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  • LAURANCE HAGEN VS. ASSOCIATED INSULATION OF CALIFORNIA ASBESTOS document preview
  • LAURANCE HAGEN VS. ASSOCIATED INSULATION OF CALIFORNIA ASBESTOS document preview
  • LAURANCE HAGEN VS. ASSOCIATED INSULATION OF CALIFORNIA ASBESTOS document preview
  • LAURANCE HAGEN VS. ASSOCIATED INSULATION OF CALIFORNIA ASBESTOS document preview
  • LAURANCE HAGEN VS. ASSOCIATED INSULATION OF CALIFORNIA ASBESTOS document preview
  • LAURANCE HAGEN VS. ASSOCIATED INSULATION OF CALIFORNIA ASBESTOS document preview
  • LAURANCE HAGEN VS. ASSOCIATED INSULATION OF CALIFORNIA ASBESTOS document preview
  • LAURANCE HAGEN VS. ASSOCIATED INSULATION OF CALIFORNIA ASBESTOS document preview
						
                                

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1 || FILICE BROWN EASSA & McLEOD LLP SUSAN A. OGDIE (SBN: 050016) 2 || JENNIFER WALKER (SBN: 118451} Lake Merritt Plaza ELECTRONICALLY 3 || 1999 Harrison Street, Eighteenth Floor Oakland, California 94612-3541 sopekr IL ED. 4 || Tel: (510) 444-3131 County of San Francisco Fax: (510) 839-7940 AUG 03 2010 5 Attorneys for Defendant oclerk of the Court COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION Deputy Clerk 6 On behalf of the former COASTAL WEST VENTURES, INC. 7 8 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA 9 COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO 10 11 |] LAURENCE HAGEN, Case No. CGC-10-275582 12 Plaintiff, DEFENDANT COSCOL PETROLEUM 13 v. CORPORATION’S ANSWER TO PLAINTIFF'S COMPLAINT FOR 14 || ASSOCIATED INSULATION OF PERSONAL INJURY — ASBESTOS CALIFORNIA, et al., 15 16 Defendants. Complaint filed: June 2, 2010 17 18 H 19 20 Defendant COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION on behaif of the former COASTAL 21 || WEST VENTURES, INC, (hereinafter “Defendant”), answers Plaintiff LAURENCE HAGEN’s 22 || (hereinafter “Plaintiff’) unverified Complaint for Personal Injury — Asbestos, San Francisco 23 || Superior Court Case No. CGC-10-275582 (hereinafter “the Complaint’), as follows: 24 GENERAL DENIAL 25 Pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 431.30(d), Defendant denies 26 || generally cach and every allegation of the Complaint; and specifically denies that Plaintiff was 27 || injured in any way and in any amount as a result of any conduct or lack of conduct by Defendant. ag fifli FBE&M le (axe Mannie Lars 1999 skeen STREET omer 008 DEFENDANT COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION’S ANSWER wows TO PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT FOR PERSONAL INJURY - ASBESTOS PHONE S19444.51311 FIRST AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 2 The Complaint, and each of its causes of action, fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a 3 || cause of action against this Defendant. 4 SECOND AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 5 Plaintiff lacks standing to maintain this action on one or more causes of action asserted in 6 || the Complaint. 7 THIRD AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 8 Plaintiff's alleged injuries, losses, or damages, if and to the extent they occurred, which 9 || occurrences are expressly denied, were caused solely by Plaintiffs own recklessness, carelessness, 10 |] and/or negligence. IL FOURTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 12 Plaintiff's alleged injuries, losses, or damages, if and to the extent they occurred, which 13 |] occurrences are expressly denied, were aggravated by Plaintiffs own failure to use reasonable 14 || diligence to mitigate them. 15 FIFTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 16 Plaintiff's alleged injuries, losses or damages, if and to the extent they occurred, which 17 || occurrences are expressly denied, were contributed to by Plaintiff's own recklessness, carelessness, 18 || and/or negligence. 19 SIXTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 20 Plaintiff's claims are barred by the statutes of limitations of the laws of the jurisdiction(s) 21 |} deemed applicable to Plaintifi’s claims, including but not limited to California Code of Civil 22 |} Procedure §§ 335.1, 338, 340, 340.2, 340.8. 23 SEVENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 24 Plaintiff failed to give adequate and timely notice of his claims against this Defendant; and 25 || such lack of notice and unreasonable delay has prejudiced the rights of Defendant, thereby barring 26 || this action pursuant to the doctrine of laches. 27 EIGHTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 28 Plaintiffs alteged injuries, losses, or damages, if and to the extent they occurred, which FBEGM “wn * rrenmeen DEFENDANT COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION’S ANSWER GARLAND C4 94RTZIEAT PuONE $10,446.13 TO PLAINTIFFS COMPLAINT FOR PERSONAL INJURY - ASBESTOS.1 || occurrences are expressly denied, pre-existed or were suffered after any alleged employment 2 || relationship, direct or indirect, between Plaintiff and Defendant, and said injuries or illnesses were 3 || neither caused nor exacerbated by said employment. 4 NINTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 5 Plaintiff's alleged injuries, losses, or damages, if and to the extent they occurred, which occurrences are expressly denied, were caused solely by the fault or faults of third parties for which TENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 6 7 || Defendant is not responsible. 8 9 Plaintiff's alleged injuries, losses, or damages, if and to the extent they occurred, which 10 jj occurrences are expressly denied, were contributed to by the fault or faults of third parties for 1L || which Defendant is not responsible. 12 ELEVENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 13 Plaintiffs alleged injuries, losses, or damages, if and to the extent they occurred, which 14 || occurrences are expressly denied, were aggravated by conduct and actions of third parties for 15 {| which Defendant is not responsible. 16 TWELFTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 17 Plaintiff's claims are barred by the applicable principles of waiver, unclean hands, and 18 || estoppel. 19 THIRTEENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 20 Plaintiff assumed the risk of any injury, loss, and/or damages resulting from the matters set 21 || forth in the Complaint insofar as those matters relate to Defendant; and said assumption of risk by 22 || him was a proximate and/or legal cause of whatever injuries and/or damages he sustained, to the 23 }| extent Plaintiff sustained any such injuries, loss or damages, the occurrence of which is expressly 24 || denied. 25 FOURTEENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 26 Plaintiff's alleged injuries, losses, or damages, if and to the extent they occurred, which 27 || occurrences are expressly denied, were caused or contributed to, in whole or in part, by the 28 || negligence of Plaintiff's employer or employers other than Defendant, should Defendant be FBEGM ‘. axe Manes Paz ierenicH F008 DEFENDANT COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION'S ANSWER aan SA tee TO PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT FOR PERSONAL INJURY - ASBESTOS Doane S10464 31911 || determined under California or other applicable state or foreign law, to have been Plaintiff's 2 || employer; and to the extent that Plaintiff has received, or in the future will receive, worker’s 3 || compensation benefits for such illnesses, injuries, and/or losses, Defendant is entitled to a 4 || comparative reduction in any economic damages sought or recovered by Plaintiff in this action. 5 FIFTEENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 6 To the extent that Defendant is determined under California or other applicable state or 7 || foreign law to have been Plaintiff's employer. Plaintiff's claims for recovery of damages for the 8 || illnesses, injuries and/or losses alleged in this Complaint, if and to the extent such illnesses, injuries 9 || and/or losses occurred, which occurrences are expressly denied, are subject to the exclusive 10 |} jurisdictional provisions of the California Worker’s Compensation Act and/ or the jurisdictional 11 |} exclusivity provisions of the worker’s compensation laws of the sister state(s) and/or foreign 12 || nation(s) deemed applicable to the claims asserted by Plaintiff herein; and this court lacks subject 13 || matter jurisdiction to hear Plaintiff's claims. 14 SIXTEENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 15 If Plaintiff's claims, or any of them, were litigated and resolved in any prior action or 16 || proceeding, Plaintiffs claims in this action are barred by reason of the doctrines of primary right, 17 || res judicata, and/or collateral estoppel, which prohibit splitting a single cause of action into 18 || successive suits in which Plaintiff seeks additional recovery for injuries for which Plaintiff 19 || previously was compensate by one or more alleged joint tortfeasors. 20 SEVENTEENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 21 To the extent that Plaintiff seeks to recover in this action punitive or exemplary damages 22 || from Defendant for any alleged acts or failure to act, Plaintiff's claims for punitive damages violate 23 || Defendant’s right to due process and equal protection as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment 24 || to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 7, of the Califomia Constitution in that: (1) 25 || neither California Civil Code Section 3294 nor any other provision of California or federal law 26 |) provides an adequate or meaningful standard for determining the nature of the conduct upon which 27 |) an award of punitive or exemplary damages may be based or for determining or reviewing the 28 |} amount of a punitive or exemplary damages award; and (2) neither California Civil Code Section FBEGM . LAKE MERRITT PLAZA 1959 Hanauson SALLE oe DEFENDANT COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION’S ANSWER HOWE 512.446.3031 TO PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT FOR PERSONAL INJURY - ASBESTOS3294, nor any other provision of California or federal law provides adequate procedural safeguards for the imposition of punitive or exemplary damages, including, but not limited to: (a) imposing such damages only upon the presentation of evidence beyond a reasonable doubt; (b) __ protecting Defendant's privilege against self-incrimination; and (c) providing for a unanimous jury verdict as to the punitive or exemplary damages portion of any adverse judgment. EIGHTEENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE Plaintiff's alleged injuries, illnesses, and/or losses, if and to the extent said injuries, illnesses cS 2 Oe YD HW RY and/or losses occurred, which occurrence is expressly denied, were caused solely by the faults of 11 |] persons with custody of, and/or in privity with, Plaintiff for which this Defendant is not 12 || responsible. 13 NINETEENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 14 Plaintiffs alleged injuries, illnesses, and/or losses, if and to the extent said injuries, illnesses 15 || and/or losses occurred, which occurrence is expressly denied, were contributed to by the faults of 16 || persons with custody of, and/or in privity with, Plaintiff for which this Defendant is not 17 || responsible. 18 TWENTIETH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 19 Plaintiff’ s alleged injuries, illnesses and/or losses, if and to the extent such injuries and/or 20 |} losses occurred, which occurrence is expressly denied, were aggravated by the failure of persons 21 || with custody of, and/or in privity with, Plaintiff to use reasonable diligence to mitigate those 22 || injuries, illnesses and/or losses. 23 TWENTY-FIRST AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 24 If Plaintiff is entitled to a judgment against Defendant and the remaining defendants, or any 25 || of them, Defendant prays that this Court order each of the judgment debtors to pay to Plaintiff that 26 || judgment debtor’s proportionate share of the joint judgment as determined by the trier-of-fact; and 27 || if Defendant is required to pay to Plaintiff a disproportionate share of such judgment, Defendant 28 || prays leave of this Court to seek contribution by motion against any other judgment debtor not FBE&M 5. [LARS MERRITT PLAZA 1999 HARANON STAEET eee DEFENDANT COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION’S ANSWER TO PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT FOR PERSONAL INJURY - ASBESTOS Poole Sf0.466.303¢nu fF ww WN FBE&M (as Mammen LATA 1399 HAKRISON STREET Eau: FLoue OARcAMM CA 94512-3541 PHONE S19446.3137 paying the proportionate share allocated to any such defendant by the trier-of-fact. TWENTY-SECOND AFFIRMATAIVE DEFENSE Plaintiff, his authorized representatives, or those with legal authority to act on his behalf, including but not limited to his employers, acknowledged, ratified, consented to, and acquiesced in the alleged acts and/or omissions, if any there were, of Defendant, thus barring Plaintiff from any relief as sought in this Complaint. TWENTY-THIRD AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE To the extent that Plaintiff has pled, or has attempted to plead, a claim for punitive damages as to Defendant, the Complaint, and each of its causes of action, fails to state facts sufficient to state a claim for such damages against Defendant under federal law and/or under the law of those jurisdictions determined to be applicable to the Complaint, including, but not limited to, the laws of the State of California. TWENTY-FOURTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE To the extent that Plaintiff's causes of action asserted against Defendant are based on an allegedly defective product or products (the existence of which Defendant expressly denies) allegedly supplied by Defendant (the occurrence of which events Defendant further expressly denies), said product(s) was/were altered by Plaintiff, by others around him, or by those in privity with him and/or in control of his environment, including but not limited to his employers, after said product or products left Defendant’s possession. TWENTY-FIFTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE To the extent that Plaintiff's causes of action asserted against Defendant are based on an allegedly defective product or products (the existence of which Defendant expressly denies) allegedly supplied by Defendant (the occurrence of which events Defendant further expressly denies), said product(s) was/were misused by Plaintiff, by others around him, or by those in privity with him and/or in control of his environment, including but not limited to his employers. TWENTY-SIXTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE At all times relevant to the matters alleged in the Complaint, cach of Plaintiff's employers (other than Defendant, should Defendant be determined to have been an employer of Plaintiff) was -6- DEFENDANT COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION’S ANSWER TO PLAINTIFF'S COMPLAINT FOR PERSONAL INJURY - ASBESTOSyD oo FBE&M Lake Manna Pua 1995 Haguason STREET stowrenvrit FicoR OAKLAND CA 9451200541 PHONE 510448 515 a sophisticated user of products which contained asbestos materials, and those employers’ negligence in providing alleged asbestos-containing products to Plaintiff and/or to their other employees in a negligent, careless and reckless manner, and/or in permitting Plaintiff and/or their other employees to manipulate, repair, remove or otherwise utilize alleged asbestos-containing products in a manner that generated respirable asbestos-containing dust, acted as an intervening and superseding cause of Plaintiff's alleged injuries, illnesses, and/or losses, if and to the extent that such injuries, illnesses and/or losses occurred (which occurrence is expressly denied by Defendant); and such conduct by Plaintiff's employers eliminates any liability on the part of Defendant to Plaintiff, should such liability be found to have initially existed. TWENTY-SEVENTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE Plaintiff's alleged injuries, illnesses and/or losses, if and to the extent such injuries, illnesses and/or losses occurred, which occurrence is expressly denied, were caused or contributed to, in whole or in part, by the negligence of Plaintiff's employers (other than Defendant, should Defendant be determined to have been an employer of Plaintiff), expressly including agencies and subdivisions of the Government of the United States of America; and to the extent that Plaintiff has received, or in the future will receive, any form of federal or state worker’s compensation and/or disability benefits, United States veteran’s medical and/or disability benefits, and/or public or private retirement benefits, provided by any agency of the United States Government, including but not limited to the United States Department of Labor and the United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs, or by any State agency, bureau or commission, for such injuries, illnesses and/or losses, Defendant is entitled to set off any such benefits received, or to be received in the future, by Plaintiff or any representative or designated beneficiary of him, against any judgment which may be rendered in favor of Plaintiff and against Defendant. TWENTY-EIGHTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE Pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure Sections 395, et seq., this action is improperly venued in the Superior Court of the City and County of San Francisco, State of California. iti -T- DEFENDANT COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION’S ANSWER TO PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT FOR PERSONAL INJURY - ASBESTOSeo me ND HM F&F BW NH | co 11 FBE&M Laws MERRIAT PLAZA 1995 Hameison STASET TWENTY-NINTH AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE To the extent that the Complaint, with and through its Attachments, asserts that Defendant is the same as, or the alter ego for, any entity identified by any name other than “Coastal West Ventures, Inc.,”” Defendant denies liability for any acts or omissions of any such entity. WHEREFORE, defendant COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORTION, on behalf of the former COASTAL WEST VENTURES, INC., prays for relief as follows: 1. That Plaintiff ROBERT MOITOZA takes nothing by this Complaint against COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORTION or the former COASTAL WEST VENTURES, INC.; 2. That judgment be entered in favor of COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION and the former COASTAL WEST VENTURES, INC. and against Plaintiff ROBERT MOITOZA; 3. That COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION and the former COASTAL WEST VENTURES, INC. be awarded costs of suit herein; and 4, For such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper. DATED: August "2, 2010 FILICE BROWN EASSA & McLEOD LLP COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION (appearing on behaif of the former COASTAL WEST VENTURES, INC.) -8- DEFENDANT COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION’S ANSWER TO PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT FOR PERSONAL INJURY - ASBESTOS1 PROOF OF SERVICE Laurance Hagen v. Associated Insulation of California, et al. San Francisco Superior Court Case No. CGC-10-275582 lam a citizen of the United States, over 18 years of age and not party to the within action. I am employed in the county of Alameda; my business address is 1999 Harrison Street, Eighteenth Floor, Oakland, California 94612-3541. wv 6 On the date listed below, I served the within documents: 7 DEFENDANT COSCOL PETROLEUM CORPORATION’S ANSWER TO PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT FOR PERSONAL INJURY — ASBESTOS 9 || On all parties in this action, as addressed below, by causing a true copy thereof to be distributed as follows: David R. Donadio, Esq. Attorneys for Plaintiff 11 || RonG. Archer, Esq. BRAYTON*#PURCELL 12 |] 222 Rush Landing Road P. O. Box 6169 13 || Novato, CA 94948-6169 Tel: (415) 898-1555 15 ALL COUNSEL VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION (SEE PLAINTIFF'S SERVICE LIST PROVIDED TO LEXIS NEXIS) I caused a true and correct copy of such document(s) to be [x] VIA ELECTRONIC electronically served on counsel of record by transmission 18 SERVICE to Lexis-Nexis File and Serve. 20 I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on August\ , 2010, in Oakland, California. 23 1 2 (\ 7 24 J. Hastings 28 FBE&M ans Murneee PLAZA F400 HARRISON SrREET EIGHTEENTH FLCOR ‘Oancawo CA 94412-3541 PHome 510464 313 PROOF OF SERVICE