Opinion ID: 2585152
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Superior Court and Court of Appeal Rulings

Text: In the meantime, in response to PUC Order No. 98-03-013 instituting an investigation of water quality safety, defendants in the four superior court actions sought dismissal on the ground that the litigation was barred by section 1759. In the alternative, certain defendants requested stays of the court proceedings pending the PUC's investigation. On June 24, 1998, the superior court in the Adler, Celi, and Boswell actions stayed all proceedings until the completion of the PUC's investigation. On August 27, 1998, the Ventura County Superior Court in the Santamaria action sustained the regulated utilities' demurrers without leave to amend, but overruled the demurrers of the nonregulated water providers and the industrial defendants and denied their motions for a stay of proceedings. The court later accepted a stipulation that the proceedings be stayed pending review by the Court of Appeal. Eight petitions for writs of mandate were filed in the Court of Appeal. The Adler, Celi, and Boswell plaintiffs and the regulated utility defendants filed petitions challenging the stay orders of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. In the Santamaria action, the nonregulated water providers and the industrial defendants filed petitions challenging Ventura County Superior Court's overruling of the demurrers and denial of the motions for a stay, while the plaintiffs appealed the order granting the demurrer of the regulated utility defendants. The Court of Appeal issued orders to show cause on the petitions and consolidated the appeal with the proceedings on all of the writs. On September 1, 1999, the Court of Appeal ruled that the PUC's statutory authority over water quality and its exercise of jurisdiction in addressing water quality issues preempted the four actions against the regulated utilities, but did not preempt the actions against the nonregulated water providers and the industrial defendants. Accordingly, it ruled that the Los Angeles County Superior Court in the Adler, Celi, and Boswell actions erred (1) in staying the proceedings instead of ruling on the merits of the preemption issue; (2) in failing to sustain the demurrers and grant the summary judgment motion of the regulated utilities; and (3) in failing to overrule the demurrers and deny the judgment on the pleadings of the nonregulated water providers and industrial defendants. It further upheld the Ventura County Superior Court's rulings in the Santamaria action in all respects. We granted the petitions for review filed by the Santamaria plaintiffs, and by the nonregulated water providers and the industrial defendants in all four lawsuits. [5]