Court Opinion

ID: 9561304
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 18:06:46.075337+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:13:42.949456
License: Public Domain

REYNOSO, J., Concurring.
I agree with the majority that dismissal here was too drastic a penalty for appellant’s refusal to present evidence at the arbitration proceedings, which took place (1) after Hebert v. Harn (1982) 133 Cal.App.3d 465 [184 Cal.Rptr. 83], had furnished a reasonable basis for assuming that such tactics would not impair appellant’s right to a trial de novo and (2) before a contrary possibility had been indicated by the filing of Genovia v. Cassidy (1983) 145 Cal.App.3d 452 [193 Cal.Rptr. 454]. Accordingly, I concur in reversing the judgment of dismissal.
On the other hand, since it is clear that the judicial arbitration program was intended by the Legislature to be mandatory, the trial courts should actively support it by taking appropriate measures to encourage or require good-faith participation by litigants. As the majority points out, Code of Civil Procedure section 128.5, empowering trial courts to require payment of reasonable expenses incurred as a result of bad-faith actions or tactics, is made expressly applicable to judicial arbitration proceedings.1 (§ 128.5, subd. (a).) Section 128.5 provides a means of avoiding the danger that a party will refuse to participate in the judicial arbitration process as a strategic tactic, attempting to assure that the trial court judgment will be more favorable to it than the “default” arbitration award, thus permitting the party to avoid the award-of-costs penalty provided by section 1141.21. If a trial court concludes that a nonparticipating party has pursued such a tactic, it may appropriately award the costs that would have been recoverable under section 1141.21 as an element of the monetary sanctions authorized by section 128.5.
Moreover, subdivision (d) was added to section 128.5 in 1985 to provide that “[t]he liability imposed by this section is in addition to any other liability imposed by law for acts or omissions within the purview of this section.” In light of that subdivision, I agree with Justice Grodin that “in particular situations, additional statutorily authorized sanctions may be properly invoked,” such as dismissal under section 2034. (Post, p. 928 [cone. *927opn. of Grodin, J.].) However, I do not believe that the staff report relied on by Justice Grodin (post) and the majority opinion as legislative history (ante, pp. 918-919) is a sufficient basis for precluding court exercise of inherent powers. I would leave open the question whether, in a particularly egregious case, a trial court would have inherent power to dismiss the action.
Lucas, J., and Panelli, J., concurred.

All section references are to the Code of Civil Procedure.