Interpreting the Scope of Mineral Rights Reservations
One of the first lessons in every first-year real property law class is that property rights are commonly referred to as a “bundle of sticks” that…
Guarantor Liability: Assignment of Note Doesn’t Automatically Assign Guaranty Too
Obligations reduced to a promissory note are often accompanied by a written guaranty. The law treats the guaranty as an independent obligation. A case recently decided…
Court Rejects Commercial Tenant’s Argument for Relief From Rent Due to “Temporary Frustration of Purpose” During Pandemic
Earlier this year, Money and Dirt covered a then recent case, West Pueblo Partners, LLC v. Stone Brewing Co., LLC, which was one of the first…
A Lis Pendens Recorded Before a Trustee’s Sale is a “Cloud on Title” that Might Thwart an Unlawful Detainer Claim
In a December 2018 post, Money and Dirt covered a California Supreme Court case — Dr. Leevil, LLC v. Westlake Health Care Center — in which…
Easement Considered Abandoned When Authorized Use No Longer Has Practical Value
As properties age, it is not uncommon for lingering easements to exist on record which were originally created to serve needs that no longer exist or…
Relying on a Void Quiet Title Judgment — Redux
In May 2021, Money and Dirt covered a case published by California’s Second Appellate District — Tsasu LLC v. U.S. Bank Trust, N.A. — holding that…
“Business Judgment Rule” Applies to HOAs
California’s common law “business judgment rule,” as described by the courts, protects from court intervention “those management decisions which are made by directors in good faith…
Court Addresses “Presumptively Legal” Parcels Under Subdivision Map Act
California’s Subdivision Map Act (“SMA”) governs the legal subdivision of property in California. The SMA’s approval process is familiar to most developers. The statute’s purpose is…
Covid-19 Pandemic And Related Closures Do Not Excuse Commercial Tenant’s Failure To Pay Rent
This post was primarily authored by Zachary B. Young, a “Rising Star” for four years running who was recently elevated to Partner at Patton Sullivan Brodehl…
Court Intervenes to Halt HOA Election Abuse
Under California law, a homeowners association (HOA) is considered a “quasi-government entity” similar to a municipal government. And, as courts have noted, “with power, of course,…