Opinion ID: 466143
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: New Occurrences Since State Court Judgment

Text: 29 Finally, Clark claims that new injuries to new rights have accrued since the conclusion of the state mandamus action. 30 The College contends that res judicata applies to all alleged events occurring subsequent to the state court judgment, because they are the continuing results of decisions made by the College prior to the initiation of the state proceeding. The broad nature of the mandamus pleadings, asking for a prospective order to the College to desist from interfering with Clark's teaching duties, covered continuing future conduct by the College in that respect. Thus, the College argues, Clark's present cause of action does not allege any invasion of a primary right that was not within the scope of the mandamus proceeding. 31 Although the College's argument has superficial appeal, the doctrine of res judicata does not necessarily preclude all future actions with regard to continuing conduct simply because the previous action sought prospective relief. The doctrine of res judicata extends only to the facts and conditions as they existed at the time the judgment was rendered, and to the legal rights and relations of the parties as fixed by the facts determined in the judgment. Colvig v. RKO General, Inc., 232 Cal.App.2d 56, 42 Cal.Rptr. 473, 485 (1965). When other facts or conditions intervene, forming a new basis for a claim, the issues are no longer the same and res judicata does not apply. Id.; see Melendres v. City of Los Angeles, 40 Cal.App.3d 718, 730, 115 Cal.Rptr. 409, 417 (1974). 32 As there was no definite judgment on the merits of the causes of action involving interference with Clark's teaching duties and defamation, we cannot ascertain what facts and conditions existed at the time or whether new facts or conditions have intervened. Clark alleges that the College continues to reassign him to different classes, reduce his teaching load, and change his class schedule with little or no notice. It may well be that the College's actions since the state court judgment have been taken for different reasons, that the degree of interference with his teaching duties has increased, or that the College has taken additional actions of a different nature. There simply is no definite statement of the facts in the state court judgment with which we can compare the College's subsequent conduct or present conditions. 33 Consequently, we can regard the state court judgment as res judicata only to that part of Clark's claim arising out of conduct by the College prior to the date of that judgment.