Excerpt: ...nths of entry of default and notice of entry of judgment, so the motion for relief under section 473.5 is timely. Relief Under CCP § 473(b). CCP § 473(b) provides, in pertinent part: “[Discretionary relief provision.] “The court may, upon any terms as may be just, relieve a party or his or her legal representative from a judgment, dismissal, order, or other proceeding taken against him or her through his or her mistake, inadvertence, surpri...

Excerpt: ... LLC, Ferrado Properties Inc., Hotelcrafters LA LLC, Hotelcrafters Palo Alto LLC, Hotelcrafters Laguna LLC, Hotelcrafters Hollywood LLC, Hotelcrafters Lido LLC, Beverage- Crafters LLC (“Ferrado Defendants”) is granted. The Court finds that the Ferrado Defendants have presented sufficient evidence to support a finding that the Settlement entered into between the Ferrado Defendants, on one hand, and Plaintiffs William Watzman and Sandy Watzman,...

Excerpt: ...dant's Motion to Seal Certain Portions of Plaintiff Heritage Fields El Toro, LLC's Oppositions to AIG Specialty's Motions in Limine is granted as to plaintiff's Opposition to Motion in Limine #5 and 6, but is denied as to plaintiff's Opposition to Motion in Limine #2. Contrary to the assertion in defendant's Notice of Motion, pages 17-19 of Exhibit 1 to the Declaration of Jeffery A. Kiburtz in Support of Heritage Fields' Opposition to AIG Special...

Excerpt: ...t have standing to enforce the judgment as evidenced by a number of declarations and other records that were purportedly filed in the underlying action, and that WestLB is the current and only judgment creditor with standing to enforce the judgment. (Id. at pp. 4, 7-9.) All of these arguments fail in the first instance. As an initial matter, a demurrer only tests the sufficiency of a complaint. “A demurrer tests the pleadings alone and not the ...

Excerpt: ... a complaint is in some respects uncertain, because ambiguities can be clarified under modern discovery procedures.” (Khoury v. Maly's of California, Inc. (1993) 14 Cal.App.4th 612, 616.) Errors and confusion created by “the inept pleader” are to be forgiven if the pleading contains sufficient facts entitling plaintiff to relief. (Saunders v. Cariss (1990) 224 Cal.App.3d 905, 908.) A demurrer for uncertainty should be overruled if the facts...

Excerpt: ...ontract at issue was entered into. In its opposition papers, plaintiff explains that it made this assertion because plaintiff was the last party to sign the release, and that it did so in Orange County. Plaintiff cites Braunstein v. Superior Court (1964) 225 Cal. App. 2d 691, 696, in which the court held that the place of making a contract is the place where the last act necessary for its validity was done. Defendant responds that venue is proper...

Excerpt: ...rado Properties Inc., Hotelcrafters LA LLC, Hotelcrafters Palo Alto LLC, Hotelcrafters Laguna LLC, Hotelcrafters Hollywood LLC, Hotelcrafters Lido LLC, Beverage- Crafters LLC (“Ferrado Defendants”) is granted. The Court finds that the Ferrado Defendants have presented sufficient evidence to support a finding that the Settlement entered into between the Ferrado Defendants, on one hand, and Plaintiffs Rodney Reichelt, Carol Reichelt, Scott Blak...

Excerpt: ...ged since the settlement was valued. Specifically, he notes that at the end of 2021, Defendant reclassified a number of job titles from exempt to non-exempt. As a result, “the 15% increase in number of employees did not fairly represent the change in overall class size.” (2 nd Supp. Moon Decl. ¶ 3(a).) This explanation creates several new problems the Court does not believe can be cured with further briefing or with minor tweaks to the settl...

Excerpt: ...ield Co. (2001) 25 Cal.4th 826, 851 [burden]; see also 1/21/22 SSUF #28-46 [contract], 47 [performance], 86 & 107 [breach], 116 [damages].) But defendant Powernet Inc. met its shifted burden to show triable issues of material fact. (See Aguilar, supra, 25 Cal.4th at p. 851 [burden]; see e.g. 5/6/21 Opp. SSUF at responses to #17, 21-22, 25, 28, 46, 51, 56, 90, & 100.) Issue #2, Cross-complaint. Cross-defendants Greg Debenon and Lisa Debenon fail t...

Excerpt: ...uments are not disclosed. (Rutter Group, Civil Procedure Before Trial, Sections 8:1495.3 and 8:1495.6.) Once a showing of good cause is met, it is then the responding party's burden to justify the objections asserted. (Rutter Group, Civil Procedure Before Trial, Section 8:1496, citing Kirkland v. Superior Court (2002) 95 Cal.App.4th 92, 98.) MP's initial burden of good cause must be supported by admissible evidence, such as declarations. (Calcor ...

Excerpt: ...hat all of the requested documents are privileged, or that she inspected all of the potentially responsive documents to establish they are all privileged, and thus Peck has not established good cause for the protective order she seeks. Snell and Grad's opposition request for sanctions is granted against Judith Peck in the amount of $6,750, payable within 30 days. Peck's motion lacks substantial justification, and no other circumstances make the i...

Excerpt: ...w, upon any terms as may be just, an amendment to any pleading. (Code of Civ. Proc., § 473(a)(1).) Additionally, “[a]ny judge, at any time before or after commencement of trial, in the furtherance of justice, and upon such terms as may be proper, may allow the amendment of any pleading or pretrial conference order.” (Code of Civ. Proc., § 576.) A motion to amend a pleading before trial must: (1) include a copy of the proposed amendment or a...

Excerpt: ... file a second amended complaint within 20 days. Defendants' request for judicial notice is denied as irrelevant to this motion. First COA - Violation of California Civil Code Section 2923.55 and/or 2923.5 In the first cause of action of the first amended complaint (“FAC”), Plaintiffs allege Defendants violated statutory provisions related to recordation of the Notice of Default. Plaintiffs allege Moving Defendants were the loan servicer at t...

Excerpt: ...t is alleged delivery of the vehicle occurred February 5, 2015. But the lawsuit was not filed until March 23, 2021, and this specific cause of action would be barred by the four-year statute of limitations unless the complaint adequately pleads delayed discovery. Paragraphs 17-24 of the amended complaint detail the various times the plaintiff presented the vehicle for repairs beginning in October 2019, or more than four years after delivery. Para...

Excerpt: ...he existence of the contract, the plaintiff's performance or excuse for failure to perform, defendants' breach and damage to plaintiff resulting therefrom. (Spinks v. Equity Residential Briarwood Apartments (2009) 171 Cal.App.4th 1004, 1031) The complaint must allege the ultimate facts necessary to state an actionable cause of action, and it is insufficient to simply plead the evidence by which he hopes to prove such ultimate facts. (Careau & Co....

Excerpt: ...dependent adult' means any of the following: [¶] (1) Physical abuse, neglect, abandonment, isolation, abduction, or other treatment with resulting physical harm or pain or mental suffering. [¶] (2) The deprivation by a care custodian of goods or services that are necessary to avoid physical harm or mental suffering. [¶] (3) Financial abuse, as defined in Section 15610.30.” Welfare & Institutions Code § 15610.57, subdivision (a)(1) defines n...

Excerpt: ...t demonstrated a right to the funds in the Reserve Account. But the court must accept as true at the demurrer stage the allegation that “cross-complainants own [] the fund in the Reserve Account.” However, a conversion claim must allege a specific and identifiable amount, which the cross-complaint does not do. The demurrer is SUSTAINED with 10 days leave on this last ground alone. Second Cause of Action—Breach of Contract The cross-complain...

Excerpt: ...lace, manner, conditions, scope, and nature of the examination, as well as the identity and the specialty, if any, of the person or persons who will perform the examination. The motion shall be accompanied by a meet and confer declaration under Section 2016.040.” Here, Defendants seek a psychiatric and neuropsychological examination of Plaintiff. Defendants have shown good cause for the examination based on Plaintiff's claims of psychological i...

Excerpt: ...ions must follow a two-step procedure. First, the offending party must be served with a motion for sanctions. This starts the 21-day “safe harbor” period during which the offending party may withdraw the improper pleading and thereby avoid sanctions. Here, the motion was personally served on Plaintiff on February 1, 2022. Thereafter, Plaintiff did not withdraw the Motion for Leave to Amend; and this motion was timely filed on February 25, 202...

Excerpt: ... employee or independent-contractor status is one of fact if dependent upon the resolution of disputed evidence or inferences. . . . If the evidence is undisputed, the question becomes one of law . . . . The label placed by the parties on their relationship is not dispositive, and subterfuges are not countenanced.” (S. G. Borello & Sons, Inc. v. Department of Industrial Relations (1989) 48 Cal.3d 341, 349 [citations omitted].) The general test ...

Excerpt: ...e Declaration of Amy Nguyen are OVERRULED. Defendant's Objections to the Declaration of Alyssa Pimentel are SUSTAINED. Defendant's Objections to the Declaration of Chloe Neely are SUSTAINED. Defendant's Objections Nos. 7, 8, 9, and 10, to the Declaration of Corina Pham are SUSTAINED and the remainder are OVERRULED. Defendant's Objections to the Declaration of Josephine Mirra Chhay are OVERRULED. Defendant's Objections Nos. 11, 12, and 14, to the ...

Excerpt: ... However, the Court denies the motion as to documents in categories nos. 2, 3, 5, 6, 11, 15, 19, 20 and 33 Judgement Debtor (Liveyon Labs, Inc.) has not responded to the motion. However, the JDE witness, Roya Panah has opposed the motion asserting primarily the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. Panah also raises a procedural challenge asserting the motion “is improper and defective because [Judgment Debtor] has been forfeite...

Excerpt: ...In their effort to seek collection and enforce the terms of the lease and guarantees, Plaintiff thereafter filed an Application for Right to Attach Order/Writ of Attachment. The matter was heard in this court on 10/28/21. The court's Minute Order dated 10/28/21 states in part, “The Court GRANTS Plaintiffs' applications seeking to attach $160,158.03 [original amount requested reduced by $200 (bond fee)] and orders Plaintiffs to post a bond of $1...

Excerpt: ...eding. (Code of Civil Procedure Section 1032(b).)  Code of Civil Procedure Section 1033.5 sets forth the items that are allowable as costs.  Items not mentioned in section 1033.5 may be allowed or denied in the court's discretion.  Additionally, Code of Civil Procedure section 1033.5(c) states that allowable costs shall be reasonable in amount and “reasonably necessary to the conduct of the litigation rather than merely convenient or be...

Excerpt: ...ery board member and the claims made in this amended complaint were raised with the board at the November 8, 2019 annual shareholders meeting. The demurrer as to these causes of action is OVERRULED on this ground. b. The Other Claims The Third and Tenth Causes of Action are for conversion, but they fail to allege the specific amount of money converted, simply alleging instead that it is at least $1 million and the amount will be proven at trial. ...