Elias v. Jensen CA4/3

Filed 3/3/22 Elias v. Jensen CA4/3

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION THREE

DAVID ELIAS,

Plaintiff and Appellant, G060098

v. (Super. Ct. No. 30-2018-00980796)

SUZANNE JENSEN, as Cotrustee, etc., OPINION et al.,

Defendant and Respondent.

Appeal from an order of the Superior Court of Orange County, Kim R. Hubbard, Judge. Dismissed. Motion to dismiss appeal. Granted. Request for supplemental authorities. Denied. David Elias, in pro per. Law Offices of Krishna Gulaya and Krishna Gulaya, in pro per.

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David Elias appeals from the trial court’s order granting respondent 1 Krishna Gulaya’s motion to withdrawal as Elias’s attorney. Gulaya filed a motion to dismiss the appeal. As explained below, we conclude the trial court’s order is nonappealable and accordingly, we dismiss the appeal.

I FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Gulaya represented Elias in a probate matter. On November 23, 2020, Gulaya moved to be relieved as counsel. At the hearing on Gulaya’s withdrawal motion, the trial court noted it had not seen an opposition. Nevertheless, the court heard Elias’s objections to the withdrawal motion. Elias acknowledged filing recent pleadings on his own, stating he had “demoted [Gulaya] to co-counsel.” He also acknowledged filing a complaint against her with the State Bar. The trial court granted the withdrawal motion, stating: “Sir, we are not going to force her to continue to represent you when you are filing documents under your own name, without your attorney’s input at all, and when you have filed a complaint against her with the State Bar.”