JORGE ESTRELLA-MORENO ET AL VS. ALL NATURAL STONE BURLINGAME, INC. ET AL

Matter on the Law & Motion/Discovery Calendar for Tuesday July 15, 2025, line 4, DEFENDANT RAPHAEL STONE CA, INC. FKA CALIFORNIA QUARTZ, INC. MOTION FOR LEAVE TO Amend Answer

Defendant Raphael Stone CA Inc.'s (Raphael) motion for leave to file an amended answer is granted. Raphael has answered on behalf of California Quartz Inc. under the assumption that California Quartz was its former name but has recently learned California Quartz was a separate entity. Raphael also seeks to correct some citations noted in its previous answer.

Plaintiff opposes, contending that allowing the amendment to occur will cause California Quartz to disappear from the case. Courts liberally allow amendments to answers. (Hulsey v. Koehler (1990) 218 Cal.App.3d 1150, 1159 ["In particular, liberality should be displayed in allowing amendments to answers, for a defendant denied leave to amend is permanently deprived of a defense."].) If California Quartz is a separate entity, as Raphael's exhibits show and Plaintiff does not contest, then it is unjust and untenable to bind it to an answer it did not make. There is no apparent obstacle to Plaintiff serving California Quartz and bringing it into the case.

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