Travelers Property Casualty Company of America v. Mountain Movers Engineering Company, Inc. et al
Filing
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ORDER Granting in Part, Denying in Part, Defendants' 41 Motion for Leave to File Counterclaims. Signed by Judge Marilyn L. Huff on 5/3/2017. (ag)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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Case No.: 3:16-cv-02127-H-WVG
TRAVELERS PROPERTY CASUALTY
COMPANY OF AMERICA, a
Connecticut corporation,
ORDER GRANTING IN PART,
DENYING IN PART, DEFENDANTS’
MOTION FOR LEAVE TO FILE
COUNTERCLAIMS
Plaintiff,
v.
MOUNTAIN MOVERS ENGINEERING
COMPANY, INC., a California
corporation; et al.,
[Doc. No. 41]
Defendants.
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On April 3, 2017, Defendants Old Republic General Insurance Corporation
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(“ORGENCO”) and Pacific Building Group (“PBG”) (collectively, “Defendants”), filed a
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motion for leave to file counterclaims. (Doc. No. 41.) Defendants seek to assert claims
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against Travelers Property Casualty Company of America (“Plaintiff”), including both
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direct causes of action as judgment creditors and claims assigned to ORGENCO by
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Defendant Mountain Movers (“Mountain”). (Id.) On April 24, 2017, Plaintiff opposed
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Defendants’ motion. (Doc. No. 43.) Defendants filed a reply on April 26, 2017. (Doc.
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No. 44.)
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BACKGROUND
The following facts are taken from the allegations in Defendants’ proposed
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counterclaims. (Doc. No. 41-1.) Defendant PBG was the general contractor hired to
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complete an improvement of real property located in Carlsbad, California (the “Carlsbad
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Property”). (Id. at ¶ 11.) PBG subsequently contracted Mountain to perform work in
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connection with the improvement. (Id. at ¶ 13.) As part of the agreement between PBG
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and Mountain, Mountain agreed to indemnify PBG for any claims arising from
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Mountain’s performance. (Id. at ¶ 14.) Mountain also agreed to reimburse PBG for any
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loss, including extra expenses and attorneys’ fees, related to Mountain’s failure to
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perform. (Id. at ¶ 15.) As part of its contractual obligations, Mountain obtained a
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commercial general liability insurance policy, No. DTE-CO-9323B76 (the “Traveler’s
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Policy”), from Plaintiff. (Id. at ¶ 16.)
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On September 8, 2012, while working at the Carlsbad Property, Mountain
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damaged a sewer cleanout, causing a sewer backup and flooding an adjacent building.
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(Id. at ¶¶ 17-18.) Plaintiff was notified promptly of the damage but did not participate in,
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or fund, the repairs. (Id. at ¶ 20.) The total cost of the damage was $141,880.61, of
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which ORGENCO paid $131,880.61 (representing the cost minus a $10,000 deductible).
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(Id. at 22.) Mountain agreed to reimburse PBG for the $10,000 deductible. (Id. at ¶ 23.)
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On October 8, 2012, Plaintiff informed Mountain that the Traveler’s Policy did not
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cover the September 8, 2012 damage because the policy included a Pollution Exclusion,
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as well as a Bacteria/Fungi Exclusion. (Id. at ¶ 24.) On October 19, 2012, Defendants
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submitted a claim to Plaintiff for the costs they incurred and were told that Plaintiff was
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in the process of investigating the claim. (Id. at ¶¶ 25-26.) On December 11, 2012,
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Plaintiff informed Defendants the Pollution Exclusion precluded coverage under the
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Traveler’s Policy because the accident involved sewage. (Id. at ¶ 27.)
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Following the denial of coverage, Defendants filed suit in state court, seeking
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indemnification and reimbursement from Plaintiff and Mountain. (Id. at 28.) Mountain
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retained The Law Offices of Gregory Hout to defend it and, although Plaintiff agreed to
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pay for Mountain’s defense, Plaintiff’s payments were late and sporadic. (Id. at ¶ 31.)
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Throughout the course of the litigation, Plaintiff repeatedly claimed that the September 8,
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2012 incident was excluded from coverage and refused Defendants’ settlement offers.
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(Id. at ¶¶ 36-41.)
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On May 31, 2016, Defendants offered to settle with Mountain for a stipulated
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judgment of $372,000 against Mountain in exchange for a covenant not to execute the
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judgment against Mountain. (Id. at ¶ 46.) Mountain reviewed the settlement offer and
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forwarded it to Plaintiff. (Id. at ¶ 48.) Plaintiff refused to fund the settlement offer and
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threatened to sue Mountain if it settled with Defendants. (Id. at ¶ 49.) On August 2,
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2016, Mountain entered into the Settlement Agreement with Defendants. (Id. at 34-44.)
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As part of the Agreement, Mountain also assigned all of its claims against Plaintiff to
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ORGENCO. (Id. at ¶ 52.)
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On August 24, 2016, Plaintiff filed a complaint in federal court against Defendants
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alleging causes of action for (1) declaratory judgment that there was no duty to defend
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the underlying state court action, (2) declaratory judgment that there has been satisfaction
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of the duty to defend in the underlying action, (3) declaratory judgment that coverage was
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voided by an unauthorized settlement agreement; and (4) unjust enrichment. (Doc. No. 1
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¶¶ 21-44.)
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By the present motion, Defendants move pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil
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Procedure 15 for leave to file counterclaims against Plaintiff. Defendants’ proposed
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counterclaims allege eleven causes of action, including (1) a judgment creditor action
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pursuant to California Insurance Code Section 11580, (2) an action for breach of contract,
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(3) multiple actions for breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, (4)
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a declaratory judgment action seeking to disqualify Plaintiff’s counsel, and (5) an action
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for punitive damages.
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DISCUSSION
I.
LEGAL STANDARDS FOR A MOTION TO AMEND PLEADINGS
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Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a) allows a party leave to amend its pleading
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once as a matter of right within twenty-one days after service of a responsive pleading.
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Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a). Thereafter, “a party may amend its pleading only with the
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opposing party’s written consent or the court’s leave. The court should freely give leave
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when justice so requires.” Id. In the Ninth Circuit, this policy is “applied with extreme
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liberality.” Owens v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., 244 F.3d 708, 712 (9th Cir.
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2001) (quoting Morongo Band of Mission Indians v. Rose, 893 F.2d 1074, 1079 (9th Cir.
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1990)).
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“The court considers five factors in assessing the propriety of leave to amend—bad
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faith, undue delay, prejudice to the opposing party, futility of amendment, and whether
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the plaintiff has previously amended the complaint.” United States v. Corinthian
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Colleges, 655 F.3d 984, 995 (9th Cir. 2011) (citing Johnson v. Buckley, 356 F.3d 1067,
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1077 (9th Cir. 2004)); accord In re W. States Wholesale Natural Gas Antitrust Litig., 715
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F.3d 716, 738 (9th Cir. 2013). The five factors do not share “equal weight” and “it is the
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consideration of prejudice to the opposing party that carries the greatest weight.”
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Eminence Capital, LLC v. Aspeon, Inc., 316 F.3d 1048, 1052 (9th Cir. 2003). “Absent
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prejudice, or a strong showing of any of the remaining [] factors, there exists a
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presumption under Rule 15(a) in favor of granting leave to amend.” Id. The decision
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whether to grant leave to amend “is entrusted to the sound discretion of the trial court.”
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Pisciotta v. Teledyne Indus., 91 F.3d 1326, 1331 (9th Cir. 1996).
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II.
ANALYSIS
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A. Prior Amendments, Undue Delay, Prejudice, and Bad Faith
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The present motion is the first time Defendants have sought to introduce
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counterclaims or amend their pleadings. (Doc. No. 41.) As such there are no prior
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amendments for the Court to weigh in deciding whether to grant leave to amend.
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Defendants did not unduly delay in filing their counterclaims. The Scheduling
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Order, entered on March 3, 2017, required the parties to bring any motions to amend the
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pleadings on or before April 3, 2017. (Doc. No. 40.) The present motion was filed on
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April 3, 2017 and, thus, complies with the Court’s scheduling order.
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Plaintiff has not alleged any prejudice they would suffer if the Court granted
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Defendants’ motion. (See generally Doc. No. 43.) The case is still at a relatively early
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stage and discovery remains open. (See Doc. No. 40 ¶ 6.) As such, there is time for
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Plaintiff to prepare to respond to Defendants’ counterclaims. See e.g., Coleman v.
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Quaker Oats Co., 232 F.3d 1271, 1292 (9th Cir. 2000) (finding prejudice where plaintiff
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attempted to add a new theory at the summary judgment stage); City of Los Angeles v.
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San Pedro Boat Works, 635 F.3d 440, 454 (9th Cir. 2011) (affirming a finding of undue
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prejudice where plaintiff sought to amend complaint after five out of 6 key witnesses had
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been deposed).
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The bad faith element looks at whether litigants’ amendments are driven by an
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improper motive, for example, “seeking to prolong the litigation by adding new but
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baseless legal theories.” Griggs v. Pace American Group, Inc., 170 F.3d 877, 881 (9th
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Cir. 1999). Plaintiff broadly alleges that Defendants are bringing their counterclaims for
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improper purposes but provides no specific details or factual support. (Doc. No. 43 at 6.)
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As such, the Court does not find Defendants counterclaims have been brought in bad
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faith.
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B. Futility of Amendment
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In opposing Defendants’ motion for leave to file counterclaims, Plaintiff relies
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primarily on the futility of amendment factor. Specifically, Plaintiff argues that
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Defendants’ proposed counterclaims would be futile because the stipulated judgment
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between Mountain and Defendants is unenforceable, Defendants have no viable assigned
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claims from Mountain, and Defendants have no standing to pursue the declaratory relief
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they seek. (Doc. No. 43 at 5-6.) In response, Defendants argue that Plaintiff’s opposition
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is inconsistent with previous legal positions, Mountain properly assigned its claims to
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Defendants, and Defendants have standing to seek their proposed declaratory relief.
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(Doc. No. 44 at 3-8.)
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1. Legal Standards for Futility
The Court may reject a motion for leave to amend if the proposed amendment
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would be futile. Carrico v. City & Cty. Of San Francisco, 656 F.3d 1002, 1008 (9th Cir.
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2011). A proposed amendment is futile where it would be subject to dismissal if allowed.
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Steckman v. Hart Brewing, Inc., 143 F.3d 1293, 1298 (9th Cir. 1998); see also Jones v.
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Community Redevelopment Agency of City of Los Angeles, 733 F.2d 646, 650 (9th Cir.
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1984) (denying leave to amend complaint where “proposed complaint would still fail to
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state a section 1983 claim”). “In assessing futility, the district court must apply the
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standard which applies to motions to dismiss under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6).” F.D.I.C. v.
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Twin Development, LLC, 2012 WL 1831639, *6 (S.D. Cal. May 18, 2012) (quoting
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Adorno v. Crowley Towing & Transp. Co.., 443 F.3d 122, 126 (1st Cir. 2006)).
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A motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) tests the legal
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sufficiency of the pleadings and allows a court to dismiss a complaint if the plaintiff has
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failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. See Conservation Force v.
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Salazar, 646 F.3d 1240, 1241 (9th Cir. 2011). A complaint will survive a motion to
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dismiss if it contains “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.”
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Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). “A claim has facial plausibility
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when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable
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inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556
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U.S. 662, 678 (2009). “A pleading that offers ‘labels and conclusions’ or ‘a formulaic
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recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.’” Id. (quoting Twombly, 550
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U.S. at 555). “Nor does a complaint suffice if it tenders ‘naked assertion[s]’ devoid of
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‘further factual enhancement.’” Id. (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 557). Accordingly,
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dismissal for failure to state a claim is proper where the claim “lacks a cognizable legal
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theory or sufficient facts to support a cognizable legal theory.” Mendiondo v. Centinela
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Hosp. Med. Ctr., 521 F.3d 1097, 1104 (9th Cir. 2008).
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In determining whether a plaintiff has adequately stated a claim for relief, a district
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court must accept as true all facts alleged in the complaint, and draw all reasonable
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inferences in favor of the plaintiff. See Retail Prop. Trust v. United Bhd. of Carpenters &
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Joiners of Am., 768 F.3d 938, 945 (9th Cir. 2014); In re Bill of Lading Transmission &
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Processing Sys. Patent Litig., 681 F.3d 1323, 1331 (Fed. Cir. 2012). But, a court need
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not accept “legal conclusions” as true. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. Further, it is improper for
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a court to assume the plaintiff “can prove facts which it has not alleged or that the
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defendants have violated the . . . laws in ways that have not been alleged.” Associated
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Gen. Contractors of Cal., Inc. v. Cal. State Council of Carpenters, 459 U.S. 519, 526
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(1983).
2. California Insurance Code § 11580 Claim
California Insurance Code Section 11580 requires that insurance policies issued or
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delivered in California include a provision that “whenever judgment is secured against
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the insured in an action based on bodily injury, death, or property damage, the judgment
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creditor may sue the insurer on the policy, subject to its terms and limitations, to recover
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on the judgment.” Wright v. Fireman’s Fund Ins. Companies, 11 Cal.App.4th 998, 1015
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(1992). To establish a claim under § 11580, a third party claimant must prove:
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1) it obtained a judgment for bodily injury, death, or property damage, 2) the
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judgment was against a person insured under a policy that insures against
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loss or damage resulting from liability for personal injury or insures against
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loss of or damage to property caused by a vehicle or draught animal, 3) the
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liability insurance policy was issued by the defendant insurer, 4) the policy
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covers the relief awarded in the judgment, 5) the policy either contains a
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clause that authorizes the claimant to bring an action directly against the
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insurer or the policy was issued or delivered in California and insures
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against loss or damage resulting from liability for personal injury or insures
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against loss of or damage to property caused by a vehicle or draught animal.
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Id. The only element at issue here is the first one. Plaintiff claims the stipulated
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judgment between Mountain and Defendants is void and cannot bind Plaintiff.
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As a general rule, “a stipulated judgment between the insured and the injured
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claimant, without the consent of the insurer, is ineffective to impose liability upon the
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insurer.” Safeco Ins. Co. v. Superior Court¸71 Cal.App.4th 782, 787 (1999). However, as
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an exception to this rule, stipulated judgments may bind the insurer if the insurer
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“wrongfully refuses to defend” or unreasonably refuses to settle. Id. at 788; accord
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Wright v. Fireman’s Fund Ins. Companies, 11 Cal.App.4th 998 (1992) (collecting cases).
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Defendants’ allege that Plaintiff failed to promptly pay Mountain’s defense counsel and,
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at the time of settlement, Mountain had no assurances that Plaintiff would continue
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paying defense counsel. (Doc. No. 41-1 ¶ 45.) Furthermore, Defendants allege that
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Plaintiff refused to consider their settlement offers and maintained a “zero offer”
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settlement position throughout the course of litigation. (Id. at ¶¶ 42-44.) Accepting these
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facts as true, and drawing all reasonable inferences in Defendants’ favor, Defendants
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have adequately alleged that Plaintiff wrongfully refused to defend Mountain or
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unreasonably refused to settle. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. As such, questions of fact remain
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as to whether the stipulated judgment is binding on Plaintiff.
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Plaintiff also argues the stipulated judgment is unenforceable because the total
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judgment amount, $372,000, includes costs and attorneys’ fees which should have been
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fixed by the court, but were not. Plaintiff argues that under California Civil Code § 1717,
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“[t]he reasonable attorney’s fees shall be fixed by the court, and shall be an element of
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the costs of suit.” (Doc. No. 43 at 10.) Plaintiff, however, cites no cases holding that a
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stipulated judgment is unenforceable because the parties’ included attorney’s fees in their
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settlement amount. Indeed, California Code of Civil Procedure § 1033.5(c)(5) provides
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precisely for such a situation: “[a]ttorney’s fees allowable as costs . . . shall be fixed
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either upon a noticed motion or upon entry of a default judgment, unless otherwise
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provided by stipulation of the parties.” Cal. Civ. C. Proc. §1033.5(c)(5). The fact that
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these additional costs increased the amount of the stipulated judgment does not, without
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more, render it void. In their counterclaims, Defendants seek “all or part of” the
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stipulated judgment and Plaintiff may contest the actual amount of insured’s damages.
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See Wright v. Fireman’s Fund Ins. Companies, 11 Cal.App.4th 998, 1018 (1992) (“in a
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later suit against the insurer the reasonable settlement may be used as presumptive
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evidence of the insured’s liability on the underlying claim and the amount of such
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liability”). As such, Plaintiff has failed to prove futility.
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Because Defendants have plead facts sufficient to make out a case under § 11580,
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the Court finds that amending the pleadings to allow their first cause of action would not
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be futile and grants their motion as to that cause of action.
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3. Mountain’s Assigned Causes of Action
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The remaining causes of action are brought by ORGENCO as an assignee of
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Mountain’s rights, which were assigned to ORGENCO as part of the stipulated judgment.
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(Doc. No. 41-1 ¶ 61.) These rights include “all rights [Mountain] may have against
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[Plaintiff] . . . including but not limited to the right to indemnity under the Travelers’
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insurance policies and the right to pursue a cause of action for breach of the implied
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covenant of good faith and fair dealings.” (Doc. No. 41-1 at 40.) In return for the
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assignment, as well as the stipulation to judgment, Defendants agreed not to execute the
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judgment against Mountain. (Id.) Plaintiff argues that none of Mountain’s assigned
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causes of action are enforceable because Mountain has suffered no damages in light of
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the covenant not to execute.
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“California, as set forth both in case law and by statute, maintains a policy
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encouraging the free transferability of all types of property.” Essex Ins. Co. v. Five Star
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Dye House, Inc., 38 Cal.4th 1252, 1259 (2006) (“We start from the proposition that
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assignability is the rule.”) Accordingly, “[a]ctions for bad faith against an insurer have
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generally been held to be assignable, including claims for breach of the duty to defend.”
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Id. at 1263 (citations omitted). Plaintiff argues this general rule of assignability does not
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apply when the stipulated judgment includes a covenant not to execute. (Doc. No. 43 at
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12-13.) But as the Court explained in the previous section, where an insurer fails to
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defend an insured, or unreasonably refuses to settle, Courts will enforce settlements not
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approved by the insurer regardless of whether they contain covenants not to enforce.
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Safeco Ins. Co. v. Superior Court¸71 Cal.App.4th at 787, 789 (“The insured’s remedy to
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protect himself from an excess judgment is to assign to the claimant his cause of action
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for bad faith refusal to settle in exchange for a covenant not to enforce the judgment
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against the insured’s personal assets.”) This analysis is not affected by the inclusion of
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non-recoverable fess in the stipulated judgment. “Although some damages potentially
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recoverable in a bad faith action, including damages for emotional distress and punitive
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damages, are not assignable, the cause of action itself remains freely assignable.” Essex
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Ins. Co., 38 Cal.4th at 1263.
As Defendants have adequately alleged that Mountain was entitled to assign its
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claims against Plaintiff, ORGENCO’s counterclaims are not futile, and the Court grants
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leave to file the second through the ninth causes of action.
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4. Declaratory Relief Claim
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Defendants’ tenth cause of action seeks declaratory relief disqualifying Plaintiff’s
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counsel from working on any matter to which Mountain is a litigant or has an interest in,
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as well as equitably estopping Plaintiff from contesting the economic damages in the
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underlying state court action. (Doc. No. 41-1 at 27.) Plaintiff opposes this counterclaim
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on the grounds that Defendants lack standing to disqualify Plaintiff’s counsel or,
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alternatively, the issue should be raised through a motion to disqualify. (Doc. No. 43 at
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14-16.)
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The Declaratory Judgment Act grants courts the power to “declare the rights and
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other legal relations of any interested party.” 28 U.S.C. § 2201. This power is
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discretionary and courts consider various prudential factors in deciding whether to
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exercise it. American States Ins. Co. v. Kearns, 15 F.3d 142, 144 (9th Cir. 1994) (“The
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statute gives discretion to courts in deciding whether to entertain declaratory
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judgments.”). These prudential factors include “concerns of judicial administration,
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comity, and fairness to the litigants.” Id. (quoting Chamberlain v. Allstate Ins. Co., 931
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F.2d 1361, 1367 (9th Cir. 1991)). None of these factors weigh in favor of allowing
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Defendants to proceed with their declaratory judgment cause of action.
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Courts “properly may refuse declaratory relief if the alternative remedy is better or
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more effective.” Federal Practice & Procedure § 2758 (collecting cases); accord Gov’t
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Employees Ins. Co. v. Dizol, 133 F.3d 1220, 1223 n.5 (9th Cir. 1998) (en banc) (courts
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can consider “the availability and relative convenience of other remedies”). Here,
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Defendants have a superior remedy available: a motion to disqualify. Such a motion is
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regularly employed to disqualify attorneys. E.g., Ultimate Fitness Center, LLC v.
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Wilson, 2016 WL 6834001, *6 (S.D. Cal. Nov. 21, 2016) (considering a motion to
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disqualify counsel who might be called as a witness); United States v. Hall Family Trust
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Dated June 8, 2001, 2017 WL 1135593, *4 (S.D. Cal. March 27, 2017) (“if [the party]
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had any reason to believe he was not proper counsel, they should have raised the issue in
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a motion to disqualify”). Furthermore, a motion to disqualify squarely frames the issue
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for the Court and provides a timely resolution of an issue that affects the ongoing
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litigation. In contrast, an action seeking a declaratory judgment that an attorney should
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be disqualified likely will not be resolved until the case itself is resolved; at which point
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there is little point to disqualifying counsel.
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In addition to being an inferior remedy, Defendants’ proposed declaratory relief
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raises concerns of comity. In addition to seeking to disqualify Plaintiff’s counsel in the
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federal court action, Defendants seek to disqualify counsel in the underlying state court
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action and equitably estop Plaintiff from contesting the economic damages in that case.
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(Doc. No. 41-1 ¶ 119-20.) Generally, federal courts disfavor interfering with state court
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proceedings. See Quackenbush v. Allstate Ins. Co., 517 U.S. 706, 716-17 (1996)
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(reviewing cases holding federal courts should refrain from hearing because they would
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interfere with pending state proceedings); Gov’t Employees Ins. Co., 133 F.3d at 1223
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n.5 (courts should consider “whether the use of a declaratory action will result in
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entanglement between the federal and state court systems”). This general principle is
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“out of deference to the paramount interests of another sovereign, and the concern is with
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principles of comity and federalism. Quackenbush, 517 U.S. at 723. Defendants cite no
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authority showing that disqualifying counsel is an exception to the general rule and the
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Court can see no reason to deviate from the general principle of avoiding entanglement
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with state court proceedings.
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Finally, Defendants have provided no reason to think it would be unfair to require
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they pursue their relief through a motion to disqualify, rather than a declaratory
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judgment. Indeed, if Defendants believe they are injured by Plaintiff’s counsel’s
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involvement in the matter, a motion to disqualify will be most likely to remedy the injury
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because it can be decided promptly, while the case is ongoing.
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For the foregoing reasons, the Court finds that the various prudential factors weigh
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against allowing Defendants to pursue their declaratory judgment action. As such, the
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Court exercises its discretion and denies their motion to amend with regard to the
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proposed tenth cause of action. Wilton v. Seven Falls Co., 515 U.S. 277, 288 (1995).
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5. Punitive Damages Claim
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Defendants’ last cause of action is styled as a cause of action for punitive damages.
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(Doc. No. 41-1 ¶¶122-27.) However, “[i]n California, it is settled there is no separate
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cause of action for punitive damages. Instead, a claim for punitive damages is merely an
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additional remedy that is dependent on a viable cause of action for an underlying tort.”
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569 East County Boulevard LLC v. Backcountry Against the Dump, Inc., 6 Cal.App.5th
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426, 429 n.3 (2016). Accordingly, the Court exercises its discretion and denies
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Defendants’ motion to amend with regard to the proposed eleventh cause of action.
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Defendants may seek any damages available by law under their other causes of action.
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CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the Court grants, in part, and denies, in part,
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Defendants’ motion for leave to amend. (Doc. No. 41.) Defendants may file proposed
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counterclaims one through nine. The Court however, in its discretion, denies the motion
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with regards to counterclaims ten and eleven.
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
DATED: May 3, 2017
Hon. Marilyn L. Huff
United States District Judge
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