California Courts of Appeal Decisions
Recent Decisions From the California Courts of Appeal
Date: October 15, 2021
Docket Number: A159790
Justia Opinion Summary: Janitors worked for VPM providing janitorial services at a residential complex (the Site). VPM and the Union executed an agreement, providing that, if VPM terminated its janitorial contract with the Site, VPM would offer...
Date: October 15, 2021
Docket Number: B306652
Justia Opinion Summary: Morales accepted a full-time position at Factor, a flooring store, in 2016. His duties included cleaning the warehouse, accepting shipments, making deliveries to job site locations, picking up tile from distributors, and...
Date: October 15, 2021
Docket Number: C089534
Justia Opinion Summary: Peggy Baltar’s home was destroyed by wildfire in 2014. She had a new house built on the same property. Her insurer, CSAA Insurance Exchange (CSAA), paid the full amount charged by her contractor for construction of the n...
Date: October 15, 2021
Docket Number: D078852
Justia Opinion Summary: The Travelers Indemnity Company of Connecticut (Travelers) appealed an order sustaining demurrers filed by Navigators Specialty Insurance Company (Navigators) and Mt. Hawley Insurance Company (Mt. Hawley) to the third am...
Date: October 14, 2021
Docket Number: B304655
Justia Opinion Summary: The court of appeal consolidated appeals from three attorneys’ fees motions by a judgment creditor (Wertheim) seeking over $800,000 for its efforts to enforce a 2009 judgment entered after a jury awarded it approximately...
Date: October 14, 2021
Docket Number: D078848
Justia Opinion Summary: During the guilt phase of a bifurcated trial, a jury found Linde Smith guilty of second-degree murder, and found true a deadly weapon enhancement allegation. Smith’s mother, Anne Smith (Anne), was the victim. During the...
Date: October 13, 2021
Docket Number: A158648
Justia Opinion Summary: Gray received emergency medical care at St. Mary Medical Center, owned and operated by Dignity Health. He received a bill that included an “ ‘ER LEVEL 2 W/PROCEDU’ ” charge. Gray claims Dignity’s failure to disclose, be...
Date: October 13, 2021
Docket Number: C088045
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant Tevita Kaihea was convicted by jury of first degree murder and other offenses involving a crime spree preceding the murder. The trial court sentenced defendant to an aggregated prison term of 111 years and cour...
Date: October 13, 2021
Docket Number: D078112
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs Ryan and Genevieve Weeden appealed a judgment entered in favor of defendant William Hoffman after the trial court granted Hoffman’s anti-SLAPP motion with respect to the Weedens’ complaint against Hoffman for...
Date: October 13, 2021
Docket Number: F079081
Justia Opinion Summary: Contreras was charged with rape and forcible oral copulation but was convicted only of misdemeanor battery (Pen. Code 242) as a lesser included offense of the rape charge. The trial court placed him on probation and exer...
Date: October 12, 2021
Docket Number: A160973
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2001, Sands was 24 years old when he committed special circumstance murder (Penal Code 187, 190.2(a)(10)) and was sentenced to a prison term of life without the possibility of parole. The trial court denied his motion...
Date: October 12, 2021
Docket Number: B308889
Justia Opinion Summary: Mitchell sued Twin Galaxies for defamation and false light after Twin Galaxies issued a statement asserting Mitchell’s world record scores in the Donkey Kong arcade game were not achieved on original unmodified hardware...
Date: October 12, 2021
Docket Number: G059110
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant-appellant Tyrus Jenkins was convicted by jury of first-degree burglary of a residence with a person present, second degree burglary of a car, attempted unlawful taking of the car, and misdemeanor possession of...
Date: October 12, 2021
Docket Number: H045791
Justia Opinion Summary: Ordinances banning “land uses in support of” new oil and gas wells and “land uses in support of” wastewater injection in unincorporated areas of Monterey County were enacted as part of Measure Z, an initiative sponsored...
