Excerpt: ... Department 5. The Court now issues its tentative ruling as follows: I. INTRODUCTION This is a putative class action arising out of various alleged Labor Code violations. The Second Amended Complaint (“SAC”), filed on October 20, 2017, sets forth the following causes of action: (1) Unfair Competition in Violation of Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17200, et seq.; (2) Unfair Competition in Violation of Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17200, et seq.; (3)...

Excerpt: ...rn Tool”). Cruz asserts causes of action for premises liability and negligence against Medina and the property owners for whom he provided landscaping services. Additionally, and as relevant here, Cruz asserts a products liability claim against Northern Tool. Cruz's third cause of action for products liability consists of three separately identified counts for strict products liability, negligence, and breach of warranty. Northern Tool moves fo...

Excerpt: ...at this late date, to add a wholly new cause of action for alleged violation of Labor Code §1197.5 (the California Equal Pay Act). Plaintiff's supporting declaration does not fully and satisfactorily address any of the factors enumerated in California Rules of Court, rule 3.1324(b). Defendants' Request for Judicial Notice is granted. The Court agrees with defendants' arguments that the proposed new cause of action would add significant new factu...

Excerpt: ...r 24, 2002, plaintiff Leire Funk aka Leire Ferro (“Plaintiff”) and her ex‐husband, Rick Funk, financed real property located at 172 French Court in San Jose, California (“Subject Property”). (Third Amended Complaint [“TAC”] at ¶ 17.) As evidence of the loan, Plaintiff executed a promissory note (“Note”) and concurrently executed a Deed of Trust as security for the Note. (Ibid.) The Deed of Trust for the Subject Property was rec...

Excerpt: ...ushnell's (“Nancy”) husband, Nolan Bushnell (“Nolan”).1 (First Amended Complaint (“FAC”), ¶ 8.) Nancy owned real property located in Sunnyvale, California (“Property”) with her brother, plaintiff Robert Nino (“Nino”). (FAC, ¶ 10.) Nancy's interest in the Property “was her separate property, and not part of community property she shares with Nolan.” (Ibid.) At some unidentified time, Nancy and Nino (collectively, “Plain...

Excerpt: ...to assist plaintiff Yum in applying for and obtaining a modification of the first and second deeds of trust recorded against plaintiff Yum's property. (SAC, ¶8.) Defendant Yum verbally represented that he and/or defendants Nexus Line Inc. and Nexus Homes Inc. (collectively, “Nexus”) could obtain or provide plaintiff with a loan modification and prevent or stop any foreclosure of plaintiff's property, and that he had performed the same servic...

Excerpt: ...riage on September 15, 1996. (FAC, ¶12.) After marriage, Plaintiff and Defendant continued to reside together as husband and wife until March 6, 2016. (FAC, ¶13.) On or about February 1, 1992, Plaintiff and Defendant entered into an oral agreement by which they agreed to treat as joint property the earnings, income and all property acquired therewith, which resulted from all personal service, skill, effort, work, monetary contribution and non�...

Excerpt: ...�� or that any mistakes were made. As noted in the Court's most recent order denying Plaintiff's motion for leave to amend, Plaintiff's proposed amended complaint did not address the defects that the Court found in the prior complaints, and otherwise did not state any valid claim against Defendant. Plaintiff argues that the Court should have granted her leave to amend, and suggests that reconsideration is appropriate, but has not filed any proper...

Excerpt: ...ing rulings: The Court finds that by the evidence presented in support of the motion Plaintiff met its initial burden to demonstrate each of the required elements for the cause of action and entitlement to judgment on that cause of action. As Defendant did not file any opposition to the motion, Defendant has failed to meet her burden to show any triable issue of fact. Accordingly, the motion for summary judgment on the Complaint is GRANTED. Plain...

Excerpt: ... the plywood platform upon which Decedent stood collapsed, resulting in Decedent's multi‐story fall and subsequent death. (See SAC, ¶¶ 18, 20.) On January 16, 2018, the Court sustained the demurrer by defendant Alamillo Rebar, Inc. (“Alamillo”) to the fifth cause of action for negligent infliction of emotional distress of the first amended complaint. On January 29, 2018, plaintiffs Irma Vargas, individually and as representative of the Es...

Excerpt: ...ank”) to the First Amended Complaint (“FAC”) of Plaintiff Guy Cavicchia (“Plaintiff”), current Administrator of the Estate of Decedent Patricia Lynn Hairston. The FAC states three causes of action for Negligence, against Defendant Jeanette Taggart (“Taggart,” the attorney for the former administrator of the estate Tracy Infante), Fidelity and U.S. Bank respectively. The other two demurrers are separately brought by Fidelity and U.S....

Excerpt: ... do not consider points raised for the first time on reply for due process reasons. (See In re Tiffany Y. (1990) 223 Cal.App.3d 298, 302‐303 [“ ‘The general rule is that points raised in a reply brief for the first time will not be considered unless good cause is shown for the failure to present them before' [Citations.]”]; see also Reichardt v. Hoffman (1997) 52 Cal.App.4th 754, 764; REO Broadcasting Consultants v. Martin (1999) 69 Cal.A...

Excerpt: ...s, and separate statements submitted by the parties, the Court makes the following rulings: Coco's and Catalina's motion for summary judgment and summary adjudication is DENIED. The summary judgment/adjudication statute, Code of Civil Procedure section 437c, provides that the motion and supporting papers must be served on all other parties to the action at least 75 days before the time appointed for the hearing. If the notice is served electronic...

Excerpt: ...ermal Partners, L.P.; Calpine Sonoma, Inc.; Calpine Geysers Company, L.P.; Geysers Power I Company; Geysers Power Company, LLC; and Calpine Corporation (“Calpine”) (collectively “Defendants”). Calpine is the successor‐in‐interest to Freeport and the remaining defendants are all subsidiaries of Calpine. As alleged in the Second Amended Complaint (“SAC”), in May 1987, SAI Geothermal, Inc. (“SAI”) and Freeport entered into an agr...

Excerpt: ... has been a tragic intervening traumatic event which no one could have anticipated, defendant cannot be faulted for or bound to a strategic decision. The need for further inquiry supports good cause. On the other hand, plaintiff should not be compelled to suffer unnecessarily by submitting to further examination. It is true that a medical examination ordered by defendant explored these symptoms in some detail. However, an examination for a specif...

Excerpt: ... objections are therefore waived. As the court has been provided with no evidence that plaintiff has since served responses to the Requests for Admission which substantially comply with §2033.220, the law directs the court that it shall make the order deeming the requests admitted (§2033.280(c).) The Court also finds that no substantial justification has been provided for the failure to timely serve responses, nor for the substance of the oppos...

Excerpt: ...ll claims handling policy and/or procedure manuals, and all other DOCUMENTS, emails, bulletins, or other WRITINGS relating to policies or procedures relating to the handling of claims for liability coverage under liability insurance policies issued by NACIC.” In its response, NACIC objected, on the grounds that the information sought was protected by the attorney client privilege, the attorney work product doctrine, trade secret, and that the r...

Excerpt: ...ty property – where the Second Amended Complaint is not verified, and plaintiff fails to present any admissible evidence from which the court can determine the probable validity of any real property claim. §405.38 commands “the court shall direct that the party prevailing on any motion under this chapter be awarded the reasonable attorney's fees and costs of making or opposing the motion...”. (Emphasis added.) As the court does not find on...

Excerpt: ...e instant special motion to strike the Complaint in its entirety, which Plaintiff opposes.1 I. Defendant's Motion to Strike Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16 provides a summary procedure by which defendants may dispose of “strategic lawsuits against public participation” or “SLAPP” lawsuits, i.e., lawsuits brought “primarily to chill the valid exercise of constitutional rights of freedom of speech and petition for redress of grieva...

Excerpt: ...s Plaintiffs' mother resided at the Terraces of Los Gatos from April 2015 until shortly before her death in April 2017. Plaintiffs allege Defendants repeatedly failed to provide their mother with adequate medical care, especially after she fell and fractured her hip in October 2016. For example, in April 2015, Plaintiffs' mother had a stroke and lost her sight during breakfast, but Defendants' employees failed to call for emergency medical care a...

Excerpt: ...ard. Plaintiff's motions are unopposed. I. Legal Standard for Approving a Class Action Settlement Generally, “questions whether a settlement was fair and reasonable, whether notice to the class was adequate, whether certification of the class was proper, and whether the attorney fee award was proper are matters addressed to the trial court's broad discretion.” (Wershba v. Apple Computer, Inc. (2001) 91 Cal.App.4th 224, 234‐235, citing Dunk ...

Excerpt: ... at 9:00 a.m. in Department 5. The Court now issues its tentative ruling as follows: I. INTRODUCTION This is a putative class action brought pursuant to the California Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“RFDCPA”). According to the Class Action Complaint for Statutory Damages (“Complaint”), filed on February 23, 2017, plaintiff Linda Lee Carlson (“Plaintiff”), on behalf of herself and all persons similarly situated, seeks st...

Excerpt: ... at 9:00 a.m. in Department 5. The Court now issues its tentative ruling as follows: I. INTRODUCTION This is a putative class action arising out of various alleged Labor Code violations. The Second Amended Complaint (“SAC”), filed on May 16, 2018, sets forth the following causes of action: (1) Meal Period Liability Under Labor Code § 226.7; (2) Rest Break Liability Under Labor Code § 226.7; (3) Failure to Pay Minimum Wages; (4) Failure to P...

Excerpt: ...The Court now issues its tentative ruling as follows: I. INTRODUCTION This is a putative class action arising out of various alleged Labor Code violations. Plaintiff Lingyu Lu (“Plaintiff”) worked as a charge nurse for defendant Surgical Care Affiliates, LLC (“Defendant”) from April 6, 2015 through October 12, 2015. (Complaint, ¶ 16.) Plaintiff alleges that throughout her employment Defendant engaged in the following violations of the la...

Excerpt: ... for hearing before the Honorable Thomas E. Kuhnle on June 29, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. in Department 5. The Court now issues its tentative ruling as follows: I. INTRODUCTION This action arises out of alleged trade secret misappropriation. The First Amended Complaint, filed on January 19, 2018, sets forth the following causes of action: (1) breach of contract; (2) breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing; (3) unfair business practices; (4)...