Court Opinion

ID: 9745149
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 22:38:02.345577+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:56.834264
License: Public Domain

HULL, J.—I concur.
In a letter to Dan DeAngelis, manager of the Stockton Metropolitan Airport, dated July 19, 1999, the attorney for H. D. Arnaiz, Ltd. (Arnaiz), refers to Amaiz’s communications with DeAngelis and to Arnaiz’s preliminary application for a building permit—both of which occurred after the date Arnaiz was notified of the unavailability of public funding—as reasons why the County of San Joaquin (County) should have known of Arnaiz’s intention to proceed with the lease. In addition, H. D. Arnaiz declares he spoke to a county employee in June 1999 about costs of permits for the development *1370and that, although on a date not specified, DeAngelis “expressed a willingness to continue . . .” with the project and, referring to the then pending litigation, said that they should “let bygones be bygones.”
If Arnaiz had chosen to dismiss its lawsuit based on a false hope that the dismissal would aid the project by improving Arnaiz’s relations with the County, I would vote to grant the petition. A litigant’s unilateral decision to dismiss a lawsuit solely with the thought that a dismissal will improve the litigant’s relations with his adversary, or others, is not the kind of mistake that, in my view, Code of Civil Procedure section 473 is intended to forgive once it becomes apparent those expectations are unfounded.
But on this record, the trial court could, within its discretion, decide that the County’s participation in Arnaiz’s continued efforts regarding the project, after the County notified Arnaiz of the unavailability of public financing on April 28, 1999, contributed to and made reasonable Arnaiz’s mistaken belief that the County would continue to cooperate in the project after the dismissal. Arnaiz’s belief was one that the County itself helped to create by its actions after April 28, and, therefore, I agree we should deny the petition.
Appellant’s petition for review by the Supreme Court was denied June 19, 2002. Kennard, J., did not participate therein.