Excerpt: ...rden of establishing each element of the two breach of guaranty causes of action and the cause of action for fraudulent conveyance. (Code Civ. Proc. § 437c(p)(2); Lyle v. Warner Bros. Television Prods. (2006) 38 Cal.4th 264, 274.) The essential elements for a breach of contract are: 1) a contract, 2) plaintiff's performance, 3) defendant's breach, and 4) damages. (Poseidon Dev., Inc. v. Woodland Lane Estates, LLC (2007) 152 Cal.App.4th 1106, 111...

Excerpt: ...t Cornerstone to prepare, and obtain from Plaintiff approval of, subdivision documents necessary to apply for and obtain a legal parcel in compliance with the Subdivision Map Act, including a proposed map and a proposed Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions. (FAC, ¶ 13(a), Exh. B, ¶ 32.) The agreement also required Defendant Cornerstone to refrain from agreeing to expansion or amendment of a tenant's lease without Plaintiff's pr...

Excerpt: ... Sav. Of Am. (1997) 59 Cal.App.4th 1192, 1199; Garcia v. Hejmadi (1997) 58 Cal.App.4th 674, 689‐690.) The need to show a satisfactory explanation is a strict requirement of diligence. (Garcia, 58 Cal.App.4th at 690.) Plaintiff's counsel presumably had personal knowledge of the material terms of the settlement agreement he negotiated and, to the extent that counsel may claim that he could not recall the precise terms of the settlement agreement ...

Excerpt: ...is similar to the lack of a fence around a swimming pool, which courts have found to be a dangerous condition. Therefore, the court finds that the complaint alleges sufficient facts to state a cause of action for premises liability. Defendants' demurrer to the fourth cause of action for elder abuse is sustained with leave to amend. Although the complaint may allege facts indicating negligence on the part of defendants, it does not allege facts in...

Excerpt: ... mobile home (the “Home”) to AXTELL. Legal Standard. Code of Civil Procedure section 438, subdivision (b)(1) allows a party to move for judgment on the pleadings. A defendant may move for judgment on the pleadings if the court has no jurisdiction of the subject of the cause of action alleged in the complaint or the complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action against that defendant. (Code Civ. Proc., § 438, subd....

Excerpt: ...cated for a settlement administrator fee, and the $15,000.00 to be allocated for a PAGA payment. The court allocates $150,750.00, which is 25% of the gross settlement amount, for attorneys' fees. Based on the records submitted, the court finds this amount to be appropriate under the common fund doctrine and the lodestar multiplier method. The court notes that although there was some risk involved, the litigation was not extensive or complex. The ...

Excerpt: ...beneficiary. In contending that the arbitration clause applies to defendant under the doctrine of equitable estoppel, defendant primarily relies on Felisilda v. FCA US LLC (2020) 53 Cal.App.5th 486. However, in that case, the seller (dealer), who was a signatory to the sales contract, had been named as a defendant in the action at the time the court compelled arbitration. In the present case, the dealer has never been named as a defendant. Page 2...

Excerpt: ...n view of the fact that plaintiff's PAGA claim is to be arbitrated, plaintiff lacks statutory standing to maintain this representative PAGA action, and therefore, the action must be dismissed. (Id. at p.1925). The language in the Viking case to this effect is clear. The Court stated: The remaining question is what the lower courts should have done with Moriana's non‐individual claims. Under our holding in this case, those claims may not be dism...

Excerpt: ...perty”) from him under a false representation of GOMEZ's ability to later repurchase the Property from SHARMA and that after the deal was consummated GOMEZ falsely represented that he would maintain the Property for SHARMA. Legal Standard on Demurrer. “The function of a demurrer is to test the sufficiency of the complaint as a matter of law.” (Holiday Matinee, Inc. v. Rambus, Inc. (2004) 118 Cal.App.4th 1413, 1420.) A complaint is sufficien...

Excerpt: ...esponse should be compelled. CRC 3.1345(c). CRC 3.1345(c) specifically states “The separate statement must be full and complete so that no person is required to review any other document in order to determine the full request and the full response. Material must not be incorporated into the separate statement by reference.” Page 2 of 2 The separate statement filed in support of this motion did not recite any of the 37 document requests at iss...

Excerpt: ...ing a motion to dismiss as a method to challenge opposing pleadings. Under the Code, dismissal motions are expressly authorized only on specified grounds, including nonjoinder of necessary parties (CCP § 389(b), see ¶ 2:188) and delay in service of summons or prosecution of the action (see CCP §§ 581, 583.110 et seq., discussed in Ch. 11). But several cases hold a motion to dismiss may serve the same function as a general demurrer. Despite la...

Excerpt: ... this action only as to the open book account and account stated common counts. Furthermore, as no cause of action for breach of contract was pled in the complaint, no remedies based upon the loan contract itself are properly sought in this common counts action. Summary adjudication is denied as to the account stated common count. An account stated is an agreement between the parties that a certain sum will be paid and accepted in discharge of an...

Excerpt: ...e, the other side will not engage in good faith settlement and will not offer any viable settlement alternatives. Furthermore, plaintiff indicates personal attendance at a mandatory settlement conference represents a significant burden and expense to plaintiff. In fact, it appears to be plaintiff who is not proceeding in good faith. Pursuant to CRC §3.1380(b): [All] “Trial counsel, parties, and persons with full authority to settle the case mu...

Excerpt: ...ate (3d ed. 1989) § 6:1, pp. 2‐3 (rev. 9/00); see Fin. Code, § 17003, subd. (a).) An escrow holder is an agent and fiduciary of the parties to the escrow. (Amen v. Merced County Title Co. (1962) 58 Cal.2d 528, 534 [25 Cal.Rptr. 65, 375 P.2d 33] (Amen); Rianda v. San Benito Title Guar. Co. (1950) 35 Cal.2d 170, 173 [217 P.2d 25].) The agency created by the escrow is limited ‐limited to the obligation of the escrow holder to carry out the ins...

Excerpt: ...ut instead by a daughter to whom he had long ago signed a power of attorney to under certain conditions act on his behalf, is binding, and authorized her to consent to arbitration of all claims brought arising out of the care he received from Defendants. The general rule that only parties who signed an arbitration agreement are bound by it is subject to a health care facility exception, such that the signature of the Page 2 of 4 patient or their ...

Excerpt: ...is that the defendant's alleged wrongful conduct must be wrongful independent of its interfering character such that it is proscribed by some constitutional, statutory, regulatory, common law, or some other determinable legal standard. (Edwards v. Arthur Andersen, LLP (2008) 44 Cal.4th 937, 944; Korea Supply Co. v. Lockheed Martin Corp.(2003) 29 Cal.4th 1134, 1153‐1154; Della Penna v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. (1995) 11 Cal.4th 376, 392‐393....

Excerpt: ...(4); Benach v. County of Los Angeles (2007) 149 Cal.App.4th 836, 857‐858; Ladas v. Cal. State Auto. Ass'n (1993) 19 Cal.App.4th 761, 776.) The court notes that defense counsel's office is located in Irvine and the court does not accept electronic filing. While the option for filing by mail was available, it was not unreasonable for counsel to employ a messenger service to ensure prompt and proper filing of the documents with the court. Page 2 o...

Excerpt: ...mplete verified responses to Request for Production, Set One, without objections, shall be properly served and responsive documents produced within 15 days after the date of this hearing. Plaintiff served Special Interrogatories, Set One, on defendants on June 21, 2022. Also served that date were Requests for Production of Documents. There is no agreement between the parties for electronic service. Responses were therefore due to each set of disc...

Excerpt: ...repeatedly regarding the deposition and the production of documents. The parties engaged in an informal discovery conference in July regarding these topics. Further meet-and-confer took place thereafter and a date was provided. However, plaintiffs' counsel desires an earlier date than the offered dates of November 2, 3 or 4, 2022, because trial is scheduled to commence February 13, 2023. Both attorneys' pleadings contain arguments that have merit...

Excerpt: ...issions controvert her answer and establish that there is no defense to the complaint. Relief from Deemed Admissions. Code of Civil Procedure section 2033.300 permits a party to withdraw or amend an admission made in response to a request for admission if it obtains leave of court, which is only to be granted if the court determines that the admission was the result of mistake, inadvertence, or excusable neglect and the party that obtained the ad...

Excerpt: ...nt is Allstate Northbrook Indemnity Company. Respondent properly noticed an Independent Medical Examination of Claimant Martha A. Block, which took place on January 25, 2022. Dr. Jones prepared a report of the IME and a copy was provided to counsel for Claimants. Thereafter, Claimants' counsel served a subpoena for the production of business records of Dr. Jones, specifically seeking “(a)ll records pertaining to the IME performed on January 25,...

Excerpt: ...llejo's motion for summary judgment or, in the alternative, summary adjudication is denied. The court overrules objections 3, 6, 9 and 10 to the declarations presented by Defendant County of Solano in support of its opposition. In order to state a cause of action for dangerous condition of public property, a plaintiff must establish: 1) the property owned or controlled by the public entity was in a dangerous condition at the time of the injury, 2...

Excerpt: ...Interrogatories‐‐General Nos. 12.1; 12.2; 12.6 and 15.1; to Form Interrogatories—Employment Law Nos. 201.1(d); 201.5; 201.6; 209.2; 215.1; 215.2 and 216.1; and to Requests for Production 6; 13‐15; 19; 21; 23; 28; 29‐35; 40‐43; 46‐47; and 48. The court declines to compel further responses to Requests 44 and 45, as both are too general and overbroad. SUNDT's further responses shall be verified, and shall also be without objections, ex...

Excerpt: ...o legal requirement for Plaintiff to have filed a cross‐complaint in the proceedings for Defendant's petition for writ of mandate. (See, Code Civ. Proc. § 426.60(a) [“This article applies only to civil actions and does not apply to special proceedings.”]; Dhillon v. John Muir Health (2017) 2 Cal.5th 1109, 1115 [“An application for a writ of administrative mandamus is a ‘special proceeding of a civil nature'”].) And, the action cannot...

Excerpt: ...ression is defined in the Merriam‐Webster Dictionary, language similar to the definition of oppression found in Civil Code §3294(c)(2). Malice generally requires outrageous conduct by a defendant with evil motive. Henderson v. Security Nat. Bank (1977) 72 Cal.App.3d 764, 771‐772. While evil motive is often alleged, conscious disregard of the probable dangerous consequences of one's actions can also support a punitive damages claim. Hoch v. A...