Category - Civil Procedure

1
$24 Million Verdict Against Material Supplier Overturned Where Plaintiff Failed To Prove Supplier’s Negligence Or Breach Of Contract Caused A SB800 Violation
2
Immigration Status No Longer Discoverable in Personal Injury Cases
3
Significant Victory for the Building Industry: Liberty Mutual is Rejected Once Again, This Time by the Third Appellate District in Holding SB800 is the Exclusive Remedy
4
Failure to Maintain Equipment “Integrally Related” to Medical Diagnosis or Treatment Resulting in an Injury is Professional Negligence Under MICRA and Therefore Subject to a One Year Statute of Limitations
5
Courts of Appeal are Reining in Ambiguous Settlement Offers
6
Complex Civil Litigation Program and its Expansion to San Bernardino County
7
Viability of Contractor’s Express Indemnity Claims are Not Dependent on Allegations In Underlying Third Party Actions
8
Execution Of An Undisclosed Settlement Agreement Is An Invalid California Code of Civil Procedure § 998 Term
9
Private Mediations Do Not Toll The Five-Year Prosecution Statute
10
New Rules for Objections

$24 Million Verdict Against Material Supplier Overturned Where Plaintiff Failed To Prove Supplier’s Negligence Or Breach Of Contract Caused A SB800 Violation

By: Jon A. Turigliatto and Chelsea L. Zwart
May 25, 2017

The Fourth District California Court of Appeal published its decision, Acqua Vista Homeowners Assoc. v. MWI, Inc. (2017) 7 Cal.App.5th 1129, holding that claims against a material supplier under SB800 (Civil Code §895, et. seq.) require proof that the SB800 violation was caused by the supplier’s negligence or breach of contract.

In this case, Acqua Vista Homeowners Association (“the HOA”) sued MWI, a supplier of Chinese pipe used in the construction of the Acqua Vista condominium development.  The HOA’s complaint asserted a single cause of action for violation of SB800 standards, and alleged that defective cast iron pipe was used throughout the building.  At trial, the HOA presented evidence that the pipes supplied by MWI contained manufacturing defects, that they leaked, and that the leaks had caused damage to various parts of the condominium development.  The jury returned a special verdict against MWI, and the trial court entered a judgment against MWI in the amount of $23,955,796.28, reflecting the jury’s finding that MWI was 92% responsible for the HOA’s damages.

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Immigration Status No Longer Discoverable in Personal Injury Cases

By: Jon A. Turigliatto, Esq. and Chelsea L. Zwart, Esq.
December 9, 2016

NEW CALIFORNIA EVIDENCE CODE SECTION 351.2 PROHIBITS DISCOVERY AND ADMISSIBILITY OF A PERSON’S IMMIGRATION STATUS FOR PURPOSES OF LIMITING DAMAGE CLAIMS.

On January 1, 2017, AB 2159, which prohibits discovery related to a person’s immigration status in personal injury and wrongful death actions, will become effective, adding Section 351.2 to the California Evidence Code and overturning Rodriguez v. Kline (1986) 186 Cal.App.3d 1146.

Under Rodriguez v. Kline, an individual injured in the United States who is subject to deportation is not entitled to compensation based upon his or her projected earning capacity in the United States, but rather may only recovery damages for lost future income the individual would have earned in his or her country of origin. Later case law applied Rodriguez v. Kline to the recovery of medical costs, limiting recovery by an undocumented person to the amount the individual would have incurred for medical treatment in his or her country of origin.

Newly introduced Evidence Code Section 351.2 states:

(a) In a civil action for personal injury or wrongful death, evidence of a person’s immigration status shall not be admitted into evidence, nor shall discovery into a person’s immigration status be permitted.

(b) This section does not affect the standards of relevance, admissibility, or discovery prescribed by Section 3339 of the Civil Code, Section 7285 of the Government Code, Section 24000 of the Health and Safety Code, and Section 1171.5 of the Labor Code.

Proponents of Section 351.2, which effectively invalidates Rodriguez v. Kline, assert that the rationale behind the new law is to ensure that personal injury and wrongful death victims are not penalized for their immigration status and to protect undocumented immigrants from being exploited.  The intent is to equalize compensation received by persons who work and live in California and thus should be entitled to equal treatment in the California court system, regardless of immigration status.

By prohibiting the discovery and admissibility of a plaintiff’s immigration status, the new code section will have a severe impact on defendants’ potential exposure for damages relating to lost income and medical expenses.  After January 1, 2017, an undocumented person’s loss of earnings claim will no longer be limited to wages earned in his or her country of origin, but will rather be based on the individual’s income in the United States, whether here legally or not.  The same will be true for medical expenses, which will be based on those actually incurred.

Historically, many undocumented plaintiffs did not pursue loss of earnings claims as defendants regularly pointed to immigration status as a way to significantly lower potential exposure for such claims. Given that earnings and medical costs are generally substantially higher in the United States than in countries from which people immigrate without documentation, the enactment of Evidence Code Section 351.2 will deliberately result in larger awards for loss of income and medical expenses to injured immigrants.

Significant Victory for the Building Industry: Liberty Mutual is Rejected Once Again, This Time by the Third Appellate District in Holding SB800 is the Exclusive Remedy

By: Richard H. Glucksman and Ravi R. Mehta
December 8, 2016

I. Elliott Homes, Inc. v. Superior Court (Certified for Publication, Cal. Ct. App. Dec. 2, 2016

The California Court of Appeal for the Third Appellate District recently elaborated on the scope of the Right to Repair Act, commonly known as SB-800 (“Act”).  In Elliott Homes, Inc. v. Superior Court of Sacramento County (Kevin Hicks, et al.) (certified for publication, Cal. Ct. App. Dec. 2, 2016), the Court considered whether the Act (and specifically the Act’s pre-litigation procedure) applies, when homeowners  plead construction defect claims based only on common law causes of action, as opposed to violations of the building standards set forth in the Act (Civil Code §896).  The Court answered this question affirmatively.

The homeowners of seventeen (17) single-family homes filed a Complaint against the builder of their homes, Elliott Homes, Inc. (“Elliott”), alleging common law causes of action for construction defects.  Elliott filed a motion to stay the litigation on the ground that the homeowners failed to comply with the pre-litigation procedure set forth in the Act.  The trial court denied the motion, agreeing with the homeowners that this pre-litigation procedure did not apply because the homeowners had not alleged a statutory violation of the Act.  Elliott appealed.  The Court of Appeal purely considered the question of whether the Act, including its pre-litigation procedure, applies when a homeowner pleads construction defect claims based on common law causes of action, and not on statutory violations of the Act’s building standards.

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Failure to Maintain Equipment “Integrally Related” to Medical Diagnosis or Treatment Resulting in an Injury is Professional Negligence Under MICRA and Therefore Subject to a One Year Statute of Limitations

By: Kacey R. Riccomini
September 30, 2016

Recently, in Flores v. Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital (2016) 63 Cal.4th 75, the California Supreme Court clarified whether and when the general negligence statute of limitations or, alternatively, the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act’s (“MICRA”) special statute of limitations, applies to health care providers. Generally, a two-year statute of limitations for general negligence applies to personal injury actions. (Code Civ. Proc. §335.1.) However, under MICRA, claims for professional negligence against health care providers must be brought within the earlier of (1) “three years after the date of injury,” or (2) “one year after the plaintiff discovers, or…should have discovered, the injury.”  (Code Civ. Proc. §340.5.)

In Flores, the plaintiff was injured when one of the rails on her hospital bed collapsed. The rail had been raised per the doctor’s orders following a medical assessment of her condition. Almost two years later, Flores sued the hospital, claiming that it negligently failed to inspect and maintain the equipment. The hospital, Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital (“PIH”), sought to dismiss the claim by way of a demurrer, arguing that the claim was barred by §340.5’s one-year statute of limitations since Flores knew about her injury when she fell out of her hospital bed over a year before filing suit. Flores, on the other hand, argued that PIH’s conduct was ordinary negligence, subject to the two-year statute of limitations under §335.1. The trial court agreed with PIH, and sustained the demurrer without leave to amend.

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Courts of Appeal are Reining in Ambiguous Settlement Offers

By: Craig A. Roeb and Heather M. Patrick
Published by the Daily Journal

California Code of Civil Procedure Section 998 establishes a procedure to shift costs if a party fails to accept a reasonable pre-trial settlement offer. The statute has generally been considered an effective tool to force parties’ hands to settle by encouraging resolution and avoiding needless litigation and trials.  Barba v. Perez, 166 Cal. App. 4th (2008).  However, recent case law demonstrates that they must be carefully planned and composed, or else risk judicial nullification.  Download Full Article

 

Complex Civil Litigation Program and its Expansion to San Bernardino County

By: Richard H. Glucksman and David A. Napper
September 30, 2016

Complex Civil Litigation Programs have been utilized in California for over fifteen (15) years. Complex cases require more intensive judicial management, and include claims such as construction defects, mass torts, class actions, antitrust, securities claims, and toxic torts. The Presiding Judge in a department dedicated to managing highly complex cases is tasked with providing exceptional and individualized judicial management, expedited resolution of complex issues, and cost and resource efficiencies.

The creation of the department is the result of increased levels of funding received by the Court.  With its creation of a Complex Civil Court system, San Bernardino joins numerous other counties throughout California – including, but not limited to: Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco, and Santa Clara – which already handle complex civil matters.  San Bernardino Superior Court is the most recent Court to implement a Complex Litigation Department, effective September 6, 2016.

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Viability of Contractor’s Express Indemnity Claims are Not Dependent on Allegations In Underlying Third Party Actions

By: Chelsea L. Zwart
September 30, 2016

On August 16, 2016, the First District California Court of Appeal held in Aluma Systems Concrete Construction of California v. Nibbi Bros. Inc. (2016) 2 Cal.App. 5th 620 that a general contractor’s demurrer to a subcontractor’s indemnity claim was erroneously sustained because (1) the allegations of underlying third-party lawsuits were not determinative of liability and (2) the subcontractor’s underlying claim for a worker’s compensation offset did not obviate the subcontractor’s indemnity claim.

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Execution Of An Undisclosed Settlement Agreement Is An Invalid California Code of Civil Procedure § 998 Term

By: Zachary P. Marks
May 10, 2016

A statutory offer to compromise can be a very effective tool in settling a case or devising a litigation strategy in preparation for trial. Codified at California Code of Civil Procedure (“C.C.P.”) § 998, the primary purpose of the statute is to encourage the settlement of disputes prior to trial or arbitration. The statute operates by enabling either party to propose a settlement offer, in writing, no less than ten (10) days before trial. If the offeree rejects the offer, and subsequently fails to obtain a judgment at trial that is more favorable than the offer amount, then the offeror is entitled to recover its post-offer costs, including filing fees, attorney’s fees, and in some cases, expert witness fees. Such fees could potentially amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, thereby incentivizing the offeree to thoroughly evaluate the offer. This dramatic cost-shifting provision is the driving force behind a § 998 offer.

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Private Mediations Do Not Toll The Five-Year Prosecution Statute

By: Zachary P. Marks
April 24, 2016

If you thought private mediation could toll the five-year period for case prosecution – think again. In a recent decision handed down by the Second District Court of Appeal, the court unequivocally held that voluntary, private mediations do not toll the five-year period before dismissal for failure to bring an action to trial.

California Code of Civil Procedure section 583.310 sets forth the applicable rule: “[a]n action shall be brought to trial within five years after the action is commenced against the defendant.” Section 1775.7(b) clarifies this rule, stating that the five-year period can be tolled if it is “submitted to mediation” within the final six months of the five-year period. However, the Code is silent with respect to the effect of tolling on public versus private mediations.

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New Rules for Objections

By: Craig A. Roeb and Chelsea Zwart
Published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal – Download Article
February 22, 2016

Only two months in, 2016 has already experienced significant changes to the California’s statutory and common law. Not to be left out, objections have received their fair share of attention from the Legislature and courts as well. As objections are often required to preserve future rights, being well-versed in the current laws governing them is an imperative for all litigators. This presents a brief overview of recent developments on the topic.

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