Court Opinion

ID: 9900926
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-20 19:03:34.931526+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:21:22.662154
License: Public Domain

Filed 11/20/23 WVJP 2021-4 v. Hesser CA2/4
   NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

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IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

                          SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

                                         DIVISION FOUR

 WVJP 2021-4, LP,                                                   B324453
                                                                    (Los Angeles County
           Plaintiff and Appellant,                                  Super. Ct. No. BC434205)

           v.

 VINCENT W. HESSER,

           Defendant and
           Respondent.

      APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los
Angeles County, Maureen Duffy-Lewis, Judge. Affirmed.
      Verus Law Group, Holly Walker and Mark N. Strom, for
Plaintiff and Appellant.
      Dolkart Law and John E. Dolkart, Jr., for Defendant and
Respondent.

                                __________________________
       Plaintiff and appellant WVJP 2021-4, LP (WVJP) appeals
from an order granting defendant and respondent Vincent W.
Hesser’s (Hesser) claims of exemption for investment and
retirement accounts upon which WVJP levied. The trial court
ruled that WVJP lost its right to object to the claims because it
failed to file oppositions with the court within the statutorily
required time. WVJP contends that, according to Code of Civil
Procedure section 703.550,1 the levying officer determines the
court deadline for filing oppositions to claims of exemption, and
WVJP maintains it filed its oppositions within the period
specified by the levying officer. Alternatively, if the oppositions
were untimely, WVJP seeks to reverse the court’s order denying
its motion for relief from the late filings under the discretionary
provision of section 473, subdivision (b). WVJP argues the court’s
decision, which found unreasonable WVJP’s counsel’s reliance on
statements by the levying officer’s employees about the deadline,
was an abuse of discretion. We disagree with each of appellant’s
contentions and affirm.

       FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
      SA Challenger, Inc. obtained a money judgment for breach
of contract against Hesser in May 2012, which he did not pay. SA
Challenger assigned the judgment to WVJP in January 2022,2
and that same month, WVJP renewed the judgment. The Los
Angeles County Superior Court then issued a writ of execution to

1     All undesignated statutory references are to the Code of Civil
Procedure.

2     Unless noted otherwise, all dates refer to calendar year 2022.

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the Los Angeles County Sheriff (the levying officer), directing the
Sheriff to enforce the judgment in the amount of $8,298,463.36.
       WVJP subsequently caused the Sheriff to levy on
investment and retirement accounts held in Hesser’s name at two
financial institutions. On August 1, the Sheriff mailed WVJP
notice that Hesser filed claims of exemption for these accounts.
The notices were addressed to WVJP’s counsel in Inglewood,
California, and stated: “A Claim of Exemption has been filed in
the above case. The property will be released to the extent it is
claimed to be exempt unless you do all of the following within 15
days: [¶] 1. File with the court a Notice of Opposition to Claim of
Exemption and a Notice of Motion for an order determining the
Claim of Exemption. [¶] 2. File with the Sheriff’s Office . . . a
copy of the Notice of Opposition to Claim of Exemption and a copy
of the Notice of Motion for an order determining the Claim of
Exemption.”
       Upon receiving the notices of Hesser’s claims of exemption,
Natalie Garcia (Garcia), legal assistant for WVJP’s counsel,
contacted the Sheriff’s Department and asked an employee when
the last day would be for WVJP to file its oppositions. After
looking up the case information in its system, the employee
informed Garcia the Sheriff had calculated the deadline as
August 26, which was “15 days from August 1, . . . plus the 10
days for mailing since [Hesser] doesn’t reside in California.”
Between August 15 and 23, WVJP’s counsel and Garcia contacted
the Sheriff’s Department a total of three times, and each time an
employee confirmed the Sheriff had calculated the deadline as
August 26.
       On August 25, WVJP filed oppositions to Hesser’s claims of
exemption and notices of hearing with the trial court, and it

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submitted copies of the oppositions to the Sheriff on August 26.
On September 22, Garcia spoke with a Sheriff’s Department
employee, who clarified that the person who reviewed Hesser’s
claims of exemption inputted August 26 as the deadline in the
Sheriff’s system, but it appeared to be a miscalculation. In light
of that, the employee indicated the Sheriff’s Department would
treat the oppositions as timely pending the hearing on the claims.
       In reply to WVJP’s oppositions to his claims of exemption,
Hesser argued that WVJP’s oppositions were not filed with the
court within the time mandated by section 703.550,
subdivision (a). In response, WVJP filed a motion for relief under
section 473, arguing that if the oppositions were untimely, good
cause existed for the late filings based on Sheriff’s Department
employees telling WVJP’s counsel the oppositions were due by
August 26.
       The trial court held a hearing on WVJP’s motion for relief
under section 473 and Hesser’s claims of exemption. The court
determined that WVJP’s oppositions to the claims were filed and
served outside the statutorily required time. Further, the court
denied WVJP’s motion for relief, finding WVJP’s counsel’s
reliance on Sheriff’s Department employees’ “legal advice” was
unreasonable. The court, thus, granted Hesser’s claims of
exemption. WVJP timely appealed the order.3

3      After filing the notice of appeal, WVJP filed a motion to stay the
order granting Hesser’s claims of exemption. The trial court granted
the motion on March 3, 2023.

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                           DISCUSSION
A.     Claims of Exemption
       1.    Standard of Review and Principles of Statutory
             Construction
       Statutory construction is a question of law that is subject to
de novo review. (DeNike v. Mathew Enterprise, Inc. (2022) 76
Cal.App.5th 371, 378.) “‘Our fundamental task in interpreting a
statute is to determine the Legislature’s intent so as to effectuate
the law’s purpose.’” (Jarman v. HCR ManorCare, Inc. (2020) 10
Cal.5th 375, 381.) We start with the statutory language, as
“‘[t]he words of a statute are generally the most reliable indicator
of legislative intent. [Citations.] We give the words of the
statute their ordinary and usual meaning and view them in their
statutory context. [Citation.] . . . “If the statute’s text evinces an
unmistakable plain meaning, we need go no further.”’
[Citation.]” ‘“‘Courts should give meaning to every word of a
statute if possible, and should avoid a construction making any
word surplusage.’” [Citation.] Furthermore, ‘we will not read a
requirement into a statute that does not appear therein.’
[Citation.]” (DeNike, supra, 76 Cal.App.5th at p. 384.)

      2.     Section 703.550 Dictates the Deadline for Filing an
             Opposition to a Claim of Exemption
      WVJP argues the trial court erred in finding its oppositions
to Hesser’s claims of exemption untimely because section 703.550
gave the Sheriff’s Department, as the levying officer, the duty
and discretion to determine the time allowed for filing the
oppositions in the trial court. We disagree.
      Section 703.550 is unambiguous. Subdivision (a) of this
section states: “Within 15 days after service of the notice of claim

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of exemption, a judgment creditor who opposes the claim of
exemption shall file with the court a notice of opposition to the
claim of exemption and a notice of motion for an order
determining the claim of exemption and shall file with the
levying officer a copy of the notice of opposition and a copy of the
notice of motion. Upon the filing of the copies of the notice of
opposition and notice of motion, the levying officer shall promptly
file the claim of exemption with the court. If copies of the notice
of opposition and notice of motion are not filed with the levying
officer within the time allowed, the levying officer shall
immediately release the property to the extent it is claimed to be
exempt.” (Italics added.) If the notice of claim of exemption is
served by mail, the time to file a notice of opposition to the claim
and notice of motion is extended: “(1) Five days if the place of
address is within the State of California. (2) [10] days if the place
of address is outside the State of California but within the United
States. (3) [20] days if the place of address is outside the United
States.” (§ 684.120, subd. (b); see Legis. Com. com., Deering’s
Ann. Code of Civ. Proc., § 703.550 (2023 ed.).)
       Section 703.550 states that a notice of opposition to a claim
of exemption “shall” be filed with the trial court within 15 days,
which renders it “‘presumptively mandatory.’” (Conservatorship
of Kevin M. (1996) 49 Cal.App.4th 79, 87.) Further, the statutory
provisions governing enforcement of judgments are strictly
construed because they are “‘purely legislative creations.’”
(Landstar Global Logistics, Inc. v. Robinson & Robinson, Inc.
(2013) 216 Cal.App.4th 378, 390; see Casa Eva I Homeowners
Assn. v. Ani Construction & Tile, Inc. (2005) 134 Cal.App.4th 771,
778 [judgment lien statutes are subject to strict construction].)

                                 6
       Moreover, “‘[w]hen a statute directs things to be done by a
private person within a specified time, and makes his rights
dependent on proper performance, unless the failure to perform
in time may injure the public or individuals, the statute is
mandatory. Where an individual is the person not strictly
complying, he has no grounds for complaint.’” (Conservatorship
of Kevin M., supra, 49 Cal.App.4th at p. 88) Additionally, an
intent to impose a mandatory time requirement can be evinced by
the imposition of a consequence for the failure to comply. (Olive
Lane Industrial Park, LLC v. County of San Diego (2014) 227
Cal.App.4th 1480, 1492.) These principles indicate that the
deadline contained in section 703.550 is mandatory.
Subdivision (a) provides that a judgment creditor must file an
opposition to a claim of exemption within a specified time, 15
days. The failure to timely file the opposition does not injure the
public or others, and there is a prescribed consequence for the
failure to comply: “the levying officer shall immediately release
the property to the extent it is claimed to be exempt.”
       The policy behind exemption laws also supports the
conclusion that the deadline set forth in section 703.550 is
mandatory. “The exemption laws are designed to facilitate the
debtor’s financial rehabilitation and have the effect of shifting
social welfare costs from the community to judgment creditors.
[Citation.] Consequently, the exemption statutes should be
construed, so far as practicable, to the benefit of the judgment
debtor.” (Ford Motor Credit Co. v. Waters (2008) 166 Cal.App.4th
Supp. 1, 8.)
       The case of Westervelt v. Robertson (1981) 122 Cal.App.3d
Supp. 1 (Westervelt) is also helpful to our analysis. Westervelt
construed the predecessor statute to section 706.105,

                                7
subdivision (d), concerning filing claims of exemption for earnings
withholding orders. (Id. at pp. 8–10.) To contest a claim of
exemption, a judgment creditor was required to file a notice of
opposition and notice of motion within 10 days after the levying
officer mailed the debtor’s notice of claim of exemption. (Id. at
pp. 8–9.) Because the judgment creditor’s notices were untimely,
the creditor waived the right to object to the relevant claim of
exemption. (Id. at pp. 9–10.) According to the court, “[T]he
statutory procedure mandates the levying officer to release the
wages or other property of the debtor when there is an untimely
filing of the notice of opposition to the claim of exemption and if
there is an untimely filing of either the notice of opposition to the
claim of exemption or the notice of hearing, there can be no claim
of exemption hearing.”4 (Id. at p. 10, fn. omitted.)
       Section 703.550 specifies how and when a judgment
creditor may challenge a claim of exemption. Rules of statutory
construction, public policy, and case law support reading its
deadline for filing a notice of opposition to a claim of exemption
as mandatory. In this case, the levying officer mailed the notices
of claims of exemption, with the place of mailing in California, on
August 1. Fifteen days with an additional five days for mailing
was August 21, with the next court day being August 22. (§ 12a.)

4      WVJP cites sections 706.105, subdivision (d), and 720.160,
subdivision (a), as purported examples of the Sheriff having discretion
to determine statutory deadlines. However, neither of these statutes
indicates a levying officer has discretion to disregard the statutorily
imposed deadlines articulated in each, nor does WVJP cite any
authority supporting such an interpretation. Indeed, Westervelt is
clear that a judgment creditor waives the right to oppose a claim of
exemption if the creditor does not file an opposition within the
statutory period.

                                   8
As WVJP did not file its notices of motion and oppositions to
Hesser’s claims until after this date, the trial court could not hold
a hearing on Hesser’s claims of exemption. (See §§ 703.570,
subd. (a) and 703.580; see also Epstein v. Abrams (1997) 57
Cal.App.4th 1159, 1167 [where a statute requires a court to
exercise its jurisdiction in a particular manner, follow a
particular procedure, or be subject to certain limitations, an act
beyond those limits is in excess of its jurisdiction and void].)

      3.      The Levying Officer Does Not Act in a Judicial
              Capacity
       WVJP’s contention that the levying officer’s duty under
section 703.550 “is in the nature of a judicial and not a
ministerial act,” and thus the officer has discretion to set a court
deadline different than the one dictated by statute, is
unpersuasive. “A discretionary act is one which requires
“‘personal deliberation, decision and judgment’” while an act is
said to be ministerial when it amounts ‘only to an obedience to
orders, or the performance of a duty in which the officer is left no
choice of his own.’” (Morgan v. County of Yuba (1964) 230
Cal.App.2d 938, 942–943.) Under section 703.550, the levying
officer’s duties were not discretionary.
       Pursuant to the statute’s plain language, the levying officer
must immediately release the subject property if copies of the
notices of opposition and motion are not filed within the time
allowed under the statute. (§ 703.550, subd. (a).) There are no
exceptions stated. Section 703.550 does not indicate that the

                                  9
levying officer has the discretion to set a court deadline for the
filing of documents.5
       Accepting WVJP’s interpretation and allowing the Sheriff’s
Department to determine the court deadline for filing the
oppositions would render the time provisions in sections 703.550,
subdivision (a), and 684.120, subdivision (b), meaningless.
Levying officers would be free to disregard the 15-day statutory
time limit in favor of their own. (Manufacturers Life Ins. Co. v.
Superior Court (1995) 10 Cal.4th 257, 274 [“Well-established
canons of statutory construction preclude a construction which
renders a part of a statute meaningless or inoperative”].)
       Further, the cases on which WVJP relies in arguing that
the levying officer’s duty under section 703.550 is judicial and
discretionary are distinguishable. They deal with different
statutes and circumstances. (See e.g., County of San Mateo v.
Maloney (1886) 71 Cal. 205 [under repealed statute, assessor’s
opinion that real property was insufficient to secure payment of
taxes was not reviewable]; Porter v. Haight (1873) 45 Cal. 631
[relevant act gave Board of State Prison Directors discretion to
terminate contract for prison labor]; Northern Counties Inv. Trust
v. Cadman (1894) 101 Cal. 200, 204 [where relevant statute
required publishing notice “in some newspaper published in the
county” levying officer had responsibility of selecting
newspaper].) Thus, WVJP provides no persuasive authority for
the proposition that section 703.550 gives the levying officer

5       To be clear, the record does not show that the Sheriff’s
Department intended for its calculated deadline to be binding on the
trial court. The record shows a Sheriff’s Department employee
believed the August 26 deadline had been miscalculated by another
employee, suggesting the date was the result of a mistake, not an
active policy or exercise of discretion by the Sheriff.

                                  10
discretion to set deadlines for filing oppositions to claims of
exemption with the trial court.

B.     Motion for Relief Under Section 473
       We next address WVJP’s argument that it was entitled to
relief for the late filings under section 473.

       1.     Governing Law and Standard of Review
       We review an order denying relief under section 473,
subdivision (b), for an abuse of discretion. (McClain v. Kissler
(2019) 39 Cal.App.5th 399, 413 (McClain).) “‘“‘The appropriate
test for abuse of discretion is whether the trial court exceeded the
bounds of reason.’”’” (Id. at pp. 413–414 [“Our review of the trial
court’s ruling is highly deferential”].)
       “‘[A] trial court order denying relief under section 473,
subdivision (b) is “‘scrutinized more carefully than an order
permitting trial on the merits.’” [Citation.] “Because the law
favors disposing of cases on their merits, ‘any doubts in applying
section 473’ must be resolved in favor of the party seeking relief
from default [citations].” [Citation.] [. . .] [T]hat said, “[a] motion
to vacate a default and set aside judgment (§ 473) ‘is addressed to
the sound discretion of the trial court, and in the absence of a
clear showing of abuse . . . the exercise of that discretion will not
be disturbed on appeal.’ [Citations.] Moreover, all presumptions
will be made in favor of the correctness of the order, and the
burden of showing abuse is on the appellant.”’” (McClain, supra,
39 Cal.App.5th at p. 413.)
       As relevant here, the discretionary relief provision of
section 473, subdivision (b), states: “The court may, upon any
terms as may be just, relieve a party or his or her legal

                                  11
representative from a judgment, dismissal, order, or other
proceeding taken against him or her through his or her mistake,
inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect.” “‘“A party who
seeks relief under section 473 on the basis of mistake or
inadvertence of counsel must demonstrate that such mistake,
inadvertence, or general neglect was excusable because the
negligence of the attorney is imputed to his client and may not be
offered by the latter as a basis for relief.” [Citation.] In
determining whether the attorney’s mistake or inadvertence was
excusable, “the court inquires whether ‘a reasonably prudent
person under the same or similar circumstances’ might have
made the same error.”’ [Citation.]” (McClain, supra, 39
Cal.App.5th at p. 414, italics omitted, quoting Zamora v.
Clayborn Contracting Group, Inc. (2002) 28 Cal.4th 249, 258.)
“‘“Conduct falling below the professional standard of care, such as
failure to timely object or to properly advance an argument, is not
therefore excusable.”’” (McClain, supra, 39 Cal.App.5th at
p. 414.)

       2.     The Trial Court Did Not Abuse its Discretion
       WVJP contends the Sheriff’s Department employees’
statements about the due date for WVJP’s oppositions resulted in
its counsel’s inadvertence and excusable neglect in making the
late filings. We conclude the trial court did not abuse its
discretion in denying the section 473 motion.
       As a preliminary matter, while WVJP repeatedly asserts
that it was reasonable for its counsel to follow the Sheriff’s
“instructions,” the record does not show that the Sheriff’s
Department instructed WVJP’s counsel when to file notices of
opposition with the trial court or prevented WVJP from filing its

                                12
oppositions before August 26. Rather, when asked, the Sheriff’s
Department provided the deadline that it had calculated for the
oppositions.
       Moreover, WVJP asserts that its reliance on Sheriff’s
Department employees was “simply not inexcusable neglect” but
offers no rationale for why its reliance was reasonable. WVJP
does not dispute Hesser’s contention that its counsel did not
independently research the applicable statutes. WVJP does not
explain why it was reasonably prudent to refrain from looking at
the statute that governs filing oppositions to claims of exemption
in the trial court. WVJP does not show that it ever calculated the
deadline itself. Accordingly, WVJP does not establish a right to
relief under section 473, subdivision (b). (McClain, supra, 39
Cal.App.5th at p. 414; see also Hearn v. Howard (2009) 177
Cal.App.4th 1193, 1206 [“‘The only occasion for the application of
section 473 is where a party is unexpectedly placed in a situation
to his injury without fault or negligence of his own and against
which ordinary prudence could not have guarded’”].)
       Lastly, while WVJP cites to section 473, subdivision (d),
and Rappleyea v. Campbell (1994) 8 Cal.4th 975, in vaguely
asserting courts can “exercise their equitable powers in
considering applications for relief,” WVJP fails to articulate how
the trial court erred in denying its motion under these
authorities. There is no showing how section 473, subdivision (d),
which concerns correction of clerical mistakes and setting aside
void judgments or orders, applies here. Rappleyea held that a
trial court may vacate a default on equitable grounds in cases
involving “extrinsic mistake” such as when “a mistake led a court
to do what it never intended,” but WVJP makes no effort to prove
that the circumstances in this case constitute extrinsic mistake.

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(Id. at pp. 981–982.) We are not bound to develop appellants’
ambiguous arguments for them. “The absence of cogent legal
argument or citation to authority allows this court to treat the
contentions as waived. [Citations.]” (In re Marriage of Falcone &
Fyke (2008) 164 Cal.App.4th 814, 830; People v. Stanley (1995) 10
Cal.4th 764, 793 [court may treat issue as waived where party
fails to provide a legal argument with citation of authorities].)
       Based on the foregoing, WVJP does not show that the trial
court abused its discretion in determining that its counsel’s
neglect was inexcusable.

                        DISPOSITION
     The order is affirmed. Hesser is awarded costs on appeal.

                                         MORI, J.
     We concur:

           CURREY, P. J.

           COLLINS, J.

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