Total Transportation Services v. Armenta CA2/5 (2015) · DecisionDepot
Total Transportation Services v. Armenta CA2/5
California Court of Appeal Feb 13, 2015 No. B256415Unpublished
Filed 2/13/15 Total Transportation Services v. Armenta CA2/5 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 FIVE
TOTAL TRANSPORTATION B256415 SERVICES, INC., (Los Angeles County Plaintiff and Appellant, Super. Ct. No. NS028839)
v.
MIGUEL ARMENTA, et al.,
Defendants and Respondents.
APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Ross M. Klein, Judge. Affirmed. Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, Johnnie A. James, Robert R. Roginson, Monica R. Dean and Kathleen J. Choi for Plaintiff and Appellant. Law Offices of Stephen Glick, Stephen Glick and Anthony Jenkins, for Defendants and Respondents Miguel Armenta, Enrique Canisalez, Oscar Gonzalez, Carlos Martinez and Alejandro Paz. Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Kevin R. Kish, Matthew E. DeCarolis, Danielle Lang; Public Justice and Victoria W. Ni for Defendants and Respondents Jose Garcia, Jose Palma, Hugo Menendez, Jose Rosales and Ruben Valencia. David L. Gurley, Edna Garcia-Earley, Patricia Salazar, Steve Arredondo, State Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement; Bird,
Marella, Boxer, Wolpert, Nessim, Drooks, Lincenberg & Rhow, Paul S. Chan and Gopi K. Panchapakesan for Defendant and Respondent Labor Commissioner of the State of California. Oscar A. Reyes in pro. per., for Defendant and Respondent.
Walter Trujillo in pro. per., for Defendant and Respondent.
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I. INTRODUCTION
Plaintiff, Total Transportation Services, Inc., appeals from a May 13, 2014 order.
The order denied plaintiff’s ex parte application to stay or enjoin administrative hearings
of argument to jury]; Ehman v. Moore (1963) 221 Cal.App.2d 460, 462 [failure to secure
reporter’s transcript or settled statement as to offers of proof].) These courts have refused
to reach the merits of an appellant’s claim absent a reporter’s transcript or a suitable
substitute because error is never presumed. (Null v. City of Los Angeles, supra, 206
Cal.App.3d at p. 1532; Rossiter v. Benoit, supra, 88 Cal.App.3d at p. 712.) An appellant
must affirmatively establish error by an adequate record. (Foust v. San Jose Const. Co.,
Inc., supra, 198 Cal.App.4th at p. 187; Osgood v. Landon (2005) 127 Cal.App.4th 425,
435; Park Place Estates Homeowners Assn. v. Naber (1994) 29 Cal.App.4th 427, 433;
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Null v. City of Los Angeles, supra, 206 Cal.App.3d at p. 1532.) In other words, it is an
appellant’s burden to provide an adequate record on appeal. (Ballard v. Uribe, supra, 41
Cal.3d at pp. 574-575; Aguilar v. Avis Rent A Car System, Inc. (1999) 21 Cal.4th 121,
132 (plur. opn. of George, C.J.); Foust v. San Jose Const. Co., Inc., supra, 198
Cal.App.4th at p. 187; Null v. City of Los Angeles, supra, 206 Cal.App.3d at p. 1532-
1533.)
The present record is insufficient to establish the merits of plaintiff’s appeal.
(Aguilar v. Avis Rent A Car System, Inc., supra, 21 Cal.4th at p. 149; Null v. City of Los
Angeles, supra, 206 Cal.App.3d at pp. 1532-1533.) Absent evidence of what transpired
at the ex parte hearing, we cannot conclude the trial court abused its discretion.
Moreover, when, as here, the record is inadequate for meaningful appellate review, the
appellant defaults and the trial court’s decision will be affirmed. (Foust v. San Jose
Const. Co., Inc., supra, 198 Cal.App.4th at p. 187; Null v. City of Los Angeles, supra, 206
Cal.App.3d at p. 1536.)
Plaintiff asserts it met its burden by filing a declaration by the attorney who
appeared for it at the May 12, 2014 hearing. The declaration was attached to a related
writ petition pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 8.486(b)(3).1 (Total
Transportation Services v. Superior Court (May 27, 2014, B256271) [nonpub. order].)
Johnnie A. James declared in part, “Pursuant to ‘Los Angeles Superior Court Policy
Regarding Normal Availability of Official Court Reporters and Privately Arranged Court
1 All further references to a rule are to the California Rules of Court.
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Reporters,’ court reporters are generally unavailable for civil proceedings in the Superior
Court unless privately retained for a specific proceeding by a party. None of the parties
at the May 12 ex parte Application retained a court reporter and consequently no
transcript is available for the oral proceedings.”
We reject plaintiff’s reliance on Mr. James’s declaration for three reasons. First,
no motion to augment has been filed. Second, rule 8.486 applies in writ proceedings; it
does not apply in the present appeal. Instead, under rule 8.120(b), plaintiff was required
to include a record of the oral proceedings in the trial court in one of the following forms:
a reporter’s transcript; an agreed statement; or a settled statement. (Eisenberg, et al., Cal.
Practice Guide: Civil Appeals and Writs (The Rutter Group, 2014) ¶ 4:27 et seq., p. 4-8.)
Third, Mr. James offered no explanation for plaintiff’s failure to secure a suitable
substitute for a reporter’s transcript of the hearing. A declaration may not be used to cure
an inadequate record on direct appeal under these circumstances. (People v. Collie
(1981) 30 Cal.3d 43, 57, fn. 10 [judge’s declarations as to inspection of documents
stricken]; May v. May (1969) 275 Cal.App.2d 264, 276, fn. 2 [Court of Appeal expresses
its doubt that a trial judge’s declaration as to what happened in chambers and no motion
to augment was filed].) Absent a suitable substitute for a reporter’s transcript of the May
12, 2014 hearing, we cannot consider whether the trial court abused its discretion in
ruling on plaintiff’s ex parte application.
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III. DISPOSITION
The order is affirmed. Defendants are to recover their costs on appeal from
plaintiff, Total Transportation Services, Inc.
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS
TURNER, P.J.
We concur:
MOSK, J.
GOODMAN, J.
Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court, assigned by the Chief Justice pursuant to article VI, section 6 of the California Constitution.
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AI Brief
AI-generated · verify before citing
Holding. The court affirmed the trial court's order denying a stay of administrative proceedings because the appellant failed to provide a reporter's transcript or a suitable substitute for the hearing, rendering the record inadequate for appellate review.
Issues
Whether an appellant's failure to provide a reporter's transcript or a suitable substitute for an ex parte hearing warrants affirmance due to an inadequate record.
Disposition. Affirmed
Quotations verified verbatim against the opinion
“An appellant must affirmatively establish error by an adequate record.”
“Absent evidence of what transpired at the ex parte hearing, we cannot conclude the trial court abused its discretion.”
“Moreover, when, as here, the record is inadequate for meaningful appellate review, the appellant defaults and the trial court’s decision will be affirmed.”