Excerpt: ...er than five (5) days after service of written notice of this order. Defendants demur to the Complaint under Code of Civil Procedure section 430.10, subdivision (e). They argue that the three -day notice to pay rent or quit (referred to as the “Notice”) served to them should have specified that payment of the overdue rent could be made by mail, rather than solely by personal delivery. “A valid three -day pay rent or quit notice is a prere...

Excerpt: ...plaint (“SAC”) is SUSTAINED WITHOUT LEAVE TO AMEND. (Code Civ. Proc. Sect. 430.10(e).) Hearing location. Defendants' 12 -28 -23 Notice of Demurrer incorrectly states that the hearing on this Demurrer will take place in the San Mateo courthouse. The hearing will take pla ce in Department 23, which is located to 400 County Center, Redwood City, Ca. Defendants' 12 -28 -23 Request for Judicial Notice (RJN) is GRANTED. (Evid. Code Sect. 452(d).) T...

Excerpt: ... Song and Kooyeon Son g (collectively, “the Songs”). On January 18, 2023, the Songs crosscomplained against Streamlined and added Cross -defendant Paul Hugh Johnson, “the principal and officer” of Streamlined, in his personal capacity. (Jan. 31, 2024 Declaration of Paul Johnson (“Johnson Decl.”), ¶ 2; see id., at ¶¶ 4– 5 [referring to Streamlined as “my corporation”].) The Songs attempted to serve process on Johnson via Strea...

Excerpt: ...in April 2019, ab out five years ago. In February 2020, Defendant served Plaintiff with Form Interrogatories, Special Interrogatories, and Requests for Production of Documents, which broadly asked Plaintiff to explain the claims that Plaintiff was asserting against Defendan t, and the basis therefore. Plaintiff did not … and has never … serve(d) responses to the discovery requests. In May 2020 and again in Jan. 2021, Defendant's counsel sent...

Excerpt: ... of Action for Medical Malpr actice is SUSTAINED with leave to amend based on failure to allege facts sufficient to support this cause of action. The elements of a cause of action for medical malpractice are: “(1) the duty of the professional to use such skill, prudence, and diligence as other members of his profession commonly possess and exercise; (2) a breach of that duty; (3) a proximate causal connection between the negligent conduct and t...

Excerpt: ...r. (CCP § 430.41.) Cross -D efendant also failed to file a declaration regarding its meet and confer obligations. (CCP § 430.41(a)(3).) Since insufficient meet and confer efforts are not grounds to overrule or sustain a demurrer (CCP § 430.41(a)(4)), and Cross - Defendant's special dem urrer is without merit, the Court will reach those merits and OVERRULE the demurrer on those ground separate and apart from the failure to meet and confer. Col...

Excerpt: ...re not recovera ble as of right or otherwise barred by statute. Id. at § 1033.5(c)(4). An award of costs is subject to the court's determination that those costs: (1) are reasonably necessary to the conduct of the litigation rather than merely convenient or beneficial to its purpose; and (2) that the costs are reasonable in amount. Id. at § 1033.5(c)(2) –(3). To claim costs, the prevailing party must serve and file a memorandum of costs wit...

Excerpt: ...hether the se rvice provided to Defendant Caixing Xie is sufficient. Prior filings with this court show that Xie is likely incarcerated in China. Notice of Dismissal of Involuntary Bankruptcy Petition, filed Mar. 29, 2024, Ex. A, at 1 –2. However, Plaintiffs have only pr ovided notice to Xie's United States -based counsel. The due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution requires that if a person is entitle...

Excerpt: ...ests for Admi ssions, Set One, to be deemed admitted. Defendants also request monetary sanctions. The motion to compel and for sanctions is GRANTED in its entirety, as set forth in further detail below. Interrogatories Defendants seek to compel responses, not compel f urther responses, as they contend that no response to their interrogatories was ever received. (Declaration of William H. Coke (“Coke Decl.”) in support of Motion.) Therefore, t...

Excerpt: ...an action or proce eding if it is contended that the action has no merit or that there is no defense to the action or proceeding.” (Code of Civ. Proc., § 437c, subd. (a)(1).) Summary judgment will only be granted “if all the papers submitted show that there is no triable iss ue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” (Id., at subd. (c).) A defendant moving for summary judgment has an...

Excerpt: ... admissions (“RFAs”) were denied without objection or explanation from Plaintiffs Robert Michael and Ellen Williams (“the Williamses”). Having successfully defended himself from all twelve causes of action in the Williamses' suit, he claims that he is entitled to cost of proof sanctions. If a party is requested to admit the truth of any matter and fails to do so, and the propounding party subsequently proves the truth of that matter, the ...

Excerpt: ...action pending between the same parties due to the wrongful foreclosure of the property. Defendant claims that a wrongful foreclosure action (“foreclosure action”) was filed on August 22, 2023. (See Steven Yu v. FCI Lender Services, Inc. (Super. Ct. San Mateo County No. 23C IV03933).) Defendant has not requested judicial notice of the operative pleading in the foreclosure action to support this argument though. A demurrer may be used to chal...

Excerpt: ...20(g); Code Civ. Proc. § 472b.) Defendant City of San Mateo's Request for Judicial Notice is GRANTED as to all items for the purposes of this demurrer. The Complaint asserts a single cause of action against defendant City of San Mateo (City) for dangerous conditio n of public property. It alleges that plaintiff William Trapp was riding his bicycle along the Bay Trail in San Mateo when he “encountered orange barrier fencing that had entered his...

Excerpt: ...shall be verifie d and allege all of the following: (a) The date of recordation of the claim of lien. A certified copy of the claim of lien shall be attached to the petition. (b) The county in which the claim of lien is recorded. (c) The book and page or series number of t he place in the official records where the claim of lien is recorded. (d) The legal description of the property subject to the claim of lien. (e) Whether an extension of cred...

Excerpt: ...Proc., § 437c.) Accordingly, defendants' alternative Motion for Summary Adjudication is DENIED AS MOOT. (Code Civ. Proc., § 437c.) Hearing location. Defendants' January 11, 2024 Notice of Motion incorrectly states that the April 10, 2024 hearing will take place in the Redwood City courthouse. The hearing will take place in Department 28 in the San Mateo courthouse, which is located at 800 North Humboldt St., San Mateo, California 94401. Defenda...

Excerpt: ...nopposed motion for summary judgment against defendant Andreas Tzortiz (“Defendant”). This Court denied plaintiff's first motion for summary judgment due to procedural deficiencies with the proof of service. As to plaintiff's second motion for summary judgment, the Court fin ds that a rebuttable presumption of proper service has been established, and therefore proceeds to consider the merits of the motion for summary judgment. In ruling on...

Excerpt: ...fers to the Ca lifornia Rules of Court).) A motion for continuance is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court. (Oliveros v. County of Los Angeles (2004) 120 Cal.App.4th 1389, 1395 (Oliveros).) Rule 3.1332(c) sets forth seven grounds for continuance upon a showing of good cause, mostly related to the unavailability of a party, essential lay or expert witness, or trial counsel due to death, illness, or other excusable circumstances. Th...

Excerpt: ...dently dete rmine whether a settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate. (Kullar v. Foot Locker Retail, Inc. (2008) 168 Cal.App.4th 116, 129 (Kullar) [“ ‘The court has a fiduciary responsibility as guardians of the rights of the absentee class members when deciding whether to approve a settlement agreement.' ”]; In re Microsoft I -V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) After conducting its independent review, the court concludes that pl...

Excerpt: ...by 4:00 p.m. on April 8, 2024 that the tentative is contested, then the Court will adopt the tentative at the April 9, 2024 hearing and there will be no oral argument on the motion. Defendant Xuan Xu's Demurrer to Plaintiff Yifan Jiang's Verified First Amended Comp laint for Partition of Real Property is SUSTAINED in part with leave to amend and OVERRULED in part. Defendant Xuan Xu's Request for Judicial Notice is GRANTED as to all items. Plaint...

Excerpt: ... forth below. (1) Initial ly, the court notes that Plaintiff has provided the improper address for the hearing. Department 4 is not located in Redwood City as the notice states, but instead at the Central Courthouse, Courtroom G, 800 North Humboldt St., San Mateo, CA 94401. (See Cal. Rules of Court, Rule 3.1110 [the Notice “must specify” the location of the hearing].) Plaintiff is cautioned to comply with this rule in the future. (2) Defendan...

Excerpt: ...s Third Cause of Action for Breach of Implied Warranties of Fitness and Merchantability under the SongBeverly Consumer Warranty Act (“Act”) based on failure to allege facts sufficient to support this claim. Defendant argues that Plaintiff has not alleged facts sufficient to support that he gave Defendant pre -suit notice to allow Defendant an opportunity to repair or replace the bicycle, as required under the Act. However, Defendant fails to ...

Excerpt: ...matter, Defendant The Charles Armstrong School (“the School”) fails to demonstrate it satisfied its meet -and -confer obligations. The Declaration of Kellie M. Murphy reveals that the parties' counsel only exchanged correspondence and did not “meet and confer in person, by t elephone, or by video conference” as required. (Code of Civ. Proc., § 430.41, subd. (a).) “A determination by the court that the meet and confer process was insuf...

Excerpt: ...graph 3 of the lease, Defendant PCHRG agreed to pay initial base rent of $15,500.00 monthly for the first two years of the lease, with annual increases thereafter. (See Compl. Ex. 1.) Under paragraph 3, the base rent increased to $17,505.00 on Jan. 1, 2023 and again to $ 18,030.00 on Jan. 1, 2024. Under paragraph 5 of the lease, PCHRG agreed to pay Plaintiff 100% of all real estate taxes assessed against the Premises as additional rent. Accordin...

Excerpt: ... liberal allow ance of amendments should prevail. Nestle v. Santa Monica (1971) 6 Cal.2d 920, 939. California courts have held that for an original complaint, whether or not the plaintiff has requested leave to amend, denial of leave to amend constitutes an abuse of disc retion unless the complaint is clearly incapable of amendment. Tarrar Enterprises, Inc. v. Associated Indemnity Corp. (2022) 83 Cal.App.5th 685, 688 (quoting King v. Mortimer (19...

Excerpt: ...d Complaint is SUSTAINED WITHOUT LEAVE TO AMEND. The Second Amended Complaint (the “SAC”) asserts six causes of action, for: (1) reversal of the void deed of trust and/or novation of the mortgage loan based on a theory of fraud and cancellation of instruments; (2) cancellation of foreclosure action; (3) quiet title; (4) declaratory relief; (5) accounting; and (6) preliminary and permanent injunction. Defendants Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc...

Excerpt: ...ileged documen ts no later than April 18, 2024 or a date agreed upon in writing by Oracle Corp. and Oracle America, Inc. and Plaintiff David Weiner. On December 1, 2023, Weiner served on non- parties Oracle Corp. and Oracle America, Inc. (collectively, “Oracle”) Oracle a subpoena for production of business records issued on November 30, 2023. Neither Weiner nor Oracle raises a relevant distinction between Oracle Corp. and Oracle America, Inc....

Excerpt: ...�Motion Number One for Determination of Evidentiary and Legal Issues Affecting the Determination of Compensation,” filed Feb. 20, 2024, is DENIED. The Gearings' 2- 20-24 Request for Judicial Notice (RJN) is GRANTED. (Evid. Code Sect. 452(d).) The Gearings request judicial n otice of 22 documents previously filed with this Court. The RJN provides no explanation as to their significance/relevance, although of these documents are referenced in ...

Excerpt: ...g Plaintiff's time as a student at a high school run by the District, he was sexually assaulted by Perpetrator after being sent to be evaluated by Perpetrator, a psychiatrist, as part of a special education program. Plaintiff's claim against the District is brought under Govt. Code § 81 5.2, alleging negligent supervision and protection of a minor student. The District demurred to the FAC on the basis that Assembly Bill (“AB”) 218, which mod...

Excerpt: ... effective Janu ary 1, 2020. (See former Code. Civ. Proc., § 340.1, repealed by Stats. 2022, c. 444 (A.B. 2959), § 1, eff., Jan. 1, 2023, and then repealed by Stats. 2023, c. 655 (A.B. 452), § 1, eff., Jan. 1, 2024.) Doe 1 seeks to stay this action on the ground that this same issue is currently under review by the First District Court of Appeal in Jane Doe v. Acalanes Union High School District (A169013) (MPA, at p. 2.) Appeals frequently tak...

Excerpt: ... sued various defendants including cross-complainants Real Advantage Title Insurance Company, Orange Coast Title Company of Northern California, and Orange Coast Title Company (Orange Coast parties); Donald M. Bronstein; Donald M. Bronstein, Trustee of the Don and Chery l Bronstein Family Trust Account 125; Donald M. Bronstein, Trustee of the Nicole Bronstein Living Trust; Donald M. Bronstein, Trustee of the Kimberly Bronstein Living Trust; and I...

Excerpt: ...l amend the J udgment to find that Shuppe materially breached Section 2.4 and the Estate of Georgy Shuppe is ORDERED to perform the obligations set forth in Section 2.4 of the 2012 Agreement, within 30 days of notice of entry of this Order. The Court GRANTS - IN -PART th e Libermans' Motion for a New Trial, or Additur, as to the SOD's award of damages to the Libermans as to the acquisition of Darberry by Groupon, and finds that the Court should...

Excerpt: ...matter, the court notes that Patelco has filed documents with plaintiff's confidential information. Patelco shall take immediate steps to have that confidential filed under seal and file public documents with the confidential information redacted. The court has ord ered the clerk of the court to seal the Declaration of Jade Luong filed February 15, 2024 in the interim to protect plaintiff's privacy. California law strongly favors arbitrati...

Excerpt: ...d final order submitted on February 9, 2024. The court modifies Local Rule 3.403(b)(iv) (amended effective January 1, 2024) regarding the wording of proposed orders. Plaintiff shall submit an order which incorporates the tentative and the non -contradictory language in the submitted proposed order. On October 31, 2023, the court granted preliminary approval to this class and PAGA (Private Attorney General Act) settlement. The action alleges wag...

Excerpt: ...efendants do not o ppose a motion on the good faith issue, a 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 GrandTerrace v. Superior Court (1987) 192 Cal.App.3d 1251, 1261.) The Court has reviewed Defendants' counsel's declaration and the attached exhibits, and finds that the settlement meets the criteria for good faith settlement un...

Excerpt: ...nants Christopher Campanile's and David Espie's Request for Judicial Notice is GRANTED as to all items. Amiseq moves here to dismiss Cross - complainants' operative cross -complaint for a failure to serve process within three years. A summons and complaint must be served within thr ee years after the action is commenced, and the proof thereof must be filed within sixty days thereafter. (CCP §583.210.) When service has not been made within this ...

Excerpt: ...the Court notes that although both Plaintiffs bring the present Motion to Compel (see 1 -12- 24 Notice of Motion [Plaintiffs Leonidas and Nestor Quezada will move this Court … for an Order compelling Defendant Jing Yuan to provide further response …]), Plaintiff Nestor Quezada did not serve the subject Special Interrogatories, and therefore has no standing to bring this Motion. This is noteworthy given Plaintiffs' repeated argument, both duri...

Excerpt: ...olo now moves for s ummary judgment (the “Motion”) pursuant to CCP § 437c as to the only cause of action in the Complaint on grounds that Lawrence is an independent contractor rather than Wonolo's employee, and thus Wonolo cannot be held vicariously liable for her torts. Plaintiff does not oppose the Motion. Only co - defendant Good Eggs opposes the Motion. For the reasons set forth below, the motion is GRANTED. Defendant's request for judic...

Excerpt: .... Code Sect. 329 4.) Defendant's 2-16-24 Request for Judicial Notice is GRANTED. (Evid. Code Sect. 452(d).) Defendant Liao's Motion to Strike the Complaint's request for punitive damages against defendant Liao is GRANTED with leave to amend. (Code Civ. Proc. Sect. 435, 436; Civ. Code Sect. 3294.) To survive a motion to strike, a complaint that seeks punitive damages must allege facts, not conclusions, that could support a finding that the defend...

Excerpt: ...4 hearing of t his Motion will take place in the Redwood City courthouse. Department 28 (Judge Healy) is, in fact, located at Courtroom I, 800 North Humboldt St., San Mateo, California 94401. Background. The following “facts” are taken from the parties' recently filing s, and are intended only to describe the general background of this case and the present Motion. Plaintiff Xin Li and defendant Oded Haner each hold a 50% interest in FC4X Rea...

Excerpt: ...al Notice is GRAN TED. (Evid. Code Sect. 452(d).) Plaintiff's request to “strike” the entirety of CalTrans' Memorandum of Costs is DENIED. Plaintiff seeks to strike, in its entirety, Defendant CalTrans' Memorandum of Costs, filed Jan. 23, 2024, or alternatively, to tax the costs claimed therein. CalTrans' Memorandum of Costs seeks total costs of $15,089.20, consisting of $11,639.20 in deposition costs (subpoenas seeking Plaintiff's medical r...

Excerpt: ...otion to amend is timely made and the granting of the motion will not prejudice the opposing party, it is error to refuse permission to amend and where the refusal also results in a party being deprived of the right to assert a meritorious cause of action or a meritorious de fense, it is not only error but an abuse of discretion.” (Morgan v. Superior Court (1959) 172 Cal.App.2d 527, 530.) Plaintiff's motion is timely and in compliance with the ...

Excerpt: ...Judicial Noti ce is GRANTED as to all items. Initially, the court notes that the moving parties have not provided the address for the hearing. Department 4 is located at the Central Courthouse, Courtroom G, 800 North Humboldt St., San Mateo, CA 94401. (See Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1110 [the notice “must specify” the location of the hearing].) The moving parties must contact Plaintiffs Nathaniel Basola Sobayo and Elizabeth Basola Shoaga by ...

Excerpt: ...cted free speech under the common interest doctrine set forth in Civil Code § 47(c)(1). The County seeks to strike paragraphs 38 through 43 and 61 through 68 of Plaintiff Steven Heindel's First Amended Complaint. The alleged defamatory statements are contained in paragrap hs 38 through 40 of the First Amended Complaint, which state: 38. Several senior ranking members of the Sheriff's Office have spread rumors that Sergeant Heindel was “walked ...

Excerpt: ...s Complaint asserts six causes of action against her employer, Defendant Visa Technology & Operations LLC (“Visa”), for gender, race, and national origin discrimination and retaliation in violation of California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”). (Govt. Code Sect. 1 2940 et. seq.) The Complaint alleges that at all relevant times, Plaintiff resided and worked in Virginia. (Cmplt., para. 4.) It alleges that “[Visa's] office overs...

Excerpt: .... (“SPS”) and U.S. Bank, N.A. (“US Bank”) (collectively, the “Lender Defendants”) regarding a mortgage loan relating to real property located in Daly City, CA. The Lender Defendants demur to each cause of action in the Complaint. Defendants' Request for Judicial Notice (“RJN”) is GRANTED pursuant to Cal. Evid. Code § 452(c), but only as to their existence and not as to the truth of the factual matters contained therein. For the r...

Excerpt: ...oss- Defendant”). The original Cross-Com plaint was served on Cross - Defendants on August 14, 2023. On October 12, 2023, Cross -Defendant Stiles timely filed his special motion to strike (“anti -SLAPP motion”) pursuant to CCP §425.16, directed at the tenth cause of action for abuse of process allege d against him in the original Cross -Complaint. After the Court sustained in part and overruled in part Cross -Defendants' separate demurrer...

Excerpt: ...r Responses to Special Interrogatories, Set One, is GRANTED IN PART. Plaintiff seeks to compel further responses from Defendant Ampex Engineering and Construction, Inc. (“Defendant”) to Special Interrogatories nos. 1 through 12, contending that Defendant's supplemental responses are insufficient. Specifically, Plaintiff argues that none of Defendant's objections have merit and the substantive portion of Defendant's supplemental responses are...

Excerpt: ...tional distress (“IIED”). Vinogradova demurs here to the second cause of action for IIED on the grounds of uncertainty and a failure to state facts sufficient to state a cause of action. (CCP §430.10(e) –(f).) A. Legal Standard on Demurrer The purpose of a demurrer is to t est the legal sufficiency of the facts alleged in the operative complaint to see whether they state a cause of action under any legal theory, as a matter of law. (New Li...

Excerpt: ... 5 Palms, LLC, an d Natural Software Systems, Inc. Money Purchase Pension Plan (the “Dakota Parties”) have here moved to expunge three lis pendens recorded by Plaintiffs/CrossDefendants/Cross -Complainants Nariman Teymourian, Gail Teymourian, and 2700 Middlefield Road, LLC (the “Teymourian Parties”) against 66 Barry Lane in Atherton (the “Barry Property”). Counsel for both parties is ORDERED TO APPEAR at the hearing on this motion. A...

Excerpt: ...kins' Form I nterrogatories (Sets One and Two), Special Interrogatories (Set One), and Demand for Production (Set One). Defendant served the requests on February 14, 2023 and October 17, 2023. (Declaration of David E. Hunter III in Support of the Motion, ¶¶ 3 -5, 7.) (“Hunter Decl.”) Counsel for Defendant wrote Plaintiff's counsel repeatedly to request verified answers, but to no avail. (Id. at ¶ 6.) After Plaintiff failed to appear at th...