Opinion ID: 785287
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Second State Court Suit: Kougasian II

Text: 8 In December 1998, Kougasian filed a second suit in the Superior Court of Orange County, which was subsequently transferred to Los Angeles County. She brought this suit both on her own behalf and as a survival action as successor in interest of her deceased husband. The defendants were TMSL and its insurer K & K Insurance Group (K & K). In her second amended complaint, filed August 1, 2001, Kougasian pled causes of action for premises liability, and for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. She alleged essentially the same facts as in Kougasian I, and added allegations of conspiracy between TMSL and K & K to obstruct justice and to deny constitutional rights. In the added allegations, she claimed, inter alia, that the defendants had filed a false declaration in Kougasian I, and that the court had based its judgment on this declaration. She alleged that the defendants prevented her from challenging the declaration by presenting it to the court at the last minute and by refusing to provide the declarant's telephone number or address. 9 The Superior Court in Kougasian II stayed proceedings while Kougasian I was pending on appeal. After the Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment in Kougasian I, the Superior Court sustained a demurrer by TMSL based on res judicata and collateral estoppel in an order filed on October 11, 2001. It also sustained a demurrer by K & K, but that document is not in the record. The Court of Appeal affirmed as to both defendants on April 28, 2003. The Court of Appeal held that Kougasian's emotional distress claims against TMSL in Kougasian II were barred by res judicata under California's primary right doctrine. It further held that Kougasian's survival claims against TMSL, and all claims against K & K, were barred by collateral estoppel.