Wheeler Ridge Farms v. Wildlands Conservancy CA5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 31, 2013
DocketF063518
StatusUnpublished

This text of Wheeler Ridge Farms v. Wildlands Conservancy CA5 (Wheeler Ridge Farms v. Wildlands Conservancy CA5) 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
Wheeler Ridge Farms v. Wildlands Conservancy CA5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Filed 10/31/13 Wheeler Ridge Farms v. Wildlands Conservancy CA5

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

WHEELER RIDGE FARMS LLC et al., F063518 Plaintiffs and Appellants, (Kern Super. Ct. v. No. S-1500-CV 255842)

THE WILDLANDS CONSERVANCY, INC. et al. OPINION Defendants and Respondents.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Kern County. William D. Palmer, Judge. Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, Gregory A. Long, Polly Towill, and Alison N. Kleaver for Plaintiffs and Appellants. Clifford & Brown, Daniel T. Clifford and John R. Szewczyk for Defendants and Respondents. -ooOoo- I. INTRODUCTION This case ostensibly settled almost six years ago.1 A “settlement agreement” was read on the record, and the parties agreed the court retained jurisdiction under Code of Civil Procedure section 664.6. 2 Arguably, there was no explicit agreement on certain material terms. Nonetheless, the court entered the settlement as a judgment. (See § 664.6.) The judgment simply attached a transcript of the oral settlement language. Plaintiffs made multiple postjudgment motions seeking orders to “enforce” the settlement. The motions were purportedly made pursuant to section 664.6 After one of those motions, the court entered an order requiring plaintiffs to execute a contract, among other things. Plaintiffs challenge the order as outside the court’s authority under section 664.6. We agree that section 664.6 does not support the July 29, 2011, order because it “ ‘create[d] … material terms of a settlement, as opposed to deciding what terms the parties themselves have previously agreed upon.’ [Citation.]” (Hernandez v. Board of Education (2004) 126 Cal.App.4th 1161, 1176, original italics, (Hernandez).) We accordingly reverse that order. In their briefing, plaintiffs challenge another, similar postjudgment order. We conclude that order is not properly before us.

1 As to the following parties: The Wildlands Conservancy, Inc.; Wheeler Ridge Farms LLC and Dale Poe Development Corporation. 2All subsequent statutory references are to the Code of Civil Procedure unless otherwise noted.

2. II. FACTS In the 1980s, Dale Poe purchased more than 100,000 acres of land referred to as the San Emidio Ranch (the “Ranch”3). The property had a water delivery system on it which was used to facilitate cattle grazing. The Wildlands Conservancy (Wildlands) purchased a portion of the Ranch in the mid-1990s. Thereafter, both Wildlands and Poe leased their combined property to a cattleman named Kirk Thomas. Thomas raised cattle on the entire property, and the water delivery system functioned as it had previously. Eventually, Thomas ceased leasing the property. A dispute arose regarding water delivery. Plaintiffs Wheeler Ridge Farms LLC and Dale Poe Development Corporation (plaintiffs) filed a complaint in superior court against Wildlands. The complaint alleged Wildlands improperly “shut off all water” from the water system to Wheeler Ridge’s portions of various pastures. Plaintiffs sought injunctive, equitable, declaratory and compensatory relief. Wildlands answered with a general denial and several affirmative defenses. A. SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT LANGUAGE Plaintiffs and Wildlands ostensibly settled at a mandatory settlement conference on November 30, 2007. The settlement was placed on the record. The settlement included two primary components: a land exchange and a purported resolution of the water dispute. The latter component is most relevant to this appeal. Counsel for Wildlands recited the settlement as to the water issue as follows:

“The second issue that the parties have resolved is regarding the provision of water from the Wildlands Conservancy to Wheeler Ridge Farms and its successors. The Wildlands Conservancy has agreed to provide 3 million gallons of water per year to the boundary line of the

3 Plaintiff’s brief indicates the Ranch was subsequently purchased by Dale Poe Development Corporation and that Wheeler Ridge Farms LLC is that entity’s successor.

3. Wheeler Ridge Farms land. The water shall be used for the Wheeler Ridge Farms property only and not be used for any purposes anywhere outside of the property currently owned by Wheeler Ridge Farms. Water will be provided by the Wildlands Conservancy to a tank. On an annual basis, the water will be accessible by Wheeler Ridge Farms as needed.

“In the event – the obligation will be perpetual. And in the event of any catastrophic event such as a significant climate change, earthquake, extended drought, or other act of God of force majeure, the parties will – or the obligation will be alleviated. And the parties are going to – have agreed to work together in good faith over the next ten days to come up with actual contractual language that identifies this – better identifies and articulates the catastrophic event that will trigger the alleviation of this obligation.” The court asked whether plaintiffs’ counsel had anything to add to the recitation. He responded:

“I believe that the obligation to deliver the water, your Honor, will run with the land. And without buying into the list of examples that [Wildlands’ counsel] attached to the word [sic] ‘catastrophic event,’ I do agree that we have agreed to a catastrophic event suspending the obligation due to low water during the pendency of such event but not ending it forever.

“So, for instance, if a drought were to occur for a period of two or three years that made it impossible, then during that period of drought, the obligation would be lifted, but it would then go back into place if the ten- year rains came.” The court then stated: “And I suspect it would be a right that would be appurtenant to the Wheeler Ridge property and would be a burden on the Wildlands property. It doesn’t mean that should there be one of those catastrophic events that Wildlands would have any obligation to truck water in.” Plaintiffs’ counsel responded, “Correct.…”4

4 There was no settlement language relating to water issues beyond what we discuss in this portion of our opinion.

4. Plaintiffs and Wildlands agreed to the recited settlement on the record. The parties also agreed the court could retain jurisdiction under Code of Civil Procedure section 664.6. B. PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO ENFORCE THE SETTLEMENT On August 15, 2008, plaintiffs filed a motion to enforce the settlement. (§ 664.6.) On November 14, 2008, the court granted the motion. The court signed the proposed judgment submitted by Wildlands’s counsel. The substantive portion of the judgment states: “IT IS ORDERED that the motion be, and it hereby is, granted and judgment is hereby entered consistent with the stipulated settlement entered on the record before Department 6 of this Court on November 30, 2007, reflected in the transcript attached hereto as Exhibit A and the map attached hereto as Exhibit B, all of which are incorporated herein by this reference.” C. PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO “ENFORCE JUDGMENT” On May 19, 2009, plaintiffs filed a “motion to enforce judgment.” (§ 664.6) The motion alleged the parties had been unable to agree on the contractual language contemplated by the settlement. It further contended that Wheeler Ridge was not receiving the “the agreed upon water.” The motion sought an order requiring Wildlands to execute a Water Service Agreement drafted by Wheeler Ridge. Wildlands opposed the motion.

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Wheeler Ridge Farms v. Wildlands Conservancy CA5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wheeler-ridge-farms-v-wildlands-conservancy-ca5-calctapp-2013.