Court Opinion

ID: 9947867
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-05 20:03:07.983471+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:28:38.691159
License: Public Domain

Filed 3/5/24 Campana v. Saldana CA2/3
   NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS
California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions
not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion
has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

                         SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

                                      DIVISION THREE

 WILLIAM CAMPANA,                                                  B327132

      Plaintiff, Cross-defendant                                   Los Angeles County
 and Respondent,                                                   Super. Ct. No. BC668542

           v.

 CONSUELO SALDANA et al.,

       Defendants,
 Cross-complainants and Appellants.

     APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of
Los Angeles County, Christopher K. Lui, Judge. Affirmed.

     Law Offices of Dennis G. Geselowitz and Dennis G.
Geselowitz for Defendants, Cross-complainants and Appellants.

      Law Offices of Steve Lopez and Steve Lopez for Plaintiff,
Cross-defendant and Respondent.
                   _________________________
      Consuelo Saldana and Mario Campana jointly purchased
a condominium in 1987. More than two decades later, Mario
transferred his interest in the condominium to his son, William
Campana. Around the same time, Consuelo transferred her
interest to her daughter, Iva Dominguez, and her daughter’s
husband, Miguel Dominguez.1 Iva is Mario’s daughter and
William’s half-sister.
      In 2017, William filed a complaint against Consuelo, Iva,
and Miguel (Appellants), seeking to quiet title and partition the
property. Appellants filed a cross-complaint against William for
quiet title. After a bench trial, the court entered judgment for
William and ordered the property be sold. On appeal, Appellants
argue they were entitled to a jury trial, the court ignored their
evidence, the court entered judgment on a “sham” complaint, and
the court erroneously ordered the property be sold. We affirm.
       FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
1.    The complaint
      In July 2017, William filed a complaint against Appellants
asserting causes of action for partition of real property,
accounting, partnership dissolution, constructive trust, common
count, and breach of fiduciary duty. Among other forms of relief,
William sought partition by sale, an accounting, compensatory
and punitive damages, and dissolution of partnership.
      The complaint alleged that in 1993, William’s father,
Mario Campana, bought a condominium (the Property) with
Consuelo Saldana “as an investment and under a verbal
partnership agreement.” The partnership agreement allowed

1      For the sake of clarity, we refer to the parties by their
first names.

                                  2
either party to call for the sale of the Property. In July 2013,
Mario transferred his interest in the Property to William. A few
months later, Consuelo transferred her interest to her daughter,
Iva, and her daughter’s husband, Miguel. About three years
later, William learned Appellants had not paid the property taxes
or homeowners association fees. William told Appellants he
wanted to sell the Property or have them purchase his interest,
but they did not respond to his request.
       After litigating the case for a couple of years, William
moved for leave to file an amended complaint to clarify his
partition cause of action, add a new cause of action for quiet title
against Consuelo, and remove all other causes of action. As to
the partition claim, William asserted Mario and Consuelo had
refinanced the Property in 1993, which he mistook for the
original purchase. In fact, they had purchased the Property
in 1987. Because of this error, William sought to amend
the complaint to change the purchase date from 1993 to 1987.
Appellants opposed the motion, arguing the proposed
amendments were barred under the sham pleading doctrine
because they contradicted the allegations in the original
complaint.
       The court granted William leave to add a quiet title cause
of action, but it denied the motion in all other respects. The court
concluded the sham pleading doctrine precluded William from
amending his allegations regarding the purchase date. The court
noted it could not determine whether William’s mistake about
the purchase date was reasonable because he failed to produce
a copy of the refinance agreement. As to William’s request to
remove causes of action, the court stated it was unnecessary

                                 3
because William could simply file a request for dismissal of any
claims he no longer wished to pursue.
       William filed an amended complaint that included all his
prior claims plus a new claim for quiet title against Consuelo.
The quiet title claim alleged Consuelo continued to claim
an interest in the Property, despite having transferred her
entire interest to Iva and Miguel. In relief, William sought a
declaration that only he, Iva, and Miguel had an interest in the
Property. After filing the amended complaint, William dismissed
all his claims except those for partition and quiet title.
2.     The cross-complaint
       In April 2020, Appellants filed a cross-complaint against
William, asserting a single cause of action for quiet title.
Confusingly, the cross-complaint also included separate sections
entitled “breach of contract founded upon written instrument,”
“adverse possession,” “fraud,” and “constructive trust.” In relief,
Appellants sought an order compelling William to transfer
his legal title to Appellants, a judgment enjoining William
from claiming any right to the Property, and a declaration
that Appellants had the sole legal and equitable rights to
the Property.
       Appellants’ cross-complaint alleged that Iva is Mario and
Consuelo’s daughter from an affair they had while Mario was
married to another woman. In 1987—when Iva was 16 years old
—Mario agreed to help Consuelo buy the Property in lieu of
providing past and future financial support. Mario and Consuelo
were both named on the title to the Property. However, Consuelo
owned the entire beneficial interest and Mario held his interest
in trust for her. Mario agreed to transfer his interest to Consuelo
once she paid off the mortgage. He also agreed the entire

                                 4
Property would eventually pass to Iva. Consuelo used the
Property as her primary residence, and she paid off the mortgage
in 1993. However, Mario refused to transfer title to her.
3.     The trial
       The parties tried their claims to the court over the course
of six days. Iva testified her parents purchased the Property
in 1987 for $68,000, with a $20,000 down payment. They paid off
the original loan in 1993 and took out a second loan. Consuelo
alone made payments on the loans.
       Iva testified Mario repeatedly promised to transfer his
interest in the Property to her and Consuelo. Despite those
promises, he never signed a transfer deed and would come up
with some excuse for why he could not do so. Iva eventually
stopped believing Mario would keep his promise to transfer
the Property to her.
       According to Iva, at some point, she and Consuelo learned
that Mario had transferred his interest in the Property to
William. After learning of the transfer, Consuelo tried to transfer
the entire Property to Iva and Miguel. A clerk told her that
was not possible, so Consuelo instead deeded Iva and Miguel
a one-half interest.
       Iva testified she and Miguel were living on the Property
with Consuelo, who was 93 years old and suffering from
dementia. Iva said Consuelo continued to claim an ownership
interest in the Property, despite having deeded her interest
to Iva and Miguel nearly a decade earlier.
       William testified his father transferred to him a one-half
interest in the Property in July 2013. Mario died about three
years later. According to William, Mario said he had entered
into a partnership agreement to purchase the Property as an

                                5
investment, but he did not disclose his partner’s name.
Over time, Mario revealed more details about the agreement,
including that Consuelo was his partner. Mario claimed he met
Consuelo at church, and he wanted to help her out because she
was pregnant and had no support. Mario said the agreement
was that Consuelo would live in the Property rent free until
her child turned 18 years old, and then Mario would exercise
his option to sell his share or buy out Consuelo’s share.
      William testified he could not recall ever having met
Consuelo. He met Iva once, at her wedding to Miguel in 2009.
However, William could not recall whether his father had
told him Iva is his half-sister. William is significantly older
than Iva; he graduated from high school the same year she
was born.
      William explained that, after his father’s death, he learned
Appellants were claiming an interest in the Property. He also
discovered the property taxes had not been paid for several years.
William explained he was claiming an ownership interest in
the Property under the transfer deed his father signed in 2013,
rather than under a partnership agreement. William wanted
the Property partitioned, but he did not care whether it was
partitioned by appraisal or by sale.
4.    The judgment
      The trial court apparently issued a statement of decision
in William’s favor. However, Appellants did not include the
statement of decision in the record on appeal. Nor is there
any indication in the record that Appellants filed objections
to the statement of decision.
      The court entered an interlocutory judgment for partition
under Code of Civil Procedure section 872.720. The judgment

                                6
declares William owns a one-half interest in the Property, and
Miguel and Iva each own a one-quarter interest in the Property.
The judgment orders the Property be sold, stating, “Under
the circumstances, the sale of the property and division of the
proceeds would be more equitable than division of the property;
the Court, therefore, orders that the property be sold and the
proceeds divided among the parties according to their respective
interests.” The court appointed a referee to sell the Property.
The judgment also directs the Clerk of the Court to issue a writ
of possession under Code of Civil Procedure section 712.010 if
William applies for one.
       Appellants timely appealed.
                           DISCUSSION
1.     We deny Appellants’ motions to augment the record
       Appellants filed their opening brief on appeal on
September 28, 2023. In their brief, Appellants noted they
intended to move to augment the record with certain documents
that were missing from it.
       Appellants subsequently filed two motions to augment
the record on appeal. They filed the first motion on December 6,
2023, which was the week before oral argument. In that motion,
Appellants sought to augment the record with six documents:
a deposition transcript, the statement of decision, three
minute orders related to the statement of decision, and William’s
proposed statement of decision. In a declaration attached to
the motion, Appellants’ counsel stated he believed he had
designated the documents for inclusion in the record, but he had
since learned they had not been included. Counsel represented
he is inexperienced in appellate work, as he normally works
as a corporate financial officer and in-house counsel.

                                7
       This court held oral argument on December 15, 2023.
Nearly a week later—on December 21, 2023—Appellants
filed a supplemental motion to augment the record. In their
supplemental motion, Appellants sought to include in the record
their answer to William’s complaint.
       Rule 8.155 of the California Rules of Court allows an
appellate court to augment the record “[a]t any time, on motion
of a party or its own motion . . . .” (Cal. Rules of Court, rule
8.155(a)(1).) Our local rules state an appellant should file
a request for augmentation “within 40 days of the filing of
the record . . . .” (Ct. App., Second Dist., Local Rules, rule 2(b),
Augmentation of record.) Motions filed beyond that date
“will not be granted except upon a showing of good cause
for the delay.” (Ibid.)
       The record in this case was filed on August 1, 2023,
more than 40 days before Appellants filed their first motion
to augment. Appellants fail to show good cause for their delay.
By their own admission, Appellants were aware the record
was incomplete when they filed their opening brief on appeal.
They have not provided a compelling explanation as to why
they waited more than two months after filing their brief—and
until the week before oral argument—to file their first motion
to augment. Their counsel’s inexperience in appellate practice
does not provide a sufficient explanation or excuse for the delay.
Accordingly, we deny both motions to augment the record.
2.     Appellants were not entitled to a jury trial
       Appellants argue the trial court erred in refusing to
conduct a jury trial on the quiet title and partition claims.
They contend that, although the claims were equitable in form,
each raised issues for which a jury was required.

                                  8
       a.    The right to a jury trial
       The California Constitution states, “Trial by jury is an
inviolate right and shall be secured to all.” (Cal. Const., art. I,
§ 16.) Our state’s high court has explained the “right so
guaranteed . . . is the right as it existed at common law in 1850,
when the Constitution was first adopted, ‘and what that right is,
is a purely historical question, a fact which is to be ascertained
like any other social, political or legal fact.’ [Citations.]” (C & K
Engineering Contractors v. Amber Steel Co. (1978) 23 Cal.3d 1, 8
(C & K Engineering).)
       Under this historical approach, “as a general matter the
California Constitution affords a right to a jury trial in common
law actions at law that were triable by a jury in 1850, but not in
suits in equity that were not triable by a jury in 1850. [Citation.]
In applying this test, . . . the form or title of a statutory cause
of action is not controlling and that if the substance of the
cause of action is one that would have been triable by a jury at
common law, there is a right to a jury trial even if the statute’s
designation might suggest that it is an equitable proceeding.”
(Nationwide Biweekly Administration, Inc. v. Superior Court
(2020) 9 Cal.5th 279, 315.) “On the other hand, if the action is
essentially one in equity and the relief sought ‘depends upon
the application of equitable doctrines,’ the parties are not entitled
to a jury trial.” (C & K Engineering, supra, 23 Cal.3d at p. 9.)
“[T]he legal or equitable nature of a cause of action ordinarily
is determined by the mode of relief to be afforded.” (Raedeke
v. Gibraltar Sav. & Loan Assn. (1974) 10 Cal.3d 665, 672.)

                                  9
      b.      The record does not show Appellants preserved
              the jury trial issue for appeal
       William suggests the trial court properly refused to conduct
a jury trial because Appellants failed to present the court with
compelling legal arguments or evidence to show the claims were
legal in nature. Although not stated explicitly, we understand
William essentially to be making a forfeiture argument.
       “It is well-settled that the failure to raise an issue in the
trial court typically forfeits on appeal any claim of error based
on that issue.” (Howitson v. Evans Hotels, LLC (2022) 81
Cal.App.5th 475, 489 (Howitson).) “ ‘An appellate court will
not consider procedural defects or erroneous rulings where an
objection could have been, but was not, raised in the court below.’
[Citation.] It is unfair to the trial judge and to the adverse party
to take advantage of an alleged error on appeal where it could
easily have been corrected at trial. [Citations.]” (Children’s
Hospital & Medical Center v. Bontá (2002) 97 Cal.App.4th 740,
776–777.)
       Here, the record is extremely limited on the topic of
Appellants’ request for a jury trial. Aside from a notice that
Appellants had deposited jury fees, the record on the issue
consists of two minute orders that briefly discuss the issue.
       The first minute order—dated April 11, 2022—states
William’s counsel waived a jury trial, but Appellants’ counsel
indicated “he is not willing to waive jury at this time.” The court
ordered Appellants’ counsel to meet and confer with his clients
on the issue.
       The second minute order—dated April 18, 2022—states
the following: “Counsel for plaintiff/cross-defendant indicates
that this case is an equitable claims case and there is not a

                                10
legal basis for a jury trial. The Court does not find legal issue[s]
that require a jury trial and this case should be a nonjury trial.”
Appellants did not include in the record a reporter’s transcript
of the hearing or a statement summarizing it.
       Although the record shows Appellants deposited jury fees
and initially refused to waive a jury, it does not reflect that
Appellants objected when the court subsequently ordered a
bench trial at the April 18 hearing. Nor is there anything else
in the record to indicate Appellants objected to the bench trial on
the same grounds they assert on appeal. Absent such a showing,
we may consider the issue forfeited and decline to consider
Appellants’ arguments. (See Howitson, supra, 81 Cal.App.5th
at p. 489.)
       Even if Appellants had raised the objections in the trial
court, the record suggests they later withdrew those objections.
During his opening statement at trial, Appellants’ counsel
remarked, “I believe a jury is not necessary in this case.” Unless
the reporter’s transcript contains a typographical error—which
is possible, as the transcript includes many obvious errors—
counsel’s statement suggests Appellants implicitly withdrew
their objections and consented to the bench trial. “[I]t is well
established that ‘. . . a party cannot without objection try his
case before a court without a jury, lose it and then complain that
it was not tried by jury. [Citation.]’ [Citations.] . . . [W]herein
defendants proceeded to try the case before a judge without
objecting to the absence of a jury, ‘Defendants cannot play
“Heads I win. Tails you lose[.]” with the trial court.’ ” (Taylor
v. Union Pacific Railroad Corporation (1976) 16 Cal.3d 893, 900.)

                                 11
        Although we could deny Appellants’ arguments on either
of these bases, out of an abundance of caution, we will consider
their arguments on the merits.
        c.    Appellants were not entitled to a jury trial on
              William’s partition claim
        “Under California law, the term ‘partition’ signifies ‘the
procedure for segregating and terminating common interests
in the same parcel of property.’ ” (14859 Moorpark Homeowner’s
Ass’n v. VRT Corp. (1998) 63 Cal.App.4th 1396, 1404–1405.)
“A co-owner of real or personal property may bring an action
for partition. (Code Civ. Proc., § 872.210.) ‘The primary purpose
of a partition suit is, as the terminology implies, to partition
the property, that is, to sever the unity of possession.’ ”
(LEG Investments v. Boxler (2010) 183 Cal.App.4th 484, 493.)
“ ‘[A]lthough the action of partition is of statutory origin in this
state, it is nonetheless an equitable proceeding.’ ” (Cummings
v. Dessel (2017) 13 Cal.App.5th 589, 596–597.) Therefore, there
generally is no right to a jury trial in a partition action. (See
Meyer Koulish Co. v. Cannon (1963) 213 Cal.App.2d 419, 430–431
[“there is no right to a jury trial in civil actions that are equitable
in nature”].)
        Although Appellants seem to concede that partition actions
are equitable in nature, they argue they were entitled to a
jury trial on William’s partition claim because it was actually
a partnership claim in disguise. They rely on language in
William’s operative complaint stating Mario and Consuelo
purchased the Property under a verbal partnership agreement,
which allowed either partner to call for the sale of the Property.
        While it is true that William’s complaint contained
general allegations about a partnership agreement, those

                                  12
allegations did not form the basis for the partition claim.
Instead, they concerned the claims for accounting, dissolution
of partnership, constructive trust, and breach of fiduciary duty,
which William dismissed before trial. As to the partition claim,
the complaint alleges it arose out of William’s “undivided one-half
interest as a tenant in common in the fee title to the Property.”
       Consistent with the complaint, William and his counsel
explicitly and repeatedly stated at trial that he was not seeking
to sell the property under a partnership agreement. Instead,
William sought to exercise the rights he received when Mario
deeded him an undivided one-half interest in the Property.
Given this record, we reject Appellants’ contention that
William’s partition claim somehow sounded in partnership law.
       We also reject Appellants’ contention that the judgment
must be premised on a partnership theory because “California
law does not allow partition by sale against an unwilling
co-owner in possession.” As Appellants note elsewhere in their
appellate briefs, a forced sale is a strongly disfavored remedy
in a partition action, but it is not prohibited. (See Butte Creek
Island Ranch v. Crim (1982) 136 Cal.App.3d 360, 366 [partition
by forced sale is “ ‘strongly disfavored’ ”].) Therefore, contrary
to Appellants’ contentions, the fact the court ordered partition
by sale does not prove it granted the relief under a partnership
theory.
       d.     Appellants have not shown they were entitled to
              a jury trial on the quiet title claims
       It is “well established that actions to quiet title, like true
declaratory relief actions, are generally equitable in nature.”
(Caira v. Offner (2005) 126 Cal.App.4th 12, 25.) However, there
is an exception to this rule when the quiet title action “takes on

                                 13
the character of an ejectment proceeding to recover possession
of real property.” (Aguayo v. Amaro (2013) 213 Cal.App.4th 1102,
1109–1110; cf. Dills v. Delira Corp. (1956) 145 Cal.App.2d 124,
130 [“it is well settled that an action to establish title which
does not include a prayer to obtain possession of the property
is equitable in nature”].) The reason for this exception is that
“ ‘courts will not permit the declaratory action to be used as
a device to circumvent the right to a jury trial in cases where
such right would be guaranteed if the proceeding were coercive
rather than declaratory in nature.’ ” (State Farm Mutual Auto.
Ins. Co. v. Superior Court (1956) 47 Cal.2d 428, 432.)
       In an ejectment proceeding, the plaintiff must prove
the defendant has wrongfully deprived him of possession of
the property. (Montgomery v. Santa Ana & W. Ry. Co. (1894)
104 Cal. 186, 197.) A judgment of ejection “awards possession to
the prevailing party because he had title at the commencement
of the action and because the losing party had no title, or had
no such title as would authorize him to withhold possession.”
(Zaccaria v. Bank of America National T. & S. Ass’n (1958)
164 Cal.App.2d 715, 719.)
       Here, neither Appellants’ nor William’s quiet title claims
sought possession of the Property under an ejectment theory or
anything comparable to an ejectment theory. Appellants were in
sole possession of the Property at the time of trial, so there was
no reason for them to seek to eject William or recover possession
from him. Nor did William seek to eject Consuelo from the
Property through his quiet title claim against her. Instead,
as to that claim, William’s operative complaint sought only
a “judgment quieting title and declar[ing]” that William, Iva,
and Miguel have an interest in the Property. In fact, William

                               14
could not eject Consuelo from the Property given he conceded
Iva and Miguel also had undivided interests in the Property.
(See Verdier v. Verdier (1957) 152 Cal.App.2d 348, 352 [a
“cotenant [in common] has no right to oust a person who holds
possession with the consent of another tenant in common”].)
       Appellants argue the fact that the judgment allows William
to obtain a writ of possession under Code of Civil Procedure
section 712.010 (section 712.010) proves he sought possession
of the Property through his quiet title claim. Section 712.010
provides that, “[a]fter entry of a judgment for possession or sale
of property, a writ of possession or sale shall be issued by the
clerk of the court upon application of the judgment creditor . . . .”
(Code Civ. Proc., § 712.010.)
       Consistent with the relief William requested in his
complaint, the judgment expressly orders the sale of the
Property, but it does not expressly grant William possession
of it. Therefore, it seems the judgment’s reference to a writ
of possession under section 712.010 was intended either to be a
writ of sale or to facilitate the sale of the Property. In either case,
the writ is a remedy for William’s partition claim, not his quiet
title claim. For the reasons discussed above, Appellants had
no right to a jury trial on the partition claim. Moreover, to the
extent the judgment is ambiguous on this issue or awards relief
beyond that requested in the complaint, Appellants could have
raised an objection in the trial court. It appears they declined
to do so.2

2      Because we reject Appellants’ arguments that they were
entitled to a jury trial, we do not consider their arguments that
the bench trial prejudiced them.

                                  15
3.      The court did not ignore Appellants’ evidence
        supporting their defenses
        Appellants argue the trial court “ignored” evidence they
presented in support of their affirmative defenses of laches and
waiver. Despite this claim, Appellants fail to point to anything
in the record showing the court excluded their evidence or
otherwise refused to consider it. Therefore, as best we can tell,
Appellants’ argument is their evidence was so overwhelming
the court must have ignored it; otherwise the court would have
ruled in their favor.
        Where, as here, the parties with the burden of proof
challenge a decision against them, the question on appeal is
whether the evidence compels a finding in their favor as a matter
of law. (Sonic Manufacturing Technologies, Inc. v. AAE Systems,
Inc. (2011) 196 Cal.App.4th 456, 466.) Specifically, the question
is whether the appellant’s evidence was “ ‘(1) “uncontradicted and
unimpeached” and (2) “of such a character and weight as to leave
no room for a judicial determination that it was insufficient to
support a finding.” ’ ” (Ibid.) In considering this question, we
are mindful of the most fundamental rule of appellate review:
the judgment challenged on appeal is presumed to be correct, and
“it is the appellant’s burden to affirmatively demonstrate error.”
(People v. Sanghera (2006) 139 Cal.App.4th 1567, 1573.) To
demonstrate error, the appellant “must present meaningful
legal analysis supported by citations to authority and citations
to facts in the record that support the claim of error.” (In re S.C.
(2006) 138 Cal.App.4th 396, 408.)
        Appellants have not met their burden here. As to the
waiver issue, they fail to provide a single citation to evidence
in the record that supports their argument. Nor do they provide

                                16
meaningful analysis of how their evidence proves waiver as a
matter of law. Instead, they simply assert they proved waiver
through their own testimony and the testimony of one of Mario’s
daughters, Mildred Campana. We are not required to search the
record to ascertain whether it supports Appellants’ arguments,
nor are we required to make Appellants’ arguments for them.
(Inyo Citizens for Better Planning v. Inyo County Bd. of
Supervisors (2009) 180 Cal.App.4th 1, 14.) Accordingly,
Appellants have not met their burden to show error. (See
In re S.C., supra, 138 Cal.App.4th at p. 408.)
       Appellants’ laches argument fails for similar reasons.
Unlike their waiver argument, Appellants provide a citation
to the record to support their contention that the court was
obligated to grant their laches defense. Specifically, they cite
a total of two pages from the reporter’s transcript. On those
pages, Mildred Campana testified she believed Mario deeded his
interest in the Property to William so William could “help him
get his money back, as he put it.” Mildred also testified she never
heard Mario “mention anything more than $20,000. It was clear
to me it wasn’t 50 percent.” Appellants do not explain how
this testimony proved their laches defense, nor is it self-evident.
Because Appellants fail to provide any meaningful analysis
of the issue, they have not met their burden to show error.
(See In re S.C., supra, 138 Cal.App.4th at p. 408.)
4.     The trial court did not enter judgment on a
       “sham” complaint
       Appellants argue the trial court erred by granting
judgment on a “sham” complaint. Their argument seems to be
based on the trial court’s order denying in part William’s motion
to amend his complaint. In that order, the court ruled the

                                17
sham pleading doctrine precluded William from making certain
amendments to the complaint.3 However, the court did not hold
—as Appellants seem to suggest—the entire complaint was
a sham. Nor do Appellants meaningfully explain how the
court’s ruling is, in any way, inconsistent with the judgment.
Accordingly, they have not met their burden to show error
on this basis.
5.      Appellants’ other arguments lack merit
        Appellants make several arguments concerning the
court’s order that the Property be partitioned by sale. They
make the arguments in passing, without providing meaningful
analysis of the issues. The arguments also lack merit.
        First, Appellants contend the court “blocked” evidence
showing the sale of the Property would not be more equitable
than division of the Property. However, they point to nothing in
the record to substantiate that assertion. From our independent
review of the record, it is apparent the court allowed Appellants
to present ample evidence on the issue.
        Appellants next complain that the statement of decision
“contains no determination by the court that partition by sale
. . . was equitable.” Because Appellants failed to include the
statement of decision in the appellate record, we cannot confirm
their assertion. In any event, Appellants provide no authority
holding a trial court must explicitly find partition by sale is

3     “Under the sham pleading doctrine, ‘[i]f a party files
an amended complaint and attempts to avoid the defects of
the original complaint by either omitting facts which made the
previous complaint defective or by adding facts inconsistent with
those of previous pleadings, the court may take judicial notice of
prior pleadings and may disregard any inconsistent allegations.’ ”
(Zakk v. Diesel (2019) 33 Cal.App.5th 431, 447.)

                               18
equitable. Even if it were required, the judgment expressly
states, “Under the circumstances, the sale of the property and
division of the proceeds would be more equitable than division
of the property.” On this record, Appellants have not met their
burden to show the trial court erred.
       Finally, Appellants contend the trial court ignored
legal authority that precludes the sale of property over an
objection from a “related co-owner.” However, the cases
on which Appellants rely simply state partition by sale is a
“strongly disfavored” remedy that is available only in limited
circumstances. (See, e.g., Richmond v. Dofflemyer (1980) 105
Cal.App.3d 745, 757 [“Forced sales are strongly disfavored.”];
Williams v. Wells Fargo Bank & Union Trust Co. (1943)
56 Cal.App.2d 645, 647 [“partition in kind is favored by the law,
and . . . a sale will be ordered only when it is necessary to prevent
great prejudice to the owners”].) Appellants cite no authority
holding partition by sale is never permitted over a co-owner’s
objection. Accordingly, they have not met their burden to show
error.

                                 19
                        DISPOSITION
      We affirm the judgment. William Campana shall recover
his costs on appeal.

     NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

                                    EGERTON, J.

We concur:

             LAVIN, Acting P. J.

             ADAMS, J.

                               20