Excerpt: ...vacy extends to one's confidential financial affairs as well as to the details of one's personal life”].) In doing so, the Court expressly noted “relevant bank customer information should not be wholly privileged and insulated from scrutiny by civil litigants”; rather, the trial court should employ “certain procedural devices” to “fashion[] an appropriate order that will, so far as possible, accommodate considerations of both disclosu...

Excerpt: ...g the matter of Service, to ensure that service is proceeding diligently. The Court will also continue the trial date and related dates to a date to be determined during this hearing. Plaintiff and the other parties are expected to proceed diligently with discovery as to the new defendant. All parties shall cooperate in providing new defendants with copies of any discovery pleadings promptly upon request. 2. Motion to Compel Depositions The Court...

Excerpt: ...essor corporation to BWP. Authorires: Section 187 of the Code of Civil Procedure grants to every court the power to use all means to carry its jurisdiction into effect, even if those means are not set out in the code. Fairfield v. Superior Court (1966) 246 Cal.App.2d 113, 120. Under section 187, the court has the authority to amend a judgment to add additional judgment debtors. Dow Jones Co. v. Avenel (1984) 151 Cal.App.3d 144, 148. Judgments are...

Excerpt: ...ed in favor of the claimant. (Independence Bank v. Heller (1969) 275 Cal.App.2d 84, 88.) For the bank account, Mr. Wible has now presented adequate support for his claim that his wife's Social Security benefits are directly deposited therein. For the PT Cruiser, Mr. Wible has now presented sufficient information to show the actual value, and that it falls within the exemption available under C.C.P. § 704.010(a). For tools of the trade, Mr. Wible...

Excerpt: ... condition and repair. Owner argues that Plaintiffs were prior occupants, so under ¶2.5, they were responsible for any corrective work. But even if that were so, the Complaint does not concede prior occupancy. Accordingly, the Demurrer on this ground fails, as it is not self-evident from the terms of the Lease that Plaintiffs were solely responsible for repair of any alleged roof leaks. Owner also argues that under ¶ 8.8 of the Lease, Plaintiff...

Excerpt: ...f the plaintiff against which a determination is sought. (Code Civ. Proc., § 761.020, subd. (c).) If the plaintiff admits the validity of any adverse claim, the complaint must also contain that admission. This enables the action to determine the title against all persons, with specified exceptions, and avoids the need to litigate interests accepted as valid and to which the plaintiff's title is subject. (Code Civ. Proc., § 762.060, subd. (c).) ...

Excerpt: ...dant is entitled to judgment on the pleadings. However, based on the case of CashCall, Inc. v. Superior Court (2008) 159 Cal. App. 4th 273, 284, the court should allow plaintiff an opportunity to amend the complaint to add a new individual plaintiff. Defendant is ordered to give notice of the ruling. ...

Excerpt: ...ement funds. Before the Court this day a demurrer and motion to strike to the Third Amended Answer. Demurrer Pursuant to CCP §430.20, a party may demur to an answer on only one of three grounds: (1) Failure to state facts sufficient to constitute a defense; (2) Uncertainty; (3) Failure to state whether contract is oral or written. Plaintiff apparently takes issue with all twelve affirmative defenses. Right out of the gate this demurrer is proced...

Excerpt: ...efusing a party leave to amend his pleadings so that he may properly present his case”. Morgan v. Superior Court (1959) 172 Cal. App. 2d 527, 530. Plaintiff is not changing the nature of this case, and his new claims are based on the same nucleus of operative facts. All of plaintiff's proposed new causes of action appear to be based on the same overall transaction and course of events. The amendment would not result in any undue prejudice to de...

Excerpt: ... the notice of settlement to the class). The court sees no reason to require Class Members to file claims. Unless counsel can explain to the court why such a provision should be required, it will have to be deleted. The release language in the notice to class (p. 3) covers claims “that were or could have been alleged under California law based on the factual allegations contained in the First Amended complaint”, but the settlement agreement (...

Excerpt: ...y motion to be heard after the discovery motion cutoff date, the party must first file a motion under CCP §2024.050 for leave to have the motion heard after the discovery motion cutoff date, and must meet and confer over that issue. However, plaintiff filed its motions on September 25, 2017, 25 days before the last day for motions to be heard based on the November 6, 2017 trial date, which was October 20, 2017. Nonetheless, court congestion caus...

Excerpt: ...ition precedent to coverage under such policy. See Brizuela v. Calfarm Insur. Co. (2004) 116 Cal.App.4 th 578, 590; Hickman v. London Assurance Corp. (1920) 184 Cal. 524, 529-30. As the Cross- Defendants failed to oppose the motion, they failed to meet their evidentiary burden to show the existence of a triable issue of material fact. The Motion is also granted as to the Petition. The court determination that there is no coverage for the Plaintif...

Excerpt: ...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 of action or a defense thereto.” (Emphasis added). Worker's Compensation Exclusive Remedy Rule: “California's Worker...

Excerpt: ...responses are tantamount to no responses at all. See, Appleton v. Superior Court (1988) 206 Cal.App.3d 632, 636. Also, this court ordered claimant Timothy Hughes to serve properly verified responses, without objections, to petitioner's form and special interrogatories on 9-22-17. (See, 9-22-17 Minute Order.) Claimant Timothy Hughes is being given a final opportunity to comply with this court's order of 9-22-17 by serving properly verified answers...

Excerpt: ...btor's substantive rights by depriving it of property. Thus, the Landstar decision is applicable and the Convention does not authorize the issuance of a Letters Rogatory to enforce the Judgment. The Landstar opinion impliedly limits the court's inherent authority on this issue. This scenario is similar to the issue of awarding costs for copies, which are not helpful at trial. “Because the Legislature has expressly stated in subdivision (a)(12) ...

Excerpt: ...se by Monday, 2-26-18, by fax or overnight delivery to counsel for plaintiff Perez. Plaintiff Perez's request for monetary sanctions against defendant Pho Hoa Soan, Inc. is GRANTED in the sum of $3,120.00, pursuant to C.C.P. § 2031.320(b), payable by defendant Pho Hoa Soan, Inc. within 21 days. Finally, plaintiff Perez's request for issue and/or evidentiary sanctions is DENIED as defendant Pho Hoa Soan, Inc. has not violated any prior discovery ...

Excerpt: ...intiff also asserts the agreement is uncertain because it requires the plaintiff to send any claim to an unnamed vice-president by registered or certified mail. But she fails to show how this is critically uncertain or how she was in any way prejudiced by the alleged uncertainty. Finally, the plaintiff asserts the agreement violates element five of the holding in Armendariz v. Foundation Health Psychcare Services, Inc. (2000) 24 Cal.4th 83. But s...

Excerpt: ...on within an action, one or more affirmative defenses, one or more claims for [punitive] damages, or one or more issues of duty”]; McCaskey v. California State Auto. Assn. (2010) 189 Cal.App.4th 947, 975 [court cannot grant summary adjudication “‘to the extent' a cause of action rests on this or that premise”].) With respect to defendant's first contention that the first amended complaint is a sham pleading, the sham pleading doctrine is ...

Excerpt: ...does not add “M.D.” or anything similar after his name. In response, the defendant presented evidence from the Board that Mr. Reeder is not a physician licensed to practice in the State of California. Without any competent evidence of medical malpractice the plaintiffs have no claim. (The court further notes that the plaintiffs' opposition did not comply with the applicable Rules of Court.) The objections of the defendant are SUSTAINED. The d...

Excerpt: ...evidence is put forward, the burden shifting analysis in circumstantial evidence cases is not utilized. Mokler v. County of Orange (2007) 157 Cal.App.4th 121, 138. With direct evidence, a triable issue as to the actual motivation of the employer is created even if the evidence is not substantial. Cordova v. State Farm Ins. Companies (9th Cir. 1997) 124 F.3d 1145, 1150; Godwin v. Hunt Wesson, Inc. (9th Cir. 1998) 150 F.3d 1217, 1221 (“This comme...

Excerpt: ...en settlement agreement is denied. The proposed written settlement agreement (Ex. D to moving papers) contains multiple terms which were not part of the parties' oral settlement agreement on the record, as reflected in the transcript of the Mandatory Settlement Conference (Ex. A to moving papers). CCP 664.6 does not authorize the court to order a party to sign a written settlement agreement which “rewrite[s] the oral settlement agreement or add...

Excerpt: ... seventh cause of action for fraud still does not plead sufficient facts to show the alleged representations. At best, the plaintiffs ask the court to assume that Eggert made misrepresentations to Progressive Insurance in order to be placed on the list of approved repair facilities. But it is unknown whether any fraudulent statements were made, what they were, or whether Progressive even relied on them in designating Central Valley RV Repair as a...

Excerpt: ...ance. Defense counsel has provided no authority in support of its opposition to this motion. The court need not consider points unsupported by legal analysis or authority and such points are deemed waived. (Badie v. Bank of America (1998) 67 Cal.App.4th 779, 784- 785; Walters v. Boosinger (2016) 2 Cal.App.5th 421, 433, fn. 16.) Plaintiff's request for judicial notice is GRANTED. Plaintiff to give notice. Future Hearings: CMC: 3/14/18 8:30 am ...

Excerpt: ...018, defendant/cross-complainant Rudolph & Sletten filed its “Response” on February 13, 2018, and Black Diamond filed its Reply on February 14, 2018. CCP section 877.6(d) provides that “the party asserting the lack of good faith shall have the burden of proof on that issue." Rudolph & Sletten's Response attempts to discharge this burden only with respect to one issue, namely the Court's ability to determine the reasonableness of the propose...

Excerpt: ...enforced.” (Sully-Miller Contracting Co. v. Gledson/Cashman Construction, Inc. (2002) 103 Cal.App.4th 30, 37, citing Harris v. Rudin, Richman & Appel (1999) 74 Cal.App.4th 299, 305.) The settlement agreement here names six parties, including Lucy Garcia. Plaintiff submits no evidence Lucy Garcia executed the agreement. Defendants to give notice. ...

Excerpt: ...lled legal training and ability in trying the cause, and the time consumed. (Stokus v. Marsh(1990) 217 CA3d 647, 657.) Here, Defendants wish to cap the fee award at no more than $70,548.00. There are 5 challenged items. Three items (dates of 11/19/14, 8/29/17, and 10/16/17) list the task of “legal research.” Another item (dated 1/21/16) lists the task of “analyze account history.” The last item (dated 10/13/16) lists the task “review an...

Excerpt: ...evelopment. The project included seventy-eight (78) residential units and six (2) two-story structures. Although there was already a Condominium Act in California, the governing decision-makers of Manor elected to operate the development as a non-profit stock cooperative. While similar to a condominium, the biggest difference is that in a co-op the resident members do not own the unit they occupy; instead, they enjoy an exclusive leasehold of the...

Excerpt: ...vative or individual claims is debatable. But the Cross-Complaint contains allegations of individual harm, and the court must accept those as true for purposes of a demurrer. As the court has previously noted (see Minute Order of October 19, 2017), this is a small, close-held corporation run by immediate family members. Allegations of harm to the corporation can also constitute harm to the individual cross-complainants. (See, e.g., Goles v. Sawhn...

Excerpt: ...et profits of her law firm for the years 2010 through 2014. Plaintiff responded to each of these interrogatories by referring to tax documents that Plaintiff would produce reflecting the law firm's profits on an annual basis. Special Interrogatory Nos. 39 through 42 ask Plaintiff to provide the business expenses for her law firm for the years 2010 through 2013. Plaintiff responded to each of these interrogatories by referring to tax documents tha...

Excerpt: ...a proceeding has been duly assigned for hearing and determination to one department of the superior court ..., and the proceeding so assigned has not been finally disposed of therein or legally removed therefrom, it is beyond the jurisdictional authority of another department of the same court to interfere with the exercise of the power of the department to which the proceeding has been so assigned.” In re Marriage of Schenck (1991) 228 Cal.App...

Excerpt: ...ive, Suite 100, Santa Ana, California, 92707. The parties may, at their discretion, meet and confer to schedule a different date/time/place for the deposition. However, the deposition shall occur no later than March 15, 2018. Defendants are awarded sanctions against plaintiff in the amount of $976.00, not the entire amount of $2,588.50. Defendant knew the day before the deposition that plaintiff was not going to show up. There was no need for him...

Excerpt: ...uch counsel is acting an advocate before a jury. As reflected in the Court's May 9, 2017 Minute Order, both sides waived jury on that date. The “Discussion” of Cal. Rule Prof. Conduct, Rule 5-210 states in part: “This Rule is not intended to encompass situations in which the member is representing the client in an adversarial proceeding and is testifying in front of a judge.” As the potential for attorney Recchia to testify as a witness i...

Excerpt: ... while these motions were pending, Defendant served supplemental responses to these requests. As described below, Plaintiff's motions are granted in part and denied in part. The court has reviewed all of the materials submitted in support of and in opposition to these motions, including Defendant's supplemental responses. Defendant is ordered to send a letter to Plaintiff by February 22, 2018 stating whether Defendant has withheld any documents o...

Excerpt: ...burden of demonstrating that the challenged cause of action arises from protected activity.' . . . In City of Cotati v. Cashman (2002) 29 Cal.4th 69, 78, 124 Cal.Rptr.2d 519, 52 P.3d 695 (Cotati ), the California Supreme Court explained: “[T]he statutory phrase ‘cause of action ... arising from' means simply that the defendant's act underlying the plaintiff's cause of action must itself have been an act in furtherance of the right of petition...

Excerpt: ...e party of written notice of entry of the order and based upon new or different facts, circumstances, or law, make application to the same judge or court that made the order, to reconsider the matter and modify, amend, or revoke the prior order. The party making the application shall state by affidavit what application was made before, when and to what judge, what order or decisions were made, and what new or different facts, circumstances, or la...

Excerpt: ...filed by Fairway Insurance, and if not, why not. Defense counsel's supplemental brief to be filed 9 court days before the continued hearing date. Any opposition by defendant Tim Roham, D.O., Inc. to be filed 5 court days before the continued hearing date of 3-22-18. The court notes that defense counsel remains counsel of record for defendant Tim Rohan, D.O. Inc. at this time because defense counsel's motion to withdraw as counsel has not been gra...

Excerpt: ...s court. “The order of the reviewing court is contained in its remittitur, which defines the scope of the jurisdiction of the court to which the matter is returned. ‘The order of the appellate court as stated in the remittitur, ‘is decisive of the character of the judgment to which the appellant is entitled. The lower court cannot reopen the case on the facts, allow the filing of amended or supplemental pleadings, nor retry the case, and if...

Excerpt: ... assuming that service was improper. Substituted Service: There is a significant issue whether a proper person was served for substituted service to be effective. Service was made on Joaquin Trujillo, “caretaker.” Defendant contends that he was a neighbor. If service was improper, a reasonably prudent person would assume an Answer was not required. CCP 415.20 (b) provides that “If a copy of the summons and complaint cannot with reasonable d...

Excerpt: ...ice of the notice of ruling of the Case Management Conference (which set the court trial date) was filed showing service on defendant's counsel. Counsel's concern that he never received notice of trial does not carry much weight given the presumption of Evidence Code section 664 and the fact it appears he elected not check the court's file for over five months after the answer was filed, but did, serendipitously, check it on December 27, 2017, th...

Excerpt: ...gs. The plaintiff shall give notice. ...

Excerpt: ...s entitled to the attachment order. Code Civ. Proc., §§ 485.240 & 492.050. Moving parties have not shown that the amount to be secured by the attachment should be reduced, or by what amount the attachment should be reduced. Moving Parties offered no evidence to show their likelihood of prevailing on their cross-claims or the amount of offset pursuant to the cross-claims. Moving parties have not shown that section 3.3 of the distributorship agre...

Excerpt: ... special interrogatories, form interrogatories, and requests for admission. See, Obregon v. Superior Court (1998) 67 Cal.App.4 th 424, 433 to 435 and Townsend v. Superior Court (1998) 61 Cal.App.4 th 1431, 1435. New counsel for plaintiffs Hamid Hojati, et al. has represented that a further meet and confer might assist in resolving all or some of these pending discovery matters. Defendant Portales to file a supplemental declaration nine (9) court ...

Excerpt: ... motion states it is only being brought by defendant Gladys Ross. Which is it?) The motion is legally ineffective because Code of Civil Procedure section 663 is inapplicable in situations where, as here, the allegation is that the proof of service was not adequate. Section 663 applies where the default judgment exceeds the prayer or is entered without a required statement of damages. (Weil & Brown (TRG 2017) Civil procedure Before Trial, Para. 5-...

Excerpt: ...ordance with California Rule of Court 2.550, the court finds that the nature of the documents Scottsdale seeks to seal, i.e., an insurance application and correspondence between Plaintiffs and Scottsdale related to insurance coverage, supports sealing the documents due to the confidential information set forth in such materials. In addition, the proposed sealing is narrowly tailored and extends only to certain exhibits submitted by Scottsdale in ...

Excerpt: ... (or any other entity) these two subpoenas apply to. In addition, the Calcor Space Facility, Inc. court explained that: “Because of the potential for promiscuous discovery imposing great burdens, even though ultimately the probative value of the discovered material may be questionable, trial judges must carefully weigh the cost, time, expense and disruption of normal business resulting from an order compelling the discovery against the probativ...

Excerpt: ...sts for Admission, Set One (the “RFAs”) were propounded to Plaintiff on 10/19/17, and that despite an extension to 12/7/17, no responses were ever provided. (Kruppe Decl. at ¶¶ 2-4 and Ex. A.) The arguments presented in the Opposition do not warrant a continuance: unless responses in substantial compliance with C.C.P. § 2033.220 are provided before the hearing, the matters specified in those RFAs shall be deemed admitted. Sanctions are imp...

Excerpt: ...cause for a continuance. “Circumstances that may indicate good cause include: (1) The unavailability of an essential lay or expert witness because of death, illness, or other excusable circumstances; (2) The unavailability of a party because of death, illness, or other excusable circumstances; (3) The unavailability of trial counsel because of death, illness, or other excusable circumstances; (4) The substitution of trial counsel, but only wher...

Excerpt: ... ordered to serve verified, non-evasive responses to the interrogatories without objections within ten days. Motion No. 3. Plaintiff's Motion Compelling Defendant Mindy Kennedy Alvarez to Serve Verified Responses Without Objections to Plaintiff's Inspection Demand, Set No. 1, is GRANTED. Defendant is ordered to serve verified, non-evasive responses to the inspection demands without objections and all responsive documents and things within ten day...

Excerpt: ...ndant. The court finds that the objections raised in the response and amended response are without merit. The arguments as to attorney client privilege are also without merit, and have been waived by failing to assert the same in the initial response to the interrogatory. Code Civ. Proc. § 2030.290(a). A party to litigation can obtain contact information for an opposing party even if that party is represented by legal counsel without involving a...

Excerpt: ...ord Bernstein, M.D., and Newport Coast Surgery Center, Inc. (NCSC) (collectively, cross-complainants) do not lack standing to sue on the subject lien agreements (see XC at ¶¶ 20-22, Exhs. 1, 3, 5; see also Complaint at ¶ 23, pp. 6-7), and nothing in the cross-complaint or judicially noticed documents affirmatively demonstrate cross-complainants lack the capacity to sue pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 17918. As for the demurre...