Sahansra v. Myers CA3

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 29, 2016
DocketC070001
StatusUnpublished

This text of Sahansra v. Myers CA3 (Sahansra v. Myers CA3) 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
Sahansra v. Myers CA3, (Cal. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

Filed 6/29/16 Sahansra v. Myers CA3 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published,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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT (Placer) ----

KULVINDER SINGH SAHANSRA, C070001

Plaintiff and Appellant, (Super. Ct. No. SCV0029911)

v.

SANDRA RAE MYERS,

Defendant and Respondent.

Appellant Kulvinder Singh Sahansra (Singh), an attorney representing himself, filed in the trial court a petition seeking a civil order prohibiting harassment by Sandra Rae Myers, an attorney who represented Singh’s ex-wife in their divorce proceedings. (Code Civ. Proc., § 527.6 [defining harassment as “unlawful violence, a credible threat of violence” or a course of conduct that would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress and does cause such distress]; undesignated statutory

1 references are to this Code.) After a hearing which Singh calls a “trial” (Schraer v. Berkeley Property Owners’ Ass’n. (1989) 207 Cal.App.3d 719, 731-732 [there is no full trial on the merits of a section 527.6 petition, but the court must hold a hearing]), the trial court found Singh failed to show harassment and entered judgment denying the petition and awarding attorney fees to Myers, who was represented by counsel from her law firm, Keegan and Myers, P.C. (§ 527.6, subd. (s) [“The prevailing party in any action brought under this section may be awarded court costs and attorney’s fees, if any”].) In a postjudgment order, the trial court denied Singh’s “motion for a new . . . trial” and awarded Myers additional attorney fees in connection with that proceeding. Though Singh admits in his appellate brief that he “is no longer seeking a harassment order,” he appeals from the judgment and postjudgment order, hoping to avoid the attorney fee awards. He wants us to conclude the record shows legal error regarding the award of attorney fees, vacate the orders, and remand to the trial court with directions to let Singh “drop the matter” because he has not been harassed since September 2011. Since there was no court reporter at the trial court proceedings, there is no reporter’s transcript. There is a settled statement prepared by the trial court. (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.137 (Rule) [condensed narrative in lieu of reporter’s transcript]; undesignated rule references are to California Rules of Court.) Singh’s designation of the clerk’s transcript on appeal was sparse and did not even include his petition for protective order, motion for new trial, Myers’s request for attorney fees, or the opposition papers. Singh falsely claims the trial court promised to “certify” his proposed settled statement (despite objections by Myers), and falsely claims “There was no settled statement proffered by respondent.” Singh also claims the trial court failed to rule on his motion to admit exhibits (which Singh elsewhere shows were admitted) and failed to rule on his request for a statement of decision (though Singh admits the trial court recalled denying the request as untimely). Singh also claims, without support, that Myers was not

2 entitled to attorney fees because the attorney who represented her was her husband and law partner. As noted by Myers, Singh’s appellate brief is deficient. It misstates the record, cites only to Singh’s own proposed settled statement, and cites no pertinent legal authority supporting reversal. Myers argues this is a frivolous appeal warranting dismissal and sanctions. (§ 907; In re Marriage of Gong & Kwong (2008) 163 Cal.App.4th 510, 516.) Singh has not filed a reply brief, despite asking for and receiving extensions of time to do so. We conclude this is a frivolous appeal filed solely for purposes of delay. We dismiss the appeal, but the nature of the case requires this written opinion. We order Singh to pay sanctions in the amount of $7,500, payable to the clerk of this court to defray the costs of processing this appeal. We remand the matter to the trial court to determine the amount of Myers’s attorney fees incurred in defending the appeal and seeking sanctions. Pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 6086.7 and Rule 10.609, we order that the sanctions be reported to the State Bar.

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS

We begin with the facts from the trial court’s “SETTLED STATEMENT ON APPEAL” (Rule 8.137), dated March 28, 2013, stating: Singh filed the request for an order to stop harassment on September 19, 2011. A temporary restraining order (TRO) with no judicial signature issued on September 20, 2011, and a hearing was set. The matter was continued, and trial began and ended on October 7, 2011. Singh called Myers as a witness. She testified she represented Singh’s wife in the dissolution proceeding, where Singh represented himself. Myers sent two e- mails to Singh in response to statements Singh made about Myers in the family law case. The court allowed Singh to call two witnesses out of order -- the ex-wife Harleen Sodhi and attorney Randall Tanaka -- neither of whom provided any useful testimony about the

3 harassment claim. Singh then resumed his examination of Myers. Myers’s attorney then called her as a witness in her own defense. She testified she sent only two e-mails on September 15, 2011, in response to Singh’s statements about her. Both sides rested. Singh gave a closing argument; the defense did not. “The Court ruled that Mr. Singh had not shown harassing behavior and denied his motion for a permanent restraining order. [¶] Upon a motion for attorneys’ fees by Respondent Myers’[s] attorney Patrick Keegan, the Court awarded attorney’s fees of $12,000. [¶] [Singh] did not request a statement of decision in a timely manner. [¶] There being no reporter’s transcript of the proceedings, the above was created from the clerk’s minutes, the pleadings and the Court’s best recollection of the facts and rulings.” The clerk’s transcript contains Singh’s exhibits, two of which he references in his appellate brief. One is a September 15, 2011, e-mail from Myers to Singh, protesting that Singh “cross[ed] the line” in written communications to the family court and falsely accused her of saying that any attempt by him to set the divorce case for trial would be the “last nail in your coffin.” The other cited exhibit is a letter from Myers to Singh dated September 15, 2011, noting Singh had filed a declaration in family court making false accusations impugning Myers’s ethics and suggesting she was “a hog that should be slaughtered.” Myers’s letter stated: “The fact that you continue to make such statements, and even in public court documents when you are a practicing attorney, causes me great concern for your mental and emotional stability. I consider these statements to be barely veiled threats on my life.” She warned that she would seek a restraining order if he persisted. In addition to the foregoing settled statement, the record contains the court’s “TRIAL MINUTES,” which said no court reporter was present and the court ruled there shall be no audio recordings of these proceedings by either party. The minutes further show that, after a recess the court directed Singh to surrender his recording device to the bailiff until completion of the proceedings. The court dissolved any TRO.

4 On November 16, 2011, the court heard and denied Singh’s motion for new trial.

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Sahansra v. Myers CA3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sahansra-v-myers-ca3-calctapp-2016.