On Monday morning, the Supreme Court will file its opinions in Samara v. Matar and County of Los Angeles v. Financial Casualty & Surety Inc. (Briefs here and here; oral argument videos here and here.) Financial Casualty was argued on the April calendar; Samara will be the first opinion in a case argued on the early-May calendar.
Samara will decide whether, when a trial court grants a summary judgment motion on two alternative grounds, and the Court of Appeal affirms the judgment on only one ground and expressly declines to address the second, the affirmed judgment has preclusive effect as to the second ground. (Third District Court of Appeal Justice Andrea Hoch is the pro tem.)
Financial Casualty raises this question: Does the authority granted a jailer under Penal Code section 1269b “to set the time and place for the appearance of the arrested person before the appropriate court and give notice thereof” make the appearance in that court on that date “lawfully required” for purposes of forfeiting bail under Penal Code section 1305, subdivision (a)(4)? (Second District, Division Three, Presiding Justice Lee Smalley Edmon is the pro tem.)
The opinions can be viewed Monday starting at 10:00 a.m.
