Court Opinion

ID: 9795876
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 03:41:08.598327+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:40:31.144638
License: Public Domain

WERDEGAR, J., Concurring.
I concur in the judgment. However, as I explain in my concurring opinion in the companion case of Arias v. Superior Court (2009) 46 Cal.4th 969, 988 (conc. opn. of Werdegar, J.), I do not agree with the majority’s conclusion that the unfair competition law (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17200 et seq.) (UCL), as amended by Proposition 64 (Gen. Elec. (Nov. 2, 2004)), literally or invariably requires that representative actions be brought as class actions.
I do agree with the majority that the plaintiff unions in this case may not properly bring representative actions under the UCL. As the majority explains, the UCL as amended by Proposition 64 clearly and expressly confers *1006standing to bring a representative action only on a “person who has suffered injury in fact and has lost money or property as a result of the unfair competition.” (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17204; see maj. opn., ante, at p. 1002.) Plaintiffs’ concession that they do not satisfy these absolute statutory requirements necessarily disposes of any argument they might make for standing.
Because the UCL and plaintiffs’ concession negate standing in this case, the majority’s discussion of associational standing (maj. opn., ante, at pp. 1003-1005) is unnecessary to the decision. I agree with the majority that Proposition 64 did not incorporate wholesale the federal doctrine of associational standing, as set out in such cases as Hunt v. Washington Apple Advertising Comm’n (1977) 432 U.S. 333 [53 L.Ed.2d 383, 97 S.Ct. 2434], but California has its own distinct and well-established law of associational standing based not on federal law but rather on Code of Civil Procedure section 382. (E.g., Professional Fire Fighters, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles (1963) 60 Cal.2d 276, 283-285 [32 Cal.Rptr. 830, 384 P.2d 158]; Del Mar Beach Club Owners Assn. v. Imperial Contracting Co. (1981) 123 Cal.App.3d 898, 907-908 [176 Cal.Rptr. 886]; Raven’s Cove Townhomes, Inc. v. Knuppe Development Co. (1981) 114 Cal.App.3d 783, 793-796 [171 Cal.Rptr. 334].) Because plaintiffs do not rely on this body of law, the majority does not address it. I do not understand the majority opinion to hold that an association that has suffered injury in fact and lost money or property (see Bus. & Prof. Code, § 17204) may not represent its members as the plaintiff in a UCL action.