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 473, subdivisions (b) and (d), Code of Civil Proce...

Excerpt: ...al). The complaint stated that Chiavetta was on medical leave of absence in Septemb er 2022, when she accompanied her pregnant cousin to Hoag to provide care of the patient as labor began. The Charge Nurse told Chiavetta that she was on a leave of absence and was unable to provide care and treatment to her cousin as a nurse, but could be the patient's doula. Chiavetta adjusted the patient's pitocin and ignored the bedside labor and delive...

Excerpt: ...tice is submitted, a redline showing all changes, deletions an d additions must be submitted as well. In addition, please provide proof of service of any revised agreement on the LWDA. As to the Settlement: 1. Please provide copies of Plaintiffs' pre -filing letters to the LWDA. 2. Please provide proof of service o f the original settlement papers on the LWDA. Paragraph V of the agreement requires Plaintiffs to serve the LWDA, but the proof of s...