Excerpt: ...sustain 28. overrule B. Declaration of Floyd E. Clark (Exhibit C): 1. overrule 2. sustain 3. overrule 4. overrule 5. overrule 6. overrule 7. overrule 8. overrule 9. sustain C. Deposition of Bryan Shropshire (Exhibit 1): 1. – 2. overrule 3. sustain 4 4. ‐ 8. overrule 9. sustain D. Deposition of Arthur Andres (Exhibit 2): 1. ‐ 2. overrule 3. sustain 4. ‐ 9. overrule E. Deposition of Michael Pelletier (Exhibit 3): 1. ‐ 5. Overrule F. Depos...

Excerpt: ...dog. The motion is supported by a separate statement of fact, a declaration from defense counsel (Tracy W. Goldberg), and portions of the transcript from Foster's deposition. The undisputed facts presented with the motion indicate Foster was walking her dog, Doodles, when one of defendants' dog attacked and bit Doodles. (Fact No. 1.) In response, Foster attempted to protect Doodles by pulling him away from defendants' dog to get Doodle's back int...

Excerpt: ...he amount is reasonable. Counsel should confirm the exact amount of the administrator's fee 3. The requested attorney fee of 35% of the gross is excessive under the common fund doctrine and is unsupported by the lodestar analysis, which shows hourly rates substantially exceeding appropriate rates in the relevant community. The court will award 1/3 of the gross under the common fund doctrine, or $1,000,000.00. 4. The incentive fees of $15,000 each...

Excerpt: ...ently filed Plaintiff's Opposition to Defendant's Motion rather than the Motion to Strike itself. Meanwhile, it appears the Motion was served on Plaintiff as she filed her Opposition to the Motion on December 10, 2020. A Reply was filed on December 16, 2020. However, as the Motion was never filed with the Court, it was not placed on calendar. On March 15, 2021, Defendants refiled the Motion to Strike Punitive Damages. The Court notes that there h...

Excerpt: ...were willful and deliberate, and that they constitute a wanton disregard of Plaintiff's interests. (Complaint, ¶¶ 25‐26.) However, the Motion to Strike does not move to strike these portions of the Complaint. 2 for punitive damages against him, as there are no facts pled demonstrating Defendant's actions or inactions rose to the level of malice, oppression, or fraud. Statement of Law “Any party, within the time allowed to respond to a plead...

Excerpt: ...te hearing, the Court set the matter on noticed motion, since it advised the parties that the March 22 trial would have to be continued due to COVID and the rules in place for social distancing. Once continued, it was hoped that the parties would come to some mutual agreement and have these depositions noticed by agreement once a new trial date is set at the TSC which will not occur until January, 2022 or later. After being called by the Court's ...

Excerpt: ...on contained in the SAC and make the mistaken assumption that a positive ruling as to the 1st, 4th, and 5th causes of action will moot the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th causes of action resulting in a judgment in their favor. Code of Civil Procedure, section 437c specific states: Page | 2 “… the fact that a motion for summary adjudication is granted as to one or more causes of action, affirmative defenses, claims for damages, or issues of duty within the...

Excerpt: ... that ruling be exhausted or waived, both FedEx Office and the Team Member nevertheless waive their right to proceed before a jury, meaning all actions shall proceed only before a judge.” Plaintiff's claims of procedural unconscionability are not persuasive. There is no evidence that Plaintiff was unaware of the arbitration agreement or that he did not understand it. There is no evidence Plaintiff specifically asked about the arbitration agreem...

Excerpt: ...dismiss the individual claims with prejudice, and therefore seeks “reconsideration” of the minute order. While a mistake on the part of counsel would not constitute proper grounds for a motion for reconsideration, and a motion for reconsideration filed more than ten days later would be untimely, no motion was necessary, because the individual claims were never, in fact, dismissed with prejudice. The only papers filed with the court by the dea...

Excerpt: ...e damages, as the conscious disregard of the safety of others is not, by itself, sufficient to establish malice or oppression. 2 Plaintiff timely filed his Opposition on April 9, 2021, arguing his allegation that Andrew Rodriguez willfully and wantonly operated a motor vehicle while intoxicated, and in total disregard of the health and safety of Plaintiff's father is sufficient, at the pleading stage, and before any discovery is conducted, to ove...

Excerpt: ...Ralph Diaz. On August 14, 2019, Petitioner, a correctional officer with the CDCR was served with a “notice of adverse action” accusing her of violating CDCR policies in connection with an attempted prison escape. Based on the policy violations, Petitioner's salary was reduced by 5% for ten pay periods. Page 3 of 12 Petitioner appealed the notice of adverse action and the appeal was heard by an SPB Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). The ALJ rende...

Excerpt: ...'s counsel, David M. DeBerry, also declares the statute of limitations defense has also been the subject of written discovery propounded on Plaintiffs. (DeBerry Decl., ¶7.) DeBerry further declares at the demurrer hearing in early 2020, Great Dane requested a limited discovery stay to allow it to proceed with a summary judgment motion on the statute of limitations defense. (DeBerry Decl., ¶8.) Great Dane argues the omission of the statute of li...

Excerpt: ... at the time of the determination.' [Citation.]” (Bussard, supra, 164 Cal.App.4th at p. 864.) Liberality should be exercised in granting continuances when they are not prejudicial to the other parties. (Capital Nat. Bank of Sacramento, supra, 62 Cal.App.2d at p. 339.) Further, and as noted, in determining whether good cause exists to continue trial, “threats to procedural fairness” is a “touchstone for granting such a motion.” (Panoche,...

Excerpt: ...stice seem[] to require such action.” (Avant! Corp. v. Superior Court (2000) 79 Cal.App.4th 876, 886.) The proponent of the stay or protective order must establish good cause. (GT, Inc. v. Superior Court (1984) 151 Cal.App.3d 748, 754 [indicating “a presumption of good cause exists should be indulged only if circumstances warrant”].) The U.S. Supreme Court has also stated that the power to stay a proceeding is incidental to the power inhere...

Excerpt: ...l analysis whether phasing or not phasing the trial would result in undue prejudice for one party or another. Finally, there is no reason to believe that an unphased trial will result in confusion for the jury. Appropriate jury instructions and a carefully worded special verdict can guide the jury appropriately. ...

Excerpt: ...Gonzalez. But if the judgment in Staublein is reversed, this case could then proceed, but only for the time‐period after the time‐period covered by Staublein. The most sensible approach is to stay this case in its entirety pending resolution of Staublein, as plaintiff offered before defendant filed the demurrer. The demurrers are therefore overruled. No answer is required at this time because the matter is stayed pending resolution of the Sta...

Excerpt: ...ess was. This issue was addressed at length in Lasalle v. Vogel (2019) 36 Cal.App.5th127 [4th Dist.] where a judgment was reversed based on a default where the only notice that default would be taken was sent by email and a letter demanding an answer be filed the following day, noting that Code of Civil Procedure section 583.130 requires cooperation between the parties in bringing the action to trial. [other citations omitted] ˋSo what we review...

Excerpt: ...he woman behind the hotel desk or the assistant manager. The moving party must satisfy his or her initial burden before the opposing party must controvert anything. (§ 437c, subd. (p)(1), (2).) Accordingly, a moving defendant who claims that the plaintiff cannot prove all the elements of his case must present evidence in support of this claim. The defendant cannot simply challenge the plaintiff to prove his case by opposition. (Aguilar, supra, 2...

Excerpt: ...r consideration of the motion. It would appear that the point of this was to demonstrate to the Court the extent of prior significant discovery (although not exclusively to the moving party.) Defendant Bridgestone Corporation's counsel is admonished to refrain from filing unnecessarily long exhibit packages. In the alternative, a chart would have sufficed ‐ it is unnecessary to fill the court's files in order to demonstrate this point. The Cour...

Excerpt: ...pers supporting a motion to compel an answer to a deposition question or to compel production of a document, electronically stored information, or tangible thing from a nonparty deponent must be personally served on the nonparty deponent.” On the other hand, when a subpoena is properly served upon an organization that is a California resident (such as leaving it with any officer, director, or custodian of records or with any agent or employee a...

Excerpt: ...ed their employment before commencement of the PAGA period. Second, counsel should clarify whether members of the exempt subclass are also aggrieved employees. Counsel should inform the Court of the total number of aggrieved employees. Counsel should also exclude the $12,500 allocated for those aggrieved employees under PAGA from the calculations for distribution to the two subclasses. The gross settlement amount is $1,850,000, with $50,000 of th...

Excerpt: ...rded. The requested attorney fee and administrator fee are appropriate and reasonable and are approved. The incentive award, while at the high end of reasonable incentives, Page 3 of 3 is approved in light of the amount of the settlement and the fact that no class member has objected to it. There appears to be a discrepancy in the papers about the size of the class after opt outs—5,605 or 5,604. Counsel should clarify. Also, counsel should prov...

Excerpt: ... aggrieved employee may bring a civil action “within one year from the date of that notice.” (Gov. Code, § 12965, subd. (b).) Given the May 24, 2019 right‐to‐sue notice, Plaintiff ordinarily would have had to file his Motion by Tuesday, May 26, 2020, as the one‐year period expired on Sunday, May 24, and as May 25 was the Memorial Day holiday. (§§ 10, 12 12a, subd. (a), 12b.) However, as Plaintiff points out, on April 6, 2020, the Jud...

Excerpt: ... to control the deposition proceedings or the information obtained thereby. (See Code Civ. Proc., § 2025.420.) The court is empowered to issue whatever order “justice requires” to protect a party or deponent against “unwarranted annoyance, embarrassment, or oppression, or undue burden and expense.” (Code Civ. Proc., § 2025.420, subd. (b).) Generally, this requires a showing that the burdens involved in the deposition proceeding clearly ...

Excerpt: ...). The Court may review binding arbitration awards in accordance with the statutory grounds for vacating or correcting. (Moshonov v. Walsh (2001) 22 Cal. 4th 771, 775.) However, a court may not vacate or correct an award because of the arbitrator's legal or factual error if such is within the scope of the controversy submitted to the arbitrator. Id. After an arbitrator has issued an award, the role of the trial court is limited to confirming, cor...