Excerpt: ... to the sales contract. Nor was FCA US LLC an “employee, agent, successor, or assign” of the dealer. Further, FCA US LLC may not enforce the arbitration clause under the doctrine of equitable estoppel or as a third party beneficiary. In contending that the arbitration clause applies to FCA US LLC 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, t...

Excerpt: ...ocedure sections 1281.97 and 1281.98 provide that where a party responsible under an arbitration agreement for payment of arbitration fees fails to pay required fees within thirty days of the fees' due date that party waives its right to compel the other party to continue with arbitration. The waiver of that right affords the other party certain privileges, most relevantly the ability to withdraw from arbitration and proceed in state court and th...

Excerpt: ..., or assign” of the dealer. Further, FCA US LLC may not enforce the arbitration clause under the doctrine of equitable estoppel or as a third party beneficiary. In contending that the arbitration clause applies to FCA US LLC 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 dealer, who was a signatory to the sales contract, had been named as a d...

Excerpt: ...r from either Plaintiff's motion or Michelle Lim's declaration, or from Defendant's opposition or Sat Sang Khalsa's declaration that there was ever an actual agreement to stay discovery. Lim did not submit any emails or letters between the attorneys, although she referred to them in her declaration. Khalsa submitted some emails. Neither party submitted any emails or letters relating to or responding to the February 15, 2022 email from Lim to Khal...

Excerpt: ...tentional, willful, or fraudulent are insufficient. (Brousseau v. Jarrett (1977) 73 Cal.App.3d 864, 872; G.D. Searle & Co. v. Superior Court (1975) 49 Cal.App.3d 22, 29.) “In order to survive a motion to strike an allegation of punitive damages, the ultimate facts showing an entitlement to such relief must be pled by a plaintiff.” (Clauson v. Superior Court (1998) 67 Cal.App.4th 1253, 1255.) “[T]he act of operating a motor vehicle while int...

Excerpt: ...ffered injury and death due to Defendant's understaffing of its care facility. 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 sufficient if it alleges ultimate rather than evidentiary facts, but the plaintiff must set forth the essential facts of his or her case “with reasonable ...

Excerpt: ...the “FEHA”). Timeliness of Opposition; Spacing of Filing Text. Plaintiff's counsel admits that opposition papers were not served on Defendants until January 3, 2023. (Declaration of Shanna McDaniel in Support of Reply to Opposition at ¶ 1, Exhibits A‐B.) The court cautions Plaintiff's counsel to be careful of service deadlines and of the spacing requirements of California Rules of Court Rule 2.108 but uses its discretion to accept Plaintif...

Excerpt: ...rnia v. Superior Court (2018) 29 Cal.App.5th 890,903); Ford Motor Company v. Superior Court (1981) 120 Cal.App.3d 748, 751‐753. However, punitive damages can be recovered in a survivor action, filed by a successor in interest to the deceased person who if alive would have a proper basis for asserting a punitive damages claim. C.C.P. §377.34 authorizes a successor in interest action to recover “the loss or damage that the decedent sustained o...

Excerpt: ...and Production of Documents is DENIED in its entirety. California's Civil Discovery Act of 1986, Code Civ. Proc., § 2016 et seq., requires that, prior to the initiation of a motion to compel, the moving party declare that he or she has made a serious attempt to obtain an informal resolution of each issue. This rule is designed to encourage the parties to work out their differences informally so as to avoid the necessity for a formal order. This,...

Excerpt: ... Civil Code §3496, the statute at issue in that case, for red‐light abatement action]. Recovery of CITY's attorneys fees is governed by a different statute. Health & Safety Code §17980.7(c)(11) and (d)(1). However, neither of those subsections identify a particular method for computation of attorneys fees of the public agency. Thus, under Santa Rosa, the court will award fees not based upon what CITY pays its deputy city attorneys for the tim...

Excerpt: ...and Production of Documents is DENIED in its entirety. California's Civil Discovery Act of 1986, Code Civ. Proc., § 2016 et seq., requires that, prior to the initiation of a motion to compel, the moving party declare that he or she has made a serious attempt to obtain an informal resolution of each issue. This rule is designed to encourage the parties to work out their differences informally so as to avoid the necessity for a formal order. This,...

Excerpt: ...t inducement of a sales contract for a car (the “Vehicle”) that contained a serious latent manufacturing defect (the “Engine Defect”). 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 sufficient if it alleges ultimate rather than evidentiary facts, but the plaintiff must set ...

Excerpt: ...he Requests for Production shall be served and responsive documents produced within 30 days of service of this order. Defendant served its Form Interrogatories, Set One, Special Interrogatories and Requests for Production on Plaintiff on September 29, 2022. Responses were due on October 11, 2022. No responses were received, nor was a request for extension made by the due date. Unverified responses were served to the Form Interrogatories and Reque...

Excerpt: ...dical Treatment and Active Labor Act (the “EMTALA”), negligence per se, premises liability, wrongful death, as well as MITCHELL's cause of action against it for negligent infliction of emotional distress. Plaintiffs' complaint concerns SUTTER's alleged acts and omissions relating to the death of their son Daimon Ferguson (“Decedent”) on September 3, 2020. The court has not received opposition to the motion. Legal Standard. A defendant may...

Excerpt: ... the sixth cause of action is for constructive wrongful termination. All concern events during Plaintiff's employment with the POTEET Defendants' company Defendant HEALTHY BODIES, INC. and the acts of her supervisor Defendant TOM NAKANISHI. 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 complai...

Excerpt: ... party requesting relief stating 1) what application was made, 2) when and to what judge, 3) what order or decision was made, and 4) what new or different facts, circumstances, or law are claimed to be shown. (Code Civ. Proc. § 1008(a).) A violation of the requirements of the motion for reconsideration may be punished as a contempt and may incur monetary sanctions. (Code Civ. Proc. § 1008(d).) Page 3 of 4 A motion for reconsideration must be ba...

Excerpt: ... court “shall award to the plaintiff reasonable attorney's fees” when it has been “proven by a preponderance of the evidence that a defendant is liable for financial [elder] abuse”. (Welf. & Inst. Code § 15657.5(a).) Defendant does not claim that the parties agreed to a fee shifting term to enforce either the partnership or the settlement contracts (Civ. Code § 1717) and does not identify any statute or contractual agreement providing f...

Excerpt: ...t and confer declaration]; 2030.300(b)(1) [meet and confer requirement to compel further responses to interrogatories]. The trial court has discretion in determining whether adequate meet and confer efforts preceded the filing of the motion. Obregon v. Superior Court (1998) 67 Cal.App.4th 424 [factors to be considered include the complexity of the discovery issues, the past history of the counsel on prior disputes, and to a certain extent, the ju...

Excerpt: ...at ¶ 82, Exhibit 5.) Validity of Code of Civil Procedure Section 998 Offer. Code of Civil Procedure section 998, subdivision (c)(1) provides, among other things, that a plaintiff who rejects a defendant's properly presented and reasonable settlement offer and then fails to obtain a more favorable result cannot claim attorneys' fees and costs incurred after the date of the offer even in a case under the Act. (Covert v. FCA USA, LLC (2022) 73 Cal....

Excerpt: ...ed Loan Servicing LLC (2020) 52 Cal.App.5th 795, 803. The “fraud by omission” cause of action elements include concealment or suppression of a material fact by one who actually knows that fact and has a duty to reveal it. Boschma v. Home Loan Center, Inc. (2011) 198 Cal.App.4th 230, 248. Plaintiff's complaint contains no specific allegations that would establish actual knowledge by Defendants and demurring parties BUNDESEN ENTERPRISES dba Cen...

Excerpt: ...nd implied warranty obligations on manufacturers for the sale of new consumer goods. (Rodriguez v. FCA US, LLC (2022) 77 Cal.App.5th 209, 219.) The Act also applies to a retail seller of a used consumer good on a limited basis only if the retail seller makes an express warranty with respect to that used consumer good. (Civ. Code § 1795.5; Gutierrez v. Carmax Auto Superstores Ca. (2018) 19 Cal.App.5th 1234, 1246; Leber v. DKD of Davis, Inc. (2015...

Excerpt: ...nancial records. Ameri‐Medical Corp. v. Workers' Comp. Appeals Bd. (1996) 42 Cal.App.4th 1260, 1289 [suggesting in dicta that tax returns are not discoverable]; Sav‐On Drugs, Inc. v. Superior Court (1975) 15 Cal.3d 1 [interrogatories improperly sought information about specific deductions claimed on state sales tax returns]. The California Supreme Court explained that special protections were given by the California legislature (now at Revenu...

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: ...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: ... 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: ... 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...

Excerpt: ...Petitioners cannot demonstrate any prejudice from the untimely filing since the motion was timely served. (Jones v. Goodman (2020) 57 Cal.App.5th 521, 541.) Respondent is entitled to recover “all costs of investigating and prosecuting the action, including expert fees, reasonable attorney's fees, and costs” as the Page 2 of 2 prevailing party in a civil action to enforce relevant sections of the Water Code. (Code Civ. Proc. § 1021.8(a).) But...

Excerpt: ...2, and subject to certain statutory exceptions, worker's compensation is the exclusive remedy to an employee suffering an injury unintended by the employer, in the scope of employment. The rationale behind the workers' compensation exclusivity rule is that most workplace injuries fall within the expected risks of employment, and it is better policy to require an employer to cover those injuries without regard to fault to ensure that employees who...

Excerpt: ...ertainable amount of money damages for the breach of monthly payment obligations from an agreement to purchase Plaintiffs' property. (Complaint, ¶¶ 11, 15.) Injunctive relief is not available for breach of contract unless it appears that monetary relief would not afford an adequate remedy or that it would be extremely difficult to ascertain the amount of damages. (Pac. Decision Scis. Corp. v. Superior Court (2004) 121 Cal.App.4th 1100, 1110; Th...

Excerpt: ...f the order sustaining the demurrer, they have not shown that they are likely to succeed in obtaining reconsideration of the order that would result in a ruling overruling the demurrer. Motion for Summary Judgment/Adjudication Defendant City of Vallejo's unopposed motion for summary judgment is granted. Plaintiffs filed non‐opposition, essentially conceding the merits of the motion. Not only is Plaintiffs' failure to comply with the requirement...

Excerpt: ...t date, plaintiffs were not present and the court rescheduled the settlement conference to January 6, 2022. On January 6, the court was informed that Mr. Shamieh had passed away a few days earlier. A status conference was set for January 12, 2022, and on that date, the settlement conference was rescheduled to February 14, 2022, a date which was agreeable to both attorneys. On February 14, 2022, Mrs. Shamieh and her attorney participated in the se...

Excerpt: ...Plaintiff to submit, to a mental examination, by Dr. Rachyll Dempsey, Psy. D., California Board Certified and licensed clinical psychologist. If the notice of motion and other motion papers provide the correct legal basis for the court to make its ruling, the court can grant it, even if the title of the motion is inaccurate. Austin v. Los Angeles Unified School Dist. (2016) 244 Cal. App. 4th 918 [court could consider a request for relief based on...

Excerpt: ...d proceedings are therefore limited to those specified in the reviewing court's directions, and if the reviewing court does not direct the trial court to take a particular action or make a particular determination, the trial court is not authorized to do so.” (Ayyad v. Sprint Spectrum, L.P. (2012) 210 Cal.App.4th 851, 859‐860.) The proposed amended complaint continues to seek to expand the action beyond the scope of the court's jurisdiction. ...

Excerpt: ...handful of cases of importance on when an arbitration provision contained in a handbook constitutes an enforceable arbitration agreement. They focus on matters such as whether the employee signed an acknowledgment of receipt of the handbook which expressly referred to the arbitration provision; whether the arbitration provision is specifically identified in the handbook's table of contents; whether the arbitration provision is highlighted in any ...

Excerpt: ...of a sales contract for a car (the “Vehicle”) that contained a serious latent manufacturing defect (the “Engine Defect”). 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 sufficient if it alleges ultimate rather than evidentiary facts, but the plaintiff must set forth the ess...

Excerpt: ...ed Plaintiffs' evidentiary submissions and having weighed all relevant factors, class counsel shall be awarded reasonable attorneys' fees of $372,736, which represents the full lodestar amount for the 532.4 hours of attorney and legal assistant time claimed, with the remainder to revert to the common fund. The lodestar amount already incorporates inflated hourly rates for counsel far in excess of prevailing rates for attorneys in Solano County, s...

Excerpt: ...lin v. Nat'l Convenience Stores, Inc. (1979) 95 Cal.App.3d 279, 285‐286; see, Food Pro Int'l, Inc. v. Farmers Ins. Exch. (2008) 169 Cal.App.4th 976, 994 [mere carelessness or ignorance does not justify punitive damages].) Conscious disregard alone is no longer sufficient to establish malice and an award of punitive damages requires either the intent to harm the plaintiff or both willful and despicable conduct. (Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder C...

Excerpt: ... plaintiff alleging substantial compliance must therefore allege timely actual receipt of the claim by that public entity. Section 915(a)(1) reflects the Legislature's intent to precisely identify those who may receive claims on behalf of a local public entity. Section 915(e)(1) reflects the Legislature's intent that a misdirected claim will satisfy the presentation requirement if the claim is “actually received” by a statutorily designated r...

Excerpt: ... SHARMA's Motions to Access Property and Expunge Lis Pendens TENTATIVE RULING Page 2 of 3 Defendant and Cross‐Complainant RAJ KUMAR SHARMA (“SHARMA”) moves to expunge the lis pendens filed November 30, 2020 on the real property at 7403 Porter Road, Dixon, CA 95620 (the “Property”). SHARMA also moves to be permitted to access the Property for purposes of performing repairs and showing the Property for sale. The Property is at issue in a ...

Excerpt: ...of Service (4/28/22).) A notice that fails to specify when it is to be heard is fatally defective. (Bohn v. Bohn (1913) 164 Cal. 532, 536‐537; Galleria Plus, Inc. v. Hanmi Bank (2009) 179 Cal.App.4th 535, 538.) If a party does not serve a notice that complies with the requirements of Code of Civil Procedure section 1010 within 60 days of the completion of the record of the deposition, the motion is untimely. (Weinstein v. Blumberg (2018) 25 Cal...

Excerpt: ...ure Section 473(b) reads (in pertinent part): “…Notwithstanding any other requirements of this section, the court shall, whenever an application for relief is made no more than six months after entry of judgment, is in proper form, and is accompanied by an attorney's sworn affidavit attesting to his or her mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or neglect, vacate any (1) resulting default entered by the clerk against his or her client, and which wi...

Excerpt: ...se guests whose “coordination and judgment have been adversely affected by the consumption of alcohol.” (Allen v. Liberman (2014) 227 Cal.App.4th 46, 55, emphasis added.) Plaintiff continues to allege that Defendant, a minor, invited other minors to her home where alcohol was served and Plaintiff became intoxicated. (SAC, ¶¶ 10‐12.) Plaintiff continues to allege that Defendant failed to protect her from the risk of harm caused by the cons...

Excerpt: ...on. When the personal records of a consumer are sought, notice to the consumer must also be served. C.C.P. §1985.3(e). A consumer is broadly defined, to include any individual. C.C.P. §1985.3(a)(2). This gives that person “a chance to seek appropriate orders protecting the privacy of such records”. Edmon & Karnow (Weil & Brown), Civil Procedure Before Trial, §8:566, p. 8E‐54. C.C.P. §1985.3(a) defines “personal records” to include r...

Excerpt: ...pp.5th 453, 458.) Plaintiff has not made a showing of inability to meaningfully access the courts. This court previously denied a motion from Plaintiff for appointment of counsel in part because Plaintiff, by his successful maintenance of this case and another in another court department, showed that he enjoyed meaningful access to the courts. Plaintiff has not shown that the situation has changed. Evidence Code section 730 authorizes the court t...

Excerpt: ..., 893 [motion may be denied for noncompliance with requirement of separate statement].) Even if the court considered the merits of the motion, it would be denied. Plaintiff has not demonstrated that the records sought from Deponent Cayton are “personal records” of a “consumer” as defined by Code of Civil Procedure section 1985.3(a) and therefore has not established that the deposition notice was untimely when served more than 10 days prio...

Excerpt: ...nia, including a blood draw. Plaintiff resides in Reno, Nevada. Procedure for Discovery via Physical Examination. Code of Civil Procedure section 2032.220 provides that any defendant in a personal injury case may demand, without leave of court, that the plaintiff submit to one physical examination, so long as the examination is not “painful, protracted, or intrusive” and is not set to take place more than seventy‐five miles away from the pl...

Excerpt: ...er Code of Civil Procedure section 430.30, subdivision (a). The court declines to take judicial notice of JENNIFER's proffered items. The lease between the parties is not a fact or proposition beyond reasonable dispute. Plaintiff's complaint is already a part of the record. 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 ...

Excerpt: ...pleading is due. (Code Civ. Proc., § 430.41, subd. (a)(2).) Counsel for Defendant declares that the parties conferred over Plaintiff's original complaint and this process led to the filing of the 1AC. (Declaration of Gregory P. Wayland in Support of Demurrer at ¶¶ 3‐5.) Counsel declares his perception that the 1AC corrects no flaws of the original complaint. (Id. at ¶ 6.) Accordingly, counsel felt that a phone call on May 19, 2022 that was ...

Excerpt: ...essary to understand the requests. The requests are neither vague nor ambiguous. Nonetheless, Defendant is allowed to assert that it does not have sufficient information to admit or deny a request for admission despite a reasonable inquiry, as it has for request number 23. Because Defendant's objections are not meritorious, its responses to subdivisions (b) and (c) of form interrogatory 17.1 are evasive or incomplete. Defendant's answers to subdi...

Excerpt: ... efforts to meet and confer to work these issues out before resorting to a discovery motion. Code of Civil Procedure section 2016.040 requires a declaration “showing a reasonable and good faith attempt at an informal resolution of each issue presented by the motion” to compel. The trial court has discretion in determining whether adequate meet and confer efforts preceded the filing of the motion. (Obregon v. Superior Court (1998) 67 Cal.App.4...

Excerpt: ... information and under a false representation of GOMEZ's ability to later repurchase the Property from 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 sufficient if it alleges ultimate rather than evidentiary facts, but the plaintiff must set forth the essential facts of his...

Excerpt: ... failure to engage in the interactive process under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (the “FEHA”). CDCR additionally moves to strike portions of the complaint pertaining to conduct allegedly occurring prior to September 20, 2019, as well as the complaint's prayer for prejudgment interest. Request for Judicial Notice. Matters subject to judicial notice may support a demurrer under Code of Civil Procedure section 430.30, subdivision (a). Def...

Excerpt: ...prevailing party” as used in Code of Civil Procedure section 1032 and it is insufficient to simply show that the plaintiff achieved a net monetary recovery. (Duff v. Jaguar Land Rover N. Am., LLC (2022) 74 Cal.App.5th 491, 504‐505; MacQuiddy v. Mercedes‐Benz USA, LLC (2015) 233 Cal.App.4th 1036, 1047.) Instead, this court must “take a pragmatic approach to determine which party has prevailed” and “determine which party succeeded on a ...

Excerpt: ...et her burden of showing “in what manner [s]he can amend h[er] complaint and how that amendment will change the legal effect of h[er] pleading” as to any of the causes of action. (Goodman v. Kennedy (1976) 18 Cal.3d 335, 349; Cooper v. Equity Gen. Ins. (1990) 219 Cal.App.3d 1252, 1263‐1264; McMartin v. Childrens' Inst. Int'l (1989) 212 Cal.App.3d 1393, 1408.) ...

Excerpt: ...ff and KYLE BAKA subsequently granted their interests in that Property to KAREN BAKA. KAREN BAKA filed a probate petition in case FPR051416 on March 30, 2022 implicating the same deeds. The dispute between the parties concerns, among other issues, whether or not the Property is properly an asset of a trust created by Mark Duvall prior to his death. Court's Probate Jurisdiction. “Jurisdiction” refers in the truest sense to a court's authority ...

Excerpt: ...course and scope of employment with COMCAST, caused an automobile collision with Plaintiff. Plaintiff alleges that ALCANTARA was driving in a dangerous condition due to being severely tired, and that he drove in such a condition with COMCAST's approval. Plaintiff requests punitive damages against COMCAST for its acts causing and/or approving ALCANTARA's alleged dangerous driving. Legal Standard. Code of Civil Procedure section 436, subdivision (a...

Excerpt: ...ent amount to be fair and reasonable, and not the result of collusion, preferential treatment or conflicts of interest. The proposed PAGA payment and settlement administration costs also appear reasonable. The Motion is GRANTED subject to the following: 4) Based on the information currently before the Court, the requested attorney fees appear to be excessive. Locally, the range of 25% of gross settlement for attorney fees is the norm, absent extr...

Excerpt: ... conflicts of interest. The proposed PAGA payment and settlement administration costs also appear reasonable. The court also preliminarily finds that class certification is appropriate here based on the numerosity of the estimated eighty‐four class members and their well‐defined community of interest in their shared wage and hour claims. The named plaintiff shares the same claims as the class at large and is able to adequately represent the c...

Excerpt: ...ased on the same alleged defects existing or developing within one year of purchase. The Song‐Beverly Consumer Warranty Act imposes specified duties on manufacturers of consumer goods sold in California for which an express warrant is given. (Civ. Code § 1793.2(a).) A consumer good is specially defined as “any new product or part thereof that is used, bought, or leased for use primarily for personal, family, or household purposes”. (Civ. C...

Excerpt: ....040.) The meet and confer declaration submitted by Plaintiff simply concludes that counsel “met and conferred extensively” without any supporting facts describing what actions were taken in an effort to meet and confer or the scope of discussions between counsel. (Decl. of Ramsdell, ¶ 9.) At best, Plaintiff's counsel establishes that he sent one meet and confer letter, which has not been provided to the court, and received a response to tha...

Excerpt: ...o present the court with facts sufficient to show that the information about the property is credible and reliable. (Legis. Com. Comment to Code Civ. Proc. § 512.010.) “No writ directing the levying officer to enter a private place to take possession of any property shall be issued unless the plaintiff has established that there is probable cause to believe the property is located there.” (Code Civ. Proc. § 512.060(b).) The declaration atta...

Excerpt: ...Plaintiff to produce the audio recording of her physical examination before Defendant must produce the report of that examination. Plaintiff fails to present a valid reason for withholding the recording and preventing the examiner from preparing a potentially more accurate report. Defendant shall deliver a copy of the report of the examination to Plaintiff within 30 days of service of, or access to, Plaintiff's audio recording of the examination....

Excerpt: ... of action to which the demurrer was sustained”. (Cmty. Water Coalition v. Santa Cruz County Local Agency Formation Comm'n (2011) 200 Cal.App.4th 1317, 1329.) “The plaintiff may not amend the complaint to add a new cause of action without having obtained permission to do so”. (Ibid.; Harris v. Wachovia Mortgage (2010) 185 Cal.App.4th 1018, 1023.) Additionally, Plaintiff has not cured the defects previously identified in the court's ruling o...

Excerpt: ...posit Account Agreement” governing Plaintiff's account with Defendant Chase. Although he did not mention the agreement by name, Plaintiff incorporated the “Deposit Account Agreement” by reference in his complaint by alleging that he is a “depositor” of Defendant Chase. “The relationship of a bank and depositor is founded on contract, [citation] which is ordinarily memorialized by a signature card that the depositor signs upon opening ...

Excerpt: ... to an unreasonable risk of injury. (Rowland v. Christian (1968) 69 Cal.2d 108, 119; Barnes v. Black (1999) 71 Cal.App.4th 1473, 1478; Medina v. Hillshore Partners (1995) 40 Cal.App.4th 477, 481; Seaber v. Hotel Del Coronado (1991) 1 Cal.App.4th 481, 488.) Page 2 of 2 Plaintiff has been deemed to have admitted that the premises “was maintained safely at the time” of her alleged injury and that Defendant Parkview “is not liable to [Plaintiff...

Excerpt: ...rally operates prospectively to declare future rights, rather than to redress past wrongs.” (Jolley v. Chase Home Fin., LLC (2013) 213 Cal.App.4th 872, 909; Babb v. Superior Court (1971) 3 Cal.3d 841, 848.) There is no basis for declaratory relief if only past wrongs are involved. (Osseous Tech. of Am., Inc. v. DicoveryOrtho Partners, LLC (2010) 191 Cal.App.4th 357, 366; County of San Diego v. State of Cal. (2008) 164 Cal.App.4th 580, 607‐608...

Excerpt: ...w, 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.) “The tort of intentional interference with prospective economic advantage is not intended to punish individuals or commercial entities for their choice of commercial relationships or the...

Excerpt: ... ¶¶ 14, 16.) A notice that fails to specify when it is to be heard is fatally defective. (Bohn v. Bohn (1913) 164 Cal. 532, 536‐537; Galleria Plus, Inc. v. Hanmi Bank (2009) 179 Cal.App.4th 535, 538.) If a party does not serve a notice that complies with the requirements of Code of Civil Procedure section 1010 within 60 days of the completion of the record of the deposition, the motion is untimely. (Weinstein v. Blumberg (2018) 25 Cal.App.5th...

Excerpt: ...that employer, such as a contractor doing business with that employer. McVeigh v. Recology San Francisco (2013) 213 Cal.App.4th 443, 471. In general, a demurrer must knock out an entire cause of action, or it should be overruled. Edmon & Karnow (Weil & Brown), Civil Procedure Before Trial, §§7:42.2 and 7:42.4, p. 7(I)‐21, and 7:156, pp. 7(I)‐72 and 7(I)‐73. Thus, as long as JOHN P. WHITNEY (“WHITNEY”) has in the amended petition/compl...

Excerpt: ...ause of action for conversion, Plaintiffs assert that it is undisputed that Defendant caused at least $84,000 in damages caused by Defendant's conversion of their proprietary data. (Plaintiffs' UMF 3.) This statement of “fact” is supported only by a generalized and simplistic estimate of damages based on a specified number of employees working an “approximate” amount of days for “up to” 12 hours a day, as well as speculative lost reve...

Excerpt: ...ons (the “Property”). (Evid. Code, § 452, subd. (d); Fontenot v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (2011) 198 Cal.App.4th 256, 264‐265 [judicial notice of recorded documents], disapproved on other grounds in Yvanova v. New Century Mortgage Corp. (2016) 62 Cal.4th 919, 939 at fn. 13.) Sufficiency of Pleading. “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) 1...

Excerpt: ...nd agreement requirements of the CITY OF BENICIA (“CITY”), by successfully obtaining an encroachment permit and entering into an encroachment agreement with CITY [UMFs 1‐18 and evidence cited in support thereof]. Defendant also failed under Benicia Municipal Code §1.10.040 to timely file an administrative challenge of either of the administrative citations issued against him [UMFs 58 and 64, and evidence cited in support thereof]. Summary ...

Excerpt: ... instant petition) was filed February 1, 2021, 193 days after July 23, 2020, when DAYTON was mailed the challenged final administrative decisions on two parking citations. Review under Code of Civil Procedure section 1094.5 is not available for parking citations. Those are handled entirely under Vehicle Code section 40200 et seq., which states that parking tickets “shall be governed by the civil administrative procedures set forth in this artic...

Excerpt: ... the San Diego County summons in this case and the 2AC as records of a court of the United States under Evidence Code section 452, subdivision (d). The court declines to take judicial notice of the proffered purported copy of the deed of trust because it does not appear to be a recorded document; the space marked for recorder's use is blank. Plaintiff's Identity. A trust, not being a legal “person,” cannot maintain an action except through it...

Excerpt: ...ity discrimination, (5) retaliation, (6) retaliation under the Family and Medical Leave Act (the “FMLA”) and California Family Rights Act (the “CFRA”), and (7) wrongful termination. Defendant alternatively and in addition moves for summary adjudication on the issue of its liability for punitive damages. Legal Standard. A defendant may move for summary judgment on the basis that the plaintiff cannot establish an element of his cause of act...

Excerpt: ...t reasonably determine what issues must be admitted or denied, or what counts or claims are directed against him or her. [Khoury v. Maly's of Calif., Inc. (1993) 14 CA4th 612, 616, 17 CR2d 708, 710 (citing text); A.J. Fistes Corp. v. GDL Best Contractors, Inc. (2019) 38 CA5th 677, 695, 251 CR3d 423, 439] Comment: Otherwise, judges usually make short shrift of demurrers for uncertainty. They expect counsel to clear up any ambiguities through disco...

Excerpt: ...uest for Judicial Notice. The court takes judicial notice of four plea agreements entered in federal cases between the United States government and Jeffrey Carpoff, Paulette Carpoff, Ronald Roach, and Alan Hansen. (Evid. Code, §452(d).) Specific Jurisdiction. California courts may exercise personal jurisdiction “on any basis not inconsistent with the Constitution of this state or of the United States.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 410.10.) The exerc...

Excerpt: ...ENTIC FAIRFIELD LLC TENTATIVE RULING A preliminary question posed by the filing of these demurrers is whether a party named as a “real party in interest”, but not a “respondent” or “defendant”, and against whom no causes of action are clearly identified, and no charging allegations of wrongdoing made specific to that party, is one who can challenge the causes of action in the pleading by way of demurrer. The term “real party in inte...

Excerpt: ...ing is so produced, the testimony of the witness concerning such matter shall be stricken.” Here, a colossal series of delays occurred. First, the deposition, which was being taken remotely via Zoom, did not start at the appointed time although defense counsel and court reporter were ready and waiting. Thirteen minutes after the deposition was to begin, Hawkins and his attorney appeared on Zoom. Hawkins was unprepared to review documents remote...