Dale Sundby, Trustee v. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy B. Palmer, in her official sheriff capacity, Deputy R. Bernardino, in his official sheriff capacity, Sergeant C. McCoy, in his official sheriff capacity, and Does 1 through X

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedMarch 10, 2026
Docket3:24-cv-01535
StatusUnknown

This text of Dale Sundby, Trustee v. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy B. Palmer, in her official sheriff capacity, Deputy R. Bernardino, in his official sheriff capacity, Sergeant C. McCoy, in his official sheriff capacity, and Does 1 through X (Dale Sundby, Trustee v. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy B. Palmer, in her official sheriff capacity, Deputy R. Bernardino, in his official sheriff capacity, Sergeant C. McCoy, in his official sheriff capacity, and Does 1 through X) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dale Sundby, Trustee v. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy B. Palmer, in her official sheriff capacity, Deputy R. Bernardino, in his official sheriff capacity, Sergeant C. McCoy, in his official sheriff capacity, and Does 1 through X, (S.D. Cal. 2026).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 DALE SUNDBY, Trustee, Case No.: 3:24-cv-1535-WQH-BJW

Plaintiff, 12 ORDER v. 13 14 SAN DIEGO COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, 15 DEPUTY B. PALMER, in her 16 official sheriff capacity, DEPUTY R. BERNARDINO, in 17 his official sheriff capacity, 18 SERGEANT C. MCCOY, in his official sheriff capacity, and 19 DOES 1 through X, 20 Defendants. 21 HAYES, Judge: 22 The matters before the Court are the Motion for Mandatory Joinder (ECF No. 40) 23 and the Motion for Reconsideration (ECF No. 41) filed by Plaintiff Dale Sundby 24 (“Plaintiff”). 25 I. BACKGROUND 26 On August 29, 2024, Plaintiff initiated this action by filing a Complaint against 27 Defendants San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (“San Diego County Sheriff”), Officer 28 1 B. Palmer, Officer R. Bernardino, Officer C. McCoy, and Does 1–10 (collectively, 2 “Defendants”) asserting claims related to the execution of “a writ of possession at a 3 property” located at 7740–7746 Eads Avenue, La Jolla, California 92037 (the “Property”) 4 that “was held in a family trust” (the “Trust”). (Compl., ECF No. 1 at 3; id. ¶ 9.) The 5 Complaint identifies Plaintiff as “Dale Sundby, Trustee” and states that Plaintiff, who is 6 proceeding pro se in this action, “is trustee of the Trust.” Id. ¶¶ 1, 10. 7 Plaintiff alleges, in relevant part, the following. On December 20, 2018, all interest 8 in the Property was transferred from Dale Sundby and Edith Sundby (“the Sundbys”) to 9 the Trust. (ECF No. 13 ¶ 9.) On September 11, 2020, a “deed of trust was recorded on the 10 Property by a defined ‘Lender’ that never made a loan.” Id. ¶ 17. On August 26, 2021, this 11 third party “nonjudicially foreclosed on the no-loan deed of trust.” Id. ¶ 19. On December 12 15, 2021, all “interest in the Property was transferred by quitclaim deed” from the Trust 13 to the Sundbys. Id. ¶ 10. On September 8, 2022, Defendant San Diego County Sheriff’s 14 Department filed a writ of possession in San Diego Superior Court and, in the same month, 15 Defendant Officers B. Palmer and R. Bernardino evicted “everyone from the Property.” Id. 16 ¶¶ 22, 46. 17 On September 19, 2024, the Court issued an Order to Show Cause in this action. 18 (ECF No. 4.) In the Order to Show Cause, the Court noted that Plaintiff purported to assert 19 claims on behalf of a trust while proceeding without the aid of counsel. The Court wrote: 20 “To the extent the Complaint asserts claims on behalf of the Trust, Plaintiff cannot proceed 21 pro se in this action.” Id. at 2–3 (citing Simon v. Hartford Life, Inc., 546 F.3d 661, 667 (9th 22 Cir. 2008); C.E. Pope Equity Tr. v. United States, 818 F.2d 696, 698 (9th Cir. 1987)). 23 The Court stayed this action and instructed Plaintiff to: 24 (1) retain an attorney and instruct the attorney to enter a notice of appearance in this action; 25 26 (2) file an amended complaint that clearly alleges claims solely on Plaintiff’s own behalf as an individual; or 27 28 1 (3) otherwise show cause why this case should not be dismissed pursuant to the rule articulated in Simon, 546 F.3d at 667. 2 3 Id. at 3. 4 On the same day, Plaintiff filed a Response to the Order to Show Cause. (ECF No. 5 5.) Plaintiff contended that he should be permitted to proceed pro se in this action because 6 he is “a sole trustee of a revocable living trust who is also the sole settl[o]r and beneficiary 7 of the trust assets he is charged to protect.” Id. at 3. 8 On September 25, 2024, the Court issued an Order Lifting the Stay and wrote: “The 9 Court concludes, at this stage of the proceedings, Plaintiff has adequately shown cause that 10 this action should not be dismissed and that the stay should be lifted.” (ECF No. 6 at 4.) 11 The Court noted, however, that it was “unclear from the record before the Court whether 12 Plaintiff is the sole beneficiary of the Trust.” Id. at 3. The Court observed that “the 13 Complaint appears to contradict Plaintiff’s assertion [] that he possesses the ‘sole beneficial 14 interest in the trust’” because the Complaint alleges that “[f]rom 2001 to September 2, 15 2022, multiple Trust beneficiaries were occupants of the Property.” Id. (quoting Compl. 16 ¶ 11). The Court accordingly issued “no ruling as to the issue of Plaintiff’s ability to 17 represent the Trust pro se.” Id. at 4. The Court found that the issue of Plaintiff’s pro se 18 representation was “better reserved for full briefing following the appearance of all parties” 19 and “accordingly defer[red] resolution of this issue pending Defendants’ appearance in this 20 action.” Id. 21 On September 25, 2024, Defendant San Diego County Sheriff filed a Motion to 22 Strike Plaintiff’s Complaint, and to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint (“Motion to Dismiss 23 Complaint”). (ECF No. 8.) 24 On October 1, 2024, Plaintiff filed an Ex Parte Motion for Legal Determination of 25 Threshold Issue (“Ex Parte Motion”) requesting that that “the Court make a final 26 determination at the earliest date as to the threshold question of whether Plaintiff in his sole 27 trustee capacity is lawfully representing his sole beneficial interest in the trust.” (ECF No. 28 9 at 2.) 1 On October 6, 2024, Plaintiff filed the First Amended Complaint (“FAC”) pursuant 2 to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a)(1)(B). (ECF No. 13.) 3 On October 11, 2024, the Court denied as moot the Motion to Dismiss Complaint 4 and wrote that it would address Plaintiff’s Ex Parte Motion “after a response to the First 5 Amended Complaint is filed.” (ECF No. 15.) 6 On October 21, 2024, Defendant San Diego County Sheriff filed a Motion to 7 Dismiss FAC. (ECF No. 17.) On October 25, 2024, Plaintiff filed a Response. (ECF No. 8 18.) On November 18, 2024, Defendant San Diego County Sheriff filed a Reply. (ECF No. 9 23.) 10 On November 4, 2024, Defendant Officer C. McCoy filed a Motion to Dismiss FAC. 11 (ECF No. 20.) On November 8, 2024, Plaintiff filed a Response. (ECF No. 21.) On 12 December 2, 2024, Defendant Officer C. McCoy filed a Reply. (ECF No. 30.) On the same 13 day, Plaintiff filed an Objection to the Reply. (ECF No. 31.) 14 On December 6, 2024, Defendants Officer B. Palmer and Officer R. Bernardino filed 15 a Motion to Dismiss FAC. (ECF No. 32.) On December 10, 2024, Plaintiff filed a 16 Response. (ECF No. 33.) 17 During the period from January 21, 2025, through May 22, 2025, Plaintiff repeatedly 18 filed motions requesting that the Court enter an Order with respect to the contentions raised 19 in his Ex Parte Motion (ECF No. 9) regarding whether he may proceed pro se in his 20 representation of the Trust. (ECF Nos. 34, 35, 36, 37, 38.) 21 On June 2, 2025, the Court issued an Order (the “Dismissal Order”) granting the 22 Motions to Dismiss FAC due to Plaintiff’s impermissible pro se representation of the Trust. 23 (ECF No. 39 at 13.) In the Order, the Court wrote that it “cannot consider any claims 24 asserted on behalf of the Trust unless and until the Trust obtains legal representation.” Id. 25 at 11. The Court dismissed the FAC without prejudice and ordered that counsel enter an 26 appearance on behalf of the Trust within thirty days. Id. at 15. The Court cautioned that, if 27 no such appearance was entered, the Court would “dismiss this action without prejudice 28 for failure to prosecute and failure to comply with” its Dismissal Order. Id. 1 On June 11, 2025, Plaintiff filed the pending Motion for Mandatory Joinder. (ECF 2 No. 40.) On July 7, 2025, Defendants filed a Response. (ECF No. 43.) On July 13, 2025, 3 Plaintiff filed a Reply. (ECF No. 45.) 4 On June 11, 2025, Plaintiff filed the pending Motion for Reconsideration. (ECF No.

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Bluebook (online)
Dale Sundby, Trustee v. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy B. Palmer, in her official sheriff capacity, Deputy R. Bernardino, in his official sheriff capacity, Sergeant C. McCoy, in his official sheriff capacity, and Does 1 through X, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dale-sundby-trustee-v-san-diego-county-sheriffs-department-deputy-b-casd-2026.