Hoffman v. Superior Ready Mix Concrete, L.P.

241 Cal. Rptr. 3d 476, 30 Cal. App. 5th 474
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 5th District
DecidedDecember 19, 2018
DocketD072929
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 241 Cal. Rptr. 3d 476 (Hoffman v. Superior Ready Mix Concrete, L.P.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 5th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hoffman v. Superior Ready Mix Concrete, L.P., 241 Cal. Rptr. 3d 476, 30 Cal. App. 5th 474 (Cal. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

NARES, Acting P. J.

*479*478Plaintiff Lynda Hoffman owns 28 acres of land (the property), a portion of which is used to grow plants for an intended nursery. The property is adjacent to a 211-acre rock quarry (the quarry) owned by National Quarries Enterprises LLC and operated by Superior Ready Mix Concrete L.P. (together SRM). After Hoffman prevailed in a trespass action against SRM, the trial court awarded her costs as the prevailing party and attorney fees under Code of Civil Procedure1 section 1021.9, which, in relevant part, allows the prevailing plaintiff to obtain reasonable attorney fees in any action to recover damages "to personal or real property resulting from trespassing on lands ... under cultivation."

SRM appeals, contending Hoffman is not entitled to attorney fees under section 1021.9 because SRM did not trespass onto the areas of land where she was actually growing nursery plants. Assuming we reject this argument, SRM argues that the trial court abused its discretion by awarding Hoffman $289,153.75 in attorney fees because the award was (a) not apportioned between her successful fee and unsuccessful non-fee causes of action, and (b) not reduced to reflect her limited success at trial. SRM also asserts that the trial court abused its discretion by finding that SRM's section 998 offer was invalid and less favorable than Hoffman's trial result.

We conclude that the trial court correctly interpreted section 1021.9 and properly awarded Hoffman her attorney fees as the prevailing plaintiff in this trespass action. We also reject SRM's arguments that the trial court erred when it failed to apportion or reduce Hoffman's attorney fees award. As SRM concedes, these decisions moot its argument regarding the validity of its section 998 argument.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Following the well-established rule of appellate review, we recite the facts in the light most favorable to the judgment. ( People v. Bogle (1995) 41 Cal.App.4th 770, 775, 48 Cal.Rptr.2d 739.) Because this appeal does not challenge the judgment, we provide an abbreviated account of the facts to provide context for our later discussion.

The Properties

Hoffman's property is landlocked and surrounded on three sides by SRM's land, which is a vested mining operation under the Surface Mining and *479Reclamation Act. Hoffman has an easement across SRM's land to access her property and SRM has an easement across Hoffman's property.

Hoffman's husband purchased the property in May 2000. Hoffman's husband grew plants as a hobby and developed a fairly substantial plant collection. The Hoffmans purchased the property intending to use their plant collection to open a commercial nursery and koi-growing operation on the site. The Hoffmans placed roads on the property and installed a water well, a water storage tank, an extensive irrigation system and fencing. From around 2001 through 2010, the Hoffmans grew a variety of plants, including palm trees, subtropical and tropical fruit trees, and citrus trees. They also propagated the plants by seed or cuttings to increase their inventory. In 2007 Hoffman's husband quitclaimed the property to Hoffman. During the summer of 2010, the water well pump on the property broke and the Hoffmans lost approximately 65 percent of their plant inventory.

The Lawsuit and Trial

In June 2015 Hoffman filed this action against SRM alleging causes of action for:

*480(1) trespass to land, (2) private nuisance, (3) negligence, (4) negligence per se, (5) quiet title to prescriptive easement, (6) quiet title to easement by necessity, and (7) quiet title to easement by implied reservation. SRM answered the complaint and filed a cross-complaint seeking declaratory relief and to quiet title to easement by implied reservation, and to quiet title to prescriptive easement. Hoffman asserted that SRM's trespass, which started in 2012, damaged five areas on their property as follows:

Area 1: Widening and reconfiguring the easement road on the property which blocked drainage, changed the natural water drainage patterns, and interfered with the operation of Hoffman's gate.
Area 2: Constructing a desiltation basin that encroached onto the property by about 5,000 square feet and caused silt build-up.
Area 3: SRM maintained gravel and/or dirt berms on the property above a natural ravine, which caused erosion.
Area 4: SRM constructed a large dirt berm which encroached on the property in one area and caused dirt and silt runoff onto the property.
Area 5: SRM cleared and graded along the western portion of the common property line and constructed a 672-foot long dirt berm along the common property line, which disrupted water flow and caused dirt and silt runoff onto the property.

*480The matter proceeded to trial with the parties stipulating that the court would decide the equitable issues raised by Hoffman's and SRM's quiet title and declaratory relief claims and instruct the jury on its findings. The parties also agreed to dismiss their causes of action for a prescriptive easement. Prior to instructing the jury, the trial court decided the parties' quiet title and declaratory relief claims. It determined that Hoffman had a 40-foot-wide right-of-way and utilities easement across the quarry, while SRM had a 20-foot right-of-way easement across the property. It also found that, except for a single berm, SRM's activities on the property were not within its secondary easement rights.

The jury later returned a special verdict finding for Hoffman on her trespass cause of action, but against her on the nuisance and negligence causes of action. The jury awarded Hoffman $17,000 in compensatory damages, $0 in discomfort and annoyance damages, and $0 in punitive damages. The trial court's judgment noted that Hoffman, in addition to her monetary award, had a 40-foot wide nonexclusive right-of-way easement to install electrical lines.

Posttrial Motions

Both parties filed a memorandum of costs. Hoffman sought costs and expert fees she incurred throughout the entire action. SRM sought costs and expert fees incurred by it on or after May 16, 2016, the service date of its section 998 offer. Hoffman filed a motion to recover her attorney fees under section 1021.9 and moved to strike or tax SRM's costs. SRM also moved to strike or tax Hoffman's costs.

The trial court issued a tentative ruling on the motions finding that Hoffman was the prevailing party in the action and awarded her costs. It concluded that SRM's section 998 offer was not reasonable and thus was not valid and, even if the offer were valid, that Hoffman obtained a more favorable judgment at trial than SRM's section 998 offer.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
241 Cal. Rptr. 3d 476, 30 Cal. App. 5th 474, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hoffman-v-superior-ready-mix-concrete-lp-calctapp5d-2018.