Post Modern Justice Media Project v. Wood CA1/5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 20, 2023
DocketA167086
StatusUnpublished

This text of Post Modern Justice Media Project v. Wood CA1/5 (Post Modern Justice Media Project v. Wood CA1/5) 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
Post Modern Justice Media Project v. Wood CA1/5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

Filed 9/20/23 Post Modern Justice Media Project v. Wood CA1/5 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 FIVE

POST MODERN JUSTICE MEDIA PROJECT, Plaintiff and Appellant, A167086

v. (Contra Costa County ANDREA C. WOOD, Super. Ct. No. MSC21-02564) Defendant and Respondent.

Plaintiff Post Modern Justice Media Project (Post Modern) appeals from a default judgment awarding Post Modern $3,066 on its complaint against defendant and respondent Andrea C. Wood. Post Modern contends the trial court should have awarded $366,432 as well as specific performance of the contract. Post Modern’s arguments have no merit, and we will affirm the judgment. I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY A. Post Modern’s Complaint In December 2021, Post Modern filed a verified complaint against Wood and Doe defendants for breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and fraud. The complaint alleged as follows. Post Modern is an educational nonprofit organization founded in May 2020 by its president, Alexander C. Baker. Wood is a “beneficiary and/or trustee to the Gary W. Wood Charitable Family Trust” (Family Trust). Wood

1 told Baker that she had the authority to direct “her share” of an annual distribution from the Family Trust to the nonprofit of her choice. From year to year, the distribution varied between $30,000 and $80,000. Around October 1, 2020, Wood and Baker agreed orally that Wood would direct her share of the Family Trust distribution to Post Modern, for three years, to produce educational media. On or about October 11, 2020, however, Baker informed Wood that Post Modern had not yet obtained “501(c)(3) status” and another nonprofit—NCIR-Fund—would accept the Family Trust funds for tax year 2020. (See 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3).) Wood and Baker agreed orally that Post Modern could direct the Family Trust distribution to the nonprofit of Baker’s choice, with a “first right of refusal” for tax years 2020, 2021, and 2022. On October 12, 2020, a document entitled “Irrevocable Pledge Agreement” (NCIR-Fund Pledge) was signed by Wood “on behalf of” the Family Trust (Donor), and by Fred Sottile on behalf of NCIR-Fund (Donee). The NCIR-Fund Pledge stated: “Donor hereby irrevocably pledges and agrees to pay in U.S. dollars to Donee [her] annual amount of the Gary W. Wood Charitable Family Trust for the annual 2020 distribution, which will pay in January 2021.”1 In the document, Wood represented that she was trustee of the Family Trust and had “authority, on an annual basis in December of each year, to direct said trust to pay to the charitable organization of her choice.” It stated that the parties intended the agreement and pledge to be

1 The printed language in the NCIR-Fund Pledge stated that the Donor pledged to pay “the total annual amount” of the distribution; in the signed copy of the pledge, the words “the total” were interlineated and the handwritten word “her” was added, suggesting that Wood would direct only her share of the Family Trust distribution. A similar change was made to the pledge agreement that Wood signed the next day in favor of Post Modern.

2 “enforceable in contract and supported by due consideration.” Further, Wood acknowledged that “Donee will rely on the availability of this Pledge to fund its future budgetary, programming and planning needs and will expend time, money and effort to promote its agenda, programming and planning and will make representations to potential donors and other charitable participants to encourage them to expend their time and resources in connection with Donee's efforts, all in reliance on and in consideration of the Pledge and its fulfillment by Donor.” Neither Post Modern nor Baker were mentioned in the NCIR-Fund Pledge. On October 13, 2020, another document entitled “Irrevocable Pledge Agreement” (Post Modern Pledge) was signed by Wood “on behalf of” the Family Trust (Donor) and by Baker on behalf of Post Modern (Donee). The Post Modern Pledge stated: “Donor hereby irrevocably pledges and agrees to pay in U.S. dollars to Donee [her part of] the total annual amount of the Gary W. Wood Charitable Family Trust each year for two (2) consecutive years, beginning with the distribution for tax year 2021 (which will be paid in January 2022); (hereafter ‘Pledge’), and ending after distribution for tax year 2022 (which will be paid in January 2023).” Like the NCIR-Fund Pledge, the Post Modern Pledge recited Wood’s authority to direct the money and the parties’ intention that the pledge “be enforceable in contract and supported by due consideration.” As to reliance, the Post Modern Pledge stated that the “Pledge set forth herein constitutes a ‘charitable donation’ ” under 26 U.S.C. section 501(c)(3) and was “made for good and valuable consideration, of benefit to Donor, and is intended to induce reliance and action on the part of Donee.” (Bolding removed.) The Post Modern Pledge also gave Baker a right of first refusal, stating as follows: “All other provisions notwithstanding, beginning immediately

3 upon execution of this Agreement [October 13, 2020], and terminating automatically only upon completion of this Agreement by all Parties, Alexander C. Baker shall enjoy a First Right of Refusal regarding any proposed Donees of the Gary W. Wood Family Charitable Trust. Until this Agreement is completed by all Parties, no charitable organization may receive any donations from Andrea C. Wood’s portion of the Gary W. Wood Family Charitable Trust without the express, written permission of [Post Modern], by and through its president, Alexander C. Baker.” According to Post Modern’s 2021 complaint, even though the NCIR-Fund Pledge and the Post Modern Pledge were signed on different days by different Donees and did not refer to one another, the parties understood the documents to comprise a single three-year deal under which Post Modern or its designee would receive Wood’s portion of the Family Trust distribution on an annual basis for tax years 2020, 2021, and 2022. In November or December 2020, allegedly in reliance on the pledge agreement with Wood, Post Modern purchased equipment forf producing media content, including a Sony AX43 Camera, three lighting kits, two external hard drives, a teleprompter, and an iPad. Baker and Sotille spent at least 100 hours writing material and promised roles to actors. Baker announced that Post Modern had been pledged money, which led to other donations. The time for Wood to direct Family Trust funds to NCIR-Fund under the NCIR-Fund Pledge passed in December 2020, and no payment was made in January 2021. Either Wood did not direct the Family Trust to pay anyone or directed the funds to someone else. In February 2021, Post Modern was recognized as a tax-exempt nonprofit retroactive to April 20, 2020.

4 Post Modern filed its complaint in December 2021, before the deadlines for Post Modern to receive funds from the Family Trust for tax years 2021 and 2022. The complaint was signed and verified in November 2021, before Wood’s deadline to direct the Family Trust to pay Post Modern for those tax years.

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Bluebook (online)
Post Modern Justice Media Project v. Wood CA1/5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/post-modern-justice-media-project-v-wood-ca15-calctapp-2023.