Excerpt: ...g Zeb Albert and Caroline Neufeld as Defendants is GRANTED: (1) the Amended Complaint is to be filed by 10/17/23; (2) the two new Defendants are to be personally served by 10/31/23. (Do not raise the issue of who pays for cost of personal service; Plaintiff or Plaintiff's counsel pays for it now; Plaintiff may seek reimbursement in a cost bill if he prevails.) 2. The Court designates this case as complex litigation because of the unusual backgrou...

Excerpt: ...alcolm S. Schryer and Diane M. Schryer (Deceased): Erin O. Hallissy, David R. Lang, Daniels, Fine, Israel, Schonbuch & Lebovits, LLP TENTATIVE RULING: Plaintiffs' motion for an order that this matter proceed pursuant to a HIPPA qualified stipulated medical record protective order is denied without prejudice. Plaintiffs may properly bring a motion for protective order, if allowed by statute or other legal authority, as to specific requests or subp...

Excerpt: ...aw Firm, LLP TENTATIVE RULING: The motion of defendant Tesla, Inc. to seal portions of the case doc:ket and filings is denied. Background: This action relates to the purchase of a new 2015 Tesla Model S which allegedly developed numerous problems with its automaton system that substantially impaired the use, value, and safety of the subject vehicle. Plaintiffs Alexandro Filippini and laian Filippini filed their original complaint for damages agai...

Excerpt: ...shall serve further responses to requests for production Nos. 1 and 2 without objection and consistent with this ruling. UWCD shall concurrently produce all documents responsive to such requests as set forth herein. Documents produced in response to this order shall be used and disclosed only in connection with this action. In all other respects, the motion is denied without prejudice. (2) Until further order of the court, and except for initial ...

Excerpt: ...rdan A. Liebman, Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis, LLP For Defendants Jeff Pescatello, John Williams, and Ron Donaire: Robert B. Forouzandeh, Andrew Hazlett, Reicker, Pfau, Pyle & McRoy LLP For Defendant (as nominal Defendant) and Cross-complainant DelPlaya Media, Inc.: John J. Thyne Ill, Thyne Taylor Fox Howard, LLP RULING For the reasons set forth herein: The motion for summary judgment is granted. Background On March 23, 2022, Plaintiff Todd Wooten ...

Excerpt: ...ricia Wollum and Susan Reynolds: Gabriella L Sternfeld, David A. Napper, Gregory K. Sabo For Defendant Patrick Leahy: Self-Represented RULING For the reasons set forth herein: The motion for leave to file a second amended complaint is granted to allow Plaintiffs to add against Honor Home Care Services Califomia, Inc. as a Defendant. Background On December 11, 2020, Plaintiff Mark Sellars ("Sellars") filed his original complaint against Defendant ...

Excerpt: ...General of the State of California with leave to amend. Petitioner shall file a first amended pleading on or before October 13, 2023. Background On August 3, 2023, John De Herrera (Petitioner) filed a verified document titled "extraordinary writ of execution and ejection and sequestration" (the petition) against Resopondent the Attorney General of the State of California (the Attorney General). Petitioner is a professional artist and educator who...

Excerpt: ...rney General of California TENTATIVE RULING: The parties are ordered to appear at the hearing and be prepared to discuss the matters described herein. Background: On June 2, 2023, petitioner Richard Morse filed a verified petition for writ of mandate directed to respondent Nancy Farias who is alleged to be the Director of the California Employment Development Department, State Disability Insurance Division (respondent), and a notice of hearing fo...

Excerpt: ...Law Office of Matthew Olufs TENTATIVE RULING: The motion for summary judgment or, in the alternative, summary adjudication of defendants Mikki Reilly and Fitness Transform, LLC, is denied. Background: The second amended complaint for damages and injunctive relief (the SAC) filed by plaintiff Ann Fristoe, M.D. (Fristoe) on February 6, 2023, is the operative pleading in this matter. As alleged in the SAC, on January 10, 2020, Fristoe hired Mikki Re...

Excerpt: ...Issues as Respects Second Cause of Acton and Punitive Damages ATTORNEYS: Lloyd For Plaintiffs Passport 420, LLC; Spring Creek Research, LLC; and William Parrish.: A. Barry Cappello, Lawrence J. Conlan, and Richard For Defendant Starr Indemnity & Liability Co.: Ralph S. LaMontagne, Jr., Eric Amador, Michael J. Terhar, and Don Swaim TENTATIVE RULING: Starr Indemnity & Liability Company's motion for summary adjudication of issues as respects second ...

Excerpt: ...fly (based on allegations in the operative pleading), on September 1, 2022, plaintiffs purchased a 2023 Hyundai Kona (hereafter, the vehicle). In connection with the purchase of the Vehicle, Plaintiffs received an express written warranty in which defendant undertook to preserve or maintain the utility of performance of the Vehicle or to prov-de compensation if there is a failure in utility or performance for a specified period of time. The warra...

Excerpt: ...er, Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc. For Defendants Silver Star Transportation and Gleb Stenin: Rosemarie S. Lewis, Edward J. Morales, Bradford A.M. Smith, Borton Petrini, LLP TENTATIVE RULING: For all reasons discussed herein, the motion of defendants Silver Star Transportation and Gleb Stenin to strike all claims for punitive damages in plaintiff's first amended complaint is granted with leave to amend. The following matters shall be strick...

Excerpt: ...n of Plaintiff's second amended complaint. The demurrer of Defendant City of Santa Barbara is overruled as to the fifth cause of action of Plaintiff's second amended complaint. Defendant shall file and serve its answer to Plaintiff's second amended complaint on or before October 3, 2023. Background On January 9, 2023, Plaintiff Eduviges Estrada (Estrada) filed her original complaint in this action asserting three causes of action against Defendan...

Excerpt: ...out objection, on or before October 11, 2023. With respect to the motion for deemed admissions, if Plaintiff provides verified responses to the requests for admission before the time of the hearing on this motion, the motion will be denied. If Plaintiff fails to provide verified responses to the requests for admission before the time of the hearing on this motion, the motion will be granted, and the Court will order the matters set forth in the r...

Excerpt: ...rial dates after the case was designated complex litigation; another case has already been given some of the dates requested here for 120 days out [i.e. Cobb vs Superior Court of California for the County of Ventura.] It may settle; you are double set, in part; if that case does not settle you will start as soon as it finishes within the following time frame. You must save all these dates. 2. The Trial Date of 11/1/23 is continued to 3/6/23 at 11...

Excerpt: ...is supplemented with a notice of hearing and memorandum of points and authorities; a declaration from attorney Paul Berkowitz; a copy of the arbitration agreement (indicating among other things that arbitration is governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA)); the first amended complaint filed with the arbitrator; and the written arbitration award. Briefly, respondent advanced six causes of action predicated on violations of the Fair Employment ...

Excerpt: ... D. Estes to confirm contractual arbitration award is ordered off-calendar. Background: On July 21, 2023, Ronald D. Estes (Estes) filed a petition to confirm a contractual arbitration award (the petition) against respondent Elmer Guevara Chacon (Chacon). As alleged or effectively alleged in the petition, Estes and Chacon entered into a written agreement (the agreement) on February 19, 2023, pursuant to which Estes hired Chacon to remove an old fe...

Excerpt: ... reasons set forth herein: Defendant's demurrer to plaintiff's complaint is sustained in part and overruled in part as follows: 2. 3. 4. 5. Defendant's demurrer to plaintiff's first cause of action for Violation of the California Constitution, art. l, sections 1 and 7, is overruled. Defendant's demurrer to plaintiff's second cause of action for Violation of the Unruh Civil Rights Act, is overruled Defendant's demurrer to plaintiff's third cause o...

Excerpt: ...he rights and safety of others" only); and prayer for relief paragraph 4 in its entirety. Any first amended complaint that may be filed by plaintiff must be filed and served on or before September 25, 2023. Background: This action arises from a vehicle collision that occurred on June 16, 2021, on southbound U.S. Highway 101 (the highway). As alleged in the complaint filed in this action on June 14, 2023, plaintiff Maesyn Rose Fitzgibbons was driv...

Excerpt: ...regarding the continued deposition. Counsel is ordered to appear at the hearing on this matter, either in person or remotely, to discuss selection of the discovery referee. Plaintiff will pay one-half of the discovery referee's fees and defendants will pay one-half of the fees. The court retains jurisdiction to reallocate the fees at the time of trial or further order. Background: Plaintiff Montecito Country Club, LLC ("MCC") filed its original c...

Excerpt: ...ulting from the Thomas Fire and a subsequent rainstorm and ensuing mudslides that occurred on January 9, 2018, the alleged wrongful and bad faith handling and denial of insurance benefits by defendant National Fire & Marine Insurance Company (National Fire), and the alleged professional negligence of defendant Brown & Brown Insurance Services of California, Inc. (Brown & Brown), in allegedly failing to procure adequate insurance coverage for the ...

Excerpt: ...ff Nina Johnson (Johnson) was employed by defendant the City of Santa Barbara (the City) in the City Administrator's Office from December 1998 until her resignation in 2022. (Complaint, 1, 17, 40.) As alleged in the complaint, during Johnson's employment with the City, she was for high visibility, high-level, and complex assignments on behalf of the City Administrator and City Council which involved directing interdepartmental teams, serving as t...

Excerpt: ...olina Pizarro in the amount of $14,579. CL (2) Counsel are ordered to appear at the hearing on this motion and are to be prepared to discuss whether, and to what extent, other relief may be appropriate pending disposition of the pending petition. Background: On December 7, 2022, petitioner Carolina Pizarro filed her petition for letters of administration and authorization to administer under the Independent Administration of Estates Act the estat...

Excerpt: ...Knecht, Tom R. Shapiro, Office of the City Attorney RULING For all reasons discussed herein, the motion of Plaintiff David Matthew Kilrain to set aside and vacate final ruling and to reinstate case and grant leave to amend complaint is denied. Background On March 30, 2022, self-represented Plaintiff David Matthew Kilrain filed his original complaint in this action against Defendants City of Santa Barbara (the City) and Lisa Ann O'Niahll (O' Niahl...

Excerpt: ...sented, and the record in this matter, the Court makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law: 1. As a signatory to the Phase 3 Settlement, Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency ("FCGMA") agreed, inter alia, to serve as Watermaster, (SPTX-0045 S 1.1.2); that it would "perform the tasks assigned to it by the Judgment consistent with the Judgment's terms and the Watermaster Rules and Regulations," (id.); that it would "implement t...