Excerpt: ...pon affidavit it appears to the satisfaction of the court in which the action is pending that the party to be served cannot with reasonable diligence be served in another manner specified in this article and that either: [¶] (1) A cause of action exists against the party upon whom service is to be made or he or she is a necessary or proper party to the action.” If the Court orders summons to be published, it must be published in the newspaper ...

Excerpt: ...nd failed to engage in the interactive process. On April 20, 2022, Michael Miller was appointed as a discovery facilitator in this case. He participated in a conference with the parties and has filed his report. The Court thanks Mr. Miller for his service. The motion is GRANTED. Within 15 days of the service of this order, Defendant is ordered to provide the name, position, and date of hire of all employees Defendant hired, reassigned, and/or pro...

Excerpt: ...nd production. The court also GRANTS the motion with respect to the request for an order to show cause and hearing re: contempt. The court sets the hearing on the order to show cause for June 15, 2022 in this department. Finally, the court notes that Plaintiff does not discuss monetary sanctions under the Discovery Act in the Notice of Motion, Motion, or Memorandum of Points and Authorities. Plaintiff does discuss and request monetary sanctions b...

Excerpt: ...a result of Defendants' negligence and failure to maintain the Premises in a habitable condition in compliance with applicable codes, and that for a period of time the conditions were such that they were barred from entering or using the Premises. Discovery Defendants served Plaintiffs on April 10, 2020 with a supplemental interrogatory and supplemental request for production, each asking Plaintiffs to review their responses to prior discovery an...

Excerpt: ...has trespassed on Plaintiff's Property by excavating without permission and constructing additional water systems to collect ground water to which Defendant is not allowed. Plaintiff alleges that in 1936, the then-owner of Plaintiff's Property (“Weeks”) granted to the then-owner of Defendant's Property (“Seaman”) “the continuous right to the water flowing, and to flow, from that certain spring situated on the Northwest forty… acres”...

Excerpt: ...ed below. Plaintiff served his Request for Production, Set Two, on defendant KFH on December 16, 2021, by email. (Hirsch Decl., ¶4, Exhibit A.) Plaintiff's Request for Production of Documents, Number 32, seeks: The employment applications of each applicant YOU HIRED FOR THE 4 POSITIONS PLAINTIFF APPLIED FOR DURING THE TIME PERIOD OF JANUARY 2019 THROUGH MAY 2019, INCLUDING (1) WORKPLACE SAFETY SPECIALIST (SANTA ROSA HOSPITAL); (2) SUPERVISOR, AD...

Excerpt: ...ddition, the proposed FAC will remove allegations of wrongdoing that have been corrected. The motion is GRANTED. The additional allegations added to the proposed FAC are that Defendant improperly accepted a $50,000 loan from a board member without disclosing it; the decision to accept the loan was approved by only two out of three board members, including the board member who made the loan. Plaintiff alleges in the proposed FAC that the loan most...

Excerpt: ... of the 479 class members have been so far found to be undeliverable, one class member submitted a dispute which was resolved, one has opted out, and no member has objected. Facts and History Plaintiff complains that when Defendant employed him as a “Cellar Associate” from about April 2018 until terminating him on or about November 4, 2019, Defendant violated several provisions of the Labor Code by failing to provide accurate wage statements,...

Excerpt: ...repair, including violations of the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (“Song-Beverly”) at Civil Code (“CC”) section 1790, et seq. On January 5, 2022, Plaintiff filed a notice of conditional settlement of the entire action. Motion Plaintiff now moves the court for an award of attorneys' fees, costs, and other litigation expenses. She contends that she is the prevailing party on her claims pursuant to CC section 1794(d) because she obtaine...

Excerpt: ...mplaint alleges that on March 5, 2020, Plaintiff leased a 2019 Volkswagen Atlas from Defendant. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant violated the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act by failing to conform the vehicle to the express written warranties within a reasonable number of repair attempts or within the warranty periods, and by failing to promptly replace the vehicle or make restitution to Plaintiff. Plaintiff's fourth cause of action for Violati...

Excerpt: ... the property because Rudra has defaulted on the loan and has failed to cure the default despite two separate notices of default. The application is GRANTED. Defendant's bond is set at $400,000. At the hearing, a writ of possession shall issue if both of the following are found: (1) The plaintiff has established the probable validity of the plaintiff's claim to possession of the property; and, (2) the undertaking requirements of Section 515.010 a...

Excerpt: ...ocated at 3353 Mountain Home Ranch Rd in Calistoga. Plaintiff alleges that defendant Gold has wrongfully initiated foreclosure proceedings to make plaintiff wrongfully shoulder the burden of all losses caused by the 2017 Tubbs fire. Plaintiff alleges that it was PG&E's negligent maintenance that caused the Tubbs fire which led to damage and devaluation of Plaintiff's property. Plaintiff alleges such maintenance is so intertwined with the function...

Excerpt: ...action are uncertain and fail to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. The demurrer is OVERRULED. Plaintiff's First Amended Complaint (“FAC”) alleges causes of action for premises liability, negligence, private nuisance, and public nuisance. The FAC alleges that Defendants own property at 820 Holly Avenue in Rohnert Park. Defendant Jose Chavez (“Chavez”) performed maintenance work on Defendants' property, including tree ...

Excerpt: ...16, 2022, and was continued to allow Petitioner to provide additional information that the North Bay Bohemian has not undergone significant changes since its time as The Sonoma County Independent. The Petition is DENIED. Gov. Code section 6024(1) allows a decision and judgment adjudicating a newspaper as one of general circulation to be vacated, modified or set aside by the court on its own motion, or on the motion of any person, whether a party ...

Excerpt: ...he motion to deem requests for admissions admitted is DENIED as Defendants provided responses prior to the hearing on the motion. However, sanctions are mandatory and are imposed in the amount of $2,500 jointly against Defendants and defense counsel. This Court's proposed tentative ruling for April 13, 2022, required Defendants to serve Plaintiff with verified responses, without objection, prior to the hearing on this motion or Plaintiff's Reques...

Excerpt: ... the verified memorandum of costs is prima facie evidence of their propriety, and the burden is on the party seeking to tax costs to show they were not reasonable or necessary. (Melnyk v. Robledo (1976) 64 Cal. App. 3d 618, 624.) There is no requirement that copies of bills, invoices, statements, or any other such documents be attached to the memorandum. Supporting documentation must be submitted only if costs have been put in issue by a motion t...

Excerpt: ... to obtain in personam jurisdiction through any form of constructive service there must be strict compliance with the requisite statutory procedures. (Zirbes v. Stratton (1986) 187 Cal.App.3d 1407, 1416.) To be constitutionally sound the form of substituted service must be “reasonably calculated to give an interested party actual notice of the proceedings and an opportunity to be heard ... [in order that] the traditional notions of fair play an...

Excerpt: ...e the hearing on this motion and stay all proceedings until the United States Supreme Court issues a decision in the matter of Viking River Cruises, Inc., v. Moriana, which will determine whether the Federal Arbitration Act requires enforcement of a bilateral arbitration agreement providing that an employee cannot raise representative claims, including under PAGA. For the reasons stated below, the motion is DENIED. 1. Complaint Plaintiff's compla...

Excerpt: ...ortions of the FAC relate to punitive damages, litigation conduct, and Plaintiffs' settlement of claims against other insurers. The motion is DENIED. As alleged in the FAC, former defendant Westport Insurance Corporation (“Westport”) is an insurance company engaged in the business of selling insurance contracts, including in the State of California. (FAC, ¶20.) Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company (“Liberty Mutual”) and Ironshore Indemn...

Excerpt: ...ure section 3295. “Upon motion by the plaintiff supported by appropriate affidavits and after a hearing, if the court deems a hearing to be necessary, the court may at any time enter an order permitting the discovery otherwise prohibited by this subdivision if the court finds, on the basis of the supporting and opposing affidavits presented, that the plaintiff has established that there is a substantial probability that the plaintiff will preva...

Excerpt: ...erified responses to Plaintiff's form interrogatories, special interrogatories, and requests for production of documents, set one. Plaintiff also moves for an order deeming the truth of all matters specified in her request for admissions, set one. The motions are GRANTED. Sanctions are imposed in the amount of $2,500 jointly against Defendants and defense counsel. Additionally, unless Defendants serve Plaintiff with verified responses, without ob...

Excerpt: ...ons are DENIED. In his complaint, Plaintiff alleges he sustained a work-related injury in November 2018. Despite work restrictions required by his health care provider, Plaintiff was made to do work that exacerbated his injury. He went out on leave and when his FMLA/CFRA leave was up, Defendant terminated his employment. Plaintiff alleges causes of action for disability discrimination, failure to provide a reasonable accommodation, failure to eng...

Excerpt: ...liberally to permit amendment of the pleadings. (See Nestle v. Santa Monica (1972) 6 Cal. 3d 920, 939; Mabie v. Hyatt (1998) 61 Cal. App. 4th 581, 596 (citing text); Howard v. County of San Diego (2010) 184 Cal. App. 4th 1422, 1428.) The policy favoring amendment is so strong that denial of leave to amend can rarely be justified: “If the motion to amend is timely made and the granting of the motion will not prejudice the opposing party, it is e...

Excerpt: ...e the hearing on this motion and stay all proceedings until the United States Supreme Court issues a decision in the matter of Viking River Cruises, Inc., v. Moriana, which will determine whether the Federal Arbitration Act requires enforcement of a bilateral arbitration agreement providing that an employee cannot raise representative claims, including under PAGA. For the reasons stated below, the motion is CONTINUED to April 20, 2022, at 3:00 p....

Excerpt: ...DENIED. In her complaint, Plaintiff Paula Verke (“Plaintiff”) alleges that Defendants negligently and carelessly owned, maintained, controlled, managed, operated, and failed to inspect the premises in the vicinity of East Washington Street north of Sutter Street in Petaluma by failing to place cones or warning signs so as to create, cause, and allow a dangerous condition to exist. Specifically, Plaintiff alleges that ivy vines overgrowing ont...