Excerpt: .... Code §56.20(c). Civ. Code §56.20(b) provides: (b) No employee shall be discriminated against in terms or conditions of employment due to that employee's refusal to sign an authorization under this part. However, nothing in this section shall prohibit an employer from taking such action as is necessary in the absence of medical information due to an employee's refusal to sign an authorization under this part. Plaintiff alleges that he was aske...

Excerpt: ...fn. 9 [35 Cal.Rptr.3d 206].) Next as to Petitioner's objections to Respondents' affirmative defenses, “In recent years great changes have been wrought by the code in the rules for the construction of pleadings. For sufficiency of the facts pleaded, courts look to substance, not to form. The basic principle of the code procedure is that the administration of justice should not be embarrassed by technicalities, strict rules of construction, or us...

Excerpt: ...ive equity was added to the amount Plaintiff financed for the Tiguan. (UDMF#4.) The purchase price for the Volkswagen Tiguan was $51,830.64. The amount financed was $45,349.04. Plaintiff paid $6,800 in cash at the time, as well. It is not disputed this amount was paid but rather what the payment went towards. Plaintiffs argue it went towards the down payment on the Tiguan. Defendants contend this cash went toward off‐setting the negative equity...

Excerpt: ...as “Notice of Entry of Order” and is dated 8/27/22. Plaintiffs fail to address this late filed proof in any declaration. Pursuant to California Rules of Court, Rule 8.108(c), a motion to vacate a judgment operates to extend the time to file a notice of appeal (and motions for attorneys' fees) to the earliest of: (1) 30 days after the court mails or a party serves an order denying the motion to vacate; (2) 90 days after the first notice of int...

Excerpt: ...irst cause of action, brought under CCP §1085, concerning “notice requirements”. The demurrer to this cause of action is sustained based on uncertainty. Petitioner has not opposed the demurrer to the second cause of action, brought under CCP §1085 for alleged due process violations based on evidentiary decisions. Petitioner has failed to state a cause of action, as evidentiary decisions are discretionary, and mandamus relief is unavailable....

Excerpt: ... purpose of that restriction, and no specified “view protection.” There are several other restrictions listed in the deeds that appear to be unenforceable and/or antiquated (for example, “there shall never be constructed or maintained on said property any residence costing less than $1500.00; [...] that no building on said property shall remain unpainted or unstained for more than 30 days except as to the portions thereof covered by shingle...

Excerpt: ...hich judicial notice has been taken. The court “construes the pleading in a reasonable manner and read the allegations in context. “Fremont Indemnity Co. v. Fremont General Corp., (2007) 148 Cal. App. 4th 97, 111. On a demurrer, a court's function is limited to testing the legal sufficiency of the complaint. “‘A demurrer is simply not the appropriate procedure for determining the truth of disputed facts.'” Id at 114 citing, Ramsden v. W...

Excerpt: ...admission served with these interrogatories an unqualified admission? If not, for each response that is not an unqualified admission: (a) State the number of the request; (b) State all facts upon which you base your response; (c) State the names, ADDRESSES, and telephone numbers of all PERSONS who have knowledge of those facts; and (d) Identify all DOCUMENTS and other tangible things that support your response and state the name, ADDRESS, and tel...

Excerpt: ...gs various challenges to the validity of the allegations made in the proposed amended complaint. These are not a basis for denying leave to amend, given the strong judicial policy favoring amendment. Any grounds for a demurrer or a motion to strike can be raised after leave to amend has been granted. Weil & Brown, Civil Procedure Before Trial, Rutter Group, §§6;638, 6:644. While a sham amendment that contradicts an earlier pleading is a basis f...

Excerpt: ...ssue sought to be precluded from relitigation must be identical to that decided in a former proceeding. Second, this issue must have been actually litigated in the former proceeding. Third, it must have been necessarily decided in the former proceeding. Fourth, the decision in the former proceeding must be final and on the merits. Finally, the party against whom preclusion is sought must be the same as, or in privity with, the party to the former...

Excerpt: ...alifornia Rules of Court, Rule 8.108(c), a motion to vacate a judgment operates to extend the time to file a notice of appeal (and motions for attorneys' fees) to the earliest of: (1) 30 days after the court mails or a party serves an order denying the motion to vacate; (2) 90 days after the first notice of intention to move or the motion is filed; or (3) 180 days after entry of judgment. (See also Rule of Court 3.1702(b)(1), time to file motion ...

Excerpt: ...alleges private and public nuisances have been created by speeding drivers outside of his home on Glen Canyon Road. Plaintiff alleges “[d]efendants are the owners and/or drivers in possession and control of certain motor vehicles driven in the recent past on Glen Canyon Road in Santa Cruz County past Plaintiff's home at excessive speed and recklessness.” (Plaintiff's Complaint ¶2). The defendants have “caused highly dangerous conditions to...

Excerpt: ...to make their claims for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of fair dealing based upon their status as an insured. As to punitive damages, Plaintiffs' allegations that CAFPA failed over a lengthy period of time to perform its duty to investigate and adjust the claim, willfuly ignored evidence, and that such conduct was ratified by a managing agent are sufficient to support a claim for punitive damages at the pleading stage. (Co...

Excerpt: ...t of no other California authority on point. Further, Plaintiff is not entitled to statutory prejudgment interest since he failed to seek that relief from the jury (Civil Code §3288; Greater Westchester Homeowners Assn. v. City of Los Angeles (1979) 26 Cal.3d 86, 103) and failed to submit any CCP §998 offer and obtain a more favorable judgment (Civil Code §3291). Tax neutralization generally applies to cases in which several years of back wage...

Excerpt: ...ny information besides the individual account information for other non‐party consumers from the documents it has produced. If it hasn't and if the master purchase agreement and verification are served prior to or at the hearing, the motion to enforce court order as to RFP no. 3 will be denied. As to RFP no. 16, Plaintiff/Cross‐Defendant needs to identify the responsive documents it is producing responsive to the request, as required by Code ...

Excerpt: ...tential–merits and interim‐harm factors, and the greater the showing on one, the less that must be shown on the other. Id. at §9:531. A court should only grant a preliminary injunction if the plaintiff shows a “reasonable probability” that it would prevail at trial and would suffer more harm from a denial than the defendant would suffer from its grant. Robbins v. Superior Court (1985) 38 Cal.3d 199, 205‐206. However, it is an abuse of ...

Excerpt: ...oses of the underlying cause of action, to child advocacy programs, or to nonprofit organizations providing civil legal services to the indigent” (Code Civ. Proc., § 384 (b) or providing the name of an appropriate cy pres recipient. (If a proposed settlement does not expressly provide that fund not claimed by the class are retained by, or revert to, the defendant, Code of Civil Procedure section 384 requires payment of the residue to a cy pres...

Excerpt: ... Civil Procedure section 397 motion is not specified; however, a motion for change of venue based on convenience of witnesses must be made within a reasonable time after the answer is filed. What constitutes “reasonable time” lies primarily in the trial court's discretion. Weil & Brown, Civil Procedure Before Trial (the Rutter Group 2021) at section 3:559.5, citing Cooney v Cooney (1944) 25 Cal.2d 202, 208. “... [A] ‘reasonable time' depe...

Excerpt: ...his motion is granted. The Court's 7/22/22 Judgment states: “Based upon the initial two causes of action [breach of contract and breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing], and the evidence presented, the Court will find in favor of the Defendant.” (Judgment, 5:8‐10) “This Court finds in favor of the Plaintiffs as to the Partition Cause of Action. Partition by Sale will be ordered. All parties will comply with their relative respo...

Excerpt: ...ation of his or her rights or duties with respect to another ... may, in cases of actual controversy relating to the legal rights and duties of the respective parties, bring an original action or cross‐complaint in the superior court for a declaration of his or her rights and duties ..." "The fundamental basis of declaratory relief is the existence of an actual, present controversy over a proper subject." Otay Land Co. v. Royal Indemnity Co. (2...

Excerpt: ... the court or abuse of discretion by which either party was prevented from having a fair trial. 2. Misconduct of the jury; and whenever any one or more of the jurors have been induced to assent to any general or special verdict, or to a finding on any question submitted to them by the court, by a resort to the determination of chance, such misconduct may be proved by the affidavit of any one of the jurors. 3. Accident or surprise, which ordinary ...

Excerpt: ... it never intended...When a default judgment has been obtained, equitable relief may be given only in exceptional circumstances. ..." To set aside a judgment based upon extrinsic mistake one must satisfy three elements. First, the defaulted party must demonstrate that it has a meritorious case. Second, the party seeking to set aside the default must articulate a satisfactory excuse for not presenting a defense to the original action. Last, the mo...

Excerpt: ...incident. Plaintiff's initial response to both interrogatories was “unknown”. His amended response stated “not relevant or likely to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence because Plaintiff is not seeking past medical expenses as a component of his damages”. Defendant argues that since Plaintiff has not abandoned any claim for the costs of future care and medications, the amount he incurred in the past is probative of the amount he ...

Excerpt: ...t 5, and waiting beyond the 21 day safe harbor period to file the motion, on August 29, 2022. The Court further finds that Mr. Lindow's Motion for Return of Property violated §128.7(b)(1)‐(3), in that the allegations and factual contentions therein were without evidentiary support, and were in fact demonstrably false based on the April 17, 2017 transcript of the hearing before Judge Almquist in the Tabatabai's divorce proceedings; the legal co...

Excerpt: ...that an additional change Plaintiff seeks to make is the addition of “Breach of Contract” as to the CSAA and CEA Defendants under the Second Cause of Action heading. Plaintiff states she seeks to add an intentional infliction of emotional distress claims, based on facts already pleaded.” (Plaintiff's P&A's at p.3.) Plaintiff's counsel states “[a]fter reviewing Defendants' most recent motion for summary judgment and critically re‐analyzi...