Excerpt: ... a ruling made in California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection v. Eunice E. Howell, et al. Defendant did not object to the request and the ruling is a record of a court. The Court will take judicial notice pursuant to Evid. Code §§ 452(d) and 453. Meet and Confer Efforts. Both parties have provided substantial evidence regarding meet and confer efforts. The Court finds that the meet and confer efforts were sufficient. Merits of the Mot...

Excerpt: ...hat there is no triable issue of material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. “A plaintiff…has met his or her burden of showing that there is no defense to a cause of action if that party has proved each element of the cause of action entitling the party to judgment on the cause of action.” CCP § 437c(p)(1). Once a plaintiff has met its burden, the burden shifts to the defendant to show a triable issu...

Excerpt: ... were not necessary. Ibid. If the items appear to be proper charges, the verified memorandum of costs is prima facie evidence that the items were reasonably incurred. Oak Grove School Dist. v. City Title Ins. Co. (1963) 217 Cal.App.2d 678, 698. Conclusory and unsubstantiated objections to a cost are insufficient to rebut the presumption that they were reasonably and necessarily incurred. Ladas v. California State Auto. Ass'n (1993) 19 Cal. App. 4...

Excerpt: ...against the plaintiff, such party may not thereafter in any other action assert against the plaintiff the related cause of action not pleaded.” “Related cause of action” is defined as “a cause of action which arises out of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences as the cause of action which the plaintiff alleges in his complaint.” CCP § 426.10(c). Causes of action are related if there is a logical rel...

Excerpt: ... for the purpose of determining whether an agreement can be reached that would resolve the objections to be raised in the demurrer. If an amended complaint, cross‐complaint, or answer is filed, the responding party shall meet and confer again with the party who filed the amended pleading before filing a demurrer to the amended pleading. (1) As part of the meet and confer process, the demurring party shall identify all of the specific causes of ...

Excerpt: ...r to be attempted responses to the OSC. Although nothing in the correspondence was in an appropriate format for filing, and some appeared to be ex parte communications, as Plaintiff is the only party to have made an appearance in this case, in the interest of justice the Court chose to consider the correspondence. However, the numerous letters sent to the Court do not provide a sufficient excuse for not effectuating service in this case, especial...

Excerpt: ...clearly qualified by the responding party; 2) deny so much of the matter involved in the request as is untrue; or 3) specify so much of the matter involved in the request as to the truth of which the responding party lacks sufficient information or knowledge. CCP § 2033.220(b)(1‐3). A propounding party may move for an order compelling further responses to request for admissions if the responses are evasive/incomplete or the objections are with...

Excerpt: ...ding Motion for Final Approval of Class Action Settlement was filed on November 19, 2021 along with supporting declarations. The motion is unopposed. Final Approval of the Settlement: The parties have agreed to settle the case for $575,000.00. The breakdown of the settlement is: Total Settlement Amount $575,000.00 Proposed Attorneys' Fees (33 1/3%) $191,666.67 Litigation Costs and Expenses $21,239.57 Settlement Administration Costs $6,500.00 PAGA...

Excerpt: ...ium. Defendants are alleged to have breached that promissory note which has an outstanding principal balance of $12,100. Merits of Motion: CCP § 438(c)(1)(A) provides a plaintiff may move for judgment on the pleadings if the complaint states sufficient facts to constitute a cause of action and the answer does not state facts sufficient to constitute a defense to the complaint. Here, Plaintiff has alleged indemnity and breach of promissory note c...

Excerpt: ...opment Group Holdings, LLC (“DGH”) did not file a Memorandum of Costs. Timing. The Lockwoods and DGI each filed a Memorandum of Costs on October 18, 2021 and both were personally served on the Eatmons' counsel, Douglas Wright, on the same date. “Any notice of motion to strike or to tax costs must be served and filed 15 days after service of the cost memorandum.” CRC 3.1700(b)(1). The Eatmons timely filed their Motion to Strike Memorandum ...

Excerpt: ...Item No. 1 (filing and motion fees) $809.00  Item No. 5 (service of process) $80.00  Item No. 16 (other) $373.00 2 Merits of Motion: The Song‐Beverly Act; specifically, Civil Code Section 1794(d) states “If the buyer prevails…the buyer hall be allowed by the court to recover as part of the judgment a sum equal to the aggregate amount of costs and expenses…determined by the court to have been reasonably incurred by the buyer in conne...

Excerpt: ...th and Safety Code § 11470. The judicial and/or administrative procedure for forfeiture is laid out generally in Health and Safety Code §§ 11488.4 and 11488.5. For a judicial forfeiture the District Attorney's Office (or other agency) is required to file a Petition for Forfeiture. Health and Safety Code § 11488.4(a). The Petition for Forfeiture must be served on the individuals from whom the property was seized. Health and Safety Code § 1148...

Excerpt: ... 2 CRC 2.551. The Court finds good cause to seal the documents. The motion is GRANTED. A proposed order was lodged with the Court which will be executed. The clerk is instructed to seal the documents. Tentative Ruling on Motion to Compel and Competing Motion for Protective Order: Defendants Jas. D. Easton, Inc. and Easton Technical (hereinafter “Defendants”) move for a protective order to prevent the inspection of their manufacturing process....

Excerpt: ...and body of the complaint as a Defendant. On July 20, 2021, Plaintiffs filed their FAC which omits OES. References to OES in the caption and as a Defendant were removed from the FAC. An amended complaint that omits a defendant named in the original complaint, serves as a dismissal without prejudice as to that defendant. Kuperman v. Great Republic Life Ins. Co. (1987) 195 Cal.App.3d 943, 947. Based on the foregoing, the Court finds that OES has be...

Excerpt: ...torney's fees. Civ. Code § 1794(d). The attorney's fee award is limited to the amount the court determines was reasonably incurred by the buyer in commencing and prosecuting the action, based on actual time expended. The prevailing buyer has the burden of proving the fees were both reasonably necessary to conduct the litigation and reasonable in amount. Civil Code § 1794(d); Robertson v. Fleetwood Travel Trailers of California, Inc., (2006) 144...

Excerpt: ...ertence, surprise, or excusable neglect.” CCP § 473(b). Application “shall be made within a reasonable time, in no case exceeding six months, after the … dismissal.” CCP § 473(b). A moving party must show diligence. Kendall. Barker (1988) 197 Cal. App. 3d 619, 625. What is a reasonable time in any case depends upon the circumstances of that particular case and there must be some showing, some evidence, as the basis for the exercise of t...

Excerpt: ...s the proxy or agent of state labor law enforcement agencies, representing the same legal right and interest as those agencies, in a proceeding that is designed to protect the public, not to benefit private parties. Villacres v. ABM Industries Inc. (2010) 189 Cal. App. 4th 562. The purpose of PAGA is not to recover damages or restitution, but to create a means of “deputizing” citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code; th...

Excerpt: ...017) 13 Cal.App.5th 880, 891. However, the parties may delegate resolution of these issues to the arbitrator as long as there is clear and unmistakable evidence they intended to do so and the delegation clause is not revocable on state law grounds such as fraud, duress or unconscionability. Pinela v. Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. (2015) 238 Cal.App.4th 227, 239‐ 240. The Arbitration Agreement entered on behalf of Decedent and Defendant on March 20,...

Excerpt: ..., in part: (a) On motion of any party, the court may grant leave to complete discovery proceedings, or to have a motion concerning discovery heard, closer to the initial trial date, or to reopen discovery after a new trial date has been set. This motion shall be accompanied by a meet and confer declaration under Section 2016.040. (b) In exercising its discretion to grant or deny this motion, the court shall take into consideration any matter rele...

Excerpt: ...ially noticeable as records of any court in the United States, Evidence Code 452(d). Defendants have objected to the request on the grounds of relevance. The requested documents relate to different cases, concerning similar subject matter, that is, efforts to enforce arbitration agreements in Song‐Beverly actions. Judicial notice is appropriate for the records of any court in this state. Evidence Code § 452(d). However, “the truth of stateme...

Excerpt: ...irst time, presented evidence and arguments in the Reply. Plaintiff does not specify which evidence and arguments this applies to. There was no new evidence provided, only a Request for Judicial Notice that was made separate in a separate pleading. The actual evidence had already been presented. The arguments made are either expanding on arguments in the moving papers or responding to issues raised in the Opposition. The Court considers the Reply...

Excerpt: ...f action against Defendants Hannah and Gary Borg. On December 7, 2020, a stipulation was filed to consolidate this action with Case No. 196131. On December 9, 2020, the Court executed the order consolidating the two files. Proofs of service were filed on July 7, 2021 which reflect Hannah Borg was served by certified mail on June 1, 2021 and that Gary Borg was substitute served on June 8, 2021. Both Gary and Hannah Borg were defaulted on July 22, ...

Excerpt: ...mplaint was filed on September 28, 2018. Defendants Prime Healthcare Shasta, LLC; Prime Healthcare Services, Inc.; MPT of Shasta, LP; and Prime Healthcare Management, Inc. filed their motion for summary judgment on October 9, 2020. The motion was continued several times, first on October 21, 2021, then on March 1, 2021, again on June 8, 2021, and finally on August 24, 2021. Factual Background: On October 6, 2016, Plaintiff was at SRMC for a nucle...

Excerpt: ...eys' Fees, Costs, and Enhancement Payment was filed on August 23, 2021, along with supporting declarations. The motion is unopposed. As a preliminary matter, the Court approves Plaintiff's request to exceed the page limit for the memorandum pursuant to CRC 3.1113(e). Final Approval of the Settlement: The parties have agreed to settle the case for $880,000. The breakdown of the settlement is: Total Settlement Amount $880,000.00 Proposed Attorneys'...

Excerpt: ...usually be exercised liberally to permit amendment. Nestle v. Santa Monica (1972) 6 Cal. 3d 920, 939. “If the motion 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 defense, it is not only error but an abuse of discretion.” Mor...

Excerpt: ...r work in this region. Said determination is not necessary based on the nature of the calculations and the Court's analysis of the applicable lodestar. 4 the attorney‐client relationship is grounds for allowing an attorney to withdraw. Estate of Falco v. Decker (1987) 188 Cal. App. 3d 1004, 1014. However, the Plaintiff in this case is a minor with an appointed Guardian Ad Litem (“GAL”). “[T]he court has a duty to see that the minor's righ...

Excerpt: ...§ 8400 et seq. Once a mechanic's lien is recorded, the recording party has 90 days in which to file an action to foreclose. Civil Code § 8460. If an action is not recorded within the 90 day timeframe, the owner of the property may petition the Court to release the mechanic's lien. Civil Code § 8480. The procedural requirements for this statutory petition are provided in Civil Code §§ 8480 et seq. The Court finds that: the Petition has been p...

Excerpt: ...in its ruling of April 28, 2021 finding that the statutory mechanism of enforcement under CCP § 664.6 wasn't available. At the time of counsel's execution of the settlement agreement, CCP § 664.6 only permitted enforcement if the agreement was signed by the parties. CCP § 664.6 was amended effective January 1, 2021 to permit enforcement (by entry of judgment) of a settlement agreement signed by counsel. The Court found (in its April 28, 2021 r...

Excerpt: ...of Motion: The Federal Arbitration Act and controlling California authority require the Court to enforce a parties' Arbitration Agreement and compel arbitration on all arbitrable claims. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc. v. Byrd (1985) 470 U.S. 213, 218. In deciding a motion to compel arbitration, the Court's role is limited to answering two questions: 1) does a valid agreement to arbitrate exist; and, if it does; 2) does the arbitration agreement encom...

Excerpt: ...ught pursuant to CCP § 2031.310 shall be accompanied by a meet and confer declaration. CCP § 2031.310(b)(2). “A meet and confer declaration in support of a motion shall state facts showing a reasonable and good faith attempt at an informal resolution of each issue presented by the motion.” CCP § 2016.040. The Declaration of Stewart C. Altemus describes the meet and confer efforts he has made to resolve the issue with Plaintiff's counsel. T...

Excerpt: ...(d) and 453. Defendants' Objections to Plaintiff's Evidence. Defendant objects to ¶ 2 of the Declaration of Claudia Brisson which reads, “Plaintiff has not been able to conduct any discovery in this case.” Defendant objects on the grounds that this is a misstatement of the law and the facts of this case. The Court overrules this objection. Defendant objects to ¶ 4 which reads, ““Plaintiff does not have and has not been able to obtain cr...

Excerpt: ... and Crown. Plaintiff alleges various statutory violations of the SongBeverly Act and fraud by omission against Ford. Plaintiff alleges a single cause of action of negligence against Crown. None of the complaint's allegations relate to a term or obligation imposed by the Sale Contract between Plaintiff and Team Ford. Defendants separately seek to compel arbitration based on the Arbitration Provision in the Sales Contract which states in pertinent...

Excerpt: ...ice identified 32 areas of inquiry and demanded production of 28 categories of documents including any and all documents related to certain recalls and technical bulletins. On April 23, 2021, GM served a 32 page response setting forth various objections to the categories of inquiry and the request for production. After a brief and meet and confer process, GM offered to proceed with a deposition but subject to terms that were not acceptable to the...

Excerpt: ...sed liberally to permit amendment. Nestle v. Santa Monica (1972) 6 Cal. 3d 920, 939. “If the motion 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 defense, it is not only error but an abuse of discretion.” Morgan v. Sup.Ct. (1...

Excerpt: ...ealing fail as a matter of law on the grounds that plaintiffs made material misrepresentations during their claim that vitiated coverage under their Integon policy. Issue No. 2. Integon is entitled to summary adjudication on the grounds the undisputed facts establish plaintiffs' unclean hands bars plaintiffs' first cause of action for breach of contract against Integon. Issue No. 3. Integon is entitled to summary adjudication on the grounds the u...

Excerpt: ...lleges that the Third Amended Complaint is barred by public immunity. The Demurrer is unopposed. Cause of Action No. 1 (FEHA): Plaintiff's first cause of action is an alleged hostile work environment citing to Gov't Code § 12940(j) of FEHA. FEHA protects against discrimination against identified protected classes. The Third Amended Complaint fails to identify any protected class to which Plaintiff belonged. Without discrimination, harassment or ...

Excerpt: ... Motion for Reconsideration. Plaintiff opposes the motion and seeks sanctions. Defendant's Request for Judicial Notice. Granted. Plaintiff's Objections to Defendant's Evidence. Plaintiff makes 19 objections to various portions of the Declaration of John P. Kelley. Objections 1‐17 and 19. Overruled. Objection 18. Sustained only as to “He was asked if he knew his deposition had been noticed for April 28 and he again said ‘no.'” Merits. Moti...

Excerpt: ..., Defendant also moves to exclude evidence regarding the revocation/alleged revocation of Millville Grange's Charter. In its moving papers, Defendant argues that Plaintiff has sued the wrong party. The Second Cause of Action alleged is Cancellation of Deed and Quiet Title. Defendant currently holds title to the real property at issue. In a quiet title action,"[t]he plaintiff shall name as defendants in the action the persons having adverse claims...

Excerpt: .... Santa Monica (1972) 6 Cal. 3d 920, 939. “If the motion 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 defense, it is not only error but an abuse of discretion.” Morgan v. Sup.Ct. (1959) 172 Cal.App.2d 527, 530. Defendants se...

Excerpt: ...f of service does not explicitly state that service was personal, however, it does contain information that is generally only provided with personal service, i.e., the specific time of service and physical description of the person served. As it appears that Respondent was timely served, the Court is exercising its discretion to accept the proof of service and issue a ruling on the merits. Merits. “[T]he Legislature has expressed a strong publi...

Excerpt: ...CP §§ 1005(b) and 1013(c). Service on Defendant is proper as she is currently selfrepresented in Case No. 196018 as confirmed by no substitution of attorney on file and Defendant's indication 2 that she was proceeding in pro per at the resolution review hearing on July 12, 2021. Leave to File FAC. CCP § 473 provides that the court may “in furtherance of justice…allow, upon any terms as may be just, an amendment to any pleading or proceedin...

Excerpt: ...unds that the Court lacks Jurisdiction, the matter is not ripe, that the first cause of action fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action against Defendants, and the first cause of action is uncertain because Defendants cannot ascertain what damages, if any, were suffered by plaintiff. CCP 430.10(a), (e), (f). Defendants are also seeking sanctions under CCP § 128.5. In support of the Demurrer, Defendant requests that the Cou...

Excerpt: ...n was continued, by stipulation, to the instant date. This case is currently set for trial on November 16, 2021. The Plaintiffs' complaint alleges 6 causes of action. Cause of Action No. 1 alleges violation of 14 separate Labor Code Sections; Cause of Action No. 2 alleges violation of Health and Safety Code Section 1278.5; Cause of Action No. 3 alleges violation of Labor Code Section 1102.5; Cause of Action No. 4 alleges ‘senior abuse'; Cause o...

Excerpt: ...g Company, Inc. who worked for Seco in California from June 6, 2015 through date of preliminary approval.” The Proposed PAGA Recipients will include all Class Members who do not opt out of the Settlement and worked for Defendant within the PAGA Period, which is defined as “any time from June 12, 2018 to date of preliminary approval.” The proposed class members are approximately 217 former and current employees of Defendant. The proposed set...

Excerpt: ...re granted. Meet and Confer CCP § 439(a)(3) provides : “The moving party shall file and serve with the motion for judgment on the pleadings a declaration stating” the attempts made to meet and confer. No such declaration was filed. That is sufficient to deny the motion. However, in the interest of judicial efficiency, the Court will exercise its 2 discretion and consider the merits of the motion, despite Plaintiff's failure to follow the sta...

Excerpt: ...2021. Kelly Cotton (“Moving Party”) now seeks leave to intervene pursuant to CCP § 387(a) and Welfare and Institutions Code § 15657.3 and CCP § 377.33, claiming to have superior rights to pursue these claims. Moving party has provided admissible evidence that she was nominated by the Decedent to act as his personal representative in his Will. The terms of the Will provide that all assets of the Estate are to be deposited into the Decedent'...

Excerpt: ...roposed cross‐complaint relates to the same parties and deals with disputes and issues arising from the use of an easement. The Court finds that allowing the filing of the cross‐complaint would be in the interests of justice. In reaching this finding the Court notes that there is presently no trial date set. The Court is in agreement with much of the discussion contained in the opposing party's briefing. The motion to amend is indeed late in ...

Excerpt: ... insurer will pay the policy limits of $400,000 plus the $6,000 Medical Payments Coverage. All parties who have appeared in the action per CCP § 1014 were provided proper notice. No Oppositions were filed. Merits of the Motion. The California Supreme Court case of Tech‐Bilt, Inc. v. Woodward‐ Clyde & Associates (1985) 38 Cal.3d 488 provides that “the intent and policies underlying [Code of Civil Procedure] section 877.6 require that a numb...

Excerpt: ...o. 4: OVERRULED Objection No. 5: OVERRULED Objection No. 6: OVERRULED Objection No. 7: SUSTAINED on the grounds of a legal conclusion; OVERRULED as to the remainder Objection No. 8: OVERRULED Objection No. 9: OVERRULED Objection No. 10: OVERRULED Objection No. 11: OVERRULED Objection No. 12: OVERRULED Objection No. 13: OVERRULED Objection No. 14: OVERRULED Plaintiff's Objections: Objection No. 1: OVERRULED Objection No. 2: OVERRULED Objection No....

Excerpt: ... on May 27, 2021. Defendant contends it was timely as Defendant had until June 2, 2021 to file the Demurrer pursuant to CCP § 430.41(a)(2). CCP § 430.41(a)(2) states in part: The parties shall meet and confer at least five days before the date the responsive pleading is due. If the parties are not able to meet and confer at least five days prior to the date the responsive pleading is due, the demurring party shall be granted an automatic 30‐d...