The Appellate Strategist : Appellate Lawyers & Attorneys for Updates on Trial Consultations, Amicus Briefs & Punitive Damage Awards

The California Supreme Court heard oral argument in O’Neil v. Crane Co. The Court’s decision will likely define an important area of strict products liability law in California – specifically, it will expand or limit the duty of product manufacturers to warn about the hazards of replacement parts made by others that are subsequently incorporated by the purchaser into the manufacturer’s original product. 

O’Neil arises out of the plaintiff’s exposure to asbestos-containing gaskets and packing materials used in and around the defendants’ valves and pumps, which were incorporated by the Navy into the steam propulsion system aboard the USS Oriskany, where the plaintiff served while he was enlisted. Though the pumps and valves delivered to the Navy originally incorporated asbestos-containing gaskets and packing, all parties agreed that by the time plaintiff served aboard the Oriskany, the original asbestos packing and gaskets had been removed and replaced with packing and gaskets manufactured by third parties. Nevertheless, the plaintiff argued the pump and valve manufacturers had a duty to warn him regarding the hazards of asbestos.  

Prior to O’Neil this legal issue had been addressed by the California Court of Appeal, most notably in Taylor v. Elliot Turbomachinery Co., Inc. (2009) 171 Cal. App. 4th 564. There, the First Appellate District noted, on facts indistinguishable from the present case, that the plaintiff’s injury did not come from the defendants’ equipment itself, but instead was released from products made or supplied by other manufacturers, though used in conjunction with the defendants’ equipment. Thus, the defendant manufacturers were not part of the chain of distribution of the injury-causing product, which was actually the asbestos-containing insulation. The court held that California law did not recognize a duty to warn of defects in another manufacturer's product.  The Second District Court of Appeal below in O’Neil rejected the reasoning of Taylor, and instead ruled that a manufacturer is strictly liable for dangerous products with which its product will necessarily be used. The Supreme Court granted certiorari in O’Neil to resolve the conflict between the O’Neil and Taylor decisions.

At oral argument, one of the Justices’ primary concerns appeared to be factual in nature: What exactly was meant by the parties’ contention that the Navy “specified” or “required” the use of asbestos-containing insulation? As phrased by Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye, did the Navy “say the magic word, ‘asbestos’” in its specifications to the defendants, or did the Navy merely promulgate performance specifications and the defendant manufacturers independently determined that asbestos-containing insulation was the best (or even only) material suitable to meet those requirements?  

Another significant concern of the Court appeared to be whether the pumps and valves were capable of functioning without the asbestos-containing components. In other words, was asbestos required for the pumps and valves to function properly, or was asbestos merely required by the dictates of the steam propulsion system, and not the design of the valves or pumps themselves. The Court seemed troubled settling on the proposition that the pumps and valves could be deemed defectively designed if the pumps and valves were “asbestos neutral,” and could function just as well in other systems utilizing non-asbestos containing materials. 

Ultimately this latter point may be where the court draws the line, assigning a duty to warn about replacement parts made by others only if the replacement part is identical to the original hazardous part, and the replacement part is essential to the function of the defendant’s product. The Court will issue its opinion within 90 days. 

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Adding its voice to a continuing national debate, the California Supreme Court has adopted the minority rule and held that tort damages for past medical expenses are limited to those amounts actually paid and accepted as full payment for the services provided, when such amounts are determined by an existing agreement with the plaintiff’s insurance carrier. In such a case, an amount otherwise “billed” using rates outside of the agreement is irrelevant. In its opinion, the Court explained that only the prenegotiated amount actually paid by, or on behalf of, the plaintiff to settle a previous medical bill is recoverable as economic damages, because such a payment is the extent of plaintiff’s actual loss. As a result, the collateral source rule does not apply, because the issue is the measure of plaintiff’s actual damages, not how they were paid. The Court noted that, to be recoverable, such damages must be both reasonable and actually incurred. While acknowledging that this could result in wildly different damages for the same injury, depending on whether the plaintiff was insured, this does not change the measure of a particular plaintiff’s damages. The Court noted a similar disparity in lost income damages between different plaintiffs with identical injuries. There were several amicus briefs filed in this matter, including one prepared by Sedgwick. For more details about Howell, see the Damages update page.

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Under respondeat superior, an employer is held vicariously liable for the acts of an employee when driving a vehicle within the scope of employment, irrespective of any fault by the employer. Alternatively, an employer can be directly liable for its own negligence under the theory of negligent hiring/retention or negligent entrustment. As a practical matter, a plaintiff injured by the driving employee can allege all such theories; however, does that remain true once the employer admits liability under respondeat superior?

In Armenta v. Churchill (1954) 42 Cal.2d 448 (Armenta), the California Supreme Court held that once an employer admits liability under respondeat superior for an employee driver, the plaintiff is then barred from also pursuing a claim of negligent entrustment. The Court concluded that these were merely two alternative theories for holding an employer liable for the same injury. Under the “all of nothing” principles then in place, an employer would either be held for 100% of the damages, or none at all, regardless of the theory used. However, since Armenta, California has adopted comparative negligence principles and voters enacted Proposition 51, creating mechanisms for parsing out the separate liability of each party involved. As a result, the courts of appeal split as to the continuing viability of Armenta, with the Court of Appeal in Diaz finding that Proposition 51 required a separate evaluation of the employer’s direct liability.

In Diaz v. Carcamo (2011) ___ Cal.4th ___, S181627, the unanimous Supreme Court has resolved the conflict below and upheld Armenta, noting that this remained the majority rule in the U.S. The Court first dismissed the purported distinction between a claim of negligent entrustment (Armenta) and negligent hiring (Diaz), noting these were “functionally identical” when addressing an employee driver. The Court also found it made no difference whether the employer conceded vicarious liability before or during trial. As to the main issue, the Court sided with Jeld-Wen, Inc. v. Superior Court (2005) 131 Cal.App.4th 853, finding that the employer’s liability cannot exceed that of the employee driver who allegedly caused the accident, and that nothing in the development of negligence principles since Armenta had changed this. As a result, once vicarious liability for the employee is conceded, making the employer fully liable for the employee’s actions, the additional claims of negligent entrustment or negligent hiring become duplicative and superfluous and must be barred. Indeed, the Court noted the inherent inequity of holding the employer for a second share of liability in excess of the negligent driver’s liability, and remanded for a full retrial. For more details about Diaz, see the Torts & Products update page.
 

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The California Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for May, including four civil cases.

• Brown v. Mortensen: The Court will address whether the Federal Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.) preempts causes of action for the improper disclosure of medical information under California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (Civ. Code, § 56 et seq.). This case attracted one amicus brief in support of appellants (by the National Association of Consumer Advocates). For more details about Brown, see the B & P 17200/Class Actions/Commercial update page.

• Save the Plastic Bag Coalition v. City of Manhattan Beach: Does the plaintiff, an association of plastic bag manufacturers, have standing to challenge a local ban on the use of plastic bags? The Court also granted review to address whether the ordinance was properly held invalid for the failure to prepare an environmental impact report. This case has generated significant amicus interest, including four amicus briefs supporting the City’s ordinance (by Heal the Bay, Manhattan Beach Residents Association, Californians Against Waste, and [jointly] the League of California Cities and California State Association of Counties) and one supporting the plastic bag manufacturers (by the Pacific Legal Foundation). For more details about Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, see the Environmental update page.

• Shalant v. Girardi: If a vexatious litigant subject to a prefiling order files a lawsuit while represented by counsel, may the litigant proceed in propria persona without first obtaining the approval of the presiding judge under C.C.P.§ 391.7 should counsel later withdraw? The Court of Appeal thought so, reversing the trial court’s dismissal. This case attracted one amicus brief supporting the plaintiff vexatious litigant (by the Los Angeles Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals). For more details about Shalant, see the Attorney-Related update page.

• In re K.C.: What injury is needed for a parent to have standing to contest the denial of a petition to place his child with the child’s grandparents? This case attracted one amicus brief in favor of the Kings County Human Services Agency (by the California State Association of Counties). For more details about In Re K, see the Other update page.
   

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The California Supreme Court has granted review in Ennabe v. Manosa, S189577, in which the Second District Court of Appeal upheld a summary judgment for defendant, who hosted a party at a private residence where alcoholic beverages were available and who charged uninvited party guests an entrance fee of $3 to $5. The Court of Appeal accepted, with little discussion, that the defendant was a “social host” for purposes of Civil Code §1714(c), and hence generally immune from civil liability for furnishing alcoholic beverages both under that provision and under Business and Professions Code §25602. The unanimous panel then held that where drinks were simply available to party guests, once admitted, the host had not sold or caused to be sold an alcoholic beverage under Business and Professions Code §25602.1, and was therefore not civilly liable for damages for admitting to the party an obviously intoxicated minor who, upon leaving the party, drove his car into a pedestrian, another partygoer, killing him. The court further held that, in any case, the defendant was not “required to be licensed” for this party within the meaning of Business and Professions Code §25602.1, giving “no weight” under these facts to a contrary statement in an information guide by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, because it failed to address or cite the controlling statutes.

The California Supreme Court granted review on two issues: 1) whether such a defendant is a “social host” pursuant to Civil Code §1714(c); and, 2) whether the exception to immunity created by Business and Professions Code §25602.1 applies under these facts. The high court had previously noted the first issue, without deciding it, in Cory v. Shierloh (1981) 29 Cal.3d 430, 437. For more details about Ennabe, see the Torts & Products update page.
 

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• Oasis West Realty v. Goldman (S181781) – Does an attorney’s duty of loyalty owed to a former client apply when the attorney actively takes a position against the former client on the same issue for which the lawyer previously had been retained, but does so while acting on his or her own behalf, without a subsequent representation or employment? For more details about Oasis West Realty, see the Attorney-Related update page.

• Diaz v. Carcamo (S181627) – In an attempt to extend the holding in Armenta v. Churchill (1954) 42 Cal.2d 448, which held that a claim of negligence entrustment is no longer viable against an employer who admits to being vicariously liable for the employee, the employer in Diaz argues that the same result should apply to a claim of negligent hiring against the employer, thus precluding evidence of the employee’s poor driving record. The Court of Appeal declined to make such an extension, in part because Armenta pre-dates Proposition 51. This case has attracted significant amicus interest, and multiple requests to depublish the Court of Appeal opinion. For more details about Diaz, see the Torts and Products update page.

• Sullivan v. Oracle Corporation (S170577) – This case addresses the application of California Labor Code overtime requirements to out-of-state employees hired by a California employer, including: (1) Does the Labor Code apply to overtime work performed in California for a California-based employer by out-of-state plaintiffs, such that overtime pay is required for work in excess of eight hours per day or in excess of forty hours per week? (2) Does Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200, et seq., apply to such overtime work? (3) Does § 17200, et seq. apply to overtime work performed outside of California for a California-based employer by out-of-state plaintiffs if the employer failed to comply with the overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 207 et seq.? This case has also attracted significant amicus interest. For more details about Sullivan, see the Employment – Compensation & Benefits update page.

• Franchise Tax Board v. Superior Court (Gonzales) (S176943) – Here, the Court will address the question of whether article I, section 16, of the California Constitution provides a taxpayer the constitutional right to a jury trial in an action for a refund of taxes under Revenue and Taxation Code  § 19382. For more details about Franchise Tax Board, see the Taxation and Assessments update page.
   

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• Insurance – In Century-National Ins. Co. v. Jesus Garcia, the court held that a fire insurance policy could not exclude coverage for innocent insureds because of the intentional acts of another insured; in this case the intentional act of the son setting fire to his parents house. The policy excluded coverage based on the intentional act or criminal conduct of “any insured,” and on this basis the carrier excluded coverage for the parents based on the acts of the son. While similar language was previously held as effective to exclude coverage as to all insureds in Minkler; the Court held that Insurance Code §§ 2070 and 533 limit the scope of such an exclusion in fire insurance policies to the specific insured who committed the intentional act. In doing so, the Court warned that this holding may have limited application in other contexts. For more details about Century-National Ins. Co. see the Insurance update page.

• Consumer Protection – The Song-Beverly Credit Card Act of 1971 is a consumer protection act which bars businesses from requesting that cardholders provide “personal identification information” during credit card transactions, and then recording that information. In Pineda v. Williams-Sonoma Stores, Inc. the Supreme Court found that zip codes constituted “personal identification information,” making it a violation of the act for a business to request and record zip codes as a part of credit card transactions. For more details about Pineda see the B & P 17200/Class Actions/Commercial update page.

• ADR – Several of the plaintiffs in Tarrant Bell Property, LLC v. Superior Court (Abaya) signed lease agreements requiring that any arbitrable issues, including those involving conditions at the subject mobilehome park, which were made subject to judicial proceedings would be decided by a referee upon the motion of any party pursuant to CCP § 638.  After the residents collectively brought suit, the trial court refused to enforce this provision and the Supreme Court affirmed, finding that the trial court had discretion to deny the motion. Moreover, given the redundancy that would result from referring only some of the residents to a referee over the same legal issues, the trial court did not abuse its discretion. In so ruling, the Court disapproved of both Greenbriar Homes Communities, Inc. v. Superior Court (2004) 117 Cal.App.4th 337, and Trend Homes, Inc. v. Superior Court (2005) 131 Cal.App.4th 950, to the extent they are inconsistent. For more details about Tarrant Bell Property, LLC see the ADR update page.
   

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Before profiling potential candidates to replace Justice Moreno on the California Supreme Court, we first provide a brief profile of the remaining court – not including Justice Moreno, whose announced retirement has initiated this discussion. When choosing a new member for the high court, there is often a discussion about what is “missing” from the court; in order to better address that issue, it can be helpful to look at its existing composition.

The remaining six members of the California Supreme Court represent a total of 134 years of judicial experience, although only two of them, Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye and Justice Corrigan, had extensive experience on the bench before joining the high court, each with about twenty years of prior experience. In comparison, Justice Chin had previously served as a judge for eight years, while the others had previously served for about three years each. There may be other types of judicial experience, however, in that Justice Werdegar was a senior staff attorney with both the California Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court, while Justice Baxter assisted in the appointment of more than 700 judges while serving in the Deukmejian administration. However, regardless of their varied judicial experiences, each of the current justices had previously sat on a Court of Appeal before being nominated to the Supreme Court.

The average tenure of the remaining Supreme Court justices is about 13 years, ranging from 22 years for Justice Kennard to about one month for Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye. A majority of the justices have been on the Supreme Court for at least 15 years. While the existing justices had widely varying experiences before taking the bench, all of them were government prosecutors earlier in their careers, most as deputy district attorneys (Justice Werdegar worked in the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Justice Kennard in the L.A. Attorney General’s office). All of the justices are long time California residents, with four of them native born and two others moving here in the early 1960’s. The average age of the remaining justices is about 65, with the youngest being Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye at 51 years old.

All of the justices were nominated to the Supreme Court by Republican governors, two each by Deukmejian, Wilson and Schwarzenegger. As such, the new justice, like Justice Moreno, will be the only member of the Court nominated by a Democratic governor. Of the remaining six justices, four are women, meaning the court will have a female majority regardless of who Governor Brown nominates. Along ethnic lines, the court has three Asian-Americans and three justices of European descent. The current lack of either a Latino or an African-American has been raised by commentators in predicting the next nominee.

In future posts, we will profile candidates being considered to replace Justice Moreno on the California Supreme Court. 

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In Cassel v. Superior Court (Wasserman Comden Casselman & Pearson), the California Supreme Court evaluated the mediation confidentiality created by Evidence Code, § 1119, which prevents the admission of “evidence of anything said,” or any “writing” which was prepared “for the purpose of, in the course of, or pursuant to, a mediation. . . .”, subject only to certain statutory exceptions. Upholding an earlier Court of Appeal decision, Wimsatt, but reversing here, the Court found that the express statutory language applied to protect discussions between counsel and client made during and immediately preceding the mediation in the underlying action, even in a subsequent legal malpractice action in which counsel’s conduct at the mediation was a basis for the malpractice claim. As a result, the court found that counsel defending itself against a legal malpractice action was entitled to exclude evidence of such communications with its own former client, now the legal malpractice plaintiff. While expressing no opinion on the merits of this statutory scheme, the Court noted that the Legislature was free to reconsider it. Justice Chin concurred, “reluctantly,” noting this was “a high price to pay for confidentiality in the mediation process,” and suggesting statutory amendments which could avoid this result while preserving mediation confidentiality. For more history regarding Cassel, see the ADR update page.

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After serving the California courts for twenty-four years, Associate Justice Carlos R. Moreno has announced his retirement from the court.  In a recent interview, Justice Moreno said that recent changes, including the retirement of Chief Justice Ronald George and the election of Governor Jerry Brown, had prodded him to explore other possibilities.  His retirement creates an early opportunity for newly sworn Governor Brown to establish a tone for his administration. In future posts, we will provide profiles for candidates being considered to fill this unexpected vacancy. But first, we note the distinguished judicial career of Justice Moreno.

Justice Moreno is native to Los Angeles, where he continued to live after his appointment to the Supreme Court by commuting to San Francisco.  After receiving a B.A. in political science from Yale University (1970) and a 1975 J.D. from Stanford Law School, Carlos Moreno served in the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, prosecuting criminal and civil consumer protection cases. In 1979, he joined a private firm, representing clients in general commercial litigation. During this time he was also president of the Mexican American Bar Association.

Moreno has enjoyed judicial nominations from both parties. Governor George Deukmejian appointed Justice Moreno to the Municipal Court, Compton Judicial District, in 1986, where Moreno handled general criminal matters and supervised the court’s civil department. In October 1993, Governor Pete Wilson elevated Justice Moreno to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, where he presided over felony trials in downtown Los Angeles. In 1997, Moreno received the Criminal Justice Superior Court Judge of the Year Award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association. President Bill Clinton nominated Justice Moreno to the federal bench, and he was unanimously confirmed to the United States District Court for the Central District of California by the United States Senate in February 1998.

After his nomination by Governor Gray Davis, Justice Moreno was sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of California on October 18, 2001. Moreno was given the Roger J. Traynor Appellate Justice of the Year Award from the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles in 2003. At present, Justice Moreno is the only Democrat on the Supreme Court, and the only Latino.  Describing himself as a “moderate-to-liberal centrist,” Moreno initially sided with conservative members of the court as often as its more liberal members. As the court reportedly became more conservative over the years Moreno wrote an increasing number of solo dissents, the most prominent of which was his dissent from the Court’s decision upholding Proposition 8, in which the Court reinstated the ban on same-sex marriage.  Justice Moreno was prominently mentioned as a potential nominee by President Obama for the United States Supreme Court both in 2009 and in 2010.  During that debate, Appellate Strategist profiled Justice Moreno here.

Join us below the jump for a sampling of Justice Moreno’s most important opinions.

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The CA Supreme Court has scheduled three civil cases for hearing on February 8, 2011. These cases address issues of duty & causation, the statute of limitations for multiple distinct injuries and the final judgment rule.

• Pooshs v. Philip Morris USA, Inc., et al., S172023, results from a request for guidance from the Ninth Circuit regarding the application of the statute of limitations on multiple distinct personal injuries allegedly arising from smoking tobacco; specifically - does the earliest injury trigger the statute for all claims, including those based on a later injury? For more details regarding Pooshs, see the Civil Procedure/Evidence/Discovery update page.

• Cabral v. Ralphs Grocery Company, S178799, addresses whether a big-rig truck driver owes a duty of care to freeway motorists not to park for non-emergency reasons in an “Emergency Parking Only” area at the side of a freeway. Review was also granted on the issue of whether the driver’s act of parking in the “Emergency Parking Only” area was not a substantial factor, as a matter of law, in causing plaintiff’s injuries in this case. For more details regarding Cabral, see the Torts & Products update page.

• In re Baycol Cases I and II, S178320, the Court addresses whether the “death knell doctrine” requires plaintiff to immediately appeal the sustaining of a demurer as to class claims when the ruling resolved both individual and class claims, or whether the one final judgment rule applies and requires a single appeal from the subsequent entry of final judgment on all claims? For more details regarding Baycol, see the Appeals & Writs update page.
   

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Justice Carlos Moreno of the California Supreme Court announced today that he will be retiring from the Court, effective February 28, 2011.  The surprise announcement, coming on the heels of Chief Justice Ronald M. George's retirement, gives new Governor Jerry Brown his first Supreme Court appointment only days into his term.

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For the final day of our profile of retiring California Chief Justice Ronald M. George, we offer our own subjective list of the Chief Justice’s most notable opinions. If anyone has a nomination for a favorite case that belongs on this list – and there are many important opinions that aren’t here – explain in the comments section.

In re Marriage Cases, 43 Cal.4th 757 (2008) – Reversing the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court held that provisions of the Family Code defining marriage as between a man and a woman violated the fundamental constitutional right to marry of all Californians. This was so for several reasons: (1) the exclusion of gay couples from the designation of marriage was not necessary to afford full protection to the rights and benefits accorded opposite-sex couples; (2) denying the designation "marriage" to same-sex couples would impose appreciable harm on such couples and their children; (3) denying same-sex couples the designation of "marriage" would be perceived as reflecting an official view that such relationships are of lesser dignity, and that same-sex couples and gay individuals are in some respects "second-class citizens."

Costa v. Superior Court, 37 Cal.4^th 986 (2006) – In a legal challenge to Proposition 77, the Supreme Court found that where a challenger questioned whether an voter initiative was properly before the voters – as opposed to the substantive validity of the change in law made by the initiative – it should, as a general matter, be resolved before the election. The Court further held that technical deficiencies in referendum and initiative petitions should not invalidate the petitions if they are in substantial compliance with statutory and constitutional requirements.

Yanowitz v. L'Oreal USA, Inc., 36 Cal.4th 1028 (2005) -- The Supreme Court held that a plaintiff's refusal to follow an order which he or she reasonably believed to be discriminatory was a protected activity within the meaning of the Fair Employment and Housing Act, so long as the employee's communications to the employer sufficiently convey the employee's reasonable concerns that the employer has acted or is acting in an unlawful manner. The Court concluded that the appropriate test for determining an adverse employment action within the meaning of the statute was whether the action materially affected the terms and conditions of employment.

Miller v. Department of Corrections, 36 Cal.4th 446 (2005) – Reversing the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court held that a plaintiff could establish an actionable claim under the FEHA by demonstrating, in a case involving a supervisor who allegedly gave favorable employment opportunities to a person with whom he was having an affair, that the sexual favoritism was so severe or pervasive as to alter his or her working conditions and create a hostile environment.

Aguilar v. Avis Rent a Car System, Inc., 21 Cal.4th 121 (1999) – In an action for employment discrimination and wrongful discharge, the trial court entered an injunction directing defendant to cease and desist from using derogatory racial or ethnic epithets directed at Hispanic/Latino employees. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the injunction was not a prior restraint barred by the First Amendment. The Court pointed out that the vice of a prior restraint is that communication will be suppressed before an adequate determination that it is unprotected by the First Amendment. Plaintiffs' speech, in contrast, had been adjudicated to be unprotected on the grounds that it contributed to a hostile working environment. The Court held that enjoining the continuation of unprotected speech was not contrary to the Federal or state constitution.

NBC Subsidiary (KNBC-TV), Inc. v. Superior Court, 20 Cal.4th 1178 (1999) -- The Court held that as a general matter, the First Amendment protects the right of access to civil trials and proceedings. Under Code of Civil Procedure Section 124, a proceeding may not be closed unless the trial court provides public notice of the intent to hold closed proceedings; and after a hearing, expressly finds that (1) an overriding interest supports closure, (2) there is a substantial likelihood of prejudice to that interest absent closure, (3) the closure is narrowly tailored to protect the threatened interest, and (4) there is no less restrictive means available.

Curran v. Mount Diablo Council of the Boy Scouts of America, 17 Cal.4th 670 (1998) -- Plaintiff's application to serve as an assistant scoutmaster was rejected, and he sued under the Unruh Act, alleging that the rejection was on grounds of his homosexuality. The Supreme Court held that the Boy Scouts were not a "business establishment" within the meaning of the Unruh Act, noting that although the Scouts regularly engaged in business transactions with nonmembers, the primary function of the Scouts was to inculcate certain values in youth members. Nor did business transactions with nonmembers involve sale of access to the basic activities or services offered by the organization.

American Academy of Pediatrics v. Lungren, 16 Cal.4th 307 (1997) -- The Supreme Court affirmed a judgment permanently enjoining the enforcement of a state statute requiring parental consent or judicial authorization before a minor may obtain an abortion. The Court acknowledged that certain parental consent laws had been upheld at the Federal level, but pointed out that the right to privacy protected by the state constitution was, in many contexts, broader and more protective of privacy than the federal right. The Court held that because the statute intruded upon an interest fundamental to personal autonomy, it was subject to scrutiny under the compelling interest test. The Court concluded that the statute could not be upheld on the grounds that it was necessary to protect the health of a pregnant minor, or to protect the minor's relationship with her parent.

Vons v. Seabest Foods Inc., 14 Cal.4th 434 (1996) -- In a case arising from an e coli outbreak, the Supreme Court held that the trial court could constitutionally exercise specific jurisdiction over a cross-claim between a meat supplier and certain franchisees. The Court pointed out that the cross-defendants' franchise agreements -- which specified that California law governed disputes -- controlled the purchase of ingredients, training, equipment and cooking procedures. The Court concluded that the cross-claim was sufficiently related to two contracts substantially connected to California -- the franchisees' franchise agreement, and their contract with the meat supplier -- to serve as a basis for jurisdiction.

Warfield v. Peninsula Golf & Country Club, 10 Cal.4th 594 (1995) -- In an action arising from a country club's termination of a woman's country club membership, the Supreme Court held that the Club was a "business establishment" subject to the Unruh Act. The Court emphasized the Club's interaction with the public: (1) the Club regularly permitted nonmembers to rent facilities for a fee; (2) the Club regularly obtained income from fees for the use of its facilities, and the purchase of food and beverages; (3) the Club obtained indirect financial benefit from the regular business transactions with nonmembers conducted on the premises. The Court also rejected the defendant's claim that subjecting the Club to the Unruh Act would violate its members' constitutional right to freedom of association.

Knight v. Jewett, 3 Cal.4th 296 (1992) -- In an action arising from an informal game of touch football, the Supreme Court granted review to determine the proper application of assumption of the risk, if any, following the adoption of comparative negligence. The Court held that the cases in which assumption of the risk had been applied could be divided into two classes: "primary assumption of the risk," referring to cases in which the court concluded that defendant owed plaintiff no duty to protect him from a particular risk; and "secondary assumption of the risk," meaning cases where defendant did owe a duty, but the plaintiff knowingly encountered the risk. The Court held that while "primary assumption of the risk" was still viable under a comparative negligence regime, "secondary assumption of the risk" was merged into the comparative negligence analysis. "Primary assumption of the risk," the Court found, depended not upon the reasonableness of the plaintiff's conduct, but rather on the nature of the activity or sport in which the defendant is engaged, and the relationship of the defendant and the plaintiff to that activity or sport.

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In the first two posts of this series, we've reviewed Chief Justice George's career prior to his judicial service, and his early years as a Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court and a Justice of the Court of Appeals. Today, we turn to a review of the Chief's more than eighteen years on the California Supreme Court.

 Chief Justice George was appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Pete Wilson on July 29, 1991, replacing the retiring Justice Allen Broussard. "At the risk of being immodest," Governor Wilson said as he announced the nomination, "I don't see how I could have done better." The Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission agreed with Governor Wilson's assessment, rating George "exceptionally well qualified." During his five years as a moderate member of the Lucas Court, the Chief Justice wrote a variety of important opinions for the Court on subjects such as civil rights, domestic relations and the California initiative system.

In late 1995, Chief Justice Lucas announced his retirement. Governor Wilson nominated George on March 28, 1996, as the twenty-seventh Chief Justice of California. Once again he received a rating of "exceptionally well qualified" from the JNE Commission, and the Chief Justice was resoundingly confirmed by the voters in 1998, winning retention by a three-to-one margin.

Chief Justice George's tenure has been a time of fundamental reform for California's court system. As the Chief Justice recalled earlier this year in a speech to the State Bar, he assumed office as Chief Justice in the midst of yet another state financial crisis. "I was determined to improve the fiscal security of the trial courts," he said. Many counties were facing "substantial closures and cutbacks in courtroom and clerk's office services as well as widespread employee layoffs." The Chief Justice's first major goal was achieved the following year when, in the waning hours of its legislative session, the Legislature enacted a bill creating a statewide system of funding for California's courts.

The second major reform of the Chief Justice's tenure came only one year later. When the Chief Justice took office, California's judiciary was a maze of over two hundred different superior and municipal courts. The result -- as the new Chief Justice observed in the course of visiting all fifty-eight of California's counties in those early years of his term -- was overlapping of services and inefficiency. As the Chief Justice recalled earlier this year: "Too often, courts were struggling in solitude to meet their obligations, without anywhere to turn. I found the equivalent of the wheel being reinvented in country after county."

All that changed in 1998 when the electorate approved a constitutional amendment permitting the counties' superior and municipal courts to unify into a single trial court for each county. Within three years, judges in every county had voted to unify.

In 2002, Chief Justice George achieved another major goal with passage of the Trial Court Facilities Act, which transferred responsibility, and in many cases ownership, of the 532 court facilities scattered around the state from the individual counties to the judicial branch. Six years later, a $5 billion revenue bond measure was approved, providing financing for forty long-overdue court construction and modernization programs.

The Chief Justice has received dozens of honors for his service throughout his judicial career. In recent years, these have included the James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Society of Professional Journalists (2003), the Matthew O. Tobriner Public Service Award from the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco (2006), the American Judicature Society's Opperman Award for Judicial Excellence (2006) and the Champion of Justice Award from the Bar Association of San Francisco. In 2009, the Chief Justice was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Join us tomorrow as we conclude our profile with our nominations for the Chief Justice’s most notable opinions.

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Yesterday, in the first post of this series, we considered Chief Justice George’s career prior to his elevation to the bench. Today, we continue with the Chief’s service on the trial bench and the California Court of Appeal.

The Chief Justice was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court on April 20, 1972 by Governor Ronald Reagan. He was thirty-two years old. “I sort of felt and looked like the boy judge,” he told a newspaper reporter in 1996. He served as Supervising Judge of the West Los Angeles Branch of the Court in 1974-75, where he instituted several reforms, including a master court operation and seeing that forms were provided in Spanish translation. He was elected to a six-year term on the court without opposition in 1976.

Chief Justice George was elevated to the Los Angeles Superior Court on December 23, 1977, this time by a Democratic Governor – Jerry Brown. He was elected to six-year terms, again without opposition, in 1978 and 1984.

In 1981, then-Judge George was assigned to preside in the case of the Hillside Strangler, People v. Angelo Buono. The case nearly went off the rails in the pretrial stages when Kenneth Bianchi, an accused accomplice who had entered into a plea bargain agreement requiring him to testify, gave an unbelievable performance on the stand, ultimately testifying that he did not know whether he was telling the truth in saying Angelo was involved in the murders.

Concluding that Bianchi would never withstand cross-examination, the District Attorney’s office responded by moving to dismiss all ten counts of murder against Buono. In a courageous ruling, Judge George denied the motion to dismiss, concluding that there was sufficient evidence to corroborate Bianchi’s testimony and convict Buono. Not long after, the District Attorney withdrew from the prosecution, which was then undertaken by Attorney General George Deukmejian.

The trial was arduous -- jury selection consumed over three months, and the prosecution’s case involved more than a thousand exhibits and two hundred fifty witnesses. The Government’s closing argument took eleven days. But  finally, in the fall of 1983, what was at the time the longest criminal trial in U.S. history concluded with verdicts of guilty against Buono on nine of ten murder counts.

Following the Hillside Strangler case, George became Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division. On July 23, 1987, he was appointed to the Second District of the Court of Appeal, this time by Governor George Deukmejian.

Join us tomorrow as we review Chief Justice George’s nineteen years of service on California’s Supreme Court.

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On January 3, 2011, the twenty-seventh Chief Justice of California, Ronald M. George, will conclude over thirty-eight years of service on the California bench. To mark the retirement of this great California jurist, we begin a four part profile on state's third longest-serving Chief Justice.

Born in March 1940, Chief Justice George graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1957. Following high school, the Chief attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. At the time, he planned to make his career in the Foreign Service.

All that changed at age nineteen, when he spent the summer between his sophomore and junior years in college hiking around West Africa and meeting American diplomats. "Most of them seemed to just be congregating amongst themselves and having very little contact with the local populace and not having much, if any, of an impact on the problems of the area," the Chief Justice recalled in a 1996 newspaper profile.

So he decided to attend law school. "I decided . . . that a law degree would offer the most options for whatever form of public service I might choose to pursue." The Chief Justice graduated from Stanford Law School in 1964.

Following law school, the Chief Justice joined the Attorney General's office as one of then-Attorney General Stanley Mosk's deputies. During seven years in the Attorney General's office, the Chief Justice handled a number of high-profile cases. The Chief was unsuccessful in one of his highest profile cases, People v. Anderson, where the Supreme Court struck down California's death penalty, but he prevailed not long after that in People v. Sirhan, where the Court affirmed the conviction of Sirhan Sirhan for assassinating Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

Chief Justice George served as counsel and argued six cases before the United States Supreme Court, including several which are still familiar to criminal law practitioners: Chimel v. California (invalidating warrantless search of entire house in connection with arrest of burglary suspect); Hill v. California (approving search incident to arrest, although police arrested the wrong person) and McGautha v. California (allowing jury to choose between life or death without governing standards not unconstitutional in capital cases) All together, the Chief Justice handled over one hundred appeals and writs, ending his career in the AG's office with a year as Administrative Assistant in charge of the Los Angeles office.

Join us tomorrow as we turn to the early years of the Chief Justice's judicial career.

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While avoiding the marijuana legalization debates raging in the state, the California Supreme Court confirmed that orders compelling five medical marijuana dispensaries to comply with subpoenas issued by the City of Dana Point were appealable, reversing the dismissal by the Court of Appeal in these consolidated cases. In Dana Point Safe Harbor Collective v. Superior Court, S180365, the Court held that the order enforcing the legislative subpoena and compelling the production of documents was a final order for purposes of an appeal, returning the matter to the Fourth Appellate District, Division Three, of the Court of Appeal for further proceedings. In doing so, the Supreme Court specifically declined to address the ancillary issue of whether an appealing party is entitled to a stay of enforcement of the subpoena pending appeal. Having resolved a split in the Courts of Appeal, the Supreme Court disapproved Bishop v. Merging Capital, Inc.(1996) 49 Cal.App.4th 180, People ex rel. Franchise Tax Bd. v. Superior Court (1985) 164 Cal.App.3d 526, and Barnes v. Molino (1980) 103 Cal.App.3d 46, to the extent they are inconsistent with its holding. For more details regarding Dana Point Safe Harbor Collective, see the Appeals & Writs update page.

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Code of Civil Procedure § 1021.5 allows for the recovery of attorney fees from the opposition under certain circumstances when a successful litigant acts as a private attorney general.  While it was well established that a financial interest in the matter can disqualify a party from an award under § 1021.5, it was disputed as to whether a non-financial interest could also disqualify a successful litigant from such a recovery.  In Conservatorship of Roy Whitley, the Supreme Court unanimously resolved this dispute by holding that “a litigant‘s personal nonpecuniary motives may not be used to disqualify that litigant from obtaining fees” under § 1021.5. In Whitley, the interest of the successful litigant was the appropriate care for her disabled brother, but she had no pecuniary interest as the case involved injunctive relief and the mandatory procedures for transferring a disabled person. It was not disputed that an important public right was at issue. The Supreme Court held that the application of § 1021.5 was conditioned on the “financial burden of private enforcement,” i.e., the existing financial incentives and burdens, and not on any nonpecuniary interest in the outcome.

To the extent they disagree with this conclusion, the Court disapproved of Williams v. San Francisco Bd. of Permit Appeals (1999) 74 Cal.App.4th 961, Families Unafraid to Uphold Rural El Dorado County v. Bd. of Supervisors (2000) 79 Cal.App.4th 505, Hammond v. Agran (2002) 99 Cal.App.4th 115, and Punsly v. Ho (2003) 105 Cal.App.4th 102. For more details about Whitley, see the Attorney Related update page.
 

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With so much press devoted to political candidates and state propositions, there has been little attention to the three California Supreme Court justices who are standing for election tomorrow. Associate Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye, currently sitting on the Third District Court of Appeal, is seeking confirmation of her nomination as the new Chief Justice, while Justices Ming W. Chin and Carlos R. Moreno are seeking to retain their existing positions on the Supreme Court. While a terse profile for all three justices is provided in the Voter’s Guide supplied by the Secretary of State, more detailed profiles are available:

• Associate Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye
  • Official Court Profile
  • Judgepedia
  • News America Media

• Justice Ming W. Chin 
  • Official Court Profile
  • Judgepedia
  • Law.com
     
• Justice Carlos R. Moreno
  • Official Court Profile
  • Judgepedia
  • Our Previous Profile (as a potential nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court)
     

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The California Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument in three civil cases for hearing in Los Angeles in December 2007.

• Cortez v. Abich, which will address the extent of the household domestic service exception to Cal-OHSA (Labor Code section 6300 et seq.) in light of the defendant home owner’s remodeling project, which added a new master bedroom, a new master bath, a new garage in place of a carport, and a new roof. For more details about Cortez, see the Employment – Other update page.

• Sonic-Calabasas A, Inc. v. Moreno, addresses two issues: (1) Can a mandatory employment arbitration agreement be enforced prior to the conclusion of an administrative proceeding conducted by the Labor Commissioner concerning an employee’s statutory wage claim? (2) Was the Labor Commissioner’s jurisdiction over employee’s statutory wage claim divested by the Federal Arbitration Act under Preston v. Ferrer (2008) __ U.S. __, 128 S.Ct. 978? For more details about Sonic-Calabasas A, Inc., see the Employment – Other update page.

• California Farm Bureau Fed. v. California State Water Resources Control Bd., which evaluates Water Code § 1525: (1) Does § 1525, which was amended by the Legislature by majority vote in 2003 to impose annual fees on the persons and entities holding permits and licenses issued by the State Water Resources Control Board, impose an invalid tax or a lawful regulatory fee? (2) If §1525 is valid, may the Water Resources Control Board permissibly collect a fee levied on an entity which has sovereign immunity from a person or entity who has a contract with the immune sovereign? (3) If the statutory scheme is valid, but the regulations implementing it are invalid, did the Court of Appeal err in limiting refunds to only those persons and entities filing petitions for reconsideration before the Water Resources Control Board? For more details about California Farm Bureau Fed., see the Taxation & Assessments update page.

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The Supreme Court has granted review in two civil cases:

• Aryeh v. Canon Business Solutions, Inc., S184929, in which the Court will address the application of the continuing violation doctrine, the continuous accrual doctrine, and the delayed discovery rule to actions brought under the Unfair Competition Law (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17200 et seq.). For more details regarding Aryeh, see the B & P 17200/Class Actions/Commercial update page.

• City of Alhambra v. County of Los Angeles, S185457, in which the Court will address whether a county is barred from taking into account money diverted to a city from the county’s Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund when determining that city’s share of costs incurred by the county in assessing and allocating property taxes. For more details about City of Alhambra, see the Taxation and Assessments update page.
   

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The Court will hear oral argument on four civil cases this November, addressing a variety of issues:

• Cassel v. Superior Court. (Wasserman, Comden, Casselman & Pearson),S178914: (1) Are the private conversations of an attorney and client for the purpose of mediation entitled to confidentiality under Evid. Code §§1115 through 1128? (2) Is an attorney a "participant" in a mediation such that communications between the attorney and his or her client for purposes of mediation must remain confidential under Evid. Code §§1119(c) and 1122(a)(2)? Oral argument is scheduled for 11/2/10. For more details about Cassell, see the Attorney-Related update page

• Kwikset Corp. v. Superior Court, S171845: Does a plaintiff’s allegation that he purchased a product in reliance on the product label’s misrepresentation about a characteristic of the product satisfy the requirement for standing under the Unfair Competition Law (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17200 et seq.) that the plaintiff allege a loss of money or property, or is such a plaintiff unable to allege the required loss of money or property because he obtained the benefit of his bargain by receiving the product in exchange for the payment? Oral argument is scheduled for 11/3/10. For more details about Kwikset, see the Torts & Products update page.

• In re Enforcement Against Dana Point Safe Harbor Collective of City of Dana Point City Council Subpoena, S180365: Is an order compelling compliance with a legislative subpoena issued under Gov. Code § 37104 appealable as a final judgment? This issue is raised in several consolidated matters after the Court of Appeal issued a series of unpublished orders that the underlying was not an appealable order and could only be challenged by petition for extraordinary writ. Oral argument is scheduled for 11/2/10. For more details about these consolidated matters, see the Appeals & Writs update page.

• International Assn. of Firefighters v. Public Employee Relations Bd., S172377: (1) Is the decision by the Public Employee Relations Board not to issue an unfair labor practices complaint under the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (Gov. Code, § 3500 et seq.) subject to judicial review? (2) Is a decision to lay off firefighters for fiscal reasons a matter that is subject to collective bargaining under the Act? Oral argument is scheduled for 11/3/10. For more details about International Assn. of Firefighters, see the Employment -Other update page.
   

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The Court has recently granted review in two civil cases:

• Ralphs Grocery v. United Food & Commercial Workers Union, S185544, in which the Court of Appeal, formerly 186 Cal.App.4th 1078, held that the state cannot force the owner or possessor of real property that is not a public forum to give an uninvited group (in this case, a union) access to private property to engage in speech based on the content of the speech, in light of the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U. S. Constitution. The Supreme Court will also address whether the parking area and walkway in front of the entrance to plaintiff’s retail store, which is part of a larger shopping center, constitute a public forum under Robins v. Pruneyard Shopping Center and its progeny. For more details, see the Civil Rights update page.

• American Nurses Ass. v. O'Connell, S184583, in which the Court of Appeal, formerly at 185 Cal.App.4th 393, held that current California law does not allow designated voluntary school personnel, who are not licensed nurses, to administer insulin to diabetic students who require the injections under a Section 504 Plan (29 U.S.C. § 794; 34 C.F.R. § 104.1 et seq.) or Individualized Education Program (IEP) (20 U.S.C. § 1414(d)), and affirmed an injunction barring the practice. The Supreme Court will also address whether state law is preempted by federal law requiring equal access to education. For more details, see the Other update page.
   

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The California Supreme Court has released its annual report describing the operations of the Court from 2009 to 2010. The Court issued 105 opinions in this period, 42 of which were in civil cases. However, this does not account for the 30 habeas corpus petitions denied by order, so the court’s workload continues to be dominated by criminal matters. While the total filings with the court increased to 9,917 (from 9,556), the court’s output was reduced from 110 opinions in the prior year, and total dispositions decreased by almost 2%. One factor might have been the mandatory furlough, which decreased total work hours by over 4%. In addition, the last conference of the court was delayed into the next fiscal year to accommodate judicial confirmation hearings. Interestingly, the number of civil petitions for review decreased to 1,219 (from 1,307). This was offset by an increase in criminal filings, particularly habeas corpus petitions in non-capital criminal matters. Depublication orders reached a record low of four, beating the previous record of ten in 2007-2008. This compares to the 1980’s and early 1990’s, in which the court regularly depublished over 100 opinions each year. The Court issued a single publication order.

This follows a report by the AOC Office of Court Research on the fiscal year 2009, which shows that filings in the California Superior Court topped 10 million for the first time, a 7% increase from 2008 and a 20% increase over the last ten years. This reflects an increase in each major category (civil, criminal, family and juvenile) although the largest increase was in civil filings –with unlimited civil filings increasing more than 17% and limited civil filings increasing almost 14%. The increase in unlimited civil filings was largely driven by nontort cases, as the number of tort cases filed only increased by 2%. While data on unlimited filings in incomplete, a similar trend is apparent.
 

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• Pineda v. Bank of America addresses the controlling statute of limitations over a claim to recover penalties for the late payment of final wages and whether such penalties can be recovered under Bus. & Prof. Code § 17203. For more details on Pineda, see the Employment – Compensation & Benefits update page.

• Conservatorship of Roy W addresses whether a prevailing party can be denied attorney fees under C.C.P. § 1021.5 because the prevailing party had a significant non-pecuniary personal interest in the outcome of the litigation. For more details on Roy W, see the Attorney-Related update page.

• Martinez v. Regents of University of California addresses a challenge by out-of-state U.S. citizens regarding the validity under federal law of Education Code § 68130.5, which provides that undocumented aliens are exempt under certain circumstances from paying the nonresident tuition at State University and California Community Colleges which out-of-state U.S. citizens are required to pay. For more details on Martinez, see the Other update page.
   

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The Supreme Court has granted review to again address preemption, this time in the timely area of consumer protection and banking. In Parks v. MBNA American Bank, the Court of Appeal reversed a judgment on the pleadings, finding that Civil Code § 1748.9, a state consumer protection law which mandates specific notice requirements regarding the use of preprinted checks (aka convenience checks) as an advance on credit card accounts, was not preempted by the National Bank Act (12 U.S.C. § 21 et seq.) on its face. For more details about Parks, see the B & P 17200/Class Actions/Commercial update page.

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The California Commission on Judicial Appointments has unanimously confirmed the nomination of Associate Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye, of the Third Appellate District of the Court of Appeal (Sacramento), as the new Chief Justice of California.

In the same session, the Commission also confirmed by unanimous vote: 

• The appointment of Judge Louis R. Mauro, of the Superior Court of Sacramento County, as an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District

• The nomination of Judge Carol D. Codrington, of the Superior Court of Riverside County, as an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Two (Riverside).

• The nomination of Associate Justice Brad R. Hill, of the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District (Fresno), as Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District.

Justices Cantil-Sakauye, Codrington and Hill will stand for election in their new positions in the November 2010 election.
 

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• Murray v. Alaska Airlines, Inc. holds that collateral estoppel applies to the administrative findings of a federal agency when those findings were subject to objection and judicial review that was never pursued, resulting in a final nonappealable order based on those findings. The Court found that in a subsequent civil lawsuit, those administrative findings have an issue-preclusive effect against the claimant who failed to challenge those findings and allowed them to become a final order and also failed to take any steps to withdraw his administrative complaint. For more details about Murray, see the Civil Procedure/Evidence/Discovery update page.

• Ruiz v. Podolsky holds that an arbitration agreement between a patient and treating physician extends to compel the heirs of that patient to arbitrate a wrongful death lawsuit when the agreement so extends by its own terms. The Court found that this result was compelled by C.C.P. § 1295, which by its terms intended to extend the arbitration of medical malpractice allegations to wrongful death claims. For more details about Ruiz, see the ADR update page.
   

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Labor Code § 351 bars an employer from collecting any gratuity that is left for an employee. Previous cases have addressed whether various tip pooling systems (i.e. systems which pool gratuities for division among a set of employees) operated by the employer are permitted under Labor Code § 351. Facing a split in the Court of Appeal on the existence of a private cause of action by the employee, the Supreme Court did not address the issue of whether the tip pooling system imposed in Lu v. Hawaiian Garden Casino was permitted. Instead, the Court unanimously ruled that Labor Code § 351 does not authorize a private right of action to sue an employer for allegedly taking gratuities. Finding no statutory language or legislative intent to provide such a remedy, the Court declined to create one. For more details about Lu, see the Employment-Compensation & Benefits update page.

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In Clark v. Superior Court, the Supreme Court considered the claims of elderly plaintiffs under California’s unfair competition law, Business & Professions Code, § 17200 et seq., which sought treble damages under Civil Code § 3345. Under Civil Code § 3345, which is part of the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, the trier of fact is authorized to impose a penalty (i.e. a remedy intended to punish or deter) three times greater than otherwise provided for by the authorizing statute, when considering specified types of conduct regarding claims brought by or on behalf of elderly or disabled persons. If the statute does not provide a specific amount, then the trier of fact is authorized to increase the penalty it would otherwise have imposed, up to triple the original amount. The Court first ruled that § 3345 is not limited to claims brought under the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, but applies as a penalty enhancement for any claim which satisfies the terms of § 3345. However, following this statutory language, only “penalties” are potentially tripled, not compensatory damages. As such, the Court also ruled that § 3345 does not apply to claims brought under Business & Professions Code §17200, et seq., since the only monetary award provided for there is for restitution, which is not a “penalty” by definition. For more details about the Clark case, see the B & P 17200/Class Actions/Commercial update page.

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The California Supreme Court has accepted review in Rossa v. D.L. Falk Construction, to review the issue of whether California Rules of Court, rule 8.278(d)(1)(F), which permits a successful appellant to recover "the cost to obtain a letter of credit as collateral," allows the recovery of interest paid on sums borrowed to fund a letter of credit used to secure a surety bond. The Court of Appeal denied the claim, finding no statutory basis for awarding such costs. In doing so, Rossa first distinguished Cooper v. Westbrook Torrey Hills (2000) 81 Cal.App.4th 1294, which allowed the recovery of interest incurred in making a cash deposit pending appeal. However, Rossa then went on to “question its holding,” referring to the “obvious faultline” in Cooper’s analysis, arguing that Cooper is “further undermined” by a lack of statutory support and that it “stands as a conspicuous exception to the principles that costs are awarded only if statutorily authorized, and that such statutes are strictly construed.” Presumably, the Supreme Court accepted review in Rossa with the intention of resolving this conflict between the First and Fourth Districts. For more procedural details about the review in Rossa, see the Appeals & Writs update page.

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In Reid v. Google, the California Supreme Court addressed and resolved a well-known procedural trap for California attorneys: if you file your objections to your opponent’s evidence on a summary judgment motion, but the trial court never specifically rules on them, are the objections preserved on appeal? The Supreme Court’s answer: “yes.”

In opposing a summary judgment motion, Google made numerous written objections to its opponent’s evidence (175, in fact). The trial court failed to specifically rule on the objections, merely stating that it was “relying only on competent and admissible evidence” pursuant to Biljac. After reviewing the legislative history of C.C.P. § 437c  , the Court found that once an objection is properly made, it is not waived on appeal. If the trial court fails to rule on the objection it is considered overruled and the trial court is presumed to have considered the evidence, but the objection is preserved for appeal.

In doing so, the Supreme Court disapproved: 1) bothAnn M. and Sharon P. to the extent they each hold that the failure of the trial court to rule on objections to summary judgment evidence waives those objections on appeal; 2) Biljac to the extent it permits the trial court to avoid ruling on specific evidentiary objections; and 3) numerous court of appeal decisions which were contrary to this ruling (see footnote 7 of the opinion). For more procedural history of Reid v. Google, see the Summary Judgment update page.
 

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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has named Associate Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye of the California Court of Appeal as his choice to replace the retiring Hon. Ronald M. George as Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court.

Governor Schwarzenegger praised Justice Cantil-Sakauye's record in announcing the nomination:

Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has a distinguished history of public service and understands that the role of a justice is not to create law, but to independently and fairly interpret and administer the law.

Justice Cantil-Sakauye has served on the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento since 2005. Prior to joining the Court of Appeal, she was a superior court judge and earlier a municipal court judge, serving in each position for seven years. Justice Cantil-Sakauye was a deputy district attorney for Sacramento County from 1984 to 1988, before serving for two years in Governor Deukmejian’s administration.

Justice Cantil-Sakauye is a member of the California Judicial Council, where she serves as Vice Chair of the Rules and Projects Committee, chair of the Advisory Committee on Financial Accountability and Efficiency and co-chair of the Judicial Recruitment and Retention Working Group. She has served as a Special Master since 2007, appointed by the Supreme Court to conduct disciplinary proceedings before the Commission on Judicial Performance.

"It is a privilege and a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to serve as Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court," said Justice Cantil-Sakauye. “I deeply respect the inspirational and visionary work of Chief Justice Ronald George and hope to build upon it.”

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California Chief Justice Ronald M. George has announced today that he will be retiring from the Court, effective January 2, 2011. We will have a profile of this great California jurist soon.

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In Tverberg v. Fillner Construction, Inc., the Supreme Court resolved a conflict in the lower courts by holding that the peculiar risk doctrine does not make a hiring party liable for workplace injuries of an independent contractor or subcontractor. In doing so, the Court departed from the rationale in Privette, holding instead that an independent contractor, unlike an employee, has the ability to determine the manner in which inherently dangerous construction work will be performed, and thus assumes legal responsibility for carrying out the contracted work, including the selection of workplace safety precautions. Having assumed responsibility for workplace safety, an independent contractor is barred from holding a hiring party vicariously liable for injuries resulting from the contractor’s own failure to effectively guard against the inherent risks of the contracted work. As such, the Court reversed, while upholding the result, if not the specific rationale, in Michael v. Denbeste Transp., Inc. (2006) 137 Cal.App.4th 1082. For more Tverberg case history, see theTorts & Products update page.

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In Kleffman v. Vonage Holdings Corp., the Court addressed a legal question from the Ninth Circuit regarding the application of Business and Professions Code §17529.5(a)(2) to spam e-mails that were being sent from multiple domain names to avoid spam filters. While this statute bars spam which “contains or is accompanied by falsified, misrepresented, or forged header information” in an effort to curtail an explosion of spam traffic, the Court held that merely using multiple domain names did not violate this restriction, making the statute inapplicable unless the e-mail ran afoul of its restriction for some other reason. For more Kleffman case history, see the B & P 17200/Class Actions/Commercial update page.

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Last week the Supreme Court granted review in six civil cases, covering a wide variety of issues:

• Coito v. Superior Court, which addresses when witness statements are protected from discovery as work product. See Civil Procedure/Evidence/Discovery update.

• Professional Engineers in California Government v. Schwarzenegger, which the Supreme Court transferred on its own motion before the Court of Appeal ruled on the issues raised, in order to expedite review of the Governor’s ability to mandate a furlough program on state employees. See Employment – Compensation & Benefits update.

• SeaBright Ins. Co. v. U.S. Airways, Inc., which addresses the ability of an injured employee of an independent contractor to hold the hirer of the contractor liable for the breach of statutory or regulatory non-delegable duty. See Torts & Products update.

• Oasis West Realty, LLC v. Goldman, which addresses counsel’s duty of loyalty to a former client when there is no subsequent representation and the attorney is acting on his or her own behalf. See Attorney-Related update.

• St. John’s Well Child & Family Center v. Schwarzenegger, which addresses the application of the governor’s line item veto to mid-year bills that reduce appropriations. See Other update.

• Episcopal Church Cases, in which the court returns to a case already reviewed to address whether the Court of Appeal properly implemented the court’s opinion. See Civil Procedure/Evidence/Discovery update.
   

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In Martinez, the unanimous California Supreme Court affirmed the rulings of the lower courts by rejecting an attempt by agricultural workers to collect unpaid wages from food distributors who bought produce from that farm. In doing so, the court reviewed the history and jurisdiction of the Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) and its work orders from 1916 to the present. The Court found that a civil action for unpaid wages authorized by Labor Code section 1194 was properly directed only to employers, and rejected attempts to expand the definition of "employ" as historically used by the IWC. For more Martinez case history, see the Employment-Compensation & Benefits update page.

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In March 2009, the California Supreme Court granted review in Hertz to address the issue of whether a worker’s inability to participate in vocational rehabilitation due to nonindustrial causes should be apportioned under Labor Code sections 4663 and 4664, as they were amended in 2004 by SB 899. The Court of Appeal had ruled that the statute required apportionment. (see H032438.) Briefing was complete, including several amicus briefs, and the matter was presumably waiting for oral argument. However, the Supreme Court has now dismissed this matter under Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.528(b). As such, unless the court orders otherwise, the Court of Appeal opinion will remain unpublished

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In Simpson Strong-Tie Company, Inc., a manufacturer brought suit against an attorney who ran an advertisement regarding possible claims against the manufacturer's products and the trial court granted counsel's anti-SLAPP motion to strike. The California Supreme Court has now affirmed the judgment, holding that: 1) the plaintiff has the burden of proof in demonstrating the application of the commercial speech exception found in C.C.P. § 425.17(c) to anti-SLAPP motions and 2) the subject advertisement by counsel regarding potential claims against specified product manufacturers was not a statement by counsel “consisting of representations of fact about that person’s [i.e., counsel's] or a business competitor’s business operations, goods, or services.” As such, the advertisement did not fall within the commercial speech exception, and the manufacturer’s action was subject to an anti-SLAPP motion to strike. For more information regarding Simpson Strong-Tie Company, Inc., see the Civil Procedure/Evidence/Discovery update.

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In its weekly conference, see list of actions, the California Supreme Court granted review in:

• Jankey v. Lee, in which the Court of Appeal held that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not preempt Civil Code § 55, which entitles the prevailing defendant to attorney's fees upon defeating a claim for injunctive relief under the California Disabled Persons Act. See Attorney-Related update page.

• Diaz v. Carcamo, in which the Court of Appeal rejected an employer's argument that by conceding its liability under respondeat superior it was shielded from a claim that it was independently negligent in its hiring and retention of that same employee. See Torts & Products update page. In doing so, the Court of Appeal in Diaz distinguished two prior cases which held that an employer is protected from a claim of negligent entrustment upon such a concession. See Armenta v. Churchill (1954) 42 Cal.2d 448 and Jeld-Wen, Inc. v. Superior Court (2005) 131 Cal.App.4th 853.

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The California Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument in seven civil cases, five at the end of May and two in Los Angeles at the beginning of June. These hearings should address a wide variety of issues, including:

• Do employees have a private right of action against employers who take some of the tips? See the Lu case in the Employment-Compensation & Benefits update.
• Should CA recognize the "Stray Remarks" Rule in discrimination cases? See the Reid case in the Employment - Other update.
• Can an insured sue an insurer for fraudulently inducing settlement and seek to avoid the release without returning the money already paid? See the Village Northridge Homeowners Assn. case in the Insurance update.
• Does an administrative proceeding constitute a “suit” to trigger insurance coverage? See the Ameron Internat. Corp. case in the Insurance update.  
• Are non-signatory heirs bound by an arbitration agreement signed by the decedent? See the Ruiz case in the ADR update.
• Does the damages enhancement for actions brought by elderly plaintiffs apply to §17200 actions? See Clark case in the Damages update.
• Are evidentiary objections not expressly ruled on regarding an MSJ motion preserved for appeal? See the Reid case in the Appeals & Writs update.
• What is the preclusive effect of the investigatory findings of a federal agency? See the Murray case in the Civil Procedure/Evidence/Discovery update.

These cases represent about 10% of the civil cases currently under review by the Court.

Update: Oral argument in Ameron has been continued to the September 2010 calendar.

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In Runyon, the unanimous California Supreme Court ruled that whistleblowers employed with California State University do not have to exhaust their judicial remedies (i.e., petition for a writ of mandate) to bring a suit for damages, so long as they first exhaust their administrative remedies. While this ruling is consistent with previous whistleblower rulings by the high court, it expressly overturns the Court of Appeal opinion in Ohton insofar as it is inconsistent. While not mentioned, this instruction necessarily applies equally to Ohton II , which recently reaffirmed the portion of the original opinion addressed in Runyon. For more Runyon case history, see the Employment-Other update page.

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In Pearson Dental Supplies, Inc. v. Sup. Ct., the court considered an arbitrator’s decision, pursuant to a mandatory arbitration agreement, that an employee’s discrimination claim was time barred. Since by failing to apply the tolling statute CCP § 1281.12, the arbitrator had committed “a clear error of law” which would deprive the employee of any review on the merits “of an unwaivable statutory employment claim,” the California Supreme Court ruled that the trial court could vacate the award. At the same time, the Court rejected an argument to strike down the arbitration agreement as a whole because it barred access to administrative remedies and set a one year limitations period. In concluding that it was “reasonably susceptible to a lawful interpretation,” the Court interpreted the restriction on administrative remedies as affecting only adjudicative agencies, such as the Labor Commissioner, while not affecting prosecutory agencies, such as the FEHA. For more case history, see the ADR update page.

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In conference Wednesday (see list of actions), the Court granted review in Save the Plastic Bag Coalition v. City of Manhattan Beach, in which the Court of Appeal upheld vacating a city ordinance banning the use of plastic bags because an environmental impact report was not prepared. See the Environmental update page. In addition, the Court granted review in Harris v. City of Santa Monica, in which the Court of Appeal reversed a plaintiff’s judgment for discrimination because the trial court had failed to give an instruction on mixed motives for her discharge. See Employment – Other update page. In a previous action outside of the weekly conference, the Court asked for additional briefing in Reid v. Google addressing exactly how a party can preserve evidentiary objections so that they are “made at the hearing.” See the Civil Procedure/Evidence/Discovery update page.
 

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Demonstrating the potential significance and broad implications of the California Supreme Court's deliberations in Loeffler v. Target Corporation, so far a total of nine amicus briefs have been filed on behalf of sixteen entities addressing the issue of whether a taxpayer can directly bring suit against a retailer who allegedly charged a sales tax on transactions that were not taxable. The concerned entities unwilling to wait on the sidelines range from consumer groups and taxpayer advocates to statewide and national retailers, as well as the California Attorney General and the California State Board of Equalization. Some of these had also filed briefs with the Court of Appeal, which barred the taxpayer claim.

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Appellate Strategist has posted several times in the last week about names being discussed as possible nominees to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. But a list of names, however important, says little about the nominees. We therefore begin our series of short profiles of those whose names top the list. We begin with Carlos Moreno, an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court.

The recipient of a B.A. in political science from Yale University (1970) and a 1975 J.D. from Stanford Law School, Carlos Moreno served in the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, prosecuting criminal and civil consumer protection cases. In 1979, he joined a private firm, representing clients in general commercial litigation. He has a solid background as a trial judge, having served on the Los Angeles Superior Court and the U.S. District Court of Appeal, Central District of California. He was appointed to the California Supreme Court in 2001.

Moreno’s standing as a legal scholar is beyond dispute. He has a well-deserved reputation for integrity that cuts across ideological boundaries, and a good judicial temperament, though he has been known to politely but firmly challenge attorneys who make bald statements about legal propositions, often asking “what’s your authority for that, counsel?” (That is not a criticism, by the way.) He construes statutes as they are written, even if he disagrees with the underlying policy, subscribing to the (sometimes novel) view that that is a jurist’s job. His substantive specialties include criminal cases and arbitration.

Join us below the jump for a sampling of recent opinions he has authored.

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In conference today (see list of actions), the Court granted review in Brown v. Mortensen, in which the Court of Appeal found that the Fair Credit Reporting Act preempted the restrictions imposed by the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act.  See B & P 17200/Class Actions/Commercial update page.  In addition, the Court also requested supplemental briefing in Murray v. Alaska Airlines, Inc. regarding the application, if any, its decision in McDonald v. Antelope Valley Community College Dist. (2008) 45 Cal.4th 88. See Civil Procedure/Evidence/Discovery update page.

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Statistics show that the number of civil cases accepted for review by California’s highest court has varied dramatically in recent years, but by any count, the numbers are still small.

According to a report released by the State’s Administrative Office of the Courts, for the year 2008, the California Supreme Court granted 6% of all civil petitions for review, down from 8% the previous year (2007) but up from the mere 3% granted in 2006. 

For 2008, out of a total of 5,989 civil petitions, the court
• denied just over 5,400
• outright granted 82
• granted and held 210
• granted and transferred 51 back to the intermediate court of appeal. 

These numbers may seem exceedingly low, but consider that many litigants just don’t understand the court’s limited function in reviewing decisions of the lower courts.  Review by the California Supreme Court is discretionary.  As a judicial policy maker, the court typically accepts only those issues that may affect other litigants or when necessary to resolve a conflict in the published decisions.  But many litigants do not understand this unique function, choosing to seek review even when they cannot satisfy these special requirements.  Thus, a great many petitions are denied out of hand.

Maximizing the chances for review:  read and comply with the court’s special requirements.  Follow the rules.  List the issue presented first, followed by an explanation of why this case deserves to be one of the select few that should make the cut.  The petition for review is less a legal document, explaining why the petitioner should win under the law, than it is a persuasive plea on why the court should hear the case.

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