Excerpt: ...ve class action for violations of California's debt collection laws. On October 20, 2023, Plaintiff Ali Reza Sadrarhami, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated (“Plaintiff”), filed a Class Action Complaint against Defendant Nelnet, Inc. (“Defen dant”). (ROA 2.) The Complaint alleges two causes of action for: (1) Violation of Unfair Competition Law (“UCL”); and (2) Violation of the Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection P...

Excerpt: ...ate itemized w age statements. The operative Complaint brings the following causes of action: 1. PAGA penalties 2. UCL 3. LC §§ 351, 353 4. Wage statements 5. Waiting time SUMMARY OF SETTLEMENT: Aggrieved Employees Definition: PAGA Member(s) or Settlement Group Members are “all current and former nonexempt employees of Defendant who were subject to the alleged illegal and unauthorized tip pooling in California during the PAGA Period.” (§ ...

Excerpt: ...nd Defendant replies (ROA 52). CONTENTIONS AND ANALYSIS: Statement of the Law A motion to set aside a default may be brought pursuant to either Code of Civil Procedure section 473, subdivision (b), or section 473.5. A court has broad discretion to vacate a default or default judgment. However, this discretion can only be exercised if the moving party establishes a proper ground for relief, by proper procedure and within the appropriate periods. (...

Excerpt: ... Dennis W. Wilson's objections to the declarations of Mr. Miller, Mrs. Kell, and Mr. Lawrence and the supplemental declaration of Mrs. Kell are all SUSTAINED. The Application is DENIED as to Defendants Dennis W. Wilson Insurance Agency, Inc. dba Wilson Financial Services and Property Pros Capital, LLC. The Application is DENIED as to Defendant Dennis W. Wilson because Plaintiffs have failed to establish with admissible evidentiary facts the proba...

Excerpt: ...intiff stated a cause of action for false promise. (Complaint, second cause of action, § FR -2(c); see Opp., at pp. 3:11 -15, 4:23 -25, 5:19 -21.) Plaintiff did not select section FR -4 of the Judicial Council form complaint, which alleges a promise without intent to perform. (S ee Complaint.) Regardless of which species of fraud is alleged, Plaintiff did not allege sufficient facts with the required specificity to state a cause of action for f...

Excerpt: ...§ 1670.8 and (2) materials taken from Cisco's website, including the various service terms at issue. Notice of the legislative history is proper under Evid. Code § 452(c). Notice of the materials from Cisco's website is proper under Evid. Code § 452(h) given the lack of op position and the fact that both parties seeking notice of materials from Cisco's website suggest it is “not reasonably subject to dispute” that these are the full -servi...

Excerpt: ...gations of th e parties under the agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with, and governed by, the laws of the State of California. (FAC, Ex. 4 §5(11).) Further, defendants are California residents, and the Home Solicitation Sales Act seeks to regula te conduct by defendants. Thus, plaintiff may seek to enforce the Act. As to the Second Cause of Action, plaintiff's allegations adequately plead the existence of a fiduciary rela...

Excerpt: ...WIEC (hereinafte r, collectively “Plaintiffs”). To the extent Plaintiffs can properly amend the IIED claim, the court GRANTS twenty (20) days leave to amend. The fourth cause of action for intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) alleges the following: Pursu ant to a written lease agreement, Plaintiffs moved into certain property in Irvine beginning in or about July of 2012. Beginning in or about November of 2018 through December ...

Excerpt: ... to the settl ement agreement rather than any amended settlement agreement. Counsel also must provide a red -lined version of any revised papers, including the proposed letter to the aggrieved employees. Counsel also should provide the court with an explanation of how the pending issues were resolved, with references to any corrections to the settlement agreement and the proposed letter to the aggrieved employees, rather than with just a suppleme...

Excerpt: .... Administration costs in the amount of $12,511.43, per the administrator's declaration. 4. Payment to the LWDA of $3,750, representing the LWDA's share of the amount allocated to the PAGA claim. Please submit a revised proposed order that conforms to the foregoing for the Court's signature. GROUNDS FOR FEE AWARD Counsel requests a fee award of $146,800, or 40%, of the $367,000 GSA. Per the moving papers, counsel will receive $133,000 of the $333...

Excerpt: ...ust file a pr oof of service with the court reflecting service of these orders on the LWDA. 2. Were any exclusions, objections or disputes received for the 31 remailed notices? 3. The settlement administrator states plaintiff's individual settlement share is $517.55. I s plaintiff anticipating any other compensation (not including any enhancement payment) from the settlement (such as for any individual claims)? 4. The settlement administrator s...

Excerpt: ...n, Cal. Practice Guide: Civi l Procedure Before Trial (The Rutter Group 2021) ¶ 6:564.) Where the proposed cross -complaint arises out of the same transaction as plaintiff's claim, leave to file must be granted as long as defendant is acting in good faith. (Code Civ. Proc., § 426.50.) Here, Defendant's proposed cross- complaint asserts a single cause of action for breach of contract related to Plaintiffs' alleged failure to pay two years o...

Excerpt: ...ct. Plaintiff hasn't stated sufficient facts showing the elements of the claim. Specifically, how much defendants agreed to pay for the services rendered. The demurrer is overruled as to the 2nd cause of action for unfair business practices. Plaintiff may use and alleged violation of the Knox -Keene Act as a basis for its claim. The demurrer to the 3rd cause of action for unjust enrichment is overruled. The complaint asserts that plaintiff provi...

Excerpt: ... Heating, LLC (“ Defendant”). (ROA 2.) The Complaint alleged the following nine causes of action: 1. Failure to Pay Minimum Wages; 2. Failure to Pay Overtime Wages; 3. Failure to Provide Accurate, Itemized Wage Statements; 4. Failure to Provide Meal Periods; 5. Failure to Provide Rest Breaks; 6. Waiting Time Penalties; 7. Failure to Maintain Records; 8. Failure to Reimburse Business Expenses; and 9. Unfair Business Practices On March 3, 2023,...

Excerpt: ...), (p)(2) [bu rden]; Aguilar v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (2001) 25 Cal.4th 826, 850 - 851 [same]; see Veh. Code, § 11711.) USFIC admits it is the surety that issued the dealer bond to dealer Image Auto Group, LLC (IAG or dealer) pursuant to Vehicle Code sections 11710 and 11711. (SSMF #2.) USFIC first contends it is entitled to judgment because plaintiff Ramin Hersel (plaintiff) has dismissed his second cause of action for deceit/fraud against t...

Excerpt: ...o provide responses to plaintiff's special interrogatories and requests for production and to pay sanctions. Plaintiff's motion is denied for the following reasons. Disobeying a court order to provide discovery is a misuse of the discovery process. Cal. Civ. Pro c. Code § 2023.010(g); Van Sickle v. Gilbert (2011) 196 Cal.App.4th 1495, 1516. A trial court should consider both the conduct being sanctioned and its effect on the party seeking discov...

Excerpt: ...depends upon contract; a petition to compel arbitration is simply a suit in equity seeking specific performance of that contract. Little v. Pullman (2013) 219 Cal.App.4th 558, 565. The petitioner bears the burden of proving the existence of a valid arbitration agr eement by the preponderance of the evidence, and a party opposing the petition bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence any fact necessary to its defense. Id. Def...

Excerpt: ...plemental filing addressing defendant's new evidence. 1/19/24 Order (ROA 89). For the following reasons, defendant's motion is granted. The right to arbitration depends upon contract; a petition to compel arbitration is simply a suit in equity seeking specific per formance of that contract. Little v. Pullman (2013) 219 Cal.App.4th 558, 565. The petitioner bears the burden of proving the existence of a valid arbitration agreement by the preponde...

Excerpt: ..., the court concludes that Agile has failed to meet its burden of authenticating plaintiff's purported electronic signature to the arbitration agreement. Agile provides the declaration of one of its customer service representatives and the on -site representative fo r Agile at Ortronics, Inc., Laura Caratachea, who is responsible for ensuring that employees complete their onboarding documentation. (Caratachea Dec. ¶3.) She states she was respons...

Excerpt: ...dentified a ny witness nor denied knowledge of any witness. In its further response, it should do one of these. Sanctions were not noticed; none are imposed. Motion to Compel: Anaheim Healthcare Form Rogs (ROA #67) Plaintiff's motion is denied as moot except as to sanctions. (See Sinaiko Healthcare Consulting, Inc. v. Pacific Healthcare Consultants (2007) 148 Cal.App.4th 390, 409; Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1348; see also Ho decl. [ROA #100] �...

Excerpt: ...filed, the burden i s on the responding party to justify any objection or failure to fully answer the interrogatories. (Fairmont Ins. Co. v. Superior Court (2000) 22 Cal.4th 245, 255.) The interrogatories at issue seek the names and contact information for: (1) all roomma tes of Casanas at the facility during the period of August 6, 2021 through August 7, 2022 (no. 13); (2) the responsible party for all residents of the facility during the perio...

Excerpt: ...ed Third- Party D ispute Resolution Process" affirmative defense. (See Lopez v. Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. (2016) 246 Cal.App.4th 566, 590 -591 [relevance broadly defined]; Kwan v. Mercedes -Benz of North America, Inc. (1994) 23 Cal.App.4th 174, 184 -1 85 [willfulness]; Santana v. FCA US, LLC (2020) 56 Cal.App.5th 334, 346- 347 [civil penalties affirmed where manufacturer knew its repair was intentionally inadequate]....

Excerpt: ...rectional Drilling. The motions for summary judgment are denied. Relevant Background Plaintiff Michael Konrad filed a Complaint alleging that the subject accident occurred on December 19, 2018. The Complaint alleges that Plaintiff was properly and lawfully riding his bicycle when he unknowingly encountered a damaged portion in the road and was violently thrown from his bicycle to the ground and sustained serious bodily injuries. (Compl., at ¶ 1...

Excerpt: ... -02883 and now pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California as No. 24 -cv -01678- SK. The motion is GRANTED, with the limited exception of Plaintiff Ronald Li's concurrent motion for curative notice and to invalidate settlement releases. The Court will decide that motion before fully staying proceedings. Defendant's unopposed request for judicial notice is GRANTED. GROUNDS FOR RULING I. Background This is a...

Excerpt: ...dence Pl aintiff asserts she has new evidence that justifies reopening the case. The problem with her argument is that a final judgment was entered in the case by Judge George, and it was affirmed on appeal, and the remittitur was issued in November 2022. Even if it were relevant, there is no showing that any of this information, evidence, or argument is new. If anything, much of it is a repeat of the arguments made previously, and specificall...

Excerpt: ...hibits are attach ed to the operative Complaint. (See ROA 2.) Plaintiff filed a Supplement to Complaint attaching what appears to be a 3 -day notice to quit, dated November 1, 2022. (ROA 10.) According to the declaration of service, the notice was personally handed to De fendant Robert Campbell on November 1, 2022. Notably, the dates in the Supplement to Complaint do not match the dates and actions as alleged in the Complaint. II. Request for Ju...

Excerpt: ...Lifeguard Operations Division The City. According to the proof of service attached to the motion, the email address used by plaintiff for the City's counsel is “[email protected]” and the correct email address appears to be “[email protected],” based o n the Court's records. With regard to the motions for reconsideration, such must be filed within 10 days of service on her of notice of entry of the order in question. (Code C...

Excerpt: ...ward time ly filed. The Court heard these Motions on 3/28/24 but continued the hearing to allow for further briefing on Petitioner's new argument made for the first time at the hearing. (ROA 47) Petitioner argued that the Motion to Quash should be denied because th e "general appearance" waived any objection to jurisdiction made in Respondents' Motion to Quash. The Court now considers that briefing in addition to the original brie...

Excerpt: ...l is curre ntly set for May 6, 2024. The plaintiff never posted jury fees. Pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 631, subdivision (c)(2), a party demanding a jury trial must post fees within 365 days of the filing of the initial complaint if no Case Managemen t Conference is held. None was held here; therefore, plaintiff's failure to timely post fees resulted in his waiver of a jury. Defendant never posted jury fees, but it is not requesti...

Excerpt: ...24, Cross -Defendants timely filed and serv ed a supplemental declaration pursuant to the Court's March 7, 2024 Minute Order. Despite apparent telephonic conferences to meet and confer held on March 15, 2024, and March 26, 2024, it appears that the parties failed to reach an agreement concerning any of the 11 causes of action at issue. Standing for Dessau and M86 Cross -Defendants contend that Dessau and M86 lack standing to file a lawsuit agai...

Excerpt: ...d Faith Settlement H enkel moves for an order determining that the settlement between Henkel and Plaintiff Mischa Denton (“Plaintiff”) was entered into in good faith pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure section 877.6. There is no precise yardstick for measuring “goo d faith” of a settlement with one of several tortfeasors. But a court must harmonize the public policy favoring settlements with the competing public policy favoring...

Excerpt: ...ht $2,451.64 arising from Defendants' failure to pay the HOA assessments plus related fees and costs of suit. On 11/18/20, the parties entered into a stipulated judgment against Defendants in the amount of $5,791.74 with fees/costs to be determined. The Court awar ded $13,500 in attorney fees on 2/11/21. On 4/22/21, the Court granted a motion to set aside the judgment. The Court denied Defendants' motion to disqualify counsel on 6/10/21. The Cour...

Excerpt: ... The opposition was to include why the Court should not sustain, without leave to amend, the demurrer to the First Amended Complaint. (See ROA 60.) Initially, the Court notes that the opposition does not have a proof of service. A proof of service of the opposition must be filed with the court. (California Rules of Court, rule 1.21(b).) Nevertheless, as a reply on the merits has been filed, the Court will address the merits of the demurrer. The...

Excerpt: ...y to challenge defects that appear on the face of the pleadings under attack; or from matters outside the pleading that are judicially noticeable. (Blank v. Kirwan (1985) 39 Cal.3d 311, 318.) No extrinsic evidence can be considered. (Ion Equipment Corp. v. N elson (1980) 110 Cal.App.3d 868, 881.) Therefore, the Court did not consider facts regarding the PPM or the Evertrust Loan Agreement that appear outside the allegations of the FAC in ruling o...

Excerpt: ...t p. 5:16- 18.) However, Plaintiff has not shown that she filed the instant motion in sufficient time in advance of the time limit for the completion of discovery (the 15th day before the initial trial date) to permit the deposition of any expert to whom the motion relates to be taken within that time limit. (See Code Civ. Proc., §§ 2034.610(b); 2024.030.) Trial in this case has been continued several times. Trial was initially set for 4/10/23...

Excerpt: ...at there i s no triable issue of material fact and that he is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. That is because of the general principle that a party who seeks a court's action in his favor bears the burden of persuasion thereon. (See Evid. Code, § 500.) There is a triable issue of material fact if, and only if, the evidence would allow a reasonable trier of fact to find the underlying fact in favor of the party opposing the motion in ac...

Excerpt: ...etween the C ontractor [Titan] and the Owner [District], under or in reference to this contract, may be subject to the decision of some competent person to be agreed upon by the Owner and the Contractor who shall act as referee, and his decisions shall be final and conclusive upon both parties.” (Titan Group, Inc. v. Sonoma Valley County Sanitation Dist. (1985) 164 Cal.App.3d 1122, 1125.) The trial court denied the plaintiff's motion to compel...

Excerpt: ...2020.010(b), 2025.280(b ); see Terry v. SLICO (2009) 175 Cal.App.4th 352, 357, (citing text)] (Code Civ. Proc. § 1985 et seq. dealing with subpoenas generally also apply to deposition Page 3 of 39 subpoenas except as modified by § 2020.010 et seq.; see Code Civ. Proc. § 2020.030.] Personal service of a deposition subpoena requires a person who is a resident of California to appear, testify and produce whatever documents or things are specifi...

Excerpt: ...or Production No. 19 , however, is overbroad. Plaintiff has not set forth good cause showing the relevance of documents that are not limited to the transmission defects identified in the repair history for the Subject Vehicle. Because Plaintiff has made a showing fact- specific showing of good cause, the burden shifts to Defendant to justify any objections made to requests for production. Defendant has not filed an opposition or response to th...

Excerpt: ...errogatories seek the date and address of other purchases or sales of residential real property Defendant has engaged in, either on their own behalf or on behalf of Yu Liu, from 2010 to present. Movants contends this information is relevant to show that Defendant was sophisticated in real estate transactions and that Defendant engaged in fraud and breached the subject purchase contract in this case. In opposition, Defendant contends Plaintiffs th...

Excerpt: ...Cane), and the “Litigation Files” (referring to files from and communications with Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara, LLP (BWBO), SMTD Law LLP, and Barry Kellman). GrowthPoint asserts, and Crate and Pickell do not dispute, that Crate and Pickell possess documents from these law firms and lawyers. Except as discussed below regarding Pickell's privilege log, GrowthPoint's motion is granted. In an August 10, 2023 order (ROA 1633), the court (Judge ...

Excerpt: ...ther, the pr opounding party is not required to file a meet and confer declaration prior to filing its motion to compel, and there is no time limit for the propounding party to file its motion. (Code Civ. Proc., § 2030.290; Sinaiko Healthcare Consulting, Inc. v. Pacifi c Healthcare Consultants (2007) 148 Cal.App.4th 390, 404.) In addition, “[t]he party to whom the interrogatories are directed waives any right to exercise the option to prod...

Excerpt: ... is false and misleading. Complaint (ROA 2) ¶¶ 1, 16 -20. Plaintiff alleges his claims on his own behalf and that of a putative class comprised of “[a]ll persons in California who purchased the Product during the statutes of limitations for each cause of action all eged.” Id. ¶ 43. Plaintiff alleges five causes of action: (i) violation of the California Unfair Competition Law; (ii) violation of the California False Advertising Law; (iii) ...

Excerpt: ...ns a contra ctual relationship between plaintiff and Paragon over relocation services to be provided to plaintiff's employees. Pertinent here, the complaint alleged that Morabito was the CEO of Paragon Relocation Services, and Jim Davis was its CFO. It further alleg ed these two individuals were actively contacting plaintiff's employees and improperly threatening to turn them over to debt collectors if they did not pay relocation costs claimed by...

Excerpt: ...ns, our Legislat ure has authorized the broadest possible exercise of jurisdiction.” (Id. at 108.) “When a debtor files a Chapter 7 petition, the debtor lists each of his creditors.” (In re McGhan (9th Cir. 2002) 288 F.3d 1172, 1176.) “The appointed bankruptcy trustee convenes a meeting of these creditors pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 341(a).” (Id.) “All creditors must receive at least 30 days' advance notice of the creditors' mee...

Excerpt: ...of jurisdiction. When a defendant challenges that jurisdiction by bringing a motion to quash, the burden is on the plaintiff to prove the existence of jurisdiction by proving, inter alia, the facts requisite to an effective service.” (Dill v. Berquist Construction Co. (199 4) 24 Cal.App.4th 1426, 1439 -1440.) The parties agree that there is no basis for the exercise of general personal jurisdiction over Defendant. The question is whether speci�...

Excerpt: ..., special interrogatories and requests for production. Those three motions are CONTINUED as set forth below. MOTION TO SEAL A party requesting that a court record be filed under seal “must file a motion or an application for an order sealing the record.” CRC 2.551(b)(1). “ The motion or application must be accompanied by a memorandum and a declaration containing facts sufficient to justify the sealing.” (Id.) Here, Americor submits the ...

Excerpt: ...iscretion, and upon t erms it deems proper: (a) 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.” (Civ. Proc. Code § 436.) Kui requests the court strike several portions of plaintiff D'Mario Few -Brewer's (“Plaintiff”) First Amended Complaint (“FAC”) which co...

Excerpt: ...he hear i n g . C od e C i v. Proc. § 1 2 9 0 .2 . Wh ere th e a rb itrati on ag ree men t d oes n ot p rov i d e t h e m an n e r in which service shall be made and the person on whom service is to be made has not previously appeared in the proceeding and has not previously been served in a ccordance with section 1290.4(a) of the Code of Civil Procedure, for service in California the petition and notice of hearing must be served in a manner pro...

Excerpt: ...9;s stated cause of action. (Timberidge Enterprises, Inc. v. City of Santa Rosa (1978) 86 Cal.App.3d 873, 879- 880.) As to the first, second, third, fourth, and ninth affirmative defenses, Plaintiffs merely assert that they do not qualify as affirmative defenses because they are simply denials of elements of the causes of action in the Complaint. However, Plaintiffs provide no authority for the idea attacking specific elements of a cause of act...