Fair v. WV 23 Jumpstart CA1/3

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 10, 2024
DocketA165418M
StatusUnpublished

This text of Fair v. WV 23 Jumpstart CA1/3 (Fair v. WV 23 Jumpstart CA1/3) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fair v. WV 23 Jumpstart CA1/3, (Cal. Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

Filed 1/9/24 Fair v. WV 23 Jumpstart CA1/3

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION THREE

R. THOMAS FAIR, A165418

Plaintiff and Appellant, (San Mateo County Super. Ct. No. CIV460438) v.

WV 23 JUMPSTART, LLC, ORDER MODIFYING OPINION Defendant and Respondent. [NO CHANGE IN JUDGMENT]

THE COURT*: It is ordered that the opinion filed herein on December 18, 2023, be modified in the following particulars: 1. The portion of the opinion beginning with the following sentence on the bottom of page 6: “We can think of no reason that the expiration of a judgment would not similarly be a defense if an independent action were brought on that judgment. . .” through and including the following sentence at the start of the final paragraph on page 7: “In any case, Fair’s argument fails on the merits,” is deleted and replaced with the following:

We can think of no reason that the expiration of a judgment would not similarly be a defense if an independent action were brought on that judgment. Under former section 683.170, the specific statutory

* Tucher, P.J., Fujisaki, J., and Rodríguez, J. participated in the decision.

1 provision governing motions to vacate the renewal of a judgment, the motion thus was untimely. (See Goldman v. Simpson (2008) 160 Cal.App.4th 255, 261 [motion to vacate renewal of judgment untimely when brought almost six months after renewal].) Fair did not file a reply brief responding to WV 23’s argument that the motion to vacate was untimely. But at oral argument, he belatedly contended the time limit of former section 683.170 does not apply because his challenge is to the fundamental jurisdiction of the trial court to rule on an application to renew the expired judgment. The authority he cited for this proposition, WV 23 Jumpstart, LLC v. Mynarcik (2022) 85 Cal.App.5th 596, in the context of a similar provision in the Sister State Money Judgments Act (§ 1710.10 et seq.; see § 1710.40, subd. (a)), explains briefly that “a judgment debtor may challenge a judgment based on a lack of ‘fundamental jurisdiction’ at any time, regardless of the 30-day rule set forth in the Act.” (Mynarcik, at p. 606, fn. 3.) The question in Mynarcik was whether the California court had personal jurisdiction over the judgment debtor, a matter that clearly implicates the court’s fundamental jurisdiction. (Id. at pp. 602, 606.) In a petition for rehearing, Fair cites additional authorities he contends support his position. (Kabran v. Sharp Memorial Hospital (2017) 2 Cal.5th 330, 339; Airlines Reporting Corp. v. Renda (2009) 177 Cal.App.4th 14, 16-17; Goldman v. Simpson, supra, 160 Cal.App.4th at p. 264.) Whatever the correct resolution of this threshold issue, Fair’s appeal fails on the merits.

2. The second sentence of the final paragraph on page 10 of the opinion currently reads, “Counsel contended that the clerk’s notation, and not some separately filed document, was the entry of judgment.” That sentence is modified to read: Counsel contended that this action, and not the filing of some separate document, was the entry of judgment.

These modifications do not effect a change in the judgment.

Dated:_ January 9, 2024___ _____TUCHER, P.J.____ Presiding Justice Fair v. WV 23 Jumpstart, LLC (A165418)

2 Filed 12/18/23 Fair v. WV 23 Jumpstart CA1/3 (unmodified opinion)

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

R. THOMAS FAIR, Plaintiff and Appellant, A165418 v. WV 23 JUMPSTART, LLC, (San Mateo County Super. Ct. No. CIV460438) Defendant and Respondent.

After a civil judgment is entered, it is enforceable for only 10 years unless, within that period, the judgment creditor renews the judgment. (Code Civ. Proc., §§ 683.020, 683.130, subd. (a).)1 The question underlying these proceedings is whether a judgment was entered a few days before or a few days after that cutoff date. Old Port Lobster Company, Inc. obtained a judgment against appellant R. Thomas Fair in August 2011; that is not in dispute. The parties disagree, however, about whether the operative judgment is an order granting a motion for entry of judgment entered on August 12, 2011, or a document entitled “Judgment” entered two weeks later, on August 26, 2011. That

1 All undesignated statutory references are to the Code of Civil

Procedure.

1 matters because the judgment creditor’s assignee did not renew the judgment until August 18, 2021: if the judgment was entered on August 12 rather than August 26, 2011, then the assignee missed the 10-year cutoff and could no longer enforce the judgment. The trial court concluded the August 26, 2011 document was the judgment and the renewal was timely. In later proceedings, Fair contended that some of his assets were exempt from levy, sought reconsideration of the trial court’s order denying his claim of exemption, and sought to have the renewed judgment vacated. The trial court ruled against him on each of these matters. Fair appeals, and we affirm. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND An action was brought in 2007 against three defendants, Old Port Lobster Company, Inc., Russell Deutsch and Lynn Deutsch (collectively, Old Port). Old Port in turn filed a cross-complaint against Fair and another person. The parties in 2008 agreed to dismiss all causes of action except Old Port’s cross-complaint against Fair. In 2009, the parties settled Old Port’s claim against Fair for $300,000, payable by Fair in installments. It appears that Fair did not satisfy the payment schedule. In June 2011, Old Port moved for an order entering the settlement agreement as a judgment and enforcing the agreement. This dispute hinges on the events that happened when the trial court ruled on the motion. The hearing on the motion was held on July 11, 2011. The minute order states that the motion was granted and Old Port was directed to prepare a written order consistent with the court’s ruling. On August 11, the trial court signed an “Order Granting [Old Port’s] Motion for Order Enforcing Settlement Agreement and Entry of Judgment.”2 The order

2 Block capitalization of court document titles omitted throughout.

2 recited that “IT IS HEREBY ORDERED” that “[Old Port]’s Motion is granted,” and that the terms of the settlement agreement “shall be entered as judgment against R. Thomas Fair as follows: [¶] . . . [J]udgment shall be entered against R. Thomas Fair in the amount of $300,000 less the $47,000 he did pay in March of 2009, or $253,000, together with interest at the legal rate of $10% per annum on $253,000 from April 1, 2009, to the date of the hearing on the Motion of July 11, 2011, for a total monetary judgment of $310,670.14, payable to [Old Port] immediately.” The order was filed on August 12, 2011. The “Disposition Events” portion of the clerk’s docket indicates that judgment was entered on that date. A minute order dated August 23, 2011, indicates there was a hearing on an order to show cause “RE: DISMISSAL Of The Cross Complaint in its entirety,” and that Old Port’s counsel said he would enter judgment.

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Fair v. WV 23 Jumpstart CA1/3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fair-v-wv-23-jumpstart-ca13-calctapp-2024.