Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_17-cv-03579/USCOURTS-cand-5_17-cv-03579-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 446
Nature of Suit: Americans with Disabilities Act - Other
Cause of Action: 42:12101 Americans w/ Disabilities Act (ADA)

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

CRISTINA MENDOZA,

Plaintiff,

v.

PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC COMPANY, et 

al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 17-cv-03579-SVK 

ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO 

FILE FIRST AMENDED 

COMPLAINT

Re: Dkt. No. 76

The Court is in receipt of Plaintiff Cristina Mendoza’s motion to file a first amended 

complaint. Dkt. 76. In this amended complaint, Plaintiff seeks to: (1) name two additional 

defendants, Skyport Plaza Owner’s Association and Hudson Pacific Properties L.P (“the two new 

defendants”); (2) clarify the address and parcel number of the property where Plaintiff alleges she 

was injured; (3) seek damages and injunctive relief against the two new defendants; (4) assert a 

duty to inspect and maintain the area where Plaintiff was injured as to unspecified defendants; (5) 

state that she intends to return to the property; (6) remove references to defendants that have been 

dismissed; and(7) remove claims and allegations associated with municipal liability. See Dkts. 76 

at 2, 76-1. All parties in this litigation have consented to the jurisdiction of the undersigned. 

Dkts. 9, 28, 32. Pursuant to Civil Local Rule 7-1(b), the Court finds this matter suitable for 

decision without oral argument. Based on the arguments and the relevant law, the Court 

GRANTS Plaintiff’s motion for the reasons discussed below.

“Requests for leave to amend should be granted with ‘extreme liberality.’” Brown v. 

Stored Value Cards, Inc., 953 F.3d 567, 574 (9th Cir. 2020) (quoting Moss v. U.S. Secret Serv., 

572 F.3d 962, 972 (9th Cir. 2009)) (internal citation omitted). “Five factors are taken into account 

to assess the propriety of a motion for leave to amend: bad faith, undue delay, prejudice to the 

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

opposing party, futility of amendment, and whether the plaintiff has previously amended the 

complaint.” Desertrain v. City of Los Angeles, 754 F.3d 1147, 1154 (9th Cir. 2014) (quoting 

Johnson v. Buckley, 356 F.3d 1067, 1077 (9th Cir. 2004)). Here, Defendants Hudson Skyport 

Plaza, LLC; Hudson Skyport Plaza Land, LLC; and Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc. (collectively, 

the “Hudson Defendants”) argue that allowing Plaintiff to amend her complaint would be 

prejudicial and would cause undue delay. Dkt. 80. 

First, the Hudson Defendants argue that allowing Plaintiff to amend her complaint would 

prejudice them because Plaintiff’s amended complaint seeks to revive claims for injunctive relief 

that were already disposed of in a Consent Decree (Dkt. 44). Dkt. 80 at 3. The Hudson 

Defendants contend that new defendant Hudson Pacific Properties L.P. is a subsidiary of one of 

the Hudson Defendants and that one of the Hudson Defendants is the general partner and primary 

operating entity for all Hudson properties. Id. They also contend that one of the Hudson 

Defendants owns 25% of new defendant Skyport Plaza Owner’s Association. Id. Plaintiff has 

stated that she will not bring claims for injunctive relief against any of the Hudson Defendants. 

Dkts. 76 at 6, 76-1 at 18. The Court does not find that allowing Plaintiff to amend her complaint 

would be prejudicial to the Hudson Defendants. Plaintiff has a valid reason for amending her 

complaint - she discovered two new defendants who may be responsible for her injury and seeks 

to avoid an “empty chair” at trial. Though the Hudson Defendants appear to argue that the two

new defendants would be covered by the Consent Decree, the Court does not find that such an 

argument constitutes prejudice as to amendment. Rather, the two new defendants may advance 

that argument by motion at the appropriate time in the litigation. 

Second, the Hudson Defendants contend that amending the complaint would create undue 

delay. Dkt. 80 at 3-4. They argue that because the current mediation deadline is June 30, 2020, 

amending the complaint to add the two new defendants could delay mediation efforts while the 

new parties get up to speed. Id. The Hudson Defendants also argue that a delay would prejudice 

their ability to have Defendant PG&E contribute to or pay for the settlement of this case. Id. The 

Court is similarly unpersuaded by these arguments. If the two new defendants are as closely 

related to the Hudson Defendants as the Hudson Defendants allege, the two new defendants are 

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United States District Court

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likely to be able to familiarize themselves with the current litigation quickly. Further, given the 

uncertainty surrounding the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely that current deadlines will 

change. As for the impact on Defendant PG&E’s participation in this litigation, the Hudson 

Defendants only refer to Defendant PG&E’s anticipated exit from bankruptcy in June without 

providing any factual support as to how an amendment at this time would negatively impact 

Defendant PG&E’s participation in the litigation in the future. 

Accordingly, for the reasons stated above, the Court GRANTS Plaintiff’s motion to file a 

first amended complaint. Plaintiff must file her amended complaint within fourteen (14) days of 

this Order. 

SO ORDERED.

Dated: April 17, 2020

SUSAN VAN KEULEN

United States Magistrate Judge

Case 5:17-cv-03579-SVK Document 82 Filed 04/17/20 Page 3 of 3