Excerpt: ... clause was upheld by the courts in the past, and should be similarly upheld here. (Fritelli, Inc. v. 350 N. Canon Drive, LP (2011) 202 Cal.App.4th 35). Although defendant did not submit a copy of the lease signed by plaintiff, defendant did submit a copy of the leas e initialed by plaintiff, a guaranty of the lease signed by plaintiff, and an addendum to the lease signed by plaintiff, which acknowledged that the parties entered into the lease, n...

Excerpt: ... a minor at a VCUSD school in 1968. New Trial Motion After Demurrer. A new trial motion lies where a judgment of dismissal has been entered following sustention of a demurrer without leave to amend, as is the case here. (Evarts v. Jones (1959) 170 Cal.App.2d 197, 206.) Gro unds for new trial in this situation include decisions unsupported by the law or errors in law. (Code Civ. Proc., § 657, subds. (6)- (7).) Legal Standard on Demurrer. “The f...

Excerpt: ...RS, INC.; WISE NORTH BAY, INC.; WISE RIDERS, INC.; WISE SAN MATEO, INC.; WISE MARIN, INC.; and K.E.W. CORP. (“Demurring Defendants”) attacked all causes of action alleged against some or all of them, save one, the 9th cause of action for violation of UCL. The basis for demurrer to each of the other causes of action alleged against them was failure to state a cause of action. Class action claims asserted can only be brought against the defenda...

Excerpt: ...24. Should Defendant Turley fail to appear for deposition as agreed, absent a good faith reason or substantial justification, the court shall impose a sanction upon Mr. Turley only of $1000, which shall then be due and payable to Plaintiff not later than 30 days afte r the scheduled deposition date. At that time, a second deposition date will be scheduled with Mr. Turley. Should he fail again to appear as agreed, the court will consider contempt...

Excerpt: ... Linforth v. White (1900) 129 Cal. 188, 190; Gortner v. Gortner (1976) 60 Cal.App.3d 996, 999.) Plaintiff's proof of service shows service by mail, addressed directly to Defendant Green Dot, at an address in Sacramento different from the address given for Defendant Green D ot's attorney of record. Additionally, both motions lack merit. Plaintiff's motion for leave to file an untimely “answer” to Defendant's demurrer is moot, the court having...

Excerpt: ...glect. Thoug h the moving party bears the burden of showing that its mistake or neglect was excusable, any doubt as to that showing must be resolved in the moving party's favor to promote legislative policy favoring trial on the merits. (New Albertsons, Inc. v. S u p e r i or Court (2008) 168 Cal.App.4th 1403, 1420.) SERITAGE presents evidence that it acted promptly to secure an attorney by tendering its claim to its insurance carrier Sedgwick on...

Excerpt: ...7200. Summarized, Plaintiff's complaint alleges that Plaintiff, DISCOVERY, SEENO III, and Defendant VILLAGES AT FAIRFIELD, LLC (“VILLAGES”) participated in a development project for the City of Fairfield for which Plaintiff and co - developers who are not presently parties w ere awarded public facility fee credits. Plaintiff alleges that Defendants converted the fee credits to their own use by applying the credits to Defendants' separate dev...

Excerpt: ... this lo cal rule in substantially the following form: “Notice: The Superior Court in and for Solano County has adopted a tentative rulings system that is described in the court's local Rule 3.9. Failure to comply with Rule 3.9 may seriously affect parties' rights in this case.” The notice of motion filed here fails to contain this notice. CRC 3.1700 requires court costs to be requested by filing and service of a memorandum of costs, within...

Excerpt: ...ichment. Summarized, the 1AC alleges that GOMEZ has left construction equipment and debris on SHARMA's agricultural land, preventing access to portions of the land, posing a hazard to persons on the land, and otherwise damaging the land. Judicial Notice. Matters subject to judicial notice may support a demurrer under Code of Civil Procedure section 430.30, subdivision (a). The court takes judicial notice of GOMEZ's second amended complaint, SHARM...

Excerpt: ...ained only where the complaint is so bad that the defendant cannot reasonably respond, or cannot reasonably determine what issues must be admitted or denied, or what counts or claims are directed against it. Chen v. Berenjian (2019) 33 Cal.App.5th 811, 822; Edmon & Karnow (Weil & Br own), Civil Procedure Before Trial, §§7:85 and 7:86. It seems reasonably clear, and confirmed by the extensive arguments raised by LAWC and AABMI in support of the...

Excerpt: ...r. “The function of a demurrer is to test the su
¯iciency of the complaint as a matter of law.” (Holiday Matinee, Inc. v. Rambus, Inc. (2004) 118 Cal.App.4th 1413, 1420.) A complaint is su
¯icient if it alleges ultimate rather than evidentiary facts, but the plainti
¯ must set forth the essential facts of his or her case “with reasonable precision and with particularity su
¯icient to acquaint [the] defendant with the nature, source and ...

Excerpt: ...JEFFRIE LELEA (“LELEA”) starting in 1999 while he was a youth director and youth group leader with COMMUNITY PRESBYTERIAN. Legal Standard on Demurrer. “The function of a demurrer is to test the su
¯iciency of the complaint as a matter of law.” (Holiday Matinee, Inc. v. Rambus, Inc. (2004) 118 Cal.App.4th 1413, 1420.) A complaint is su
¯icient if it alleges ultimate rather than evidentiary facts, but the plainti
¯ must set forth the ess...

Excerpt: ...the pleadings].) The court has not received opposition from Plainti
¯. The elements of a claim for common counts and/or account stated are: (1) previous transactions between the parties establishing the relationship of debtor and creditor, (2) an agreement between the parties, express or implied, on the amount due from the debtor or creditor, and (3) a promise by the debtor, express or implied, to pay the amount due. (Zinn v. Fred R. Bright Co. ...

Excerpt: ...al.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.) Although Plainti
¯ Þled a motion for leave to Þle a Þrst amended complaint on January 5, 2024, which included a proposed Þrst amended complaint that added some factual allegations actually directed against Defendant Green Dot, these limited allegations primarily asserting that “Defendant G...

Excerpt: ...gainst possible statutory liability as the vehicle owner (PIMENTA), or to establish the limits of such liability are $15,000 (TURO). C.C.P. §437c(p)(2). Summary adjudication is proper only as to a “cause of action, an a
¯irmative defense, a claim of damages, or an issue of duty. C.C.P. §437c(f)(1). A vehicle owner has at a minimum statutory liability for a motor vehicle accident caused by a permissive user (in the present case, ANTONIN STAUD...

Excerpt: ...Civil Procedure section 9981 and then failed to obtain a more favorable result in the ultimate settlement of the case. Availability of Motion. Though Plaintiff primarily styles her motion one for reconsideration of the court's order under Code of Civil Procedure section 1008, subdivision (a), it is more properly construed as a renewed moton under section 1008, subdivision (b) as it seeks the same order as one previously sought and granted only in...

Excerpt: ... see, De$t of the Air Force v. Rose (1976) 425 U.S. 352, 372 [asserting that disclosure of "the kind of confidential personal data usually included in a personnel file" would be an invasion of personal privacyl.) Consequently, Defendant has met her burden of establishing a legally protected privacy interest in her employment records and a threatened serious invasion of that interest, shifting the burden to Defendant to raise "whatever legitimate ...

Excerpt: ...failure to prevent harassment against COCR. Legal Standard. A defendant may move for summary judgment on the basis that the plaintiff cannot establish an element of his cause of action. (Code Civ. Proc., S 437c, subd. A summary judgment moton is properly granted where the evidence in support of the moving party would be sufficient to sustain a judgment in his favor and his opponent does not show facts sufficient to present a triable issue of fact...

Excerpt: ... a public entity is not liable for damages awarded under Secton 3294 of the Civil Code or other damages imposed primarily for the sake of example and by way of punishing the defendant. The demurrer is sustained without leave to amend as to Plaintiff's inclusion of CALIFORNIA MEDICAL FACILITY as a named defendant. The California Medical Facility (CMF) is one of many prisons over which CDCR has jurisdiction. Penal Code 55003(f). Other statutes conf...

Excerpt: ...his local rule in substantially the following form: "Notice: The Superior Court in and for Solano County has adopted a tentative rulings system that is described in the court's local Rule 3.9. Failure to comply with Rule 3.9 may seriously affect parties' rights in this case." The notce of motion filed here fails to contain this notice. CRC 3.1700 requires court costs to be requested by filing and service of a memorandum of costs, within 15 days a...

Excerpt: ...t notes that VCUSD's demurrer targets Plaintiff's second amended complaint. However, Plaintiff does not have a second amended complaint on file. Plaintiff's attempt to file a second amended complaint on September 28, 2023 was rejected due to presenting for filing outside of the tme period the court allowed. The court exercises its discretion to consider the demurrer as against Plaintiff's still-operative IAC on the basis that the factual allegati...

Excerpt: ... Defendant JAMES DOE ("DOE"). Judicial Notice. Matters subject to judicial notice may support a demurrer under Code of Civil Procedure section 430.30, subdivision (a). VCCISD requests judicial notice of a June 15, 2023 order partially sustaining a demurrer in Contra Costa County case C22- 02613, Jane Doe v. Acalanes Union High School District. The court declines to take judicial notce of the proffered order at this time, for purposes of this demu...

Excerpt: ...pleaded with specificity. (Knox v. Dean (2012) 205 Cal.App.4th 417, 434.) If a claim is based on a statutory duty, facts showing the existence of the claimed duty and the statutory elements of a violation must be pleaded with particularity. (Covenant Care, Inc. v. Superior Court (2004) 32 Cal.4th 771, 790; Khoury v. Maly's of Cal. , Inc. (1993) 14 cal.App.4th 612, 519; Zuniga v. Haus. Auth. (1995) 41 cal.App.4th 82, 95; searcyv. Hemet Unified Sch...

Excerpt: ... pp. 3:21-28, 4:17-23.) Plaintiff's motion is a moton to compel further responses, which requires a separate statement. (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.1345(a)(2).) The failure to provide a compliant separate statement is a sufficient basis to deny the moton. (Mills v. U.S. Bank (2008) 166 Cal.App.4th 871, 893.) Additionally, the responses are not evasive just because Plaintiff's counsel does not find them credible. Not only are the responses verifi...

Excerpt: ...s employee of Defendant CREATION NETWORKS, INC.), caused an automobile collision that harmed him. Legal Standard. A defendant may move for summary judgment on the basis that the plaintiff cannot establish an element of his cause of action. (Code Civ. Proc., S 437c, subd. A summary judgment motion is properly granted where the evidence in support of the moving party would be sufficient to sustain a judgment in his favor and his opponent does not s...

Excerpt: ...amed plaintiff. Fierro v. Landry's Restaurant Inc. (2019) 32 Cal.App.5th 276. In Fierro, one set of named plaintiffs filed a wage and hour purported class action case against an employer. That case was eventually dismissed by the court for failure to bring it to trial within five years. Within days, a new wage and hour purported class action case against that same employer was filed, by a new named plaintiff. The trial court sustained the employe...

Excerpt: ...stantially the follow-ng form: "Notice: The Superior Court in and for Solano County has adopted a tentative rulings system that is described in the court's local Rule 3.9. Failure to comply with Rule 3.9 may seriously affect parties' rights in this case." The notice of motion filed here fails to contain this notce. CRC 3.17W requires court costs to be requested by filing and service of a memorandum of costs, within 15 days after service of the no...

Excerpt: ... is that the defendant, by the specified improper means (i.e„ 'threats, intimidation or coercion'), tried to or did prevent the plaintiff from doing something he or she had the right to do under the law or to force the plaintiff to do something that he or she was not required to do under the law." (Shoyoye v. County of Angeles (2012) 203 Cal.App.4th 947, 955-956, quoting Austin 8. v. Escondido Union Sch. Dist. (2007) 149 Cal.App.4th 850, 883.) ...

Excerpt: ...anted, even up to eve of trial, absent evidence that a defendant would be prejudiced by the allow-ng of additional allegations so close to trial (and currently, there is no new trial date set yet for this case). Atkinson v. Elk Corp. (2W3) 109 Cal.App.4th 739, 761. Despite the clear and well-established policy favoring liberality in granting motions for leave to amend, the opposition cited numerous cases to argue that delay alone could justify th...

Excerpt: ... right to compel or proceed with arbitration. Civ. Proc. SS 1281.97(a)(1), 1281.98(a)(1).) Upon a material breach by the drafting party, the consumer may elect to withdraw from arbitration and proceed in a court of appropriate jurisdiction. (Code Civ. Proc. S 1281.97(b)(1), 1281.98(b)(1).) he statutes establish "a simple bright-line rule" and it does not matter that the drafting party's nonpayment may have been inadvertent and did not prejudice t...

Excerpt: ... is therefore denied on this basis. The demurrer filed by FANIA is supported by a filed and served memorandum of points and authorities, and so the court can rule on its merits. The demurrer is sustained with 30 days leave to amend as to the 3rd cause of action for fraud and the 6th cause of action for conspiracy to commit fraud. The elements of a fraud cause of action include a false representation made to another, to induce reliance, and which ...

Excerpt: ...udicial remedy set forth in the CPRA is available only to a person or entity who is seeking disclosure of public records and only where the public entity is allegedly improperly withholding those records ... The CPRA provides no judicial remedy for any other person or entity or a remedy that may be utilized for any purpose other than to determine whether a particular record or class of records must be disclosed. County of Santa Clara v. Superior ...

Excerpt: ...ore must be shown before it can be considered that there is a contract. That something is an acceptance, and the acceptance is just as much a part of the contract as the proposal, and anything which is a part of the acceptance may be shown, even though the proposal be in writing and the acceptance be not. Griffith v. Bucknam (1947) 81 Cal.App. 2d 454, 458, quoting in Lawrence v. Premier Indem. Assur. Co„ 180 Cal. 688, 698. Plaintiff's first ame...

Excerpt: ...e Estates, LLC (2007) 152 Cal.App.4th 1106, 1117.) Plaintiff's first cause of action for violation of Civil Code secton 2923.5 and third cause of acton for violation of Civil Code section 2924.9 fail to allege facts establishing a material violation of the statutes. (Civ. Code SS 2924.12(b), 2924.19(b).) A violation is "material" if "it affected the borrower's loan obligations, disrupted the loan modification process, or otherwise harmed the borr...

Excerpt: ...rsonal liability of the public official involved. The determination of the amount of attorneys fees authorized by any statute to be awarded is a matter largely left to the trial court, subject to certain basic concepts. Courts are to apply the "adjusted lodestar" method for determining the amount of attorneys fees it is statutorily authorized to award. This requires the court to find the reasonable number of hours incurred by the attorneys on the...

Excerpt: ...take its place, if it finds it appropriate to do so. (a) A judgment entered pursuant to this chapter may be vacated on any ground which would be a defense to an action in this state on the sister state judgment, including the ground that the amount of interest accrued on the sister state judgment and included in the judgment entered pursuant to this chapter is incorrect. (b) Not later than 30 days after service of notice of entry of judgment purs...

Excerpt: ...umstances, for which expert testimony is ordinarily required. Blanks v. Seyfarth Shaw LLP (2009) 171 Cal.App.4th 336, 357; Lipscomb v. Krause (1978) 87 Cal.App.3d 970, 976. The attorney's actions taken, and not taken, in the subject case form the backbone of a legal malpractice action, and the basis for review by an expert. An expert witness cannot base an opinion on speculation or conjecture. Sargon Enterprises, Inc. v. University of southern ca...

Excerpt: ...omplaint against the SCHOENFELDS and Defendant SAFECO INSURANCE COMPANY ("SAFECO") alleges that the SCHOENFELDS contracted with CHOUDHERY for towing and storage of their truck, that SAFECO has issued the SCHOENFELDS an insurance policy obligating it to pay fts insureds' towing and storage costs, that CHOUDHERY performed towing and storage services pursuant to the parties' agreement, and that the SCHOENFELDS and SAFECO have not paid CHOUDHERY. The...

Excerpt: ...ort to resolve the discovery disputes before filing the motion. C.C.P. The purposes behind the meet and confer requirement are to force the parties to reexamine their positions, and to narrow their disputes to the "irreducible minimum" before asking the court to resolve them. Edmon & Karnow (We-I & Brown), Civil Procedure Before Trial, 58:1159; See also Clement v. Alegre (2009) 177 Cal.App.4th 1277, 1281, quoting Townsend v. Superior Court (1998)...

Excerpt: ...f attachment [Code Civ. Proc, S 482.070, subd. (d)]; applications for writs of possession [Code Civ. Proc„ S 512.030, subd. Defendant has filed no responsive pleading in this action identifying an address of record. Plaintiff's proof of service indicating only service by mail is insufficient in the circumstances. Further, paragraph 05 of the presented settlement agreement between the parties states that Plaintiff shall prepare and file a notice...

Excerpt: ...at trust instrument, but would be a beneficiary to an earlier trust, if that later trust instrument were invalidated. Reading the Probate Code section consistent with the statutory scheme as a whole, and examining the statutory language to give it commonsense meaning, we conclude that claims that trust provisions or amendments are the product of incompetence, undue influence, or fraud, as is alleged here, should be decided by the probate court, i...

Excerpt: ...nterrogatories and requests for production, or to compel a deponent to produce documents and/or appear for a new deposition to answer specific questions posed at a prior deposition, the moving party must engage in meet and confer efforts to try to resolve the disputes. C.C.P. 52025.480(b) [deposition]; [interrogatories]; [requests for production]. The trial court has discretion in determining whether adequate meet and confer efforts preceded the ...

Excerpt: ...aintiffs complaint alleges that Defendants three securities from him as satisfaction of the deed of trust they held against his home but foreclosed on the home and sold it regardless. Mootness of Demurrer and Motion. The court has not received opposition to the demurrer; however, Plaintiff filed a first amended complainton August 15, 2023. Plaintiff filed his amended complaint a day late. It is not valid and it does not mint consideration of Defe...

Excerpt: ... a cause of action for legal malpractice are (1) the attorney-client relationship or other basis for duty; (2) a negligent act or omission; (3) causation; and (4) damages." (Slovensky v. Friedman (2006) 142 Cal.App.4th 1518, 1528, quoting Kurinij v. Hanna & Morton (1997) 55 Cal.App.4th 853, 863, italics in original.) The duty is for an attorney to "use such skill, prudence, and diligence as members of his or her profession commonly possess and ex...

Excerpt: ... the interpretation and scope of this Arbitration Provision and the arbitrability of the claim or dispute) which arises out of or relates to [the] condition of this vehicle, this contract or any resulting transaction or relationship (including any such relationship with third parties who do not sign this contract) [to] be resolved by neutral binding arbitration". (Ibid.) Although Defendant Nissan North America, Inc. was not a signatory to this ag...

Excerpt: ... its joint agent TRI Commercial Real Estate Services lnc and other persons and entities with whom DMP has communicated with during the course of the transaction which is the subject of this action." This response does not consist of a statement that Defendant will comply with the document request, a representation that Defendant lacks the ability to comply with the document request, or an objection to the document request. (Code Civ. Proc. S 2031...

Excerpt: ...omplaint alleges that GOMEZ refused to expunge a lis pendens on SHARMA's real property (the "Property") despite a July 14, 2022 court order and that GOMEZ has converted SHARMA's property. The court has received opposition to the ant-SLAPP motion but has not received opposition to the demurrer. GOMEZ's Standing. The court disregards GOMEZ's arguments as to SHARMA's first cause of action, alleging professional negligence against Defendants ALI ARI ...

Excerpt: ...eath due to Defendant's understaffing of its care facility. Meet and Confer Efforts. The court first considers the adequacy of the parties' efforts to meet and confer to work these issues out before resorting to a motion to compel further responses. 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. Plaintiffs' cou...

Excerpt: ...ployment and Housing Act (the "FEHA"). Legal Standard. "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 precision and with particularity sufficient to acquaint [t...

Excerpt: ...ear and convincing evidence that the adverse employment action would have occurred even absent the whistleblowing. Labor Code 51102.6. These same standards apply for both trial and summary judgment. Lawson v. PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc. (2022) 12 Cal.5th 703, 717. Thus, to defeat a defense summary judgment or adjudication motion, a plaintiff need only present evidence sufficient to show that whistleblowing was a contributing factor to the ad...

Excerpt: ....P. 5685.040. The underlying judgment here includes an award of attorneys fees authorized by contract, so this condition is met. The attorneys fees incurred by MEOW Y. LOH and LEE H. TAY LOH ("Landlords") in defending the ex parte application and then motion to set aside the default judgment filed by defendant/judgment debtor AMARILLO COLLEGE OF HAIRDRESSING, INC., dba Milan Institute of Cosmetology ("Tenant") also appear to have been incurred in...

Excerpt: ... complaint alleges that Decedent, Plaintiff's seventeen-year-old son, was a student with disabilities and special needs at Defendant's school. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant failed to supervise Decedent, who while unsupervised suffered an episode of seizures leading to hospitalization and then death on September 25, 2021. Scope of Subpoenas. Defendant's subpoenas to UCSF seek (1) "Any and all medical documents, paper and digital records pertain...

Excerpt: ...o Form Interrogatory 17.1 as to admissions requests 9-25, and 33-34. Per C.C.P. "2030.210 and 2030.220, responses as to each of the admissions requests at issue are to be made in subparts that correspond to the subparts in Form Interrogatory 17.1, and provide all of the information reasonably available to Plaintiff that is requested in those subparts. Plaintiff's "non-opposiäon" argued that his concession to the requested order compelling furthe...

Excerpt: ...o Form Interrogatory 17.1 as to admissions requests 9-25, and 33-34. Per C.C.P. "2030.210 and 2030.220, responses as to each of the admissions requests at issue are to be made in subparts that correspond to the subparts in Form Interrogatory 17.1, and provide all of the information reasonably available to Plaintiff that is requested in those subparts. Plaintiff's "non-opposiäon" argued that his concession to the requested order compelling furthe...

Excerpt: ...dant filed no responsive pleading in this action identifying an address of record. Despite the statement of the 3420 Holsclaw Road address Plaintiff used for notice of this motion in the presented settlement agreement between the parties, it is not sufficiently clear to the court that Defendant has received notice of this proceeding. Furthermore, Plaintiff's motion does not clearly explain the credits to which Defendant is entitled against the ju...

Excerpt: ...intiffs' father ("Decedent") was an elder in Defendant's care and suffered injury and death due to Defendant's understaffing of its care facility. Defendant allegedly misrepresented its CMS star rating to Plaintiffs to entice them to place Decedent in its care. 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,...

Excerpt: ...r malicious, including leaving Decedent "to regularly sit in his fecal matter unattended such that he endured a bi-lateral pressure ulcer on his coccyx for years", "fail[ingl to provide Mr. Bellalda with adequate nutriton and hydration, such that he became anemic and critically dehydrated", failing to clean or bathe Decedent properly such that he developed "multiple pressure ulcers, which became gangrenous and septic", and failing to "maintain ge...

Excerpt: ...on for wrongful termination in violation of public policy is denied. "When a plaintiff alleges retaliatory [or discriminatory] employment termination either as a claim under the FEHA or as a claim for wrongful employment termination in violation of public policy, and the defendant seeks summary judgment, California follows the burden-shifting analysis of McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green (1973) 411 U.S. 792 to determine whether there are triable i...

Excerpt: ... importance of discouraging multiple litigation designed solely to harass an adverse party", "avoiding unseemly conflicts with the courts of other jurisdictions", and "whether the rights of the parties can best be determined by the court of the other jurisdiction because of the nature of the subject matter, the availability of witnesses, or the stage to which the proceedings in the other court have already advanced." (Thomson v. Cont'l Ins. Co. (...

Excerpt: ...hoice along with the test materials and raw test data. Plaintiffs have conceded that there is good cause for the mental examinaton. (Code Civ. Proc. S 2032.320(a).) The only dispute between the parties is whether disclosure of copies of the tests administered and raw test data should be limited to an expert neuropsychologist of Plaintiffs' choice or whether disclosure may be made directly to Plaintiffs' counsel in light of Dr. Roberts' professed ...

Excerpt: ...th 417, 425- 427 [replacement judge should consider the merits of a motion for reconsideration of the disqualification motion]) and a motion asking a court to decide the same matter previously ruled on should be treated as a motion for reconsideration regardless of the label used by the party (J.W. v. Watchtower Bible & Tract Soc'y of New York, Inc. (2018) 29 cal.App.5th 1142, 1171; Powell v. county of orange (2011) 197 Cal.App.4th 1573, 1577). T...

Excerpt: ...vance of meet and confer requirements may conserve his own resources as well as those of the court. However, "[a] determination by the court that the meet and confer process was insufficient shall not be grounds to overrule or sustain a demurrer." (Code Civ. Proc„ S 430.41, subd. 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) ...

Excerpt: ... on Void Judgment TENTATIVE RULING Preliminarily, the court rejects the arguments raised in the opposition filed by MEOW Y. LOH and LEE H. TAY LOH ("Plaintiffs") that its ruling on the earlier ex parte application collaterally estops AMARILLO COLLEGE OF HAIRDRESSING INC. dba Milan Institute of Cosmetology ("Defendant") from raising the issues raised in this motion, or renders this motion as one for reconsideration. As to collateral estoppel, neit...

Excerpt: ...cheduled to be tried on July 31, 2023 does not raise such a risk of inconsistent rulings to warrant a need to withdraw the reference, particularly when it appears that the parties would be collaterally estopped from relitigating issues resolved by trial in one litigation in the prosecution ofthe other. (See, Code Civ. Proc. S 644(a) [decision of the referee stands as the decision of the court]; Pac. Lumber Co. v. State Water Res. Control Bd. (200...

Excerpt: ...of action for fraudulent conveyance that was not based on the lease agreement. YESENIA ANGEL is not a signatory to the lease agreement containing the attorney's fees provision upon which she seeks attorney's fees in this action. Although courts have recognized that a non-signatory may recover attorney's fees under a contract in some circumstances, such circumstances do not exist in this case. A non-signatory may recover attorney's fees if she "st...

Excerpt: ...e ("IDC") will be conducted to better assess what documents within the 19 categories of requests are reasonably likely to produce evidence that is relevant to Plaintiff's whistleblower retaliatory discharge claim. Ultimately, only those documents will considered for The IDC is also most importantly an opportunity for the parties to meet and confer, and have meaningful input into this process, before the court conducts its in camera review of the ...

Excerpt: ...oritize broader requests so that the agency could focus its efforts on more immediate production of specific parts of the request, the parts of most interest to the requester. For example, in National Lawyers Guild v. City of Hayward (2018) 27 Cal.App.5th 937 (reversed on other grounds by National Lawyers Guild v. City of Hayward (2020) 9 Cal.5th 488), the appellate court noted that at the invitation of the city, the requestor agreed to a tempora...

Excerpt: ...oritize broader requests so that the agency could focus its efforts on more immediate production of specific parts of the request, the parts of most interest to the requester. For example, in National Lawyers Guild v. City of Hayward (2018) 27 Cal.App.5th 937 (reversed on other grounds by National Lawyers Guild v. City of Hayward (2020) 9 Cal.5th 488), the appellate court noted that at the invitation of the city, the requestor agreed to a tempora...

Excerpt: ...inst WAL-MART; and products liability is alleged against WAL-MART and CLOROX only. WAL-MART and DOE have together filed one demurrer to the 1AC. CLOROX has filed its own demurrer. Both demurrers are addressed in this ruling as they make similar arguments. Notice of Tentative Ruling. Defendants' notices of demurrer do not advise the recipient that the Solano County Superior Court uses a tentative ruling system, as is required under Local Rule 3.9,...

Excerpt: ...osition was filed late, and contend that this caused prejudice to them because they had only three days to file their reply. Plaintiff's counsel, however, filed an ex parte application that indicates his late filing was due to mistake, and that when he realized his mistake, he served a draft of his opposition, including the declaration of Nora Moore, on defense counsel on February 17, 2023, when the opposition was due. Therefore, the court consid...

Excerpt: ...efore, “the correct course” is to dismiss the action. (Viking River Cruises v. Moriana, supra, at p.1925). In the present case, the individual PAGA claims of the representative plaintiffs, HORMIGAS and CASTRO, have been referred to arbitration pursuant to an arbitration agreement that they each signed. Therefore, HORMIGAS and CASTRO no longer have standing to maintain this representative action. In their opposition, plaintiffs make several co...

Excerpt: ...the same as that imposed on manufacturers. (Civ. Code § 1795.5.) If the sale of the used good is accompanied by an express warranty, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness are coextensive in duration with the express warranty, but in no cases less than 30 days or more than three months. (Civ. Code § 1795.5(c).) While an express warranty cannot be breached by a latent defect discovered after the express warranty period has expired...

Excerpt: ...olicy. He does not provide any information as to how that policy applies to any of the defendants in this case. More importantly, defense counsel's attempt to discontinue his representation of defendant JOSE GOMEZ by omitting him in an amended answer is unethical. After assuming a duty to represent JOSE GOMEZ, defense counsel must act responsibly in discontinuing such representation. If defense counsel does not want to represent JOSE GOMEZ in thi...

Excerpt: ...pending. (Reese v. Select Portfolio Servicing (2010) 2020 Cal.App.Unpub.LEXIS 5906, pp. 11-12.) However, Plaintiff now alleges that Defendant denied the application in a letter dated November 11, 2016, that Plaintiff promptly appealed this decision, and that Defendant denied the appeal on December 3, 2016. (SAC, ¶¶ 27-28.) Defendant thereafter recorded a subsequent notice of trustee's sale on May 31, 2018. (Id. at ¶ 31.) The trustee's deed aft...

Excerpt: ... his interest in a mobile home (the “Home”) to AXTELL. Legal Standard. “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 must allege facts sufficient to establish every element of each cause of action. (Rakestraw v. California Physicians' Service (2000) 81 Cal.App.4th 39, 43.) A complaint is sufficient if it al...

Excerpt: ...e essential elements of a cause of action for breach of contract are: 1) a contract, 2) plaintiff's performance, 3) defendant's breach, and 4) damages. (Oasis W. Realty, LLC v. Goldman (2011) 51 Cal.4th 811, 821; Poseidon Dev., Inc. v. Woodland Lane Estates, LLC (2007) 152 Cal.App.4th 1106, 1112.) Plaintiff has adequately alleged that the parties entered into an agreement for Plaintiff to obtain a 25% ownership interest in Defendant Nanay, includ...

Excerpt: ....P. §425.16(e) defines “act in furtherance of a person's right of petition or free speech under the United States or California Constitution in connection with a public issue” to include the following: (1) any written or oral statement or writing made before a legislative, executive, or judicial proceeding, or any other official proceeding authorized by law; (2) any written or oral statement or writing made in connection with an issue under ...

Excerpt: ...idence that she is 75 years old, and has or has had a number of medical conditions. However, she has not established that any of them are life threatening at this time or are so debilitating that she will not be able to participate in this litigation if trial is not held in the next six months. The court notes that plaintiff has failed to treat this matter with urgency by waiting until almost two years after the alleged incident occurred to file ...

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