On June 02, 2010 a Motion-Secondary was filed involving a dispute between Hagen, Laurance, and 3M Company, 4520 Corp., Inc.,, A & A Mechanical Contractors Inc., A & A Sheet Metal, Aberthaw Construction Company, Acco Engineered Systems, Inc., A.E. Knowles Corporation, Aire Sheet Metal Inc., Air Systems Mechanical Contractor, A.J. Peters & Son, Aladdin Heating Corporation, Albay Construction Company, Allied Painters, Inc., Allied Sprinkler Company, Inc., Anderson, Rowe & Buckley, Inc., Applied Support Systems, Inc., A.R.B. Mechanical, Armaral Plumbing, Associated Insulation Of California, Atlas Heating And Ventilating Company, Ltd., Bailey Plumbing, Heating & Sheet Metal, Barnes Construction Co., Bay Cities Crane And Rigging, Inc., Bayer Cropscience Inc., Bayer Cropscience, Inc.,, B H P Minerals International, Inc., Bigge Crane And Rigging Co., Bragg Investment Company, Inc., B.T. Mancini Co., Inc., Buttner Corp., Cahill Contractors, Inc., Carrier Corporation, Cbs Corporation, A Delaware Corporation, Fka, Cbs Corporation (F K A Viacom Inc., F K A, C.C. Moore & Co. Engineers, Certainteed Corporation, Chevron U.S.A. Inc., Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, Chicago Bridge & Iron Company,, Cleaver-Brooks, Inc., Coastal West Ventures, Inc., Commair Mechanical Services, Conocophillips Company, Consolidated Insulation, Inc., Cooper Brothers, Inc., Corey Contractors, Cosco Fire Protection, Inc., Coscol Petroleum Corporation, Coscol Petroleum Corporation Erroneously Named And, Crane Co., Crowley Plumbing, Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc., C & R Plastering, Inc., Cupertino Electric, Inc., Dana Companies, Llc, Devcon Construction, Inc., Dillingham Construction, N.A., Inc., Does 1-8500, Domco Products Texas Inc. Erroneously Sued, Domco Products Texas, L.P., Dome Construction Corporation, Douglass Insulation Company, Inc., D.W. Nicholson Corporation, D. Zelinsky & Sons, Inc., Early Engineering Corporation, Incorporated, East Bay Sheet Metal Works, East Bay Sheet Metal Works, A Dissolved Corp., E.C. Braun Company, Inc., Emerick Sheet Metal Co., Emil J. Weber Electric Co., E. Mitchell, Inc., Enterprise Plumbing, Inc., Erwin Mechanical Inc., Ex- Fm, Inc. (Fka Fischbach And Moore Electric,, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Faye Plumbing, Fdcc California, Inc., Finzel Plumbing Company, Fischbach And Moore, Incorporated, Nka Ex-Fm, Inc., Fluor Corporation, Foley-Pmi, Inc., Foster Wheeler Llc, Foster Wheeler Llc (Fka Foster Wheeler, F.P. Lathrop Construction Company, F.P. Lathrop Construction Company,, Frank Bonetti Plumbing, Inc., Frederick Meiswinkel, Inc., F.W. Spencer & Son, Inc., Garlock Sealing Technologies, Llc, General Cable Corporation, General Electric Company, George F. Schuler, Inc., George M Robinson & Co., George Townsend & Associates, George Wilson Company, Inc., Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Georgia-Pacific Llc, Giampolini & Co., Golden Gate Drywall, Inc., Granite Rock Company, Grinnell Corporation, Grinnell Llc,, Haas And Haynie Corporation, Haas & Haynie Corporation, Hamilton Materials, Inc., Hansen Plumbing And Heating, Hanson Permanente Cement, Inc. Formerly Known As, Harry Lee Plumbing & Heating, H.B. Fuller Company, H & C Investment Associates, Inc., Hensel Phelps Construction Co, Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Herrick Iron Works, Honeywell International, Inc., Honeywell International Inc., Fka Alliedsignal,, Hopeman Brothers, Inc., H.T.R. Enterprises, Inc., Ingersoll-Rand Company, Jacobs Constructors, Inc., James A. Nelson Co., Inc., James Nelson, Johnson Controls, Inc., J.R. Simplot Company, J.T. Thorpe, Inc., J.T. Thorpe & Son, Inc., J.W. Mcclenahan Company, Inc., Kaiser Gypsum Company, Inc., Kelly-Moore Paint Company, Inc., Kentile Floors, Inc., Kent M. Lim & Company, Inc., Kinetic Systems, Inc., Kramer Acoustics, Laub Sheet Metal Works, Leonard Construction Company, Lewis Air & Refrigeration, L.J. Kruse Company, Macarthur Company, Madlem Mechanical, Inc., Marcal Associates, Ltd., Marconi Plastering Company, Inc., Marina Heating & Air Conditioning, Marina Plumbing Company, Mauch Sheet Metal, Mayta & Jensen, Mcguire & Hester Corporation, Mckeon Construction, Mcmillan Brothers Electric, Inc., Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Monterey Mechanical Company, Norcal Scaffolding, N. P. I. Corporation, N.V. Heathorn, Inc., Oakfabco, Inc., Ocean Shore Iron Works, O.C. Mcdonald Co., Inc., O H I Company, Inc., Oscar E. Erickson, Inc., Owens-Illinois, Inc., Owens Mckeon Construction, Pacific Coast Builders, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Pacific Mechanical Corporation, Parker-Hannifin Corporation, Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group Inc., Peerless Stucco Co., Perini Corporation, Perini Land And Development Company, Peter Kiewit Sons, Inc., Peter Lim Construction, Pierce Enterprises, Pierce Lathing Company Dba Pierce Enterprises, Power Refrigeration Company, Powers Process Controls, Quality Air Conditioning, Inc., Quintec Industries, Inc., Raphael Company, Raymond Interior Systems-North, Ray Oil Burner Co., A Dissolved Corporation,, Ray Oil Burner Company, Inc., Republic Supply Company, Rmc Pacific Materials, Inc., Robertshaw Controls Company, Rodoni Becker, Rosendahl Corporation, Rountree Plumbing & Heating Inc., Rudolph And Sletten, Inc., Santa Fe Braun, Inc. As Successor-In-Interest To, Schneider Electric Usa, Inc. (Fka Square D, Scott Co. Of California, Scott Norman Mechanical Company, Scott Technologies, Inc., Sequoia Ventures Inc., S F L, Inc., Shell Oil Company, Sierra Pacific Industries, S.J. Amoroso Construction Co., Inc., Stanford Plumbing, Stolte Inc., Sugden Engineering Co., Swinerton Builders, Temporary Plant Cleaners, Inc., Texaco, Inc., The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, The Jack Dymond Company, The Linford Company, Therma Corporation, Therma Mechanical, Thermon Manufacturing Co., Thomas Air & Refrigeration Inc., Thomas Dee Engineering Company, Timec Company, Inc., Tosco Corporation, Tosco Corporation Erroneously Sued And Served As, Trane U.S., Inc., Erroneously Sued As Trane U.S.,, Trane Us, Inc. Fka American Standard, Inc., Turner Construction Company, Tutor-Saliba Corporation, Union Oil Company Of California, University Mechanical And Engineering Contractors,, Valley Sheet Metal, Van-Mulder Sheet Metal, Inc., Vogel & Associates, Walnut Creek Sheet Metal, Furnace & Air, Washington Group International, Inc., Western Allied Corporation, Western Asbestos Company, Western Insulation, Inc., Western Macarthur Company, Western Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc., W.G. Thompson, Inc., Wheatley-Jacobsen, Inc., Williams & Burrows, Inc., Wilson Construction Company, W.L. Hickey Sons, Inc., Wright Schuchart Harbor, Wright Schuchart Harbor Company, Yamas Controls Group Inc., Zurn Industries, Llc, for ASBESTOS in the District Court of San Francisco County.
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BR won 28 rela Bravo ~ Mae LLP 288 Moiugonity Sica, {7b Fleor ‘Ses Femi, GA 94104 1S) 954-1400 Sandra A. Edwards (State Bar No. 154578) sedwards@fbm.com Akshay R. Verma (State Bar No. 246803) ELECTRONICALLY averma@fbm.com Farella Braun + Martel LLP F ILE D 235 Montgomery Street, 17th Floor Superior Court of California, San Francisco, CA 94104 . County of San Francisco Telephone: (415) 954-4400 AUG 26 2010 Facsimile: (415) 954-4480 Clerk of the Court BY: JUDITH NUNEZ Attorneys for Defendant Deputy Clerk BHP Minerals International, Inc. IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO LAURANCE HAGEN, Case No. CGC-10-275582 Plaintiff, BHP MINERALS INTERNATIONAL, INC.’S OBJECTION TO PLAINTIFFS vs. CCP § 998 OFFER TO COMPROMISE ASSOCIATED INSULATION OF Complaint Filed: June 20, 2010 CALIFORNIA, et al, Trial Date: Not yet assigned Defendants. Defendant BHP Minerals International, Inc. (“BHP”) objects to plaintiff Laurance Hagen’s (“Plaintiff”) Offer to Compromise pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure Section 998, on the grounds that it is premature. As of this date, BHP does not have sufficient facts or information to determine if Plaintiff's offer is reasonable. Section 998 was enacted to encourage the settlement of lawsuits prior to trial and to punish a party that fails to accept a reasonable offer. (See, 7.44. Cobb v. Superior Court, (1984) 36 Cal. 3d 273, 280.) However, a party is not expected to accept an unreasonable offer, or one not made in good faith. (Elrod v. Oregon Cummins Diesel, Inc., (1987) 195 Cal. App. 3d 692, 698, 699.) The reasonableness of an offer is determined by the information known or the information that reasonably should have been known to the offeree. (Jd. at 699). Furthermore, if a party makes a Section 998 Offer to Compromise with the knowledge that the offeree lacks 259092353779.1 BHP MINERALS INTERNATIONAL, INC.’S OBJECTION TO PLTF'S CCP §998 OFFER,28 Paves Brant + Mire LLP 235 Manigontery Stet, 17h Bloor Say Feancisco, CA 94404 cat5) 954.4400 information necessary to evaluate the offer, the offer was not made in good faith. (£d. at 700). Accordingly, an offer that is unreasonable and made with a lack of good faith is an invalid Offer to Compromise under Section 998. Cd. at 698-699.) In this case, insufficient discovery ahs been completed to enable BHP to accurately analyze the reasonableness of Plaintiff's Offer to Compromise. No depositions have been taken and Plaintiff has not yet served responses to Standard Interrogatories, Set Two. Further BHP has not received all medical reports, employment records and/or other discovery responses. Thus, BHP lacks the requisite information to accurately determine the reasonableness of Plaintiff's offer. Since Plaintiff is aware that discovery is not complete in this case, his Offer to Compromise is lacking im good faith. Therefore, Plaintiff's offer fails to effectuate the policy of encouraging settlement of lawsuits prior to trial, and is invalid as a section 998 Offer to Compromise. Based on the above objections, BHP requests that the Court not impose the augmented costs included within Code of Civil Procedure Section 998. Dated: August 26, 2010 FARELLA BRAUN + MARTEL LLP Oa A. Edwards Attomeys for Defendant BHP Minerals International, Inc. ~2- 2590%2353779.1 BHP MINERALS INTERNATIONAL, INC.’S OBJECTION TO PLTF’S CCP §998 OFFER28 Farota Beaws + Mane! LL? 235 Monigumusy Sues, (7h Flor Sau Frnncinen CA 94:04 US) 954-1400 PROOF OF SERVICE —- ELECTRONIC Laurance Hagen y. Associated Insulation of California, et al. San Francisco Superior Court Action No. CGS-10-275582 Tam employed in the County of San Franicisco, State of California. I am over the age of eighteen and not a party to this action. My business address is Russ Building, 235 Montgomery Street, 17" Floor, San Francisco, California 94104 and my electronic notification address is shunt@fom.com. On August 26, 2010, I electronically served through LexisNexis File & Serve the following document(s): BHP MINERALS INTERNATIONAL, INC.’S OBJECTION TO PLAINTIFF'S CCP § 998 OFFER TO COMPROMISE on the parties designated on the transaction receipt from LexisNexis File & Serve, a copy of which is kept with our file. The documents were served electronically and the transmission was reported as comptete and without error. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on August 26, 2010, at San Francisco, California. Durerrn. Chons | Susan C, Hunt -3- 259012353779.1 BHP MINERALS INTERNATIONAL, INC.’S OBJECTION TO PLTE’S CCP §998 OFFER