Karimi v. Rombro CA2/8

Filed 1/18/23 Karimi v. Rombro CA2/8 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 EIGHT

ALI KARIMI, B312606

Plaintiff and Appellant, Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. 18STCV05500 v.

S. ROGER ROMBRO et al.,

Defendants and Respondents.

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, John P. Doyle and Stuart M. Rice, Judges. Affirmed. Nicholas Barton for Plaintiff and Appellant. Rombro & Manley, S. Roger Rombro and Melinda A. Manley for Defendants and Respondents. ____________________

Ali Karimi appeals the trial court’s order confirming an arbitration award. The trial court correctly found Karimi presented no valid reason for vacating the award. We affirm. Undesignated citations are to the Code of Civil Procedure. I Karimi engaged attorney S. Roger Rombro and Rombro’s firm Rombro & Associates to represent him in a marital dissolution proceeding and a related domestic violence action. We refer to Rombro and his firm collectively as Rombro. Karimi fired Rombro after the attorney-client relationship soured. Karimi sued Rombro to void the retainer agreement and for breach of the retainer agreement, professional negligence, and quantum meruit. The trial court granted Rombro’s motion to compel arbitration. Pursuant to their written agreement, Karimi and Rombro submitted the matter to the American Arbitration Association. The AAA appointed Robert Brown as the arbitrator. After five days of hearings, Brown issued an award finding against Karimi and ordering him to pay Rombro $75,224.40 in attorney fees. Rombro petitioned to confirm the award. Karimi opposed the petition and moved to vacate the award. Karimi argued the award must be vacated because Brown had failed to disclose as required Rombro’s participation at the 7th Annual Family Law Practice Seminar held at the University of West Los Angeles where Brown was president. The trial court found this disclosure was unnecessary and affirmed the arbitrator’s award. Karimi appealed. II Karimi did not marshal an effective challenge to arbitrator Brown’s impartiality.