Williams v. American Airports Corporation CA2/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 21, 2023
DocketB321408
StatusUnpublished

This text of Williams v. American Airports Corporation CA2/1 (Williams v. American Airports Corporation CA2/1) 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
Williams v. American Airports Corporation CA2/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

Filed 8/21/23 Williams v. American Airports Corporation CA2/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 ONE

WINN WILLIAMS et al., B321408

Plaintiffs, Cross-defendants, (Los Angeles County and Appellants, Super. Ct. No. 20STCV42610)

v.

AMERICAN AIRPORTS CORPORATION,

Defendant, Cross-complainant, and Respondent.

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Kristin S. Escalante, Judge. Affirmed. Kassouni Law and Timothy V. Kassouni for Plaintiffs, Cross-defendants, and Appellants. Cunningham Swaim, Michael J. Terhar, and Jonathan E. Hembree for Defendant, Cross-complainant, and Respondent. __________________________________ The sole issue in this appeal is whether the trial court erred in denying a motion filed under Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16 (the anti-SLAPP law, hereafter section 425.16) by appellants Winn Williams and Sherlyn Williams to strike a cross- complaint filed by respondent American Airports Corporation.1 We conclude the court did not err. The Williamses were members of non-party Port Hangar Association, Inc. Port Hangar Association leased space on an airport owned by the County of Los Angeles and managed by American Airports. Port Hangar Association subleased this space to individuals, including the Williamses, who placed portable aircraft hangars on the space. Shortly before the master lease was set to expire, the Williamses filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), contending that the refusal of the County and American Airports to negotiate a lease renewal violated both FAA grant assurances and federal law. Six months after the FAA denied the complaint, Winn Williams attended several meetings of the County Aviation Commission, criticizing both American Airports and the County, and reporting his difficulties with vacating the space the Williamses had been subleasing. Eventually, after American Airports removed their portable hangars and the personal property stored therein, the Williamses sued both American Airports and the County for inverse condemnation, conversion, discrimination, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

1 “The acronym ‘SLAPP’ stands for ‘strategic lawsuit

against public participation.’ ” (Episcopal Church Cases (2009) 45 Cal.4th 467, 473, fn. 1.)

2 In a cross-complaint, American Airports alleged that the Williamses’ dilatory tactics and misrepresentations regarding their intentions to vacate the space they had subleased ultimately caused American Airports to incur more than $30,000 in costs in evicting them and removing and storing their property. American Airports alleged causes of action for breach of the lease agreement, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, quantum meruit, and promissory estoppel. In response, the Williamses filed a motion to strike the cross-complaint under the anti-SLAPP law, contending the cross- complaint arose from the Williamses’ FAA complaint and Winn Williams’s statements to the County Aviation Commission. The trial court disagreed, finding that the Williamses had failed to show that the cross-complaint was based on activity protected by the anti-SLAPP law. We agree with the trial court and affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND2

A. The Williamses’ Complaint In November 2020, the Williamses sued American Airports and the County. In April 2021, the Williamses filed a first amended complaint, and in September 2021, they filed a second amended complaint (SAC, the operative complaint). The SAC alleged that, in August 1997, Port Hangar Association entered a 15-year lease (with an option to renew for five years) with the County, leasing “vacant blacktop paved lots” on Brackett Field Airport and subsequently subleased smaller sections of the lots to

2 We limit our summary to the facts and procedural history

relevant to the issues raised on appeal.

3 Port Hangar Association members. The Williamses placed portable hangars on the space they subleased. In 2002, American Airports “became the authorized agent for the County . . . with respect to management and operations” at the airport. In 2012, Port Hangar Association renewed the lease for another five years. In September 2018, after the lease had expired, American Airports served Port Hangar Association with a 30-day notice to quit. In January 2019, American Airports filed an unlawful detainer action against Port Hangar Association; a judgment for possession was entered in February 2019. The Williamses alleged the judgment did not apply to them, and that American Airports continued accepting rent from them until May 2019. In June 2019, American Airports refused to accept further payments and claimed the Williamses had no right to keep their portable hangars at the airport because Port Hangar Association had been evicted. American Airports demanded the Williamses remove their hangars and property from the airport. The Williamses claimed they were trying to comply, but American Airports made it difficult for them by removing their access to the airport on several occasions, and by placing its own locks on the Williamses’ portable hangars. Nevertheless, the Williamses rented one County-owned hangar to temporarily store one of their planes and most of their property before they moved to another airport, and asked American Airports to rent them another hangar. They specifically requested a vacant hangar near their portable hangars, arguing they were entitled to accommodation because both Williamses were cancer survivors and neither Williams could walk very far.

4 American Airports refused to rent them a hangar and let them know that both the County and American Airports wanted their portable hangars removed by the end of October 2019 for a public repaving project that would affect the space they were using. Sometime in October 2019, American Airports and the County removed the personal property from the Williamses’ portable hangars and destroyed the hangars. Thereafter, American Airports refused to tell the Williamses in writing where their property had been stored. In April 2020, American Airports provided written notice as to the location of the Williamses’ personal property, along with instructions on how to retrieve the property. American Airports also informed the Williamses it would not rent a hangar to them because “Mr. Williams has caused issues in the past and is difficult to handle.” Based on these allegations, the SAC set forth causes of action for inverse condemnation against the County, and conversion, discrimination under Civil Code sections 51 and 52, and negligent infliction of emotional distress against both defendants.

B. The Cross-Complaint In December 2021, American Airports answered the SAC and brought a cross-complaint against the Williamses. The cross- complaint alleged that, in September 2018, a 30-day notice to quit was served on the Williamses. When the Williamses began then sending checks directly to American Airports, the checks stated they were for “ ‘tie-downs’ ” and American Airports did not realize the Williamses were attempting to create a new month-to- month tenancy. When American Airports realized the purpose of these payments, it refunded the money.

5 American Airports made numerous attempts to have the Williamses vacate the premises. In November 2018, Winn Williams “expressly agreed” to clear out the contents of his hangars.

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Williams v. American Airports Corporation CA2/1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-american-airports-corporation-ca21-calctapp-2023.