Supreme Court of California Justia
Docket No. S215990
Gaines v. Fidelity National Title Ins.

Filed 2/25/16



IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA



MILTON HOWARD GAINES,

Plaintiff and Appellant,

S215990

v.

Ct.App. 2/8 B244961

FIDELITY NATIONAL TITLE

INSURANCE COMPANY et al.,

Los Angeles County

Defendants and Respondents. )

Super. Ct. No. BC361768





Plaintiff‘s lawsuit was dismissed for failure to comply with Code of Civil

Procedure1 section 583.310, which requires that an action ―be brought to trial

within five years after the action is commenced against the defendant.‖ The issue

here is whether the statute was tolled by an order entered pursuant to the parties‘

agreement. The order struck the trial date and ―stayed‖ the proceedings while the

parties engaged in mediation and completed all outstanding discovery.

In computing the five-year time frame, the court must exclude any period

when the ―[p]rosecution or trial of the action was stayed or enjoined.‖ (§ 583.340,

subd. (b), hereafter section 583.340(b).) The court must also exclude any time

when it was ―impossible, impracticable, or futile‖ to bring the case to trial.

(§ 583.340, subd. (c), hereafter section 583.340(c).) The trial court held that


1

All further undesignated statutory references are to the Code of Civil

Procedure.

SEE DISSENTING OPINION


neither of those tolling provisions saved this case from dismissal. The Court of

Appeal affirmed the dismissal as to all but one defendant. We affirm the Court of

Appeal‘s judgment. As explained in greater detail below, the statutory framework

and our own case law recognize that a stay can be either partial or complete. A

complete stay will operate to automatically toll the five-year period. A partial stay

will not do so unless it results in a circumstance of impossibility, impracticability,

or futility. We conclude that the court‘s order did not effect a complete stay of the

prosecution of the action. Nor did the order create a circumstance of

impracticability because plaintiff agreed to it, remained in control of the

circumstances, and made meaningful progress towards resolving the case during

the stay period. Accordingly, the period of the ―mediation stay‖ did not toll the

five-year period.

I. BACKGROUND

Fannie Marie Gaines and her husband, Milton, owned a home in Los

Angeles with an appraised value of $1.25 million. They held over $500,000 in

equity in the property. A $554,000 loan with Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.

(Countrywide) was secured by a first deed of trust. The Gaineses fell behind in

their mortgage payments, received two notices of default from Countrywide, and

failed in their attempts to refinance. Facing foreclosure, they agreed to sell the

property to Tornberg, Johnson, and Ray Management (Tornberg) with an option to

lease the property and repurchase it. Tornberg obtained loans that were secured by

the property and subsequently transferred to various entities. The complaint here

alleges that Tornberg and others involved in the transaction deceived the couple

into selling their home under threat of foreclosure.

Milton died before the suit was filed. Mrs. Gaines filed a complaint on

November 13, 2006, alleging negligence, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional

distress, and failure to follow home equity sales contract requirements contained in

2

the Civil Code. She sought rescission and cancellation of the deed transferring

ownership of the property.

Once begun, the suit followed an involved procedural journey. Amended

complaints and answers were filed and defendants substituted. In November 2009

Mrs. Gaines died and her son, Milton Howard Gaines, was substituted as

successor in interest.2 An extended dispute subsequently arose concerning

whether one of the defendants, Aurora Loan Services, LLC (Aurora) held legal

title to the property. Aurora originally admitted holding title, but subsequently

urged that Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. (Lehman), by then in bankruptcy, was

the actual owner. Much delay resulted from disputes over that question and

plaintiff‘s ultimate motion for relief from Lehman‘s bankruptcy stay. We need not

delve into those complexities to resolve the question before us.

On May 19, 2012, Fidelity National Title Insurance Company (Fidelity)

moved to dismiss for failure to bring the action to trial within the five-year time

frame required by section 583.310. When the motion was filed, the case had been

pending for approximately five and a half years. A trial date was scheduled for

August 6, 2012. At no time did Gaines move to advance the trial date.

In opposition to the motion, Gaines claimed the five-year period had been

tolled several times. In computing the period of pendency, the trial court excluded

two months for the delay resulting from Mrs. Gaines‘s death, and 125 days during

which plaintiff sought relief from Lehman‘s bankruptcy stay. Those rulings are

not disputed here. However, the court did not exclude the time during which the

court had vacated the trial date and ordered a 120-day stay of proceedings to


2

For clarity and ease of reading, we simply refer to plaintiff as Gaines

throughout the opinion except as it becomes necessary to distinguish between
Fannie Marie and her son, Milton.

3

permit the parties to engage in mediation. It concluded that, because this

mediation period did not support tolling, the scheduled trial date exceed the five-

year limitation by 82 days. The case was ultimately dismissed in its entirety on

August 24, 2012.

The facts relevant to the question before us are undisputed. In April 2008

Gaines applied for an order to vacate a September 2008 trial date, which was

scheduled to occur less than two years into the pendency of the litigation. The

application stated that all parties had agreed to vacate the trial date, to stay the

action for 120 days, and to participate in mediation. The parties agreed that

responses to pending discovery requests would not be stayed. Consistent with this

agreement, the trial court‘s April 3, 2008 order: (1) ―struck‖ the current trial date

of September 22, 2008; (2) ―stayed [the case] for a period of 120 days except that

[the] parties are to respond to all previously served and outstanding written

discovery;‖ (3) set a post-mediation and trial-setting conference on July 16, 2008;

and (4) directed ―all parties . . . to participate in good faith in a mediation of all

claims in this case within the next 90 days.‖ The ensuing mediation conducted on

May 30, 2008, was not successful except that Gaines moved to dismiss one

defendant on June 9, 2008, in exchange for the reconveyance of its $150,000

interest in the property.

At a November 6, 2008, status conference, the mediation stay was lifted

and an August 29, 2009, trial date was set. The original stay was ordered to last

120 days, but was actually lifted after 217 days. The longer period was

occasioned, in part, by judicial reassignments. We analyze the legal question here

in terms of the 217-day period between granting and lifting the mediation stay.

The trial court concluded that section 583.340(b) did not apply to this

period because there was not a complete stay of the prosecution as required under

that exception. It further concluded that the mediation stay did not create a

4

circumstance of impossibility, impracticability, or futility under section

583.340(c). The stay was requested by plaintiff and was not a circumstance

beyond plaintiff‘s control. It was to last only 120 days and did not affect

previously served and outstanding written discovery. Further, plaintiff did not

demonstrate diligence during the period in question.

The Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court‘s dismissal as to all defendants

but Lehman.3 We uphold the Court of Appeal.

II. DISCUSSION

An action must be brought to trial within five years after it is commenced.

(§ 583.310.) If this deadline is not met, the action ―shall be dismissed by the court

on its own motion or on motion of the defendant, after notice to the parties . . . .‖

(§ 583.360, subd. (a).) ―The requirements of this article are mandatory and are not

subject to extension, excuse, or exception except as expressly provided by statute.‖

(§ 583.360, subd. (b).) The question before us is whether the trial court‘s order

vacating the trial date and granting the mediation stay fell within one of the

statutorily recognized exceptions to the five-year period. In construing these

provisions, ―the policy favoring the right of parties to make stipulations in their

own interests and the policy favoring trial or other disposition of an action on the

merits are generally to be preferred over the policy that requires dismissal for

failure to proceed with reasonable diligence in the prosecution of an action . . . .‖

(§ 583.130.)

The statutes governing dismissal for delay in prosecution were revised in

1984. (Stats. 1984, ch. 1705, § 5, pp. 6176-6180.) The legislative history makes

clear that the revision was prepared by the California Law Revision Commission.


3

Its ruling as to Lehman is not before us.

5

The Legislature and commission intended largely to codify, not supplant, the

quasi-common law developments in this area that had evolved over the preceding

decades. (See Assem. Com. on Judiciary, Rep. on Sen. Bill No. 1366 (1983-1984

Reg. Sess.) as amended July 3, 1984, p. 3 [― ‗The major purpose of the bill is to

clarify ambiguities in the law, to bring the statutes into conformity with case law

interpreting them, and to reconcile discrepancies in statutes and cases‘ ‖]; Revised

Recommendation Relating to Dismissal for Lack of Prosecution (June 1983) 17

Cal. Law Revision Com. Rep. (1984) p. 916 [―The statutes should accurately state

the law. The proposed law codifies the significant case law rules governing

dismissal for lack of prosecution . . . .‖].) Accordingly, in addition to the statutory

language, a substantial body of case law guides our analysis.

A. Submission of the Action to Mediation (§ 1775.7)

We begin with section 1775.7, which expressly addresses the effect of

mediation on the running of the five-year period. That section provides that

submission of an action to mediation under the title‘s provisions shall not toll the

running of section 583.310‘s five-year period except when the action is or remains

submitted to mediation more than four years and six months after the action is

filed. (§ 1775.7, subds. (a), (b).) Although neither party cited the mediation

statutes in the courts below, we have discretion to consider whether these statutes

affect this dismissal, which is a question of law raised by the parties and pertinent

to a proper disposition of the case. (People v. Randle (2005) 35 Cal.4th 987,

1001-1002, overruled on another ground in People v. Chun (2009) 45 Cal.4th

1172, 1201; People v. Superior Court (Zamudio) (2000) 23 Cal.4th 183, 195.)

Section 1775.7 is part of a statutory scheme implementing the civil action

mediation program. (Jeld-Wen, Inc. v. Superior Court (2007) 146 Cal.App.4th

536, 540 (Jeld-Wen).) Its provisions apply to cases with an amount in controversy

not exceeding $50,000 (§ 1775.5), and to all cases, regardless of potential liability,

6

when all parties file a written stipulation to mediate (Cal. Rules of Court, rules

3.890 & 3.891(a)(2); Jeld-Wen, at p. 541). The parties did so here.

Section 1775.7 provides for automatic tolling when mediation is conducted

late in the pendency period. (Cf. Howard v. Thrifty Drug & Discount Stores

(1995) 10 Cal.4th 424, 434 (Howard) [discussing parallel provisions of § 1141.17

governing court-ordered arbitration].) ―[T]he five-year statute will only stop

running for [mediations] beginning or continuing into the last six months of the

five-year period, and then only from the four-year six-month date after filing the

action until the date a trial de novo is requested.‖ (Howard, at p. 434.) This

mediation, which occurred in the second year of litigation, does not qualify for

tolling under section 1775.7. Gaines does not contend otherwise.

B. Time During Which Prosecution or Trial of the Action was Stayed or

Enjoined (§ 583.340(b))

The order in this case did not simply direct the parties to mediate. It also

struck the scheduled trial date of September 22, 2008 and ―stayed [the case] for a

period of 120 days except that [the] parties are to respond to all previously served

and outstanding written discovery‖ and ―are directed to participate in good faith in

a mediation of all claims in this case within the next 90 days.‖ Gaines argues

these conditions triggered the exception codified in section 583.340(b) that

requires the court to exclude the time during which ―[p]rosecution or trial of the

action was stayed or enjoined.‖

Applying our holding in Bruns v. E-Commerce Exchange, Inc. (2011) 51

Cal.4th 717, 725 (Bruns), the trial court and Court of Appeal concluded that this

stay did not qualify for tolling under section 583.340(b) because it was not a

complete stay of all the proceedings in the action. We asked the parties for

supplemental briefing on whether the order striking the existing trial date

7

constituted a stay of the ―trial of the action‖ under that section. (Ibid.) We

conclude that neither condition was satisfied here.

1. Stay of the Trial

To decide whether section 583.340(b) applies, we must distinguish between

a stay of the trial and a continuance. Under section 583.340(b), a stay of the trial

halts the running of the five-year period. (Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 725.) By

contrast, a continuance generally does not. We have long observed that

―[s]tipulations [by the parties] that merely extend the time for trial within the five-

year period, absent a showing that the parties intended otherwise, will not extend

the five-year period.‖ (J. C. Penney Co. v. Superior Court (1959) 52 Cal.2d 666,

669 (J. C. Penney); accord, Miller & Lux Inc. v. Superior Court (1923) 192 Cal.

333, 337-338 (Miller & Lux); Sanchez v. City of Los Angeles (2003) 109

Cal.App.4th 1262, 1269, fn. 3.)

The label the trial court uses is not dispositive of the inquiry. (Holland v.

Dave Altman’s R. V. Center (1990) 222 Cal.App.3d 477, 482 (Holland).) What

matters is whether the order is functionally in the nature of a stay, which

implicates the legislative purposes behind tolling the five-year period, or whether

it is functionally in the nature of a continuance, which does not. Accordingly, we

do not read too much into the trial court‘s declaration that the trial date is being

―struck,‖ as opposed to ―continued‖ or ―stayed.‖ We review the question de novo

because it does not hinge on the resolution of factual questions concerning

credibility of extrinsic evidence. (Parsons v. Bristol Development Co. (1965) 62

Cal.2d 861, 865 (Parsons).)

The long-standing judicial understanding of the term stay in the context of

the five-year statute is that it refers to those postponements that freeze a

proceeding for an indefinite period, until the occurrence of an event that is usually

extrinsic to the litigation and beyond the plaintiff‘s control. Holland, supra, 222

8

Cal.App.3d 477, provides an example. There, the plaintiff appealed the trial

court‘s order quashing service on one of the defendants. (Id. at p. 479.) The

plaintiff filed an ― ‗Ex Parte Motion for Continuance of Defendant‘s Motion for

Summary Judgment, Trial Date, Mandatory Settlement Conference, and Demand

for Designation of Expert Witnesses.‘ ‖ (Id. at p. 481.) The trial court ordered

that ― ‗the trial date set for March 17, 1987 . . . be continued until the pending

appeal has been decided.‘ ‖ (Ibid.) The minute order reflected that the trial date

was vacated and the case was ― ‗off calendar‘ ‖ ― ‗pending ruling on appeal.‘ ‖

(Ibid.) A subsequent minute order additionally stated: ― ‗Mandatory settlement

conference and trial to be reset in Department NWA after ruling of appellate

court.‘ ‖ (Id. at p. 482.) The appeal was ultimately resolved against the plaintiff

over a year later, on March 29, 1988. (Id. at p. 480.)

The appellate court concluded that, notwithstanding the use of the term

― ‗continue,‘ ‖ the order amounted to a stay of the trial under section 583.340(b).

(Holland, supra, 222 Cal.App.3d at p. 482.) The court reasoned that ―it is plain

. . . the court did not intend to postpone trial to any known date. Instead, it put the

trial over indefinitely, until the happening of a designated event: determination of

the . . . appeal. The legal effect of this order was to stay, rather than to continue

the trial.‖ (Ibid; accord, Ocean Services Corp. v. Ventura Port Dist. (1993) 15

Cal.App.4th 1762, 1773-1774 [stay pending appeal of order disqualifying

plaintiff‘s counsel in related action]; Rosenthal v. Wilner (1988) 197 Cal.App.3d

1327, 1331, 1333-1334 [appellate court‘s order directing trial court to stay all

proceedings pending resolution of related appeal that would affect issues such as

proximate cause and damages tolled the proceedings under § 583.340(b)]; Hughes

v. Portsmouth Square, Inc. (1982) 135 Cal.App.3d 170, 173 [under former § 583,

the filing of a petition in bankruptcy qualifies for tolling because it operates as a

stay on the commencement or continuation of any action against the bankrupt

9

party]; cf. Spanair S.A. v. McDonnell Douglas Corp. (2009) 172 Cal.App.4th 348,

358-359 [removal of case to federal court suspended trial court‘s jurisdiction];

Bergin v. Portman (1983) 141 Cal.App.3d 23, 25-26 [appeal of motion for

summary judgment suspended trial court‘s jurisdiction].)

By contrast, stipulated continuances that are not tied to any matter outside

the parties‘ control more logically fall under section 583.330. That section

provides that the parties may extend the five-year period during which an action

must be brought to trial by written stipulation or oral agreement made in open

court. (§ 583.330, subds. (a), (b).) The reason for the requirement was given as

follows: ―The provision [of former section 583] that a written stipulation be

entered into was intended to preclude all disputes, with their attendant charges and

countercharges of overreaching and unethical conduct, by a requirement that clear

and uncontrovertible evidence be presented to the court that the statutory time was

deliberately intended to be extended by both parties.‖ (Miller & Lux, supra, 192

Cal. at p. 340 [discussing former § 583]; accord, Taylor v. Shultz (1978) 78

Cal.App.3d 192, 196.) There was no written stipulation or oral agreement here.

We conclude that this order striking the trial date at the parties‘ request

should be construed as a continuance of the trial of the action rather than a stay.

The trial was not continued indefinitely. Instead, the date was struck pending two

defined contingencies: a definite 90-day period for mediation to occur and a 120-

day stay of the proceedings. Neither of the contingencies was extrinsic to the

litigation. Both were agreed to by the parties and totally within their control.

Neither necessitated a stay of the trial, which was over five months distant.

Plaintiff represented that ―good cause exist[ed] for granting the parties‘ request for

a continuance of the current trial date‖ because newly named defendant, Aurora,

had not formally appeared or conducted discovery, and defendant Countrywide

anticipated filing a motion for summary judgment. (See Cal. Rules of Court, rule

10

3.1332(c) [grounds for continuance of trial].) Although the order did not set a new

trial date, it identified a date certain to resume proceedings by calendaring a July

16, 2008 trial-setting conference. This stipulated trial postponement, agreed to by

the parties and not occasioned by an extrinsic proceeding, court order, or law

barring action, does not qualify for automatic tolling.

2. Stay of the Prosecution of the Action

In Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th 717, we addressed the meaning of a stay of the

prosecution of the action under section 583.340(b). There the plaintiff sought to

exclude time during which stays of discovery and other specific proceedings were

in effect. (Bruns, at p. 721.) We held that ―the prosecution of an action is stayed

under subdivision (b) only when the stay encompasses all proceedings in the

action.‖ (Id. at p. 722, first italics added.) We reasoned: ―subdivision (b)

contemplates a bright-line, nondiscretionary rule that excludes from the time in

which a plaintiff must bring a case to trial only that time during which all the

proceedings in an action are stayed.‖ (Id. at p. 726, italics added.) Such complete

stays ― ‗stop the prosecution of the action altogether‘ ‖ (id. at p. 730, quoting

Black‘s Law Dict. (5th ed. 1979) p. 1267, col. 1), making it impossible to bring

the action to trial (Bruns, at p. 726). The circumstances of a partial stay can vary,

however, and might not have such an effect. (Ibid.) In the latter circumstance, the

court must look to the ― ‗impossible, impracticable, or futile‘ ‖ standard of section

583.340(c) to assess the effect of a partial stay of the proceedings. (Bruns, at pp.

726, 730.)

This order provided that the ―case is stayed for a period of 120 days.‖

Nonetheless, it contemplated that the case would move forward during the relevant

period in two respects: The parties were ordered to respond to previously served

and outstanding discovery and to participate in mediation in an effort to settle the

lawsuit. The trial court found this stay was only a partial one that did not qualify

11

for automatic tolling under section 583.340(b). We review the question de novo

because it does not hinge on the resolution of factual questions concerning

credibility of extrinsic evidence. (Parsons, supra, 62 Cal.2d at p. 865.) As with

the stay of trial exception discussed above, the label used in the trial court‘s order

is not dispositive. (Holland, supra, 222 Cal.App.4th at p. 482.)

―The term ‗prosecution‘ is sufficiently comprehensive to include every

step in an action from its commencement to its final determination.‖ (Ray Wong v.

Earle C. Anthony, Inc. (1926) 199 Cal. 15, 18 (Ray Wong).) Discovery constitutes

a step in the prosecution of the action. (Melancon v. Superior Court (1954) 42

Cal.2d 698, 707 [depositions].) Because the order required the parties to comply

with previously served and outstanding written discovery, it did not ― ‗stop the

prosecution of the action altogether.‘ ‖ (Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 730.)

Gaines counters that the provision allowing for ongoing discovery was ―merely

precautionary‖ and that ―there was no evidence presented that any discovery

responses were ever served during the period of the stay.‖ This argument misses

the mark. As the Court of Appeal observed, ―[w]hether any party actually served

discovery responses during the 2008 stay does not recharacterize the trial court

order, which allowed for some discovery to take place during the stay.‖

We further conclude that submission of this action to mediation pursuant

to the parties‘ filed stipulation constituted a ―step in [the] action‖ (Ray Wong,

supra, 199 Cal. at p. 18), within the meaning of section 583.340(b) and Bruns.

Mediation is ―a process in which a neutral person or persons facilitate

communication between the disputants to assist them in reaching a mutually

acceptable agreement.‖ (§ 1775.1, subd. (a); accord, Evid. Code, § 1115, subd.

(a).) It does not abate the civil suit; it is a means by which the parties may reach a

settlement of the suit. (Jeld-Wen, supra, 146 Cal.App.4th at p. 540.) These

parties sought a court order directing them to mediate pursuant to their written

12

stipulation, thus incorporating the procedure and rules that govern mediation into

the prosecution of the case. (§ 1775 et seq.; see discussion, ante, at pp. 6-7.)4

Cases hold that a stay of proceedings pending the outcome of contractual

arbitration tolls the five-year period under section 583.340(b). (Brock v. Kaiser

Foundation Hospitals (1992) 10 Cal.App.4th 1790, 1801 (Brock); see Marcus v.

Superior Court (1977) 75 Cal.App.3d 204, 212-213 (Marcus); see generally

§§ 1281.2, 1281.4.)5 Marcus characterized a stay pending contractual arbitration

as a stay ― ‗as to all issues, as to all causes of action, and as to all parties, until

arbitration is concluded . . . .‘ ‖ (Marcus, at p. 209, quoting Cook v. Superior

Court (1966) 240 Cal.App.2d 880, 885.) Bruns cited Marcus as an example of a

complete stay of proceedings. (Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 729.) As Bruns

explained, the Legislature enacted subdivision (b) with contractual arbitration in

mind. (Bruns, at p. 729.) The Law Revision Commission‘s comment to section

583.340(b) states that ―[s]ubdivision (b) codifies existing case law,‖ citing

Marcus, supra, 75 Cal.App.3d 204. (17 Cal. Law Revision Com. Rep., supra, at

p. 935.)6

4

We have no occasion to consider how the parties‘ participation in informal

settlement discussions might affect a stay of proceedings (see dis. opn. of Kruger,
J., post, at pp. 9-10), and we offer no opinion on that question.
5

Contractual arbitration is to be distinguished from judicial arbitration,

which we discuss separately at page 7, ante, and pages 14-15, post. (See Nanfito
v. Superior Court
(1991) 2 Cal.App.4th 315, 318-319; 6 Witkin, Cal. Procedure
(5th ed. 2008) Proceedings Without Trial, § 580, pp. 1101-1102.)
6

As the Court of Appeal observed in Sierra Nevada Memorial-Miners

Hospital, Inc. v. Superior Court (1990) 217 Cal.App.3d 464, 469 (Sierra Nevada):
―Section 583.340 was added to the code in 1984 without change as proposed by
the California Law Revision Commission. (See 17 Cal. Law Revision Com. Rep.
(1984) pp. 905, 935.) For that reason the report of the commission is entitled to
substantial weight in construing the statute, particularly since the Law Revision
Commission‘s comment which accompanied the proposed statute through the
legislative process is brief.‖

13

Those cases are distinguishable. Contractual arbitration and mediation are

different. Contractual arbitration is a remedy distinct from an action at law. Its

assertion constitutes a plea in abatement to the civil suit. (Brock, supra, 10

Cal.App.4th at pp. 1793, 1795-1796.) A party seeking to enforce contractual

arbitration is statutorily entitled to a stay of pending legal actions. (§ 1281.4.)

―Once a court grants [a] petition to compel arbitration and stays the action at law,

the action at law sits in the twilight zone of abatement with the trial court retaining

merely a vestigial jurisdiction over matters submitted to arbitration‖ to determine,

upon conclusion of the arbitration proceedings, whether an award on the merits

requires dismissal of the legal action. (Brock, at p. 1796.) This is so, in part,

because the whole point of contractual arbitration is to obviate the need for an

action at law. The court in Brock found the distinction between an action at law

and a contractual arbitration proceeding critical in deciding that a stay pending

contractual arbitration tolled the five-year period under section 583.340(b).

(Brock, at pp. 1792-1793, 1796.)

By contrast, mediation is not an event outside the lawsuit; it is one means

by which a settlement of the lawsuit may be reached. (§ 1775.1, subd. (a); Evid.

Code, § 1115; Jeld-Wen, supra, 146 Cal.App.4th at p. 540.) It does not effectively

abate the litigation ― ‗as to all issues, as to all causes of action, and as to all

parties.‘ ‖ (Marcus, supra, 75 Cal.App.3d at p. 209.) Section 1775.7 lends further

support. That section provides that submitting an action to mediation shall not

suspend the five-year statute (id., subd. (a)), unless the action ―is or remains

submitted to mediation . . . more than four years and six months after the plaintiff

has filed the action . . . .‖ (id., subd. (b)). The period involved here did not fall

within section 1775.7‘s timeline. In Howard, supra, 10 Cal.4th 424, we held that

the parallel statute governing judicial arbitration (§ 1141.17) ―restricts the amount

of time that can be tolled automatically as the result of submitting an action to

14

arbitration,‖ thus effectively preempting automatic tolling under section 583.310

for arbitration conducted in the first four and a half years of the litigation.

(Howard, at p. 434.) The provisions of section 1775.7 demonstrate the

Legislature‘s intent to treat mediation as part of the prosecution of the action.

The dissent challenges this conclusion by citing general case law and

statutory language that describes mediation as an ― ‗alternative‘ ‖ to trial or

litigation. (Dis. opn. by Kruger, J., post, at p. 9.) But these descriptions provide

little assistance in determining whether submitting an action to mediation should

be considered a step in the prosecution of the action under section 583.340(b).

Many pretrial proceedings may terminate the action short of trial: Discovery

between the parties may result in a settlement, and a demurrer or summary

judgment motion may lead to a dismissal. But that result does not change the fact

that these are all ―step[s] in [the] action.‖ (Ray Wong, supra, 199 Cal. at p. 18.)

Indeed, section 583.130 sets forth a ―policy favoring trial or other disposition of

an action on the merits.‖ (Italics added.) Mediation resulting in a voluntary

settlement of the lawsuit by the parties can be one such disposition.

By its terms, the April 3, 2008 order was not a complete stay ― ‗used to stop

the prosecution of the action altogether.‘ ‖ (Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 730.) It

directed that some discovery continue, and that the parties participate in

mediation. Section 583.340(b) is therefore inapplicable. (Bruns, at p. 730.)

Our construction of section 583.340(b) should encourage, rather than deter,

agreements to partial stays and to continuances of the trial within the five-year

period as the parties deem necessary. (See § 583.130.) Plaintiffs who desire

tolling for the relevant period can achieve it by obtaining defendants‘ written

stipulation or express oral agreement in court. (§ 583.330.) Conversely,

defendants will have the predictability of knowing that, absent such agreement, a

15

stipulated continuance of the trial date or a partial stay of the proceedings will not

later be construed to automatically toll the statute.

3. Estoppel

Gaines argues that defendants, having agreed to the 120-day partial stay,

are estopped from claiming that the five-year statute was not tolled for that period.

(See § 583.140.) The argument fails.

Equitable estoppel requires that: (1) the party to be estopped was aware of

the operative facts and either intended that its act or omission be acted upon, or

acted in such a way that the party asserting estoppel rightfully believed it was

intended; and (2) the party asserting estoppel was unaware of the facts and relied

on the other party‘s conduct to its detriment. (Lusardi Construction Co. v. Aubry

(1992) 1 Cal.4th 976, 994.) The party asserting estoppel has the burden to

establish these elements. (Busching v. Superior Court (1974) 12 Cal.3d 44, 53;

Valerio v. Boise Cascade Corp. (1986) 177 Cal.App.3d 1212, 1221.)

Substantial evidence supports the trial court‘s rejection of Gaines‘s estoppel

argument. (Jordan v. Superstar Sandcars (2010) 182 Cal.App.4th 1416, 1423

(Jordan); International Engine Parts, Inc. v. Feddersen & Co. (1998) 64

Cal.App.4th 345, 354; In re Marriage of Dekker (1993) 17 Cal.App.4th 842, 850.)

The parties‘ communications regarding the stay explicitly set forth their

expectations. Nowhere did those communications reflect an understanding that

the five-year statute would be tolled.

A letter drafted by Aurora and signed by Gaines‘s counsel memorialized

the agreement between them. The letter stated the parties‘ agreement that Aurora

would not be required to enter an appearance or answer the fourth amended

complaint for 120 days and that Gaines would not file a request for default

judgment during that period. The letter also set forth several agreements designed

―to preserve the status quo as between themselves concerning the $865,000 Loan

16

and the Longwood Property,‖ specifically: ―(3) Aurora Loan agrees to take no

further steps during the Stay to foreclose the $865,000 Loan against the Longwood

Property; (4) Aurora Loan agrees to toll as of February 26, 2008 the ‗running‘ of

the three month period provided for in Civil Code section 2924[, subdivision]

(a)(2); (5) Aurora Loan agrees not to post or record or publish a notice of sale as

provided for by Civil Code sections 2924[, subdivisions] (a)(3) and [(f)] during the

Stay; (6) Aurora Loan and Gaines shall execute a stipulation to toll the recordation

of a Notice of Trustee‘s Sale during the Stay, which stipulation may be filed with

the Los Angeles Superior Court for entry by the court . . . .‖ Although the letter

specifically mentioned the tolling effect of these latter agreements, nowhere does

it mention tolling of the five-year period for trial.

A letter from Gaines‘s counsel to the remaining defendants set forth terms

consistent with those ultimately adopted in the order. Specifically, it referred to

staying the litigation ―except for the matters set forth below,‖ which included that

the parties were to respond to all previously served and outstanding written

discovery and participate in a global mediation of all claims. Again, there was no

reference to tolling the five-year dismissal statute.

Finally, Gaines‘s application in support of the order represented that the

parties mutually agreed to the 120-day stay as a means to defer certain filing

deadlines under the ―Fast Track‖ system,7 which limits the parties‘ ability to

stipulate to continuances. (Gov. Code, §§ 68607, subd. (g), 68616.) The

application represented that Aurora ―wants to explore fully the possibilities for

resolving this case before formally making an appearance and incurring attorneys‘

fees and costs in defending itself; but the Fast Tract [sic] Rules require an


7

Officially titled the Trial Court Delay Reduction Act. (Gov. Code, § 68600

et seq.)

17

appearance and as such an order striking the current trial date and staying this

action for 120 days is needed to accomplish these goals.‖ It further stated that

―Countrywide is willing to participate in this mediation only if it does not

prejudice its rights to prosecute a summary judgment . . . motion if the mediation

is not successful and as such there is a need to strike the current trial date and to

stay this litigation for a period of time.‖ Citing California Rules of Court, rule

3.1332(c), Gaines represented that these circumstances amounted to good cause,

and that ―[b]ecause of the Court‘s Fast Track Rules[,] the striking of the current

trial date and entry of an order staying this action for a period of time is necessary

for the accomplishing of these ends.‖ Again nothing in the application suggests

that the parties intended the stay would extend the five-year period under section

583.310. (Compare Knight v. Pacific Gas & Elec. Co. (1960) 178 Cal.App.2d

923, 926-927, 930-933 [without language regarding five-year period, stipulations

to continuances did not estop defendant from seeking dismissal for delay] with

City of Los Angeles v. Superior Court (1921) 185 Cal. 405, 408-411 [parties

expressly stipulated that an agreed-upon continuance of one year would not count

against the five-year period].)

Gaines relies on Tresway Aero, Inc. v. Superior Court (1971) 5 Cal.3d 431

and Woley v. Turkus (1958) 51 Cal.2d 402, but those cases are distinguishable. In

Tresway, the plaintiff served a summons on the defendant within three years of

filing the complaint. The defendant requested an extension of time beyond the

three-year period to answer. Rather than answer, the defendant moved to quash

service of summons and to dismiss for nontimely service under former section

581a. (Tresway, at p. 434.) Tresway held the defendant was estopped from

invoking the dismissal statute because its request for an extension had ―effectively

prevented plaintiff from discovering the defect in service until after the statutory

period had run.‖ (Id. at p. 433; see id. at pp. 441-442.) In Woley, the plaintiff, in

18

the fifth year of litigation, filed a motion to advance the case for trial, citing

former section 583. (Woley, at p. 404.) The defendant requested a continuance

and the parties entered a stipulation to continue the plaintiff‘s motion for summary

judgment and the trial ― ‗beyond [the] five year period . . . .‘ ‖ (Id. at p. 405.) The

defendant subsequently moved to dismiss the action based on the plaintiff‘s failure

to bring the case to trial within five years. The court found the defendant‘s

continuance request, which expressly acknowledged the five-year deadline,

estopped it from subsequently seeking dismissal for failure to prosecute. (Id. at

pp. 407-409.) Here, by contrast, the stay in question ended well before the five-

year period expired. Nor was there a mention of that period in either the parties‘

correspondence or the prepared order. No basis for estoppel appears on this

record.

C. Impossibility, Impracticability, or Futility

A circumstance that does not qualify for automatic tolling under section

583.340(b) may nonetheless be excludable from the five-year period if the

circumstance makes it ―impossible, impracticable, or futile‖ to bring the action to

trial. (§ 583.340(c); accord, Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 726.) Gaines invokes

this provision. In deciding whether these exceptions are met, the court must

consider ― ‗all the circumstances in the individual case, including the acts and

conduct of the parties and the nature of the proceedings themselves. [Citations.]

The critical factor in applying these exceptions to a given factual situation is

whether the plaintiff exercised reasonable diligence in prosecuting his or her

case.‘ ‖ (Bruns, at p. 730, quoting Moran v. Superior Court (1983) 35 Cal.3d 229,

238.)

―The question of impossibility, impracticability, or futility is best resolved

by the trial court, which ‗is in the most advantageous position to evaluate these

diverse factual matters in the first instance.‘ [Citation.] The plaintiff bears the

19

burden of proving that the circumstances warrant application of the . . . exception.

[Citation.] . . . The trial court has discretion to determine whether that exception

applies, and its decision will be upheld unless the plaintiff has proved that the trial

court abused its discretion. [Citations.]‖ (Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 731.)

Under that standard, ―[t]he trial court‘s findings of fact are reviewed for

substantial evidence, its conclusions of law are reviewed de novo, and its

application of the law to the facts is reversible only if arbitrary and capricious.‖

(Haraguchi v. Superior Court (2008) 43 Cal.4th 706, 711-712, fns. omitted.)8

The statute refers to excluding ―the time during which . . . [b]ringing the

action to trial, for any other reason, was impossible, impracticable, or futile.‖

(§ 583.340(c).) The Law Revision Commission comment to section 583.340

states: ―Under Section 583.340 the time within which an action must be brought

to trial is tolled for the period of the excuse, regardless whether a reasonable time

remained at the end of the period of the excuse to bring the action to trial. This

overrules cases such as State of California v. Superior Court, 98 Cal.App.3d 643

. . . (1979), and Brown v. Superior Court, 62 Cal.App.3d 197 . . . (1976).‖ (17

Cal. Law Revision Com. Rep., supra, at p. 936.) Thus, a condition of

impossibility, impracticability, or futility need not take the plaintiff beyond the

five-year deadline to be excluded; it will be excluded even if the plaintiff has a


8

Gaines argues that the abuse of discretion standard is too amorphous to

allow for meaningful appellate review. The standard, however, has long been
applied in this context. (Raggio v. Southern Pacific Co. (1919) 181 Cal. 472;
Perez v. Grajales (2008) 169 Cal.App.4th 580, 590-591 & fn. 9; Sanchez v. City of
Los Angeles
, supra, 109 Cal.App.4th at p. 1271; Hughes v. Kimble (1992) 5
Cal.App.4th 59, 71; cf. Brunzell Constr. Co. v. Wagner (1970) 2 Cal.3d 545, 555
[trial court is in the best position to evaluate impracticability in the first instance].)
We recently affirmed its application in Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at page 731.
Gaines provides no persuasive justification to revisit this settled rule.

20

reasonable time remaining after the period to bring the case to trial. (Sierra

Nevada, supra, 217 Cal.App.3d at p. 471.)

But what is meant by establishing a condition of impossibility,

impracticability, or futility in the first instance? The question depends on both the

timing and nature of the interference. It is well established that ― ‗ ―[e]very period

of time during which the plaintiff does not have it within his power to bring the

case to trial is not to be excluded in making the computation.‖ [Citation.]‘ ‖

(Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 731, quoting Sierra Nevada, supra, 217 Cal.App.3d

at p. 472.) ― ‗Time consumed by the delay caused by ordinary incidents of

proceedings, like disposition of demurrer, amendment of pleadings, and the

normal time of waiting for a place on the court‘s calendar are not within the

contemplation of these exceptions.‘ ‖ (Bruns, at p. 731, quoting Baccus v.

Superior Court (1989) 207 Cal.App.3d 1526, 1532; see Bruns, at p. 732; accord,

Crown Coach Corp. v. Superior Court (1972) 8 Cal.3d 540, 548; J. C. Penney,

supra, 52 Cal.2d at p. 670.) This rule reflects the Legislature‘s understanding that

a reasonably diligent plaintiff should be able to bring the case to trial within the

relatively lengthy period of five years notwithstanding such ordinary delays. (See

§ 583.130 [―a plaintiff shall proceed with reasonable diligence in the prosecution

of an action‖].) To hold otherwise would allow plaintiffs to litigate piecemeal

every period, no matter how short, in which it was literally impracticable to try the

case, thus rendering the statute ―utterly indeterminate, subjective, and

unadministerable.‖ (Sierra Nevada, at p. 472.)

Here, for example, when the 120-day stay was entered on April 3, 2008, the

scheduled trial date was five months out, beyond the period of the stay. Aurora, a

recently added defendant, had not made an appearance, answered the amended

complaint, or conducted discovery, and Countrywide anticipated filing a motion

for summary judgment. It would thus be illusory to ask if it was impracticable for

21

Gaines to try the case during the period of the stay because the posture of the case

would not have allowed for such a result. Rather, in these types of circumstances,

courts have focused on the extent to which the conditions interfered with the

plaintiff‘s ability to ―mov[e] the case to trial‖ during the relevant period. (De

Santiago v. D & G Plumbing, Inc. (2007) 155 Cal.App.4th 365, 371; accord,

Tamburina v. Combined Ins. Co. of America (2007) 147 Cal.App.4th 323, 335

(Tamburina).)

Additionally, when the delay involves the time necessary for the parties to

conduct ordinary incidents of proceedings leading up to the trial, the interference

must deprive the plaintiff of a ― ‗substantial portion‘ of the five-year period for

prosecuting the lawsuit‖ in order to qualify as a circumstance of impracticability.

(Tamburina, supra, 147 Cal.App.4th at p. 335, quoting Sierra Nevada, supra, 217

Cal.App.3d at p. 473; see Tamburina, at pp. 333-334.) This is because ordinary

delays, even ones beyond the plaintiff‘s control, are already accounted for in the

five-year period. In Tamburina, for example, the parties‘ stipulations established

that the plaintiff‘s counsel suffered an unusually lengthy illness which deprived

Tamburina of a substantial portion of the five-year period (424 days) to prepare

for trial. (Tamburina, at pp. 335-336; but see Sierra Nevada, at p. 472 [generally,

counsel‘s routine illness is treated in the same manner as the usual and ordinary

proceedings attendant to moving the case to trial].) Here, the delay was

occasioned by the parties‘ agreement to participate in mediation; the need for

Aurora to make an appearance and to conduct discovery; and the need for Aurora

and Countrywide to file certain defensive pleadings. These are ordinary steps in

the prosecution of the action. It was therefore necessary for Gaines to demonstrate

that the delay had a significant enough impact on the litigation to elevate it from

an ordinary circumstance to a circumstance of impracticability. This

22

determination requires a fact-specific inquiry in light of all of the circumstances in

the case. (Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at pp. 730-731.)

On this record, the trial court was within its discretion to conclude that the

time attributable to the partial stay did not qualify for tolling under section

583.340(c). The parties participated in mediation during that time, which was a

meaningful attempt to move the litigation forward to resolution. Shortly after the

mediation and during the stay period, Gaines reached a settlement with United

Mortgage Company and filed a request to dismiss that defendant. Other named

defendants were relieved of certain filing deadlines, but not for an inordinately

long period. And nothing prevented Gaines from conducting her own trial

preparation during this time. Indeed, Gaines announced ready for trial against all

named defendants in August 2009, three years into the litigation. Nothing about

these circumstances elevated an ordinary delay agreed to by the parties into an

extraordinary one.

Additionally, case law both predating and postdating the 1984 statutory

revision has long held that ―[f]or the tolling provision of section 583.340(c) to

apply, there must be ‗a period of impossibility, impracticability or futility, over

which plaintiff had no control,‘ ‖ because the statute is designed to prevent

avoidable delay. (Sanchez v. City of Los Angeles, supra, 109 Cal.App.4th at

p. 1273, quoting New West Fed. Savings & Loan Assn. v. Superior Court (1990)

223 Cal.App.3d 1145, 1155; accord, Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 731; Christin v.

Superior Court (1937) 9 Cal.2d 526, 532; Tamburina, supra, 147 Cal.App.4th at

p. 328.) The Law Revision Commission affirmed this understanding in its

comment to section 583.340: ―Subdivision (c) codifies the case law ‗impossible,

impractical, or futile‘ standard. The provisions of subdivision (c) must be

interpreted liberally, consistent with the policy favoring trial on the merits. See

Section 583.130 (policy statement). Contrast Section 583.240 and Comment

23

thereto (strict construction of excuse for failure to serve within prescribed time).

This difference in treatment recognizes that bringing an action to trial, unlike

service, may be impossible, impracticable, or futile due to factors not reasonably

within the control of the plaintiff.‖ (17 Cal. Law Revision Com. Rep., supra, at

p. 936, italics added.) Our colleagues in dissent challenge this reading of the

statute (dis. opn. of Kruger, J., post, at pp. 12-14), but long-standing case law,

including our recent pronouncement in Bruns, confirms it. (Bruns, at p. 731.)

Indeed, as the commission‘s comment demonstrates, our dissenting colleagues‘

emphasis on the policy in favor of trial on the merits in construing the provisions

of this chapter (dis. opn. of Kruger, J., post, at pp. 5, 8, 15; § 583.130), derives

from the very same premise.

The trial court was within its discretion to conclude that the circumstances

of the partial stay were not beyond Gaines‘s control. Gaines voluntarily agreed to

mediation upon the belief that it would ―possib[ly] . . . resolv[e] all of th[e] case or

at least major portions of it[,] . . . thereby simplifying and shortening the trial of

any unresolved issues.‖ Gaines also agreed to the partial stay with full

understanding that it would relieve defendants of certain filing deadlines during

the specified period. Gaines represented to the court that the partial stay would

benefit all parties by saving attorneys‘ fees and costs during the mediation period.

Even after the order was entered, Gaines largely retained control over the

proceedings. The purpose of mediation is to resolve disputes ―in a fair, timely,

appropriate, and cost-effective manner‖ without derailing the litigation. (§ 1775,

subd. (a).) Parties participate voluntarily and may withdraw at any time. (Jeld-

Wen, supra, 146 Cal.App.4th at p. 541; Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.853(2).) ―Even

after a case has been ordered to mediation, the mediator must inform the parties

that participation in mediation is completely voluntary, refrain from coercing a

party to continue its participation in the mediation and respect the right of each

24

party to decide the extent of its participation or withdraw from the mediation.

(Rule 3.853 . . . .) In fact, unless the parties have agreed to a binding award, any

party who voluntarily enters mediation may revoke its consent and withdraw from

the dispute resolution process. (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 467.7, subd. (a);

Kirschenman v. Superior Court (1994) 30 Cal.App.4th 832, 835 . . . .)‖ (Jeld-

Wen, at p. 541.) Upon the filing of a statement of nonagreement by the mediator,

Gaines was entitled to request that the original trial date be reinstated, or that she

receive priority for a new trial date. (§ 1775.9, subd. (b).) There is no reason to

believe that the stay, entered at the parties‘ request, could not have been similarly

vacated at their request. Indeed, the court order facilitated plaintiff‘s return to

court by designating a trial-setting conference on July 16, 2008, during the period

of the stay and two months before the originally scheduled trial date.

Gaines further argues that the trial court abused its discretion by failing to

exclude the 97 days between the date the partial stay was supposed to expire and

the date it was actually lifted, during which time there was a series of judicial

assignments. Assuming, without deciding, that the stay did not terminate

automatically, we reject plaintiff‘s argument with one minor exception.

By its own terms, the partial stay was to last 120 days (i.e., from April 3,

2008 to August 1, 2008). At the trial-setting conference on July 16, 2008, the

parties appeared before Judge Kalin, sitting temporarily for Judge Lee, who was

out of the country. Judge Kalin indicated that the case would be reassigned. On

September 4, 2008 the case was reassigned to Judge Barbara Meyers, but she was

peremptorily challenged on September 12, 2008. (§ 170.6.) On October 2, 2008,

the case was reassigned to Judge Rex Heeseman, and a status conference was set

for November 6, 2008. On November 6, 2008, Judge Heeseman lifted the stay.

We have held that delay attributable to trial court reassignment following a

party‘s exercise of a section 170.6 peremptory challenge should be excluded.

25

(Hartman v. Santamarina (1982) 30 Cal.3d 762, 768.) Here that delay amounted

to 20 days (from September 12, 2008 to October 2, 2008). That period, standing

alone, does not overcome plaintiff‘s 82-day deficit.

As for the remaining period, the trial court was within its discretion to

conclude that Gaines failed to proceed diligently. ―A plaintiff has an obligation to

monitor the case in the trial court, to keep track of relevant dates, and to determine

whether any filing, scheduling, or calendaring errors have occurred.‖ (Jordan,

supra, 182 Cal.App.4th at p. 1422.) After mediation concluded, it was Gaines‘s

duty to seek an order from the trial court lifting the stay, if necessary, and

rescheduling the trial date. (Cf. Howard, supra, 10 Cal.4th at p. 434.) There is no

evidence that Gaines attempted to do either during the 97-day period in question.

Although there were a series of judicial reassignments, Gaines appeared before

Judge Kalin, sitting temporarily for Judge Lee, on July 16, 2008. There is no

reason apparent from the record why Judge Kalin could not have handled these

requests.

In short, the trial court was within its discretion to find that the conduct of

mediation and partial stay of proceedings were not so exceptional, extenuated, or

beyond Gaines‘s control as to qualify as a circumstance of impossibility,

impracticability, or futility under section 583.340(c). Accordingly, the case was

properly dismissed under the mandatory provisions of section 583.360.

While this conclusion brings an end to plaintiff‘s suit, that is what the five-

year statute is designed to do. The five-year rule is mandatory and dismissal for

noncompliance is required. (§ 583.360, subd. (b).) The dissent protests that

today‘s result ―reward[s] plaintiff for working cooperatively with an opposing

party by depriving her of her day in court.‖ (Dis. opn. of Kruger, J., post, at p. 1.)

While attempts to work cooperatively are to be lauded, they do not absolve

litigants from the obligation to prosecute claims within the statutory guidelines.

26

Established case law advised Gaines to seek an express stipulation from the parties

that the agreed-upon postponements would extend the five-year period. (J. C.

Penney, supra, 52 Cal.2d at p. 669.) Gaines did not do so. Our holding affords

due deference to the trial court‘s unique ability to determine, based on all of the

facts before it, that Gaines did not demonstrate a circumstance of impossibility,

impracticability, or futility arising from this period. (Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at

p. 731.)

III. DISPOSITION

The judgment of the Court of Appeal is affirmed.















CORRIGAN, J.


WE CONCUR:


CANTIL-SAKAUYE, C. J.
WERDEGAR, J.
CHIN, J.
CUÉLLAR, J.


27












DISSENTING OPINION BY KRUGER, J.

Under the Code of Civil Procedure, the five-year limit for bringing an

action to trial is tolled during periods when ―[p]rosecution or trial of the action

was stayed or enjoined‖ or ―[b]ringing the action to trial, for any other reason, was

impossible, impracticable, or futile.‖ (Code Civ. Proc., § 583.340, subds. (b), (c)

(hereafter section 583.340(b) and section 583.340(c)); see id., § 583.310.)

Plaintiff in this case agreed with one of the defendants to seek a stay of the trial

court proceedings in order to permit the defendant to retain counsel and prepare

and file its responsive pleading, as well as to permit the parties to attempt to settle

their dispute out of court. The trial court gave its approval, striking an existing

trial date and ordering that the action be stayed for a period of 120 days. The court

today concludes that the 120-day period during which the action was stayed

qualifies neither as a period when ―[p]rosecution or trial of the action was stayed‖

(§ 583.340(b)) nor as a period when ―[b]ringing the action to trial‖ was

―impracticable‖ (§ 583.340(c)). The result is to reward plaintiff for working

cooperatively with an opposing party by depriving her of her day in court.

Because that result cannot be squared with either the text of section 583.340 or the

statutory policy favoring resolution of cases on the merits, I respectfully dissent.




I.

The facts relevant to the question before us are, as the majority says (maj.

opn., ante, at p. 4), not in dispute. The history of the stay at issue in this case,

however, warrants some elaboration.

In November 2006, plaintiff Fannie Marie Gaines filed a complaint against

defendants A.J. Roof, Josh Tornberg, and several others, including Countrywide

Home Loans, Inc. (Countrywide) and Fidelity National Title Insurance Company

(Fidelity). The complaint alleged that she and her husband had been deceived into

selling their home to Tornberg under threat of foreclosure. The complaint sought

rescission and cancellation of the deed transferring ownership of the property.

Due to various complications, however, the parties were unable to clearly identify

the entity that held the title to the property pursuant to a loan taken out by

Tornberg. After an extended dispute on this subject, Gaines determined that the

holder of the title was Aurora Loan Services, LLC (Aurora). In January 2008, she

amended her complaint to name Aurora as a defendant.

In March 2008, with its responsive pleading already overdue, Aurora

entered into a written agreement with Gaines to stay the case. The agreement,

dated March 20, 2008, recited that Aurora ―needs additional time to retain

California counsel to represent its interests in this action and to prepare and file its

responsive pleading,‖ and that ―Gaines and Aurora Loan enter into this letter

agreement to preserve the status quo . . . and to afford them time to explore

resolution of this case . . . .‖ The parties agreed, among other things, ―that

(1) Aurora Loan shall not be required to enter an appearance, and/or answer . . .

for 120 days from the date of this letter (‗Stay‘); (2) Gaines shall not file a request

for default judgment . . . during the Stay; (3) Aurora Loan agrees to take no further

steps during the Stay to foreclose the $865,000 Loan . . . ; (7) Gaines‘ counsel will

take the necessary steps to petition the Los Angeles Superior Court and request

2



that the Court formally approve the Stay; and (8) . . . Gaines‘ counsel agrees to

coordinate with all party defendants an in person, non-binding mediation to occur

before expiration of the Stay to confidentially discuss if a global resolution can be

reached between all parties . . . .‖

In a letter dated March 31, 2008, all parties confirmed their agreement that

―1. The Court strike the current September 22, 2008 Trial Date, set this case for a

Trial Setting Conference on or after July 16, 2008 and enter its order that, except

for the matters set forth below, all other litigation efforts in this case be stayed

until on or after the future Trial Setting Conference; [¶] 2. All previously served

and outstanding written discovery shall be responded to by the party obligated to

respond in the near future and each serving party‘s 45 day period to move to

compel further responses to that discovery shall commence on the date of the

future Trial Setting Conference; [¶] 3. No other discovery shall be commenced

until after the future Trial Setting Conference; [¶] 4. Gaines agrees that the Court

can enter an order striking the following portions of the Fourth Amended

Complaint . . . and [¶] 5. All parties participate in a global mediation of all claims

in this action in the near future.‖ The letter gave notice to the parties that Gaines

would seek an ex parte order ―staying until July 16, 2008 all activity in this case

[except] as outlined above.‖

On April 3, 2008, Gaines filed an ―Ex Parte Application for Order (a)

Striking Existing Trial, Final Status Conference and Post Mediation Conference

Dates, (b) Staying Case for 120 Days, (c) Setting a Future Trial Setting

Conference Date and (d) Directing All Parties to Participate in Good Faith in a

Mediation of All Claims Within the Next 90 Days.‖ The motion asked for an

order ―(a) striking the current Trial Date . . . (b) staying this action for 120 days,

except for responding to previously served and outstanding written discovery, (c)

3



setting a Trial Setting Conference date on or after July 16, 2008, and (d) directing

all parties . . . to participate in good faith in a mediation of all claims . . . .‖

The motion stated that ―Aurora Loan wants to explore settlement prior to

making an appearance . . . [and] an order striking the current trial date and staying

this action for 120 days is needed to accomplish these goals . . . .‖ The

memorandum of points and authorities in support of the request for a stay adds

that ―Defendant Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. (‗Countrywide‘) is willing to

participate in this mediation only if it does not prejudice its rights to prosecute a

summary judgment . . . and as such there is a need to strike the current trial date

and to stay this litigation for a period of time.‖

On that same day, April 3, 2008, the superior court issued the following

order: ―(A) The current Trial Date of September 22, 2008, the current Final Status

Conference Date of September 12, 2008, and the current Post Mediation

Conference Date of August 19, 2008 and Discovery Cut-Off Date are struck; [¶]

(B) This case is stayed for a period of 120 days except that parties are to respond

to all previously served and outstanding written discovery; [¶] (C) This case is set

for a Post Mediation and Trial Setting Conference on July 16, 2008, at 8:30 a.m. in

Department 33; and [¶] (D) All parties are directed to participate in good faith in a

mediation of all claims in this case within the next 90 days.‖

Although the 120 days expired on August 1, 2008, various judicial

reassignments meant that the stay was not formally lifted until November 6, 2008,

when the trial court scheduled the case for a trial setting conference. In May 2012,

defendant Fidelity moved to dismiss for failure to bring the action to trial within

the five-year time frame required by section 583.310. If the 120-day period is

excluded from the calculation of time, then defendant‘s motion to dismiss fails; if

not, then not.

4



II.

In Code of Civil Procedure section 583.340, the Legislature instructed that,

in computing ―the time within which an action must be brought,‖ courts must

exclude certain periods of time, including ―the time during which‖ ―[p]rosecution

or trial of the action was stayed or enjoined‖ (§ 583.340(b)) and during which

―[b]ringing the action to trial, for any other reason, was impossible, impracticable,

or futile‖ (§ 583.340(c)). ―[T]he evident purpose‖ of this provision is, as one court

has observed, ―to exclude from the mandatory dismissal provision time periods

during which the case could not be brought to trial. The absence of trial court

jurisdiction to try it . . . is one reason; a court order barring the trial (by a stay or

injunction) is another.‖ (Holland v. Dave Altman’s R.V. Center (1990) 222

Cal.App.3d 477, 482 (Holland).) In construing this provision, the Legislature has

instructed that we are generally to prefer ―the policy favoring trial or other

disposition of an action on the merits‖ over ―the policy that requires dismissal for

failure to proceed with reasonable diligence in the prosecution of an action.‖

(Code Civ. Proc., § 583.130 (section 583.130).)

The threshold question in this case is whether all or part of the period

following the trial court‘s order entering the stay should be excluded from the

five-year time frame as a period during which ―[p]rosecution or trial of the action

was stayed or enjoined.‖ (§ 583.340(b).) Giving this language its ―usual and

ordinary meaning,‖ as we generally must do (Committee of Seven Thousand v.

Superior Court (1988) 45 Cal.3d 491, 501), I would think that the answer to that

question is yes: The period during which the trial court stayed the action counts as

a period during which the prosecution (if not also the trial) of the action was

stayed.

In reaching its contrary conclusion, the majority begins not with the plain

language of the statute, but with our decision in Bruns v. E-Commerce Exchange,

5



Inc. (2011) 51 Cal.4th 717 (Bruns). Bruns concerned ―whether a stay of the

‗prosecution‘ of the action under section 583.340(b) includes a stay of specific

proceedings, such as a stay of discovery, while other aspects of the action may go

forward.‖ (Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at pp. 721–722.) Bruns answered that

question in the negative, concluding — reasonably enough — that a stay of

discovery or other ―specific proceedings‖ is not the same thing as a stay of the

prosecution or trial ―of the action.‖ (§ 583.340(b), italics added; see Bruns, supra,

51 Cal.4th at pp. 726–727.) Bruns went on to state, however, that although the

plain language of section 583.340(b) might be read more broadly, its relationship

to its neighboring provision, subdivision (c), calls for reading section 583.340(b)

more restrictively, to apply ―only when a stay encompasses all proceedings in the

action.‖ (Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 723.) Bruns explained that subdivision (b)

―contemplates a bright-line, nondiscretionary rule that excludes from the time in

which a plaintiff must bring a case to trial only that time during which all the

proceedings in an action are stayed.‖ (Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 726, italics

added.) ―Subdivision (c),‖ on the other hand, ―gives the trial court discretion to

exclude additional periods, including periods when partial stays were in place,

when the court concludes that bringing the action to trial was ‗impossible,

impracticable, or futile.‘ Obviously, if a complete stay is in effect, bringing the

action to trial is impossible. It makes sense for the Legislature to state a bright-

line rule in this situation. The effect of a partial stay, however, can vary from stay

to stay and from case to case. A partial stay might, or might not, make it

‗impossible, impracticable, or futile‘ to bring the action to trial.‖ (Ibid.)

As the court read the statute in Bruns, then, a ―partial‖ stay that does not

halt ―all the proceedings in an action‖ will toll the five-year clock only if it is the

sort of stay that — like a ―complete‖ stay — makes it ―impossible, impracticable,

6



or futile‖ to bring the action to trial under section 583.340(c). The question thus

becomes whether the stay at issue here was that sort of stay.

The stay at issue was not simply a stay of discovery or other ―specific

proceedings,‖ as in Bruns. It was just about the opposite: The trial court‘s order

struck a scheduled trial date and put a temporary halt to all judicial proceedings

with respect to all parties, with the minor exception of the exchange of responses

to previously served and outstanding written discovery. (The record does not

reveal whether any outstanding discovery responses were in fact exchanged.)

Labels, of course, cannot be dispositive. But given the comprehensive scope of

the order, it is not surprising that the trial court referred to ―the case‖ — not

merely certain ―proceedings‖ — as having been stayed. As Justice Rubin wrote in

his dissenting opinion in the Court of Appeal, if this was a ―partial‖ stay under

Bruns, ―it was barely so.‖

Were we writing on a blank slate, I would consider that 120-day stay to be

a stay of the prosecution of the action that is excluded from the computation of the

period for trial under section 583.340(b). But even if a stay is not a ―stay‖ under

section 583.340(b) if it allows the court proceedings to continue in any respect, no

matter how trivial, the time for bringing the case to trial should still have been

tolled because it was impracticable to bring the action to trial during this period

under section 583.340(c). A stay of proceedings that is very nearly ―complete,‖

accompanied by the striking of a scheduled trial date, is precisely the kind of stay

that one would expect to toll the five-year clock under section 583.340(c) as

interpreted in Bruns. The single respect in which the court proceedings were not

halted — the failure to vacate existing deadlines for exchanging outstanding

discovery responses — did not bring the parties meaningfully closer to bringing

the case to trial. The stay at issue in this case operated, in all relevant respects,

precisely in the same manner as a ―complete‖ stay subject to automatic tolling, and

7



the time period should have been excluded from the five-year computation for

precisely the same reason: It is not ―practicable‖ for a plaintiff to bring a case to

trial during a period when the trial court has ordered otherwise. (See Holland,

supra, 222 Cal.App.3d at p. 484.)

If there were any doubt on the subject, it ought to be dispelled by the rule of

construction prescribed in section 583.130. That provision tells us that, although it

is a ―policy of the state that a plaintiff shall proceed with reasonable diligence in

the prosecution of an action . . . the policy favoring trial or other disposition of an

action on the merits [is] generally to be preferred over the policy that requires

dismissal for failure to proceed with reasonable diligence in the prosecution of an

action in construing the provisions of this chapter.‖ (Ibid.)

In Bruns, we explained that our restrictive interpretation of the term ―stay‖

in section 583.340(b) is consistent with this policy favoring trial because, even if

the bright-line exclusion of subdivision (b) is unavailable, a plaintiff may always

turn to ―the more flexible subdivision (c) of the provision, which permits trial on

the merits when appropriate in situations not governed by subdivision (b).‖

(Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 729.) If Bruns is to be taken at its word, then a stay

that just misses the mark under subdivision (b) ought to pass with flying colors

under subdivision (c). The alternative — to give a restrictive reading to both

prongs of the computation statute — would hardly comport with either the

Legislature‘s apparent intent in enacting the exclusion for stay periods in section

583.340(b) or its instruction to err on the side of interpreting the statute to allow a

plaintiff her day in court.

III.

The majority gives three reasons in support of its conclusion that the stay

period at issue in this case properly counted against plaintiff‘s five-year time limit.

First, the majority emphasizes that the stay order contemplated that the parties

8



would use the 120-day period to, among other things, attempt to resolve their

dispute out of court, and, toward that end, directed them to mediate in good faith.

Mediation, the court reasons, represents the continued prosecution of the action

because ―it is a means by which the parties may reach a settlement of the suit.‖

(Maj. opn., ante, at p. 12.) The majority thus cites the mediation both as a reason

that the stay was ―partial,‖ rather than ―complete,‖ and a reason that the stay order

did not render it ―impracticable‖ to bring the case to trial during the relevant time

period. (Maj. opn., ante, at pp. 11–13, 22.)

In my view, this argument rests on a flawed premise. Mediation is indeed a

means by which parties might settle a lawsuit, as are more informal settlement

discussions. But while mediation, like other settlement discussions, may obviate

the need for continued pursuit of litigation, it is not part of the litigation itself.

Mediation is, rather, ― ‗an alternative to litigation . . . [that] provides a simple,

quick, and economical means of resolving disputes.‘ ‖ (Simmons v. Ghaderi

(2008) 44 Cal.4th 570, 578, italics added; see also Code Civ. Proc., § 1775, subd.

(d) [describing mediation as an ―alternative[] to trial‖]; Cassel v. Superior Court

(2011) 51 Cal.4th 113, 132–133 [noting that mediation can resolve ―disputes by

means short of litigation‖ and describing mediation as an ―alternative means of

resolution‖].)1 The majority‘s contrary notion seems particularly out of place in


1

Section 1775.7 of the Code of Civil Procedure, on which the majority

relies, provides no indication of any legislative ―intent to treat mediation as part of
the prosecution of the action.‖ (Maj. opn., ante, at p. 15.) It instead reflects a
recognition that, in the absence of a court-ordered stay, mediation has no
necessary impact on the continued prosecution of the action and thus ordinarily
does not warrant tolling, except insofar as the mediation remains pending after
four years and six months. This statute has no particular bearing on the question
here, which concerns whether it was ―practicable‖ for plaintiff to bring the case to
trial during the period when the case had been stayed by the trial court.

9



the context of interpreting a statute governing the time to bring ―[a]n action . . . to

trial.‖ (Code Civ. Proc., § 583.310, italics added.) Given the Legislature‘s

overarching concern with the exercise of ―reasonable diligence in the prosecution

of an action‖ — to the end of bringing the action to ―trial or other disposition . . .

on the merits‖ (id., § 583.130) — there is little reason to suppose that, by using the

phrase ―[p]rosecution . . . of the action‖ (§ 583.340(b)), the Legislature meant to

refer to steps taken to avoid bringing the action to trial or otherwise resolving the

action on the merits through the judicial process.

In any event, if the prospect that the parties would use the stay period to

attempt to settle their differences out of court sufficed to disqualify the stay under

section 583.340, then it is hard to imagine what kind of court-ordered stay would

qualify for tolling under the statute. The logical consequence of this view would

be that even a stay order that halted court proceedings in every conceivable respect

would not stop the five-year clock if it permitted the parties to discuss settlement

out of court. I am not aware of any court that has ever not permitted parties to

attempt to settle, nor am I aware of any stay order that has been interpreted to have

such an effect. It is unlikely that this is what the Legislature intended when it

drafted section 583.340.

Perhaps by its italicized reference to the court order ―directing [the parties]

to mediate‖ (maj. opn., ante, at p. 12), the majority means to suggest that there is

something special about the court‘s order to ―participate in good faith in a

mediation of all claims‖ that specially disqualifies the stay under section 583.340.

If so, it is not clear what, precisely, that something might be. The majority asserts

that by its order, the court ―incorporat[ed] the procedure and rules that govern

mediation into the prosecution of the case.‖ (Maj. opn., ante, at p. 13.) How this

10



might have occurred, the majority does not explain.2 Orders to participate in

mediation or other settlement negotiations in good faith are common. Such orders

are not generally thought to transform such settlement discussions into a kind of

adjunct judicial forum, with the mediator acting as a kind of deputized bench

officer. Even when backed by a court‘s order to participate in good faith,

mediation remains an alternative to litigating the action to an ultimate conclusion

on the merits. It is not part of the litigation itself.

Second, the majority reasons that the stay ―did not qualify for tolling under

section 583.340(c)‖ because, while the stay was in effect, ―nothing prevented

Gaines from conducting her own trial preparation during this time.‖ (Maj. opn.,

ante, at p. 23.) By this reasoning, the majority would all but read section

583.340(b) out of the statute. Under any stay order — even a ―complete‖ stay

order within the meaning of Bruns — the parties are always free to conduct their

own trial preparation. True, depending on the circumstances that gave rise to the

stay, trial preparation may seem, as a practical matter, inefficient or premature.

But the possibility that the parties to a stayed action might make profitable use of

2

The sole explanation the majority provides is a parenthetical citation of the

statutory rules governing cases submitted to mediation under the civil action
mediation program created by Code of Civil Procedure section 1775 et seq.
Defendants themselves, however, appear to have conceded these provisions ―are
not directly applicable to this case‖ because the case was not submitted to
mediation pursuant to the civil action mediation program. It is, moreover, unclear
whether section 1775 et seq. could have any application to private mediation, as
this mediation appears to have been. (See Castillo v. DHL Express (USA) (2015)
243 Cal.App.4th 1186, 1197 [interpreting section 1775 et seq. to apply ―only to
court-annexed mediation programs‖ and not private mediation].) No party has
asked us to resolve that question in this case.


In any event, even if Code of Civil Procedure section 1775 et seq. did

apply, nothing in the statutory scheme purports to ―incorporate[e] the procedure
and rules that govern mediation into the prosecution of the case.‖ (Maj. opn.,
ante, at p. 13.)

11



the stay period does not render it any less a ―stay,‖ nor does it make it any more

―practicable‖ to bring the case to trial while the stay remains in effect. To hold

otherwise gives insufficient weight to the Legislature‘s determination that a court-

ordered stay of the prosecution or trial of the action constitutes a circumstance of

impracticability that warrants tolling the five-year clock.

Finally, the majority asserts that ― ‗[f]or the tolling provision of section

583.340(c) to apply, there must be a ―period of impossibility, impracticability or

futility, over which plaintiff had no control . . . .‖ ‘ ‖ (Maj. opn., ante, at p. 23.)

The majority concludes ―that the circumstances of the partial stay were not beyond

Gaines‘s control‖ because Gaines voluntarily agreed both to mediation and to the

stay, and could have sought to have the stay vacated before it expired. (Maj. opn.,

ante, at p. 24.)

In my view, this reasoning, too, is fundamentally flawed. Begin with the

text: The words ―over which plaintiff had no control‖ do not appear anywhere in

section 583.340 — although similar language does appear in the parallel provision

governing the calculation of the three-year period during which service must be

made. (See Code Civ. Proc., § 583.240 (section 583.240) [―In computing the time

within which service must be made pursuant to this article, there shall be excluded

the time during which . . . : [¶] . . . [¶] (d) Service, for any other reason, was

impossible impracticable, or futile due to causes beyond the plaintiff’s control.‖

(Italics added.)].) As a general rule, when a legislature ― ‗includes particular

language in one section of a statute but omits it in another section of the same Act,

it is generally presumed that [it] acts intentionally and purposely in the disparate

inclusion or exclusion.‘ ‖ (Russello v. United States (1983) 464 U.S. 16, 23; see

also, e.g., People v. Trevino (2001) 26 Cal.4th 237, 242 [―When the Legislature

12



uses materially different language in statutory provisions addressing the same

subject or related subjects, the normal inference is that the Legislature intended a

difference in meaning.‖].) Applying that rule in Bruns, we refused to ―engraft

onto subdivision (b) an exception that the Legislature explicitly included in section

583.240 but did not include in section 583.340(b).‖ (Bruns, supra, 51 Cal.4th at

p. 727.) The same result ought to obtain here.

The difference in the wording of the two provisions reflects a basic

difference in their functions. The primary purpose of the dismissal statutes is to

ensure that plaintiffs prosecute their cases with ―reasonable diligence.‖

(§ 583.130.) From that standpoint, there are significant differences between the

timing of service and the timing of bringing a case to trial. As the Law Review

Commission comment to section 583.240 observes, that provision is designed to

advance ―one aspect of the policy announced in Section 583.130 — plaintiff must

exercise diligence — and recognizes that service, unlike bringing to trial, is

ordinarily within the control of the plaintiff.‖ (Revised Recommendation Relating

to Dismissal for Lack of Prosecution (June 1983) 17 Cal. Law Revision Com. Rep.

(1984) p. 933.) In other words, because the timing of service generally lies in the

plaintiff‘s sole discretion, a plaintiff who effects service beyond the prescribed

time limits does not act diligently unless the delay results from some circumstance

beyond his or her control.

But the timing of trial, unlike the timing of service, does not rest in the

plaintiff‘s sole discretion, and therefore may be affected by ―factors not

reasonably‖ within the plaintiff‘s sole control. (Ibid., italics added.) As the

Legislature itself recognized, once the wheels of judicial process have been set in

motion, bringing the case to trial requires ―all parties [to] cooperate.‖ (§ 583.130.)

Here, a primary reason for the stay was to permit Aurora, which had just been

added as a defendant, to retain California counsel and prepare and file its

13



responsive pleading, as well as to accommodate Aurora‘s desire to explore

settlement before making an appearance. And the parties did not simply agree

among themselves to delay the continuation of court proceedings; they sought and

received the trial court‘s approval. Once the court entered the stay order, the order

had the same force and effect as any other stay order, including one entered over a

party‘s objection.

It is certainly true that the decision to agree to her opposing party‘s request

was not beyond Gaines‘s control in any absolute sense; she could have refused.

(Of course, had she done so, there is no guarantee her objection would have

carried the day; the trial court might well have granted the stay regardless.) But

the decision to accommodate an opposing party does not reflect a lack of

reasonable diligence. It reflects a willingness to cooperate. To fault Gaines for

agreeing to seek the stay — or for failing to seek to lift the stay before its

expiration — simply creates unfortunate incentives for the conduct of pretrial

litigation, without meaningfully advancing the policies underlying the dismissal

statute.

IV.

The majority points out that the parties could have extended the five-year

time limit by means of a written stipulation or an oral agreement in open court.

(Code Civ. Proc., § 583.330; maj. opn., ante, at p. 10.) That is true, and parties

who find themselves in a similar position in the future would be well advised to

avail themselves of this option. It is, however, cold comfort to Gaines — who,

before the court‘s opinion today, would have had no reason to believe that any

stipulated extension would be necessary. Section 583.330 permits the parties to

extend the five-year period without the consent or participation of the trial court.

But section 583.340 commands courts to exclude periods during which the

―[p]rosecution or trial of the action was stayed‖ or during which ―[b]ringing the

14



action to trial‖ was otherwise ―impracticable.‖ Under a straightforward reading of

the statute, the 120-day-long stay in this case ought to qualify as such a period.

The ―tolling provisions of Code of Civil Procedure section 583.340 must be

liberally construed consistent with the policy favoring trial on the merits.‖

(Dowling v. Farmers Ins. Exchange (2012) 208 Cal.App.4th 685, 693.) The

majority opinion fails to do so. It instead reaches the textually implausible

conclusion that a trial court order that strikes the trial date and stays the case does

not toll the five-year period under section 583.340, thereby ensuring that no court

will decide the merits of plaintiff‘s claim. I respectfully dissent.

KRUGER, J.

I CONCUR:

LIU, J.

15



See next page for addresses and telephone numbers for counsel who argued in Supreme Court.

Name of Opinion Gaines v. Fidelity National Title Insurance Company
__________________________________________________________________________________

Unpublished Opinion

Original Appeal
Original Proceeding
Review Granted
XXX 222 Cal.App.4th 25
Rehearing Granted

__________________________________________________________________________________

Opinion No.
S215990
Date Filed: February 25, 2016
__________________________________________________________________________________

Court:
Superior
County: Los Angeles
Judge: Rolf M. Treu

__________________________________________________________________________________

Counsel:

Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt, W. Keith Wyatt and Antonio K. Kizzie for Plaintiff and Appellant.

Fidelity National Law Group, Kevin R. Broersma and Jordan Trachtenberg for Defendants and
Respondents Fidelity National Title Insurance Company and Bobbie Jo Rybicki.

Knapp, Petersen & Clarke, Garcia Legal, Steven Ray Garcia and Alexander Levy for Defendants and
Respondents Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., and Aurora Loan Services, LLC.

No appearance for Defendants and Respondents Joshua Tornberg, Craig Johnson, Ray Management Group,
Inc., and A.J. Roop.










Counsel who argued in Supreme Court (not intended for publication with opinion):

W. Keith Wyatt
Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt
444 South Flower Street, Suite 1800
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 489-0028

Antonio K. Kizzie
Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt
444 South Flower Street, Suite 1800
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 489-0028

Kevin R. Broersma
Fidelity National Law Group
915 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2100
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 438-7207

Steven Ray Garcia
Garcia Legal
234 East Colorado Boulevard, 8th Floor
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 577-7500


Opinion Information
Date:Docket Number:
Thu, 02/25/2016S215990