Excerpt: ...ses the motion to compel arbitration for both the class action and the PAGA action. Application of the Federal Arbitration Act The outcome of the motion hinges in part on whether the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) governs. As explained below, it does not because the “transportation worker” exemption applies. In support of their motions, Defendants filed the declaration of MHX LLC's vice president, Alex Nicholas, who declares MHX Holdings, LLC ...

Excerpt: ...bligations of an LLC, defendants completely ignore the alter ego allegations within the complaint. (Compl. at ¶ 7.) Page | 2 Under the alter ego doctrine “where a corporation is used by an individual or individuals, or by another corporation, to perpetrate fraud, circumvent a statute, or accomplish some other wrongful or inequitable purpose, a court may disregard the corporate entity and treat the corporation's acts as if they were done by the...

Excerpt: ...ufactures, and sells medical insulin‐based devices and products. As part of its business, it has access to customers' confidential protected health information (“PHI”) and personal identifiable information (“PII”). In March 2020, Tandem announced that between January 17 and 20, 2020, the PHI and PII of 140,781 customers, comprising the putative class, were subject to a phishing attack (¶¶1‐3, 10‐ 14, 39‐40, 43‐49, 55‐56, 76)...

Excerpt: ...mpany (HUDSON) was the value of the subject vehicle, i.e., $5,999 [as agreed by the parties in the summary adjudication facts]. Hudson paid that amount and an additional dollar, thus, all relief afforded under Vehicle Code § 11711, subdivision (a), was afforded. While Plaintiffs assert, under DeSaulles v. Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula (2016) 62 Cal.4th 1140, 1158 (“DeSaulles”), that they are the prevailing party as the dismissal c...

Excerpt: ...hould be remanded to the Contra Costa County Superior Court. I Application of the Federal Arbitration Act The parties appear to assume the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) applies. Although no evidence is presented to demonstrate application of the FAA, plaintiffs do not dispute it, presumably due to the well‐known nature of Lowe's expansive business and retail operations which would necessarily involve interstate commerce. The court assumes the F...

Excerpt: ...Cal.App.4th 322, 337.) The court has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent of discovery completed and the stag...

Excerpt: ...he court has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent of discovery completed and the stage of the proceedings, th...

Excerpt: ... has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent of discovery completed and the stage of the proceedings, the experi...

Excerpt: ...37.) The court has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent of discovery completed and the stage of the proceedin...

Excerpt: ...t evidence appears to show.” Fremont Indemnity Co. v. Fremont General Corp. (2007) 148 Cal.App.4th 97, 115. The Court cannot decide this issue by demurrer. Moreover, the document is not properly authenticated. Defendant's Evidentiary Objection: 1. overruled. 2. sustained 3. sustained 2 Demurrer: Preliminarily, the Court does not consider Plaintiffs' First Amended Complaint (FAC) to be a “sham pleading.” Plaintiffs assert that the vehicle co...

Excerpt: ...s “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent of discovery completed and the stage of the proceedings, the experienc...

Excerpt: ...(2012) 208 Cal.App.4th 322, 337.) The court has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent of discovery completed a...

Excerpt: ...res are by plaintiff and an “Authorized Company Representative” for Knolls West Post Acute. The problem is that Knolls West Post Acute is not mentioned anywhere in the body of the agreement, and the primary contracting party, Spring Valley Post Acute, did not sign it. The purported agreement also appears to be cobbled together, perhaps for purposes of this motion. As presented, it is five pages longs. The first, third, and fifth pages do not ...

Excerpt: ... PAGA claims should be dismissed or stayed pending completion of the arbitration. Defendant asserts that it did not waive the right to compel arbitration because a motion to compel arbitration would have been futile under Iskanian v. CLS Transportation Los Angeles LLC (2014) 59 Cal.4th 348, which was controlling law until the United States Supreme Court's recent decision in Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana (2022) 142 S.Ct. 1906. Therefore, i...

Excerpt: ...Arbitration Act. (Gillespie Decl. Exhs. D & H – Arbitration Agreements ¶ 3.) The only issue before the court is the application of Viking Rivers Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana (2022) 142 S.Ct. 1906, to the arbitration agreements and whether it supports the relief requested. The relevant portions of the Arbitration Agreements provide: 12. Representative Action Waiver. Employee further agrees that Employee is waiving the right to bring, or to particip...

Excerpt: ...d National Union's Complaint Plaintiff National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA (National Union)1 filed this action against Defendants Prime Healthcare Services, Inc. (PHS); Prime Healthcare Foundation, Inc. (PHF); Prime Healthcare Management, Inc. (PHM); Desert Valley Hospital, Inc. (Desert Valley); High Desert Heart Vascular Institute (High Desert); and Dr. Prem Reddy, M.D., FACC (Reddy).2 The first amended complaint (FAC) allege...

Excerpt: ...ny other applicable [but unspecified] privilege. Many of these objections (e.g., vague and ambiguous) go to the form of the request and, as such, are improper because they are designed to protect a witness during oral examination, not when “the answer is to be made in writing, after due time for deliberation and consultation with counsel” since any such “answer may be framed [to] avoid the pitfalls, if any, inherent in the form of the quest...

Excerpt: ...tment, Department S‐26. On June 17, 2022, the court denied defendants' motion to compel arbitration. The court ordered defendants to file a responsive pleading and lifted the stay on discovery. Defendants, however, appealed the denial of the motion to compel arbitration. It would appear that discovery was stayed pending the appeal, but the Court of Appeal issued a Notice of Default on Appeal on September 22, 2022, indicating that the appeal wou...

Excerpt: ...2012) 208 Cal.App.4th 322, 337.) The court has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent of discovery completed an...

Excerpt: ...cretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent of discovery completed and the stage of the proceedings, the experience and views of...

Excerpt: ... or future, we will use binding arbitration as the exclusive forum for the resolution of such disputes and I join with the Employer in agreeing that federal law will control. I further agree that Employer and I hereby join in waiving both (i) any and all right to initiate or participate in any form of class action or other collective or representative proceeding (“Class Action Waiver”) for the resolution of any Employment‐related Dispute, a...

Excerpt: ...l.App.4th 322, 337.) The court has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent of discovery completed and the stage ...

Excerpt: ...s the following analysis and ruling on the merits. As a preliminary matter, Petitioner is correct that Code of Civil Procedure section 35 may apply to this litigation. The statute provides: “Proceedings in cases involving … the certification or denial of certification of ballot measures, election contests, and actions under Section 20010 of the Elections Code shall be placed on the calendar in the order of their date of filing and shall be gi...

Excerpt: ...equate representation for the class; and that common questions of law or fact predominate over individual issues. (Brinker Restaurant Corp. v. Superior Court (Hohnbaum) (2012) 53 Cal.4th 1004, 1021‐1022.) Both counsel have addressed these issues in detail. But counsel have failed to address whether the case, if certified, is manageable. In Duran v. U.S. Bank National Assn. (2014) 59 Cal.4th 1, 28, 29, the 3 Although the fee is 35% of the gross ...

Excerpt: ... of aggrieved employees or the aggregate number of pay‐periods during the PAGA period. 2 Subject to possible adjustment of costs. See fn. 4 infra. Page 5 of 8 CVS26100422 v. United Teachers Los Angeles (2012) 208 Cal.App.4th 322, 337.) The court has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' cas...

Excerpt: ... (2012) 208 Cal.App.4th 322, 337.) The court has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of Page 2 of 8 CVS26100422 plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent...

Excerpt: ...f action (for declaratory and injunctive relief) is barred by the four year statute of limitations. (Code Civ. Proc., § 337(1).) Defendant argues that the cause of action accrued when plaintiff made the last payment, on October 6, 2016, but the lawsuit was not filed until December 14, 2021, more than four years later. If this were a debt collection action filed by defendant, the action would likely be barred under Code of Civil Procedure section...

Excerpt: ... statement of the court's tentative ruling. The court may adopt, modify or reject the tentative rulingafter considering the parties' oral arguments. The tentative ruling will have no legal effect unless adopted by the court. No notice of intent to appear is required. If you wish to submit on the tentative decision, you may send a telefaxtoJudge Borrell's secretary, Tammy Brantner, at 805‐477‐5894, stating that you submit on the tentative. A c...

Excerpt: ...d Sur‐Reply to Defendants' Motion to Compel Payment of Rent. The Court also received an Objections of Defendant Cynthia Inez Lopez to Galgano's Notice of Joinder and Sur‐Reply. The Court sustains Ms. Lopez' objections and declines to consider the Sur‐Reply and Joinder as being untimely. II. DISCUSSION Defendant Cynthia Ines Lopez seeks an order requiring payment of rent. Plaintiffs oppose the motion, asserting it is an attempt to seek a man...

Excerpt: ...t, rule 3.769.) The moving party must demonstrate that “the settlement is fair, adequate and reasonable.” (Kullar v. Foot Locker Retail, Inc. (2008) 168 Cal.App.4th 116, 126; Reed v. United Teachers Los Angeles (2012) 208 Cal.App.4th 322, 337.) The court has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plai...

Excerpt: ...October 14, 2022. The current responses potentially leave open the possibility that some documents, beyond the privileged documents, were withheld pursuant to the privilege or some other objection since only a list of what items Defendant Ozuna was willing to produce was provided and production was made without waiving the objections. (See Code Civ. Proc., § 2031.220 [outlining the requirements of a document demand response].) 2. The witness sta...

Excerpt: ...t any fellow employee responsible for injuries “arising out of and in the course of employment.” (See Labor Code, §§ 3600‐3602, 5300.) Workers' compensation is generally the exclusive remedy for disabling injuries, whether physical or mental, arising from employment (or termination of employment), unless: (1) the injury results from employer conduct that falls “outside the normal course of employment”; or (2) the employer's conduct fa...

Excerpt: ...ies. This argument has no merits. To prevail in a negligence action, a plaintiff must show the defendant owed a legal duty to her, the defendant breached that duty, and the breach proximately caused injury to the plaintiff. [Citation.] A defendant does not owe a legal duty to protect against third party conduct, unless there exists a special relationship between the defendant and the plaintiff. [Citation.] In that circumstance, “[i]n addition t...

Excerpt: ...ther Ford nor Ken Grody are signatories to the RISC. The RISC includes a section entitled Arbitration Provision which states, in relevant part, Any claim or dispute, whether in contract, tort, statute or otherwise … between you and us or our employees, agents, successors or assigns, which arises out of or relates to your … purchase or condition of this vehicle, this contract or any resulting transaction or relationship (including any such rel...

Excerpt: ...On December 11, 2020, Defendant answered. Now at issue is Defendant's motion for summary judgment (MSJ) of Plaintiff's complaint. Plaintiff filed a timely opposition. Defendant filed a timely reply. II. DISCUSSION A. Summary Judgment – Statement of Law Summary judgment motions enable a court to determine the opposing party's pleadings lack evidentiary support and to limit or terminate the action accordingly: “The purpose of the law of summary...

Excerpt: ...ach of express warranty; (2) breach of implied warranty; and (3) fraudulent inducement (concealment). Now at issue is Defendant's demurrer to Plaintiffs' third cause of action, and Defendant's motion to strike Plaintiffs' punitive damages claims. Plaintiffs filed an opposition to each motion. Defendant filed a reply to each opposition. II. DISCUSSION A. Demurrer 1. Statement of the Law – Demurrer A demurrer is a pleading used to test the legal ...

Excerpt: .... Motion: Motion to Continue the Trial Date and Expert Depositions Movant: Defendant American Automobile Association of Northern California, Nevada and Utah Respondents: Plaintiffs Estate of Gabriel Machado Castro, Gabriela Machado Castro and Humberto Machado Llanes Discussion ‐ “[t]he determination of a request for a continuance must be based upon the facts and circumstances of the case as they exist at the time of the determination.' [Citat...

Excerpt: ...remise liability. Defendant AMC Cinema answered. The Complaint alleges on April 19, 2019, Gibson was a patron at the movie theater owned, leased, managed, or supervised by AMC Cinema. Around 6:20 p.m., he slipped and fell on a slippery substance near the soda machines (¶¶7, 9‐10). On July 28, 2021, the Court held a further trial setting conference. No party appeared so it set an OSC re dismissal for August 27, 2021. (Papanikolas Decl. ¶6, Ex...

Excerpt: ... the petition is moot because the City has subsequently responded to the request in full. The Response Deadline Government Code section 6250 provides that the Legislature, mindful of the right of individuals, “finds and declares that access to information concerning the conduct of the people's business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state.” To implement this right, the California Public Records Act (CPRA) provide...

Excerpt: ...he court has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent of discovery completed and the stage of the proceedings, th...

Excerpt: ... at ¶5; Brault Decl. at ¶¶4‐5, Exhs. 2‐3.)[1] Finding the objections lacking merit, Defendant 4X McCall filed motions to compel further responses to Special Interrogatories #1‐3, 5‐16, and 18‐ 22, and RFPs #1‐34.[2] Plaintiff Scott opposes each. Defendant 4X McCall replied. Analysis The Court DENIES Defendant 4X McCall's Motions as untimely. The statutory 45‐day deadline is mandatory and jurisdictional in the sense that the court...

Excerpt: ...the obligations imposed by the agreement containing the arbitration clause. (Goldman v. KPMG LLP (2009) 173 Cal.App.4th 209, 217‐218; Marenco v. DirectTV LLC (2015) 233 Cal.App.4th 1409, 1419‐1420 [equitable estoppel doctrine required employee who signed arbitration agreement with predecessor corporation to arbitrate claims against nonsignatory successor corporation (employees who continued working after merger impliedly accepted successor co...

Excerpt: ...declaration as follows: a. Objection Nos. 1, 5‐8 – Overrule b. Objection No. 2 – Sustain (lack of foundation) c. Objection Nos. 3, 4 – Sustain (secondary evidence rule). 3. The Court sustains all of Plaintiff's 16 evidentiary objections to unauthenticated documents contained in Defendant's compendium of evidence as lacking foundation and hearsay. 4. The Court sustains Plaintiff's objection to Defendant's Undisputed Fact No. 10 because it ...

Excerpt: ... quo that rent is reduced to $8,000 per the Lease and addendum concerning Units 2 and 3 of the Subject Property. Defendants Lopez and Trust opposed. Plaintiffs Cannextract and Nguyen replied. The Court heard the preliminary injunction on September 1, 2022. It was denied but Plaintiffs were allowed to refile with corrections. On September 1, 2022, Plaintiffs Cannextract and Nguyen re‐filed an identical Preliminary Injunction Motion. Defendants T...

Excerpt: ...nts for a breach of contract are (1) the existence of a contract, (2) the plaintiff's performance or excuse for performance, (3) the defendant's breach, and (4) resulting damages. (Wall Street Network Ltd. v. N.Y. Times Co. (2008) 164 Cal.App.4th 1171, 1176.) identified as parties to the contract. Plaintiffs contend that they have adequately alleged Defendants Cobb are bound and obligated to each other under the contract. Here, the SAC alleges Co...

Excerpt: ...alderon Cruz, who at the time was working for defendant Hylkema Roofing. Based on the damages sustained, Norene and her husband, Brian, commenced suit on February 10, 2021 for negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and, as to Brian, loss of consortium. Now, through the pending motion, the Seeleys seek to compel further responses to requests for production of documents (RPD's) and compel the actual production of responsive documen...

Excerpt: ...endant now asks the court to enforce the “Class/Collective Action Waiver” contained within the DARP. The DARP was presented as a single agreement, signed only once, which included arbitration provisions and waivers of class and collective actions. The Page 2 of 2 CVS26091322 arbitrator found the agreement to be unenforceable. Nevertheless, section 3, regarding “Severability and Related Issues,” specifically provides that the court, not th...

Excerpt: ...Court is bound by the ruling. Page | 2 Motion to Dismiss Defendant TransAm seeks a discretionary dismissal on the basis that it be permitted to deposit $30,000 with the Court, as this is the maximum liability it faces under Vehicle Code section 17150. Defense counsel, Dawn B. Eyerly, provides a declaration stating that following the appellate opinion, she sent an email to Plaintiff's counsel agreeing to stipulate to TransAm's liability (under the...

Excerpt: ...ent by changing prior testimony on which the motion is based. “On summary judgment, a party cannot simply change its story, submitting a declaration that contradicts its prior discovery 1 Counsel failed to inform the court of the aggregate number of pay‐periods in the PAGA period, so the court is unable to calculate the amount each aggrieved employee will receive for each pay‐period worked during the PAGA period. This information must be pr...

Excerpt: ...ourt has “broad discretion in making this determination.” (In re Microsoft I‐V Cases (2006) 135 Cal.App.4th 706, 723.) Relevant factors the court may consider include “the strength of plaintiffs' case, the risk, expense, complexity and likely duration of further litigation, the risk of maintaining class action status through trial, the amount offered in settlement, the extent of discovery completed and the stage of the proceedings, the ex...