Excerpt: ..., seventh, and eighth cross‐causes of action; and is GRANTED as to the ninth cross‐cause of action. Third through Eighth Causes of Action Sayad attacks the cross‐claims against him for indemnity, declaratory relief, apportionment of fault, and contribution – all based upon the theory that Sayad and Gachot were co‐counsel for the client Montgomery Sansome and that Sayad committed attorney malpractice in regards to the underlying litigati...

Excerpt: ...udicial notice” and the Court can consider all filings in this action. Tolu's objection that the demurrer is untimely is OVERRULED. First, it appears Tolu served the Fourth Amended Complaint on Naber personally, but not on Naber's counsel of record – as discussed in the reply brief. There is no filed Proof of Service showing that Tolu served Naber's counsel with the 4ACC. It is improper to serve papers on a party when the serving party knows ...

Excerpt: ...bara and Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Barbara: Michael C. Ghizzoni, Lina Somait, Office of the County Counsel For Real Parties in Interest Santa Barbara Westcoast Farms, LLC, and Scott Rudolph: A. Barry Cappello, Lawrence J. Conlan, Wendy D. Welcom, Cappello & Noel LLP; Deborah M. Rosenthal, Fitzgerald Yap Kreditor LLP HEARING (1) Demurrer of Real Parties to First Amended Petition (2) Motion of Real Parties to Strike Portions of Fi...

Excerpt: ...corresponded by email. For this demurrer, the Court concludes that the parties have met their statutory obligation, but in the future, they must confer in person or by telephone. Defendant's Demurrer is SUSTAINED with leave to amend for the reasons set forth below. Reading the Complaint liberally and drawing every inference in Plaintiff's favor as this Court must do, and not requiring as much specific in pleading because Defendant has knowledge o...

Excerpt: ... proposed order. The Court has no record of an order being submitted. Therefore, if Plaintiff submitted one, the Court asks that another order be submitted (through the clerk's office) and apologizes for requesting another order. If Plaintiffs failed to prepare an order, then they should prepare one as ordered or Defendants should prepare one pursuant to California Rule of Court 3.1312(d). The Court believes that it is best practice to have a for...

Excerpt: ... et. al.'s “Motion to Dismiss or Stay on the Ground of Inconvenient Forum,” filed 3‐29‐21, is DENIED. Code Civ. Proc. Sects. 410.30; 418.10. Assuming it applies, the forum selection clause is permissive, not mandatory Defendants first argue the Court should dismiss the case because the forum selection clause in the referenced 2008 “Limited Tenancy In Common Agreement” (TIC Agreement) (10‐23‐20 Klimp Decl., Ex. A) “requires” th...

Excerpt: ...h of contract resulting from Defendants' alleged failure to properly maintain a water heater, which caused the ceiling in the premises leased by Plaintiff to collapse. Plaintiff asserts these claims against Defendant Louis Matteucci, the lessor of the subject premises, as well as Defendants David Clark and Lagomarsino Property Management, Inc. (the “property manager Defendants”). The Court will address the arguments with respect to each Defen...

Excerpt: ... share of arbitration fees or waive arbitration. The parties do not dispute that Luchetti did not agree to pay Butte's share of arbitration fees by December 4, 2020, or at any date thereafter. Luchetti has therefore waived its right to arbitrate Butte's claim. The Court's order was expressly based on the controlling authority of Roldan and Weiler, which each held in relevant part as follows: “[I]f the trial court determines that any of these pl...

Excerpt: ...AINED WITHOUT LEAVE TO AMEND based on failure to state facts sufficient to support a cause of action. All five causes of action in the Cross‐Complaint arise out of the same allegations that Gonzalez purportedly entered into an agreement with Matson for Matson to rig the bidding for the property in exchange for Gonzalez paying Matson $10,000. (See Cross‐Complaint ¶¶ 4, 5, 15‐19.) Matson claims that he was never paid the $10,000, and furthe...

Excerpt: ...lings on the Demurrer by Defendant FPT follow: A. Sixth Cause of Action Demurrer to the sixth cause of action (interference with contract) is OVERRULED. The original MSA and the Amendment No. 1 expressly provide that the MSA is an at‐will agreement. (MSA para. 9; Amendment No. 1 sect. 1(B).) Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement and MSA, the Parties entered into the 2019 Work Order, which provides that “this Addendum shall continue for a minim...

Excerpt: ... ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Case No.: 17CIV03847 Assigned For All Purposes to Hon. Danny Y. Chou ORDER GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT Defendant Merz North America's (Merz) Motion for Summary Judgment (Motion) was originally heard by this Court on March 25, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. Craig May and Adam Rapp appeared on behalf of Defendant Merz North America (Merz). Faith Wolinsky appeared on behalf of Defendants Joel Beck, M.D. and Alice Tung. Nobody appeared on behalf ...

Excerpt: ...f undisputed material facts, [and] the declaration of Kirkman J. Hoffman, submitted herewith,” no such declaration was filed in support of the motion. Plaintiff requests the Court take judicial notice of discovery responses that have not been filed with the Court. Plaintiff, however, has provided no grounds upon which the discovery responses may be judicially noticed. Accordingly, the request for judicial notice is DENIED. Because Plaintiff has...

Excerpt: ... initialing the space, no agreement is created. Plaintiff Nay did not initial Paragraph 22B. Therefore, no agreement to arbitrate and no waiver of judicial rights arose. If an agreement to arbitrate were enforceable in the absence of the parties' initials, then the language “by initialing in the space below” would be surplusage. An interpretation that renders part of a contract surplusage should be avoided. (City of El Cajon v. El Cajon Polic...

Excerpt: ...s from selling the Property. The standard for a preliminary injunction is set forth in Code of Civil Procedure section 525 et seq. To obtain a preliminary injunction, the plaintiff must establish that the defendants should be restrained from the challenged activity pending trial. See Code Civ. Proc. § 526, subd. (a); see also Trader Joe's Co. v. Progressive Campaigns (1999) 73 Cal.App.4th 425, 429. In seeking a preliminary injunction, the burden...

Excerpt: ...The parties settled this matter following Plaintiff's acceptance of Defendants' CCP Section 998 offer to compromise. The offer provided that Defendants would pay Plaintiff $160,000.00 “to resolve fully and finally all of the parties' respective claims against one another, exclusive of costs and fees.” McDonald Decl., Ex. P, p.2; McLennon Decl. ¶ 25. The offer also provided that Plaintiff “shall dismiss all of its claims alleged in its oper...

Excerpt: ...th respect to the First Cause of Action for Wrongful Foreclosure and Fifth Cause of Action for Violations of RESPA pursuant to Cal. Code of Civ. Proc. § 430.10(e). The Demurrer is OVERRULED with respect to Plaintiff's remaining causes of action. Any amended pleading is to be filed within 20 days of this order. First COA for Wrongful Foreclosure The elements of a wrongful foreclosure cause of action are: “ ‘(1) [T]he trustee or mortgagee caus...

Excerpt: ...ilar and Nicole Aguilar (“Plaintiffs”) is ruled on as follows: The Court may strike out any irrelevant, false or improper matter asserted in any pleading. (C.C.P. § 436(a).) A motion to strike may be brought where the facts alleged do not rise to the level of malice, fraud or oppression to support a punitive damages award. (Turman v. Turning Point of Central Calif., Inc. (2010) 191 Cal.App.4th 53, 63.) A motion to strike is widely used to ch...

Excerpt: ...iffs”) is ruled on as follows: (1) Defendant's Request for Judicial Notice is GRANTED. The Court may take judicial notice of the existence of judicial opinions and court documents, along with the truth of the results reached—in the documents such as orders, statements of decision, and judgments—but cannot take judicial notice of the truth of hearsay statements in decisions or court files, including pleadings, affidavits, testimony, or state...

Excerpt: ...on a contractual forum selection clause, is DENIED. First, the Indemnitor Application and Agreement upon which moving party relies is expressly between Plaintiff Waller and Defendant Lexington National Insurance. Defendant U.S. Immigration Bonds has failed to make an initial showing of any contract to which it is a party that contains a forum selection clause. The Deed of Trust referencing Freedom Immigration Bonds (the dba for U.S.> Immigration ...

Excerpt: ...Gov. C. § 810 et seq. Section 815 provides that “Except as otherwise provided by statute: (a) A public entity is not liable for an injury, whether such injury arises out of an act or omission of the public entity or a public employee or any other person.” (Gov. C. § 815.) Thus, to state a cause of action alleging government tort liability, every fact essential to the existence of a statutory duty must be pleaded with particularity, includin...

Excerpt: ... parties. Code of Civil Procedure § 452. The Court assumes that the allegations in the first amended complaint are true and reads the complaint as a whole. Quelimane Co. v. Stewart Title Guaranty Co. (1998) 19 Cal.4th 26, 38. The Court, however, does not assume as true contentions, deductions or conclusions of fact or law. Blank v. Kirwan (1985) 39 Cal.3d 311, 318. If the complaint states a cause of action under any theory, regardless of the tit...

Excerpt: ...ing it.” California Judge's Benchbook: Civil Proceedings Before Trial § 6.21 (Thomson Reuters 2019). After review of Defendant's submission and its own independent analysis and research, the Court SUSTAINS the demurrer to each cause of action with leave to amend. The FAC contains five causes of action for (1) medical malpractice, (2) informed consent, (3) fraud, (4) IIED, (5) Bus. and Prof. Code §§ 1700 et seq., unfair competition. Defendant...

Excerpt: ...dant must either pay overdue rent covering the time period from Nov. 1, 2020 to Dec. 15, 2020, “or quit and deliver up possession of the premises.” See Complaint, Ex. II. Thus, the Complaint is based on tenant's alleged non‐payment of rent. Per Code Civ. Proc. Sects. 1179.01‐ 1179.07 (The Covid‐19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020, or “Relief Act”), Notices that seek to terminate a tenancy based on the non‐payment of rent that was due dur...

Excerpt: ...a motion to compel further responses to request for production of documents, the motion shall set forth specific facts showing good cause justifying the discovery sought by the demand. (Code of Civ. Proc. § 2031.310(b)(1); Kirkland v. Sup.Ct. (Guess?, Inc.) (2002) 95 Cal.App.4th 92, 98.) In order to establish “good cause,” the moving party's burden is to show both: (1) relevance to the subject matter (e.g., how the information in the documen...

Excerpt: ...Plaintiff is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART. As a threshold matter, the motion is timely pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure sections 2030.090(a) and 2031.060(a). Defendant Ocean Colony Partners, LLC does not dispute that the Court directed the parties at the September 17, 2020 Informal Discovery Conference (IDC) that the parties coordinate the filing of their respective motions to compel and for protective order so that they could be heard o...

Excerpt: ... for monetary sanctions is DENIED. Defendant's motion to compel responses to its special interrogatories is denied for the same reasons stated in its tentative ruling granting Plaintiff's motion for protective order. In addition, Defendant's motion is untimely as to any interrogatories to which Plaintiff has responded pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 2030.300, subd. (c). Plaintiff served his supplemental responses on October 26, 2020 a...

Excerpt: ...e unlimited action is pending may stay the unlawful detainer action until the issue of title is resolved in the unlimited action, or it may consolidate the actions.” (Martin‐Bragg v. Moore (2013) 219 Cal.App.4th 367, 385.) Thus, consolidation is permitted but not required. (See id., at p. 393 [“We do not hold that trial courts must in all cases grant applications for consolidation of an unlawful detainer proceeding with a pending quiet titl...

Excerpt: ...and Procedure (“WPP”) manual from 2018 to the present. Defendant has agreed to produce the 2018 and 2020 manuals subject to a protective order. Accordingly, Plaintiff's motion to compel is GRANTED as to this request. 2. RFP No. 17 Plaintiff's RFP No. 17 seeks documents “including but not limited to electronically stored information and electronic mails, concerning any internal analysis or investigation . . . regarding the TRUNK DEFECT in EX...

Excerpt: .... v. Woodward‐Clyde Associates (1985) 38 Cal.App.3d 488. “[O]nly when the good faith nature of a settlement is disputed it is incumbent upon the trial court to consider and weigh the Tech‐Bilt factors … when no one objects, the barebones motion which sets forth the ground of good faith, accompanied by a declaration which sets forth a brief background of the case is sufficient.” City of Grand Terrace v. Superior Court (1987) 192 Cal.App....

Excerpt: ... 94080. Since she currently conducts hearings through Zoom, there should be no prejudice from this error. The Court rules on Defendants Silicon Valley Disposition, Inc. (“SVD”) and John M. Carroll (“Carroll”) as follows: A. Demurrer by Defendant Carroll The demurrer by Defendant Carroll on the ground that the Complaint names him only in a corporate capacity is OVERRULED. The Complaint names Defendant Carroll in the fifth and sixth causes ...

Excerpt: ...March 26. The Court ordered Plaintiff to provide proof of service of the application by March 25. On March 25, Plaintiff filed a proof of service of the summons and complaint on Defendant Ryan Pourtemour, as well as declarations of attempted service of the summons and complaint on Defendants Christine and James Pourtemour. However, no proof of service of the application was timely submitted in accordance with the Court's order. Accordingly, the C...

Excerpt: ...tion to quash subpoenas based on litigation taking place in New York. The underlying New York action is a personal injury action. The Defendant in that action, Subaru Distributors Corp., served the subpoenas on non‐party Petitioner Facebook, Inc. The subpoenas seek discovery of the contents of Plaintiffs' Facebook and Instagram accounts. The Stored Communications Act (“SCA”) bars disclosure of the contents of the subpoenaed accounts. The SC...

Excerpt: ...icipated in an informal discovery conference on December 1, 2020, but did not resolve the issues raised herein. Kawahito Decl. ¶23‐24. This, and the subsequent communications detailed in the Kawahito Decl., satisfies the meet and confer requirement. Defendant argues that Dr. Scott cannot participate in a deposition because of health issues, based on a November 24, 2020 letter from Dr. Gilbert Goodman of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation which s...

Excerpt: ... reasons set forth below. Both the First Cause of Action for Breach of Contract and Second Cause of Action for Negligence are barred because Facebook is immune from liability under section 230(c)(1) of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (“CDA”). (See 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(1).) Section 230(c)(1) states that “[n]o provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by ...

Excerpt: ...ed causes of action arises from (i.e., is based on) protected activity. City of Cotati v. Cashman (2002) 29 Cal.4th 69, 79. If defendant meets this initial burden, the burden shifts to the plaintiff(s) to demonstrate a probability of prevailing on the claim(s). Zamos v. Stroud (2004) 32 Cal.4th 958, 965. Here, Plaintiffs' 12‐4‐20 Complaint asserts two causes of action, for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress (“IIED�...

Excerpt: ... Motion for Summary Adjudication is DENIED. Neither Plaintiffs' Notice of Motion nor Plaintiffs' Separate Statement of Undisputed Facts are compliant with California Rules of Court, Rule 3.1350(b) because they do not state specifically the cause of action for which summary adjudication is sought and repeat it verbatim on the separate statement. Defendants' objections numbers 1 and 3 are SUSTAINED on those grounds. Additionally, Plaintiffs have no...

Excerpt: ...ges claims for: (1) Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress; (2) Breach of the Covenant of Quiet Enjoyment; and (3) Violation of Government Code § 815.6. The FAC is brought against Defendant, who is “a city located in San Mateo County, California.” (FAC ¶ 7.) A claim for money or damages against a local public entity requires that a claim first be presented before filing a lawsuit, subject to certain exceptions. (See Gov. Code §§ 905, ...

Excerpt: ...Defendants are barred by the doctrine of res judicata. The asserted claims arise from the same conduct alleged in Plaintiff's complaint against Defendants in Yichao Chen v. Patricia Lileggi, et al, Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, Index No. 655664/2017 (“New York Civil Case”). See RJN, Ex. E. Defendants' summary judgment motion was granted in the New York Civil Case and the case was dismissed. RJN, Ex. F. Thus, Plai...

Excerpt: ...ts discretion not to rule on Plaintiff U.S. Bank National Association's (Plaintiff or US Bank) objections to Defendants' evidence, because none of the disputed evidence affects the Court's ruling on the motion. (Code of Civ. Proc. Sect. 437c, subd. (q) [court need rule only on objections deemed material to court's disposition of motion].) Plaintiff's Request for Judicial Notice is GRANTED as to all attached exhibits. B. Defendants' Motion for Sum...

Excerpt: ...election clause such as the one at issue here is generally given effect unless enforcement would be unreasonable or unfair, and the party opposing enforcement of the clause ordinarily bears the burden of proving why it should not be enforced.” (Handoush v. Lease Finance Group (2019) 41 Cal.App.5th 729, 734 (Handoush).) “The burden, however, is reversed when the claims at issue are based on unwaivable rights created by California statutes. In ...

Excerpt: ...s Industry, Inc. (Siemens) and Liberty Mutual Ins. Co. (Liberty Mutual) are ORDERED to conduct a mediation pursuant to their subcontract with McCarthy under the terms set forth below. Pending the completion of the mediation, the crossactions involving Siemens, Liberty Mutual, and McCarthy are STAYED. Siemens' Subcontract with McCarthy requires that Siemens and McCarthy mediate any dispute arising from the Subcontract “before any legal proceedin...

Excerpt: ...torney's fees is DENIED. Respondent contends, first, that the arbitrator lacked statutory authority to issue the December 18, 2019 “Amended Ruling.” According to Respondent, “the arbitrator had no statutory authority or power to change, ‘amend,' or otherwise ‘clarify' his December 17, 2019, decision, regardless of his desire to do so or whether the parties requested ‘clarification' during a telephone call.” Opposition, p.5. Pursuant...

Excerpt: ...ber 16, 2020 is denied. (Code Civ. Proc., sec. 473(d); see Ellard v. Conway (2001) 94 Cal.App.4th 540, 544 [default judgment entered against a defendant who was not served with a summons in the matter prescribed by statute is void].) Pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 415.20(b), plaintiff's process server attempted service on defendant at the Fremont apartment, the address defendant gave as his home address at the scene of the accident, ...

Excerpt: ...min Darrow (“Plaintiff”), is ruled on as follows: (1) Defendant's Request for Judicial Notice is GRANTED, pursuant to Evidence Code section 452(d). (2) The Demurrer to the First through Fifth Causes of Action as barred by the statute of limitations is OVERRULED. Defendants argue that these claims are barred by the three‐year statute of limitations under Code of Civil Procedure section 338(d). The statute commences to run only after one has ...

Excerpt: ... “material continuing violations of your lease (smoking, unapproved dog, noise),” “material failure to carry out obligations under state landlord and tenant law (nuisance and interfering with quiet enjoyment of neighbors),” and “other good cause (harassment of neighbors, smoking, noise).” (Complaint, Ex. 2.) Defendant's tenancy is a Section 8 tenancy. (Complaint, Ex. 1.) The Complaint does not allege facts that would permit terminatio...

Excerpt: ...lows: Demurrer to the First Cause of Action for Premises Liability and Second Cause of Action for Negligence is OVERRULED. Defendant demurs to these claims based on failure to state facts sufficient to support these claims. Defendant assert that the facts pled are insufficient to support that Defendant owed Plaintiffs a duty of care. After reviewing the cases cited by the parties and the facts alleged in the Complaint though, the Court finds that...

Excerpt: ... Further, the Demurrer provides no argument that the first or second cause of action is uncertain. B. Demurrer to Third Cause of Action Defendant's demurrer to the third cause of action (fraudulent inducement) is sustained with leave to amend. 1. The Economic Loss Rule bars Plaintiff's claim. The economic loss rule allows a plaintiff to recover in tort when a product defect causes damage to “property other than the product itself.” (Jimenez v...

Excerpt: ...ased solely on allegations that Realogy “is the controlling company for” Cornerstone (Compl., ¶ 3) and that Defendants were the “alter egos of their co‐defendants” and “were joint venturers with, or co‐partners with, . . . their co‐defendants” (id., ¶ 11), Plaintiff contends that he has sufficiently pled the first cause of action for negligence and the third cause of action for tort of another against Realogy (see Pl. Opp., at...

Excerpt: ...AINED IN PART WITH LEAVE TO AMEND. As a threshold matter, the Court exercises its discretion to consider the Demurrer even though Defendant filed it more than a year after being served with the Summons and Complaint. Plaintiff has not opposed the Demurrer, and therefore has not demonstrated that it will be prejudiced. (Jackson v. Doe (2011) 192 Cal. App. 4th 742, 750.) Defendant's Demurrer to the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Causes of Action based ...

Excerpt: ... Alexander Mayer (“Mayer”) (collectively “Plaintiffs”), is ruled on as set forth below. The demurrer to the second, third, fourth, ninth, and tenth causes of action is SUSTAINED WITH LEAVE TO AMEND as to Defendant Pepe Pimentel (“Pimentel”). Plaintiffs have not alleged facts to support these causes of action. There is no alleged misrepresentation by Pimentel to support the Second Cause of Action for Intentional Misrepresentation and T...

Excerpt: ... Plaintiffs have demonstrated the records they seek to seal contain proprietary or confidential information. The records consist of testimony and documents furnished to the San Mateo County Assessment Appeals Board in conjunction with an application for changed assessment. Complaint, ¶ 10. Plaintiffs cite to Rev. and Tax. Code § 451, which provides that “All information requested by the assessor or furnished in the property statement shall be...

Excerpt: ...icle negligence arising from a collision on the 280 Freeway in San Mateo County. It alleges Defendant “was engaged in a race on the freeway with his motor vehicle with another unknown individual …. [and] caused his motor vehicle to strike Plaintiff's vehicle with such force that it caused Plaintiff's vehicle to fly off the highway and to rollover multiple times.” The Complaint refers to Defendant's actions as “despicable conduct, intentio...

Excerpt: ...by Defendant Clark Pest Control Services, Inc. (CPCS) in 2016. Plaintiff alleges that, following a company event at a San Mateo County golf course on January 20, 2018, her supervisor, Chris Burkett, “made a racist comment to Plaintiff” using a racial slur. Complaint, ¶ 8. Plaintiff complained to her employer about the comment. Defendant conducted an investigation and found Plaintiff's claim unsubstantiated. Id., ¶ 9. Upon learning the resul...

Excerpt: ... California, Inc., Aetna Health Management, Inc. and Aetna Life Insurance Company (collectively, Aetna) is CONTINUED to March 18, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. in Department 22. Defendants have lodged Exhibit Nos. 1‐7 under seal pursuant to California Rules of Court (CRC), Rule 2.254(c). (See Notice of Lodging filed September 24, 2020.) Rule 2.254(c) states that “[e]xcept as provided in rules 2.250‐ 2.259 and 2.500‐2.506, an electronically filed docu...

Excerpt: ...ity cause of action, but DENIED as to the remaining claims. Id. As to Conco, Plaintiffs allege claims for negligence, premises liability, and loss of consortium. 9‐ 26‐19 Complaint. The parties appear to agree that the loss of consortium claim is predicated upon and dependent on the negligence and premises liability claims. Having reviewed the parties' briefing and supporting evidence, the Court concludes that triable issues of fact preclude ...

Excerpt: ...mpt from disclosure under Gov. Code § 6254(k), part of the California Public Records Act (CPRA), which provides that the Act does not require disclosure of “Records, the disclosure of which is exempted or prohibited pursuant to federal or state law, including, but not limited to, provisions of the Evidence Code relating to privilege.” In Citizens Oversight, Inc. v. Vu (2019) 35 Cal.App.5th 612, 618– 620, the Fourth District Court of Appeal...

Excerpt: ...ies the tentative issued on February 18 as follows: The motion is GRANTED and the notice is approved. The remainder of the tentative is adopted. The Court declines Plaintiff's counsel's request for attorneys' fees of 38% In exercising its discretion after reviewing the record and weighing the factors, the Court continues to believe that one‐third is an appropriate per centage. TENTATIVE OF FEBRUARY 18, 2021 Plaintiffs' motion for approval of a ...

Excerpt: ...on with Defendant Waterville, Inc. (“Waterville”). The parties dispute whether Defendant had authority to administer the arbitration. As a threshold matter, the Court has authority to determine issues of arbitrability. Courts defer “questions of arbitrability” to the arbitrator only where the parties have “clearly and unmistakably” agreed that the arbitrator decide those issues. Rent‐A‐Center, West, Inc. v. Jackson (2010) 561 US 6...

Excerpt: ...t, the parties are to contest the tentative and appear at the hearing to explain. Defendants' demurrer is SUSTAINED with leave to amend. In this case, six plaintiffs sue Defendant for violation of Business & Professions Code § 17529.5(a)(1),(2). None of the emails are attached to the SAC. The Court further notes that while the SAC identifies the number of emails each Plaintiff received, there is no further information about the specific emails t...

Excerpt: ...g to Defendants, “when dealing with injuries of the magnitude at issue in this case, the effect of sympathy and passion in the jury's deliberations on the subject of liability may well result in a miscarriage of justice.” MPA, p.8. Defendants assert that “Should the facts and evidence support a conclusion that Defendants are not liable for decedent's and Plaintiffs' injuries, presentation of evidence and argument regarding the tragic result...

Excerpt: ...h Plaintiff, the existence of which is established by the Complaint and judicially noticeable facts. Contrary to Defendant's contention, the contract does not need to be in writing since it falls under the exception set forth in Commercial Code section 2201(3)(a). Paragraphs 42 and 43 of the Complaint establishes the remaining elements of this claim. See CACI No. 2201. Defendant also contends this cause of action is barred by res judicata based o...

Excerpt: ...for Wrongful Foreclosure and Fifth Cause of Action for Violations of RESPA pursuant to Cal. Code of Civ. Proc. § 430.10(e). The Demurrer is OVERRULED with respect to Plaintiff's remaining causes of action. Any amended pleading is to be filed within 20 days of this order. First COA for Wrongful Foreclosure: The elements of a wrongful foreclosure cause of action are: “ ‘(1) [T]he trustee or mortgagee caused an illegal, fraudulent, or willfully...

Excerpt: ...ervention (FAC) is DENIED. Motions to strike are generally regarded with disfavor.1 (See Real v. Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. (C.D. Cal., Feb. 8, 2016) 2016 WL 3220811, *2). Use of a motion to strike should be “cautious and sparing” to avoid a “procedural ‘line item veto.' ” (PH II, Inc. v. Superior Court (Ibershof) (1995) 33 Cal.App.4th 1680, 1683.) A motion to strike may seek to strike any “irrelevant, false or imprope...

Excerpt: ...t Equinox Equinox's motion for summary adjudication of Plaintiff Robert Pierre Alexander's first through fourth causes of action is DENIED. Equinox's motion for summary adjudication of Plaintiff's claim for punitive damages is GRANTED. 1. Plaintiff's first cause of action for retaliation in violation of Labor Code sections 1102.5, 6310, and 6311 Equinox contends that summary adjudication of Plaintiff's first cause of action for retaliation in vio...

Excerpt: ...ssity and the reasons for the discovery; (2) the diligence or lack of diligence of the party seeking the discovery or the hearing of a discovery motion, and the reasons that the discovery was not completed or that the discovery motion was not heard earlier; (3) any likelihood that permitting the discovery or hearing the discovery motion will prevent the case from going to trial on the date set, or otherwise interfere with the trial calendar, or r...

Excerpt: ...aintiffs J.B.B. et. al. (see 2‐10‐21 Opposition brief) pursuant to Code Civ. Proc. Sect. 128.5(g) is also DENIED. This Court, after reviewing the record and weighing the factors, exercises its discretion and denies both requests for sanctions. J.B.B. et. al. argues Defendants Fair et. al. should be sanctioned for Mr. Fair making false statements in his 12‐3‐20 declaration. J.B.B.'s request for sanctions is based on two sentences in Paragr...

Excerpt: ...s”) to Strike Portions of the First Amended Cross‐ Complaint (“FACC”) of CrossComplainants Tarun Gaur, Tringapps, Inc., Jinigram, LLC, Dial2Buy.com, LLC, and Ravi Kumar (“Cross‐ Complainants”), is ruled on as follows: (1) The Motion to Strike the portions of Paragraphs 1 and 2 in the Prayer for Relief on page 36, lines 21 and 24 that read “and that Gaur be restored all consideration” is GRANTED WITHOUT LEAVE TO AMEND. CrossCompl...

Excerpt: ...ed by a means guaranteeing no later than next‐day delivery. See Code Civ. Proc. Sect. 1005(c). The Complaint properly states a cause of action for unlawful detainer (UD). Code Civ. Proc. Sect. 430.10(e). The Complaint alleges that after the initial lease term expired and a month‐to‐month tenancy was created, Plaintiffs served Defendants with a 60‐day Notice of Termination of Tenancy (Complaint, Ex. B), which stated that Plaintiffs intende...

Excerpt: ...itz LLC. The pleading alleges that Plaintiffs are members of Fox Investments, LLC. It does not allege, however, whether any Plaintiff is one of the “certain partners” of Fox Investments (Complaint para. 8) who purchased DeRitz LLC. The Complaint does not identify any member of DeRitz LLC. Further, the Complaint fails to state a cause of action for an accounting. “An action for an accounting may be brought to compel the defendant to account ...

Excerpt: ...vely “Cross‐Defendants”) to the First Amended Cross‐Complaint (“FACC”) of Cross‐Complainants Tarun Gaur (“Gaur”), Tringapps, Inc., Jinigram, LLC, Dial2Buy.com, LLC, and Ravi Kumar (collectively “CrossComplainants”), is ruled on as follows: (1) Demurrer to the Fourth Cause of Action for Declaratory Relief based on failure to state facts sufficient to support this claim, is OVERRULED. Cross‐Defendants fail to show that all o...

Excerpt: ...SAN MATEO INSURANCE COMMISSIONER OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, Applicant, v. CALIFORNIA INSURANCE COMPANY, a California corporation, Respondent. ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Case No.: 19‐CIV‐06531 Assigned For All Purposes to Hon. Danny Y. Chou ORDER DENYING RESPONDENT'S SPECIAL ANTI‐SLAPP MOTION TO STRIKE On November 4, 2019, this Court appointed Applicant the Insurance Commissioner of California (Commissioner) the Conservator of Respondent C...

Excerpt: ...in November 2020, the LLC's counsel substituted out of the case, leaving the LLC without counsel. Plaintiffs then filed this motion, seeking to strike the LLC's previously filed answer, on the groundsthat an LLC, like a corporation, cannot represent itself in litigation. (See, generally, Merco Constr. Engineers, Inc. v. Municipal Court (1978) 21 Cal. 3d 724, 727.) Although Plaintiffs are correct that the LLC cannot represent itself in this action...

Excerpt: ...ances,” however, a plaintiff may sue under fictitious names, such as “Jane Doe.” (See Doe v. Lincoln Unified Sch. Dist. (2010) 188 Cal.App.4th 758, 766‐67.) The Court finds that the circumstances of this action are sufficiently exceptional to justify allowing Petitioner to proceed under a fictitious name. In this action Petitioner seeks a ruling that the evidence did not support a finding that Petitioner engaged in child abuse. Although P...

Excerpt: ...st instruments”. It is Defendant's contention that the oral examination can be conducted remotely, but that some of the psychological tests cannot be conducted remotely. The Amended Notice lists a multitude of potential tests, and that the doctor “will use her judgment to administer any, all or none of the following test”. No specific evidence has been presented as to which specific tests the doctor has a good faith belief will actually nee...

Excerpt: ...ple v. ConAgra Grocery Products Co. (2017) 17 Cal.App.5th 51. Judge Fineman also represented the County of San Mateo in In re Natural Gas Antitrust Cases (Price Indexing), San Diego County, Nos. JCCP4221, JCCP4224, JCCP4226, and JCCP4228. See Regents of University of California v. Superior Court (2008) 165 Cal.App.4th 672. Judge Fineman represented the County of San Mateo in other cases; she does not have the full names or case numbers for those ...

Excerpt: ...d failed to serve this motion on RJ Leonard Painting, a pro per defendant who failed to serve any party with its answer. Per the Court's order, on February 17, 2021, A&B notified all parties of the continuance and served the motion on RJ Leonard Painting. “[O]nly when the good faith nature of a settlement is disputed it is incumbent upon the trial court to consider and weigh the Tech‐ Bilt factors … when no one objects, the barebones motion...

Excerpt: ...or Summary Judgment or in the alternative, Summary Adjudication, is ruled on as follows: Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment is DENIED since they have failed to establish that there are no triable issues of material fact as to an essential element for each cause of action. Summary Adjudication is DENIED as to the First, Second, Fourth, Sixth and Seventh Causes of Action and GRANTED as to the Third and Fifth Causes of Action for the reasons se...

Excerpt: ...nor any facts suggesting Defendant engaged in “despicable conduct,” as is required by Section 3294. Specifically, Plaintiff alleges he dined at Defendant's restaurant, informed Defendant he had a peanut allergy, inquired whether the food he had ordered contained peanuts, and was told it did not. (Complaint, p. 5). Plaintiff alleges he became ill after consuming the food, which it turns out contained peanut ingredients. Id. For the reasons sta...

Excerpt: ... confusion, the Court will refer to Equinix Services, Inc. as “PHI,” even though PHI is the company's prior name. The legal basis for the Court's exercise of personal jurisdiction over a Defendant is set forth in detail in the parties' moving and opposing papers, and will not be repeated at length here. Procedurally, when a non‐resident Defendant challenges personal jurisdiction, the burden is on the plaintiff to first demonstrate, by a pre...

Excerpt: ...led to comply with the terms of the parties' Settlement Agreement by failing to make payments due thereunder. The Agreement provided that Defendant was to make payments to Plaintiff's counsel's law firm. Mahfouz Decl., Ex. A. ¶ 6. Plaintiff's counsel's declaration states that no payments have been made. Mahfouz Decl., ¶ 9. As a result, Plaintiff has established Defendant is in default under the parties' Agreement. The terms of the Settlement Ag...

Excerpt: ...f Act precludes a court from finding a tenant guilty of unlawful detainer before July 1, 2021, absent certain exceptions. (See C.C.P. § 1179.03.5.) The Complaint does not allege that any of the exceptions under C.C.P. § 1179.03.5 apply to this unlawful detainer action. As a result, Plaintiff has failed to allege facts sufficient to support a cause of action for unlawful detainer. Leave to amend is not granted. Although leave to amend is routine...

Excerpt: ...IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN MATEO JEFFREY SANTELLICES; Plaintiff, v. APTTUS CORPORATION; PROJECT EVEREST PARENT, LLC; PARENT EVEREST HOLDINGS, LLC; and DOES 1 through 25, Defendants. ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) Case No.: 19‐CIV‐00821 Assigned For All Purposes to Hon. Danny Y. Chou ORDER DENYING DEFENDANTS' MOTION TO DISMISS FOR FORUM NON CONVENIENS Defendants Apttus Corporation (Apttus), Project Everest Parent, LLC, and Parent Everest Holdin...

Excerpt: ... AMEND, and SUSTAINED IN PART WITHOUT LEAVE TO AMEND. 1. Plaintiff's Causes of Action Against Apttus a. First Cause of Action for Breach of Contract The demurrer to Plaintiff's first cause of action for breach of contract against Apttus is OVERRULED. A demurrer to only a portion of a cause of action is “procedurally improper.” (PH II, Inc. v. Superior Court (1995) 33 Cal.App.4th 1680, 1682.) Apttus only argues that the conversion of Plaintiff...

Excerpt: ...ubdivision (b)(1). (Id., ¶ 8.) Plaintiff served Defendant with a 3‐day notice to quit that expired on December 7, 2020. (Compl., ex. 2.) The notice alleges that Defendant repeatedly harassed and disturbed neighbors, including Plaintiff's daughter, and states, in pertinent part, that: “This harassing and disturbing behavior, besides being a violation of your written rental agreement's rules and regulations, constitutes the maintenance of a nu...

Excerpt: ...n August 29, 2017, causing injury. Defendant contends the statute of limitations for any cause of action against Ms. Person has run, as Plaintiff did not name Ms. Person as a Defendant within two years of the date of injury, and the amendment does not relate back to the original filing because Plaintiff was not genuinely ignorant of Ms. Person's identity. As noted by Defendant, Plaintiff spoke with Ms. Person and took pictures of Ms. Person's dri...

Excerpt: ...ULED. Defendant's objection to evidence are OVERRULED. Plaintiffs' counsel, three different firms, seek their attorneys' fees of $304,274.25, which amount includes a .5 multiplier pursuant to the Song‐Beverly Act, Civil Code § 1794(d). The case settled for $170,000 after Defendant's failed to repair the car that Plaintiffs had purchased for $33,000. Plaintiffs have submitted declarations from counsel, verified billing statements, a National Co...

Excerpt: ...e Court finds that the same result is obtained under both California and Delaware law. Accordingly, the Court does not engage in a conflict of law analysis. The Court notes though that even if substantive Delaware law applies, California procedural law, including whether the pleadings are sufficient, are determined under California law. 3 Witkin, Cal. Proc. 5th Actions § 46 (2020) citing Restatement 2d, Conflict of Laws §§ 127, 128. Failure to...

Excerpt: ...or Fraudulent Concealment, the Second Cause of Action for Fraudulent Misrepresentation, and Third Cause of Action for Fraudulent Inducement (collectively fraud claims) is SUSTAINED WITH LEAVE TO AMEND Defendants' demurrer to the fraud claims is sustained with leave to amend because they are not pled with sufficient particularity and because Plaintiffs failed to plead a duty to disclose on the part of Defendants. Fraud claims must be pled with suf...

Excerpt: ...ants) is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART. “A cause of action against a person arising from any act of that person in furtherance of the person's right of petition or free speech under the United States Constitution or the California Constitution in connection with a public issue shall be subject to a special motion to strike, unless the court determines that the plaintiff has established that there is a probability that the plaintiff will pr...

Excerpt: ...plained below, entry of judgment finding Defendant Raymond Wilson guilty of unlawful detainer in this action is currently barred by the COVID‐19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020 (Tenant Relief Act). Plaintiff filed this unlawful detainer action on January 31, 2020. (Compl. for Unlawful Detainer, filed 1/31/20.) In the Complaint, Plaintiff alleged, among other things, that: (1) Defendant agreed to pay Plaintiff $2,325.00 per month as rental for certain...

Excerpt: ... party to judgment on the cause of action. (Code Civ. Proc., sect. 437c, subd. (p)(1).) Once the plaintiff has met that burden, the burden shifts to the defendant to show that a triable issue on one or more material facts exists as to the cause of action or a defense thereto. (Ibid.) The defendant shall not rely upon the allegations or denials of its pleadings to show a triable issue; defendant must set forth the specific facts showing that a tri...

Excerpt: ...rd Motor Company does not challenge Plaintiffs' right to costs, but in this motion challenges certain of those costs. Defendant has made ruling on this motion more difficult because of its failure to comply with California Rule of Court 3.1700(b)(2). Thus this Court's ruling does not correspond to the line item on the Cost Memorandum. After viewing the totality of the record and weighing all the factors, this Court exercises its discretion and ru...

Excerpt: ...ance with CCP § 2030.300(c). The parties' disagreement centers around the question of whether Plaintiff's responses to Defendant's special interrogatories, served on August 10, 2020, were properly verified with Plaintiff's electronic signature. According to Plaintiff's declaration, he completed his review of the discovery responses on August 10 and directed his attorney to electronically sign Plaintiff's name on the verifications. Makada Decl., ...

Excerpt: ...plaint. (See California Arbitration Act (“CAA”), codified in the Code Civ. Proc. Sect. 1281, et seq., and the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), 9 United States Code Sect. 1, et seq.) Plaintiff argues that the arbitration agreement is void because he did not sign an arbitration agreement. (Opp. at 3:9‐15.) The arbitration agreement provided by Defendant, which reflects Plaintiff's signatures, is authenticated by Fatima Parayno, Defendant'...

Excerpt: ...c. (“Sedgwick”) and Plaintiff‐in‐Intervention Guadalupe Campillo‐Cortes (“Campillo”) are DENIED. Sedgwick's request for joinder is GRANTED. A. The Peculiar Risk Doctrine Applies Only to Hazardous Activities Under the peculiar risk doctrine, a property owner who hires an independent contractor to do “inherently dangerous work” can be held directly liable for damages when that independent contractor causes injury to others by negl...

Excerpt: ...er, the Court construes the complaint's allegations liberally with a view to attaining substantial justice among the parties. Code of Civil Procedure section 452. All material facts are treated as true. Apple v. Superior Court (2017) 18 Cal.App.5th 222, 240. The Demurrer to the First Cause of Action for Fraud is OVERRULED. Defendants challenge the specificity of the allegations, that there are no actionable allegations, and no damages pled. The C...

Excerpt: ... mail and electronic mail, respectively, to Consumer First Legal at 416 Hillview Drive in Milpitas, CA and to [email protected]. The email address is identified in the parties' stipulation as the address where Defendant may be notified of default. However, no appearance has been entered on behalf of Defendant in this action, and there is no indication in the record that the physical or email address to which the papers were served belong to Defend...

Excerpt: ...ek to invalidate the settlement agreement. “'Ordinarily where the rights involved in litigation arise upon a contract, courts refuse to adjudicate the rights of some of the parties to the contract if the others are not before it.'” Deltakeeper v. Oakdale Irrigation Dist., 94 Cal. App. 4th 1092, 1106 (2001) (quoting Nat'l Licorice Co. v. N.L.R.B., 309 U.S. 350, 363 (1940)). “Such a judgment or decree would be futile if rendered, since the co...

Excerpt: ...fendant Agrawal, whereby Agrawal would take over Plaintiff's lease with EJC (FAC, ¶¶ 13‐15); JLL knew of this contract prior to charging Plaintiff with an improperly calculated Additional Rent (Id., ¶¶ 21‐22); JLL charged Plaintiff an incorrect amount for Additional Rent and failed to correct it, despite Plaintiff informing JLL that curing the Additional Rent issue was “paramount” to it being able to complete the sale of its business ...

Excerpt: ...ency Regulation, through August 31, 2020, unless further extended by the County before that date (“Termination Date”), no Landlord shall endeavor to evict a tenant . . . for a no‐fault termination of tenancy as defined herein unless necessary for the health and safety of the Tenant, other residents of the building at which the Tenant resides, the Landlord, or the Landlord's Family. Endeavors to evict that are prohibited by this Emergency Re...