Palm Finance Corp. v. Parallel Media LLC

Filed 8/7/19 CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION EIGHT

PALM FINANCE CORPORATION, B288017

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. SC125899) v.

PARALLEL MEDIA LLC,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Gerald Rosenberg, Judge. Affirmed. Heath Steinbeck, Steven Alan Heath, and Uyen N. Nguyen for Defendant and Appellant. Hawley, Troxell, Ennis & Hawley and John F. Kurtz for Plaintiff and Respondent. __________________________

Palm Finance Corporation sued Parallel Media, LLC to enforce a judgment obtained in the Senior Courts of England and Wales. The sole issue on appeal is the admissibility of a document titled Final Costs Certificate. The trial court rightly admitted this document under Evidence Code section 1452, subdivision (c), so we affirm. Statutory citations are to that code. On its face, this Final Costs Certificate purports to be a court document from the Senior Courts of England and Wales ordering Parallel Media pay a specific sum to Palm Finance. The document informs readers “The Senior Courts Costs Office at the Royal Courts of Justice Strand, London WC2A 2LL is open between 10 am and 4:30 pm Monday to Friday.” This Final Costs Certificate is just one page. The upper right corner states: “In the High Court of Justice, Senior Courts Costs Office.” The date is listed as “2nd July 2013.” In the upper left corner are these words: “Final Costs Certificate, To the Applicant’s Solicitor.” The document identifies “Applicant” as Parallel Media. Palm Finance is the third “Respondent.” The document also lists other respondents. The text of the Final Costs Certificate addresses itself to Parallel Media as Applicant and reads: “In accordance with the Order dated 27th July 2012, Upon the 3rd Respondent filing a completed bill of costs in this claim. Costs Officer Pigott has assessed the total costs as £37,644.01 including £2,677.50 for the cost of the assessment. You [Parallel Media] must pay the sum of £37,644.50 to the 3rd Respondent [Palm Finance] with 21 days from the date of this order. . . .” The Final Cost Certificate has an “Address for Payment, To The 3rd Respondent’s Solicitors, Isadore Goldman, Solicitors, 12 Bridewell Place, London EC4V 6AP.”