Civil Procedure

The federal Food and Drug Act preempts plaintiffs' state law claims based on the drug manufacturers' alleged failure to assure that patients received Medication Guides (which are part of the FDA-approved drug label).  The FDA leaves enforcement of regulations dealing with drug labels in the FDA's hands, barring private suits to enforce FDA regulations.  Under California law, drug manufacturers have… Read More

An employer's arbitration clause was unconscionable and couldn't be saved by severance.  It required the employee to pay costs he would not incur in a court suit--a $250 filing fee and cost of a postponement if he requested one, neither of which could be shifted to the employer if the employee prevailed.  The clause also provided for an appeal to… Read More

An order compelling arbitration is not a final judgment entitled to res judicata or collateral estoppel effect because it cannot be appealed until after judgment is entered confirming the arbitration award. Read More

If a respondent fails to file a notice of defense to an accusation by the ABC Bd., it may act based on its own evidence.  However, the ALJ has discretion to hold an evidentiary hearing even if no notice of defense is filed, and the board may vacate a decision if a motion requesting relief for inadvertence, surprise or excusable… Read More

A 998 offer automatically expire when a trial court orally grants the offeror’s summary judgment motion.  The offer cannot be accepted after the oral ruling. Read More

Under CCP 340.1(b), a plaintiff may obtain treble damages against a person whose cover up is found to be the cause of a sexual assault on a child through a concerted effort to hide evidence relating to childhood sexual assault.  This decision holds that the treble damage provision does not apply retroactively.  The statute espressly makes the lengthened statute of… Read More

Though not limited by US Const. Art. III case or controversy standing requirements, California court apply prudential standing requirements.  Absent a statutory grant of standing to represent the general public, a plaintiff must generally show that he has a beneficial interest in the claim he pursues.  A statute like FCRA that allows for statutory damages that are intended to compensate… Read More

Both parts of the Discovery Act's sanctions chapter, CCP 2023.010 lists the types of discovery abuses the Legislature sought to preclude, and CCP 2023.030 lists the types of sanctions that can be awarded if authorized by a later section governing a specific discovery device, but neither of these general sections, in itself or combined with each other, authorizes imposition of… Read More

Reversing summary judgment on plaintiff's whistleblower retaliation claims under Lab. Code 1102.5, this decision holds that (a) the employee's reports to his supervisor and to the federal contracting officer that he thought he was being asked to prepare reports that violated NEPA was activity protected by section 1102.5--even though plaintiff claimed that the persons he reported to were wrong-doers. Read More

Following Van Patten v. Vertical Fitness Group, LLC (9th Cir. 2017) 847 F.3d 1037, this decision holds that a person who receives a non-consented-to robocall in violation of the TCPA has Article III standing since the claim is similar to a common law claim for invasion of privacy and is statutorily protected. Read More

This decision holds that there is a constitutional limit on aggregate statutory damage awards even if the statutory damage per violation passes constitutional muster.  An aggregate damage award may exceed due process limits in extreme situations—that is, when they are “wholly disproportioned” and “obviously unreasonable” in relation to the goals of the statute and the conduct the statute prohibits.  Constitutional… Read More

In these individual lawsuits arising from VW's emission defeat devices, the district court erred in reducing the juries' punitive damage awards to 4 times actual damages.  Reprehensibility here was high--a years-long intentional deceit that defeated the fuel-economy and reduced emissions goals of car buyers.  The high reprehensibility plus relatively low actual damages warranted punitive damages of more than 4 to… Read More

The trial court erred in granting Staples summary judgment on plaintiff's Equal Pay Act claim under Lab. Code § 1197.5.  Following federal cases, this decision holds that a plaintiff can establish a prima facie case of an Equal Pay Act violation by showing she was paid less than a single male comparator.  It is not a defense to show that… Read More

Plaintiff, a public interest group that was not itself harmed, sued two immigration consultants who had posted statutory bonds issued by Hudson as required under the Immigration Consultant Act (Bus. & Prof. Code 22440 et seq.), seeking injunctive relief for violation of that act.  This decision holds that plaintiff cannot recover its attorney fees from the surety, Hudson, because the… Read More

Following Sutter Health v. Superior Court (2014) 227 Cal.App.4th 1546, this decision holds that to state a claim under Civ. Code 556.36 and 56.101 for negligence in storing or disposing of medical information, the plaintiff must allege not just that the defendant negligently lost (or lost control of) confidential information about the plaintiff but also that the information was viewed… Read More

In a Workplace Violence Protective Order hearing, the trial court must allow the parties (and here, particularly the defendant) an opportunity to present any relevant evidence, including through cross-examination of the plaintiff's witness(es).  Here, the trial court disallowed cross-examination, thus violating the defendant's due process rights and requiring reversal of the anti-harassment injunction. Read More

Doubling down on LaSalle v. Vogel (2019) 36 Cal.App.5th 127, this decision holds that plaintiff's counsel owes an ethical and legal obligation to notify the defendant's counsel (if known) of the defendant's failure to timely respond to the complaint and plaintiff's intention to seek a default.  Here, plaintiff not only didn't notify defendant's counsel, but also arranged to serve the… Read More

A setoff under CCP 431.70 must be asserted as an affirmative defense in the answer to a complaint.  A party may not assert a setoff under that section in a post-judgment motion.  A judgment debtor may not use a non-statutory post-judgment motion as a means of obtaining an offset against the judgment based on disputed claims. Read More

This decision affirms an order enforcing a settlement agreement that resolved 20 medical malpractice actions--even though the agreement for liquidated damages of $50,000 per month up to a cap of $1.5 million if the defendant failed to timely pay the installments due under the $575,000 settlement amount.  The opinion emphasizes that under Civ. Code 1781(b), which applies to contracts other… Read More

Plaintiff came to defendant's emergency room and was given an MRI without first checking to see if he had metal implants.  He did and was burned as a result of the procedure.  This decision affirms JNOV on plaintiff's elder abuse claim.  Plaintiff could not show a case of "neglect" since defendant did not have care or custody of plaintiff.  The… Read More