Court Opinion

ID: 9365733
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-01-24 21:02:11.565958+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:15:47.362214
License: Public Domain

Filed 1/24/23 Worsnop v. Dept. of General Services CA3
                                           NOT TO BE PUBLISHED
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 This opinion has not been certified for publication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
                                      THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT
                                                     (Sacramento)
                                                            ----

 JAMES WORSNOP,                                                                                C091167

                    Plaintiff and Appellant,                                        (Super. Ct. No. 34-2014-
                                                                                    00169278-CU-CR-GDS)
           v.

 DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES, et al.,

                    Defendant and Respondent.

         Plaintiff James Worsnop appeals from an order granting summary adjudication to
his former employer, defendant Department of General Services (DGS), on his disability
discrimination cause of action under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act
(FEHA) (Gov. Code, § 12900 et. seq.; statutory section citations that follow are found in
the Government Code unless otherwise stated). He contends the trial court applied an
incorrect statute of limitations to DGS’s pre-termination conduct, failed to apply the
continuing violation doctrine for conduct that occurred outside the statutory period, and
ignored alleged post-termination Labor Code violations.

                                                             1
       We requested supplemental briefing on whether the appeal was timely filed.
Having considered the parties’ supplemental briefs, we conclude that Worsnop failed to
file his notice of appeal before the deadline to appeal expired. We therefore dismiss the
appeal without reaching the merits of his appellate contentions.
                     FACTS AND HISTORY OF THE PROCEEDINGS
       While working for DGS, Worsnop received several negative performance
evaluations and other adverse employment actions. DGS terminated Worsnop effective
June 30, 2011. A few months after he was terminated, Worsnop was diagnosed with a
brain tumor. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor in October 2011.
       The day before his termination took effect, Worsnop filed an administrative
complaint with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), alleging
differential treatment and harassment, denial of a reasonable accommodation, and failure
to engage in the interactive process. Worsnop also appealed his termination to the State
Personnel Board (SPB).
       Worsnop and DGS verbally stipulated to settle the SPB appeal proceedings on
April 6, 2012. Among other things, the parties agreed that Worsnop would withdraw his
appeal and waive any right to pursue his appeal in exchange for DGS withdrawing the
termination notice, reinstating him effective June 30, 2011, and placing him on
administrative leave for one year from April 6, 2012, to April 5, 2013. Worsnop further
agreed to resign from DGS, and he released any claim relating to the dispute that was
settled and specifically waived Civil Code section 1542.
       Pursuant to the stipulated settlement, in April 2012 Worsnop resigned from DGS
effective April 5, 2013. A month later, he filed a “Confirmation of Settlement Between
Parties” with DFEH, stating that he had reached a “global settlement” with DGS that
“required [him] to waive [his] DFEH claims, and release [DGS] from those claims,” and
he requested that “DFEH and EEOC not proceed any further with [his] complaint.”
Thereafter, DFEH closed Worsnop’s case and issued him a right-to-sue notice on

                                            2
May 14, 2012. Worsnop did not file a civil complaint within one year of the right-to-sue
notice.
          On September 27, 2013, Worsnop filed a second administrative complaint with
DFEH, primarily asserting the same allegations from his first administrative complaint.
DFEH issued Worsnop a second right-to-sue notice on September 27, 2013. On
September 23, 2014, over two years after receiving his first DFEH right-to-sue notice but
less than a year after his second DFEH right-to-sue notice, Worsnop filed a verified
complaint for damages against DGS. After multiple demurrers, only Worsnop’s FEHA
disability discrimination claim remained.
          In December 2018, DGS moved for summary judgment, or in the alternative,
summary adjudication on Worsnop’s FEHA disability discrimination claim on six
grounds. Worsnop opposed the motion. The trial court granted summary adjudication on
two grounds, which it found dispositive, and did not reach the remaining four issues.
          On March 11, 2019, the trial court entered judgment in DGS’s favor with costs to
be awarded as permitted by law. The word “proposed” on the judgment is crossed out by
interlineation, and Judge Krueger signed the judgment on March 11, 2019, the same date
the judgment was file-stamped. DGS served Worsnop with a notice of entry of judgment
by mail on March 15, 2019.
          In April 2019, DGS filed a memorandum of costs, which Worsnop moved to strike
or tax. DGS subsequently sought to file an amended memorandum of costs, and during
the proceedings in June 2019, Worsnop’s counsel objected to “the sufficiency of notice of
proof of service for notice of entry of judgment[,]” claiming the first time counsel learned
of the notice of entry of judgment was in the trial court’s tentative ruling on DGS’s
request to file an amended cost memorandum. When the court asked counsel whether
she had received the notice of entry of judgment, she responded that she had not. DGS’s
counsel represented that the notice of entry of judgment was mailed to Worsnop as stated
in the attached proof of service.

                                              3
       After additional briefing and hearings, the trial court granted in part and denied in
part Worsnop’s motion to tax costs. The court’s minute order directed the clerk “to enter
costs in the amount of $7,854.94 on the judgment.”
       The “Memo of Costs Clerk” made the following handwritten notation on the
judgment that had previously been entered on March 11, 2019: “Costs = $7,854.94.”
The words “Costs Posted” are also handwritten on the judgment with the date of
October 28, 2019, stamped next to the notation.
       Worsnop filed a notice of appeal on December 19, 2019, purporting to appeal
from a “Judgment after an order granting a summary judgment motion” that “was entered
on October 15, 2019.”

                                        DISCUSSION
       Rule 8.104 of the California Rules of Court governs the timeliness of an appeal in
a civil action. As relevant here, the rule provides in part that a notice of appeal must be
filed on or before the earliest of 60 days after the party filing the notice of appeal is
served with a document entitled “Notice of Entry” of judgment, or 180 days after entry of
judgment. (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.104(a)(1)(B) & (C); further rule references are to
the California Rules of Court.) Except in emergency circumstances not applicable here,
no court may extend the time to file a notice of appeal. (Rule 8.104(b).) If a notice of
appeal is filed late, the reviewing court must dismiss the appeal. (Ibid.)
       After examining the record, we requested supplemental briefing from the parties
on whether Worsnop timely filed his notice of appeal under rule 8.104. In response,
Worsnop essentially argues that the judgment was not final and appealable until the cost
proceedings were concluded, and the trial court amended the judgment to add the cost
award. Because he filed his notice of appeal within 60 days of costs being added to the
judgment, he contends his appeal is timely.

                                               4
       In this case, the record shows that the trial court entered judgment for DGS on
March 11, 2019, with costs to be awarded as permitted by law. Four days later, on
March 15, 2019, DGS served Worsnop with a notice of entry of judgment by mail. Costs
were posted to the judgment on October 28, 2019, without substantively changing the
judgment, and Worsnop filed his notice of appeal on December 19, 2019.
       Given the above, whether we calculate the appellate deadline as 60 days from
service of the notice of entry of judgment, as DGS argues, or 180 days from entry of the
judgment, Worsnop failed to timely file his notice of appeal.
       Under the 60-day notice of entry of judgment deadline, Worsnop had until
May 14, 2019, to file his notice of appeal. (Rule 8.104(a)(1)(B); Code. Civ. Proc. § 1013,
subd. (a) [in case of service by mail, statutory five-day extension to do an act does not
apply to the filing a notice of appeal].) Worsnop filed his appeal seven months late in
December 2019.
       Even if we disregard the notice of entry of judgment deadline in rule
8.104(a)(1)(B), since Worsnop’s counsel objected during a memorandum of cost hearing
that she did not receive the notice of entry of judgment by mail, and she asserts the same
in Worsnop’s supplemental reply brief, Worsnop’s appeal is still untimely under rule
8.104(a)(1)(C) because he did not file his notice of appeal by September 9, 2019,1 that is,
within 180 days of the trial court entering judgment on March 11, 2019. (Rule
8.104(a)(1)(C).)

1 Because the 180th day fell on Saturday, September 7, 2019, the deadline to file the
notice of appeal was extended to the next business day on Monday, September 9, 2019.
(Code Civ. Proc., §§ 12, 12a, subd. (a) [“If the last day for the performance of any act
provided or required by law to be performed within a specified period of time is a
holiday, then that period is hereby extended to and including the next day that is not a
holiday. For purposes of this section, ‘holiday’ means all day on Saturdays . . . .”].)

                                             5
       Worsnop’s argument—that the time to appeal did not begin to run until the trial
court posted costs to the judgment on October 28, 2019—is unavailing. Established
authority is to the contrary.
       It is well settled that “ ‘[t]he effect of an amended judgment on the appeal time
period depends on whether the amendment substantially changes the judgment . . . .’ ”
(Torres v. City of San Diego (2007) 154 Cal.App.4th 214, 222.) “ ‘Where the judgment
is modified merely to add costs . . . , the original judgment is not substantially changed
and the time to appeal it is therefore not affected.’ ” (Ibid.; see also, Amwest Sur. Ins. Co.
Patriot Homes, Inc. (2005) 135 Cal.App.4th 82, 84, fn. 1.)
       Here, unlike Worsnop asserts, the October 2019 order awarding DGS nearly
$7,000 in costs did not amend the March 11, 2019, judgment in any substantive way.
Rather, the judgment was merely modified to add the cost award. Accordingly, at a
minimum, Worsnop had to file his notice of appeal by September 9, 2019. (Rule
8.104(a)(1)(C).) Because he concedes he did not file his notice of appeal until
December 19, 2019, nearly two months late, his appeal is untimely.
       Worsnop’s contention that the jurisdictional deadline to appeal was somehow
extended because the trial court granted summary adjudication on only two grounds
without reaching the remaining four issues DGS raised in its motion is likewise without
merit. As the trial court properly noted, the two issues upon which it granted summary
adjudication disposed of Worsnop’s entire disability discrimination claim thus making it
unnecessary to address DGS’s additional asserted grounds for summary judgment. (See
e.g., Canyon Crest Conservancy v. County of Los Angeles (2020) 46 Cal.App.5th 398,
413, fn. 8 [the court did not address every issue the parties raised where it found the
appellant failed to meet its burden on certain issues].) The court’s written order,
moreover, did not violate Code of Civil Procedure section 437c, subdivision (g) as
Worsnop argues.

                                              6
       Code of Civil Procedure section 437c, subdivision (g) provides in relevant part:
“Upon the grant of a motion for summary judgment on the ground that there is no triable
issue of material fact, the court shall, by written or oral order, specify the reasons for its
determination. The order shall specifically refer to the evidence proffered in support of
and, if applicable, in opposition to the motion that indicates no triable issue exists.”
       The order cites the trial court’s reasons for granting summary adjudication and the
evidence presented on the issues decided as statutorily required
       Finally, we see no reason that the lengthy proceedings to determine costs should
extend the time to appeal from the final judgment previously entered. Worsnop, had he
been so inclined, could have appealed from both the final judgment and any
postjudgment cost order. (Torres v. City of San Diego, supra, 154 Cal.App.4th at p. 222
[“ ‘When a party wishes to challenge both a final judgment and a postjudgment
costs/attorney fee order, the normal procedure is to file two separate appeals: one from
the final judgment, and a second from the postjudgment order’ ”].) Thus, any delay in
resolving the cost proceedings did not affect his ability to timely appeal the judgment.
       Finally, we disregard Worsnop’s argument, raised for the first time in his
supplemental reply brief, that his “case is about Respondent’s status as a ‘prevailing
party’ making it eligible to recoverable [sic] costs specifically found in CCP [Code of
Civil Procedure] § 1033.5(c)(2)(3).” Worsnop never challenged the cost award in his
initial appellate briefing, nor even cited Code of Civil Procedure section 1033.5. He
cannot belatedly challenge the cost award now. (WorldMark, The Club v. Wyndham
Resort Development Corp. (2010) 187 Cal.App.4th 1017, 1030, fn. 7 [appellant may not
raise new argument which should have been raised in the initial brief; arguments raised
for the first time in the reply brief are untimely and may be disregarded].)
       While Worsnop’s circumstances may be unfortunate, he is not excused from
timely filing a notice of appeal before pursuing his claims on appeal. Because he failed
to do so, we must dismiss his appeal. (Rule 8.104(b).)

                                               7
                                    DISPOSITION
       The appeal is dismissed. DGS is awarded its costs on appeal. (Cal. Rules of
Court, rule 8.278(a)(1), (2).)

                                                                          ,
                                               HULL, Acting P. J.

We concur:

                             ,
DUARTE, J.

                             ,
RENNER, J.

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