Pacifica L 39 LLC v. Ramy CA2/2

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 30, 2015
DocketB255803
StatusUnpublished

This text of Pacifica L 39 LLC v. Ramy CA2/2 (Pacifica L 39 LLC v. Ramy CA2/2) 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
Pacifica L 39 LLC v. Ramy CA2/2, (Cal. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

Filed 1/30/15 Pacifica L 39 LLC v. Ramy CA2/2

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT DIVISION TWO

PACIFICA L 39 LLC, B255803

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. BC480956) v.

HORMOZ RAMY et al.,

Defendants and Appellants.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Kevin C. Brazile, Judge. Affirmed.

Law Offices of Nejat Kohan, Inc. and Nejat Kohan for Defendants and Appellants.

The Grant Law Firm and Alexander J. Kessler for Plaintiff and Respondent. Defendants and appellants Hormoz Ramy and Nejat Kohan (collectively, defendants) appeal from the judgment entered in favor of plaintiff and respondent Pacifica L 39 LLC (plaintiff) after the trial court granted plaintiff’s motion for summary adjudication of its causes of action for breach of construction loan guarantees executed by defendants. We affirm the judgment. FACTUAL BACKGROUND Defendants are officers and shareholders of Spanish Inn, Inc. (Spanish Inn) a corporation that owned a 60-room hotel built in Palm Springs in the 1930’s (the Spanish Inn property). Plaintiff is the assignee of loan guaranties executed by defendants, as well as the underlying notes and loan documents executed by Spanish Inn. $6 million loan and guaranties On April 18, 2008, Spanish Inn executed a promissory note for a $6 million loan made by Nara Bank for the purpose of renovating the Spanish Inn property. The loan was secured by a construction deed of trust on the property. As additional security, defendants each executed a commercial guaranty of the note. The guaranties each contained express waivers of defendants’ rights and defenses, including any defenses that could be asserted by Spanish Inn, and any defenses available under Civil Code sections 2787 through 2855. The original maturity date of the $6 million note was October 18, 2009, but Nara Bank and Spanish Inn entered into a subsequent written agreement extending the maturity date. $1.3 million loan and guaranties On March 25, 2010, Spanish Inn executed a second promissory note for an additional $ 1.3 million loan, also secured by a construction deed of trust on the Spanish Inn property. In addition, defendants each executed a commercial guaranty of the $1.3 million note. The guaranties contained the same waivers of rights and defenses as those contained in the guaranties of the $6 million note. The maturity date of the $1.3 million note was December 18, 2010.

2 Because of problems with the renovation, Nara Bank and Spanish Inn entered into subsequent written agreements to extend the maturity dates of both loans. The final extension was until May 15, 2011. Default and assignment Spanish Inn defaulted on both loans by failing to repay the amounts owed on the $6 million note and the $1.3 million note by the May 15, 2011 maturity date. Defendants also defaulted on their obligations under the guaranties by failing to repay any amount owed on the notes. On May 27, 2011, Nara Bank initiated a non-judicial foreclosure of the Spanish Inn property by recording a Notice of Default and Election to Sell Under Deed of Trust. On July 11, 2011, Nara Bank assigned its rights under the notes, the guaranties, and all related loan documents to plaintiff. Foreclosure On September 2, 2011, plaintiff recorded a Notice of Unified Trustee’s Sale, setting the sale of the Spanish Inn property at public auction for September 22, 2011. At the trustee’s sale, which was continued to December 14, 2011, plaintiff acquired the Spanish Inn property by a credit bid of $3.5 million. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Plaintiff commenced this action for breach of the guaranties, declaratory relief, and to set aside alleged fraudulent conveyances and transfers. After defendants filed their answer, plaintiff moved for summary adjudication of the breach of guaranty causes of action. In support of their motion, plaintiff submitted a separate statement of undisputed facts, supported by the declarations of its Director of Acquisitions and Development and of a Nara Bank Senior Vice President, and by the notes, guaranties and other loan documents. Defendants opposed the motion, arguing that a triable issue of fact existed as to whether the guaranties were enforceable. Defendants claimed that Nara Bank’s performance of its obligations under the loan agreements was a condition precedent to

3 their obligations under the guaranties, and that Nara Bank had breached the loan agreements, thereby excusing both Spanish Inn’s obligations under the notes and defendants’ obligations under the guaranties. As evidence of Nara Bank’s alleged breaches, defendants submitted the declaration of defendant Kohan. Plaintiff objected to the Kohan declaration in its entirety. The trial court sustained objections to paragraphs 7 through 14 and 22, and to exhibit C of the Kohan declaration. Because the Kohan declaration was the only evidence submitted by defendants, after the trial court’s evidentiary rulings, there was no evidence that Nara Bank had breached the loan agreements. The trial court also found that defendants had expressly waived the right to assert, as a defense to enforcement of the guaranties, any of Spanish Inn’s defenses against Nara Bank, and that those defenses therefore could not be used to raise any triable issue of material fact. The trial court granted the motion for summary adjudication and found defendants liable, jointly and severally, for damages in the amount of $3,422,376.71 on the guaranties of the $6 million note, and for $1,374,384.09 on the guaranties of the $1.3 million note, for a total of $4,981.792.79.1 Plaintiff subsequently dismissed its remaining causes of action, and judgment was entered against defendants, jointly and severally, in the amount of $4,981,792.79. This appeal followed. DISCUSSION I. Standard of review A motion for summary judgment or summary adjudication is properly granted when there is no triable issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. (Code Civ. Proc., § 437c, subd. (c).) When reviewing the grant of a motion for summary judgment or summary adjudication, we independently consider whether a triable issue of material fact exists and whether the moving party is entitled to summary judgment or adjudication as a matter of law. (Haney v. Aramark

1 We note that $3,422,376.71 plus $1,374,384.09 equals $4,796,760.80, not $4,981,792.79.

4 Uniform Services, Inc. (2004) 121 Cal.App.4th 623, 631.) “There is a genuine issue of material fact if, and only if, the evidence would allow a reasonable trier of fact to find the underlying fact in favor of the party opposing the motion in accordance with the applicable standard of proof. Initially, the moving party bears a burden of production to make a prima facie showing of the nonexistence of any genuine issue of material fact. If he carries his burden of production, he causes a shift: the opposing party is then subjected to a burden of production of his own to make a prima facie showing of the existence of a genuine issue of material fact.” (Aguilar v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (2001) 25 Cal.4th 826, 845 (Aguilar).) We review the trial court’s evidentiary rulings for abuse of discretion. (Walker v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. (2002) 98 Cal.App.4th 1158, 1169.) II. Evidentiary rulings Defendants contend the judgment should be reversed because the trial court abused its discretion by sustaining plaintiff’s evidentiary objections to the Kohan declaration.

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Pacifica L 39 LLC v. Ramy CA2/2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pacifica-l-39-llc-v-ramy-ca22-calctapp-2015.