Mehran Mottahedeh v. Howard Sommers Towing, Inc.

(Stanley Mosk Courthouse: Dept. 400) September 3, 2026 DEPARTMENT 400 LAW AND MOTION RULINGS

Motion- Other Award of Costs The Court tenders the following tentative decision in the matter Mehran Mottahedeh v. Howard Sommers Towing, Inc., Los Angeles County Superior Court case number 20STCV14309, set for hearing on September 3, 2026.

Howard Sommers Towing, Inc. (Defendant) moves for an award of costs in the amount of $49,481.16. Mehran Mottahedeh (Plaintiff) opposes the motion to the extent that it seeks an award of costs greater than $25,000. Defendant's motion is continued.

The parties dispute whether they reached an agreement limiting the amount of costs owed by Plaintiff to $25,000. A verdict was entered in Defendant's favor on March 12, 2024. (Dorenfeld Decl. P. 3.) Plaintiff filed a notice of appeal on June 10, 2024. (Id. P. 4.)

On July 9, 2025, counsel conferred regarding the possibility of Plaintiff abandoning his appeal in exchange for a reduction in the amount of costs sought by Defendant. (Id. P. 8.) Plaintiff presents evidence of communications showing a confirmation by Defendant's counsel that the costs request would be lowered to $25,000 if the appeal was abandoned. (Id. P.P. 9-13.) Plaintiff then abandoned the appeal. (Id. P. 14.)

Defendant argues that these discussions constituted mere preliminary negotiations. If an agreement was indeed reached between the parties, limiting the amount of recoverable costs to $25,000 would be proper. However, the evidence presented is lacking. Plaintiff has not provided any email demonstrating their initial offer or their final acceptance. Nor has Defendant offered any evidence of the purported agreement having been rejected. Thus, the Court continues the present motion and requests that the parties submit further evidence of their communications so it may determine whether a contract was formed.

Conclusion: Defendant's motion is continued. The parties are ordered to submit further evidence of their negotiations within 30 days.

Case Number: 24STCV29592 Hearing Date: September 3, 2026 Dept: 400 Motion for Judgment The Court tenders the following tentative decision in the matter Gabriel Oliva, et al. v. FCA US, LLC, et al., Los Angeles County Superior Court case number 24STCV29592, set for hearing on September 3, 2026.

FCA US LLC (Defendant) moves for judgment on the pleadings as to Gabriel and Lyseth Oliva's (collectively, Plaintiffs) sixth cause of action for fraudulent inducement via concealment contained within their complaint. Defendant's motion is granted. Plaintiffs are granted 20 days' leave to amend.

A.

Legal Standard

A motion for judgment on the pleadings may be made after the time to