Judge: Elaine Lu, Case: 23STCP02830, Date: 2023-09-25 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 23STCP02830    Hearing Date: September 25, 2023    Dept: 26

 

 

Superior Court of California

County of Los Angeles

Department 26

 

NBCUNIVERSAL MEDIA LLC dba NBCUniversal; MACHETE CORPORATION, d/b/a MACHETE PRODUCTIONS; CAMPING WORLD, INC.;

                        Petitioners,

            v.

 

LYNN E. FELDMAN, ESQUIRE, IN HER CAPACITY AS THE CHAPTER 7 TRUSTEE FOR THE ESTATE OF PRECISE GRAPHIX, LLC,

                        Respondent.

 

  Case No.:  23STCP02830

 

  Hearing Date: September 25, 2023

 

[TENTATIVE] order RE:

Petition to Confirm arbitration award

 

            On July 5, 2022, Lynn E. Feldman, Esquire, in her capacity as the Chapter 7 Trustee for the Estate of Precise Graphix, LLC (“Respondent”) filed a demand for arbitration with JAMS against Petitioners NBCUniversal Media LLC, Machete Corporation, and Camping World, Inc. (collectively “Petitioners”) pursuant to a pre-dispute arbitration agreement.  (Petition ¶ 4, Exh. B.)  Following a multi-week evidentiary hearing on the merits, on May 31, 2023, the JAMS arbitrator – the Honorable Ann I. Jones (Ret.) – issued a written final award denying Respondent’s claims in their entirety and awarding Petitioners approximately $7.1 million in combined attorneys' fees and costs.  (Petition ¶ 6, Exh. A.) 

            On June 13, 2023, Respondent filed a notice of appeal of the Final Award with JAMS.  (Petition ¶ 8.)  On July 17, 2023, in the bankruptcy action pending in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, entitled In re Precise Graphix, LLC, Case No. 21012663, Respondent and Petitioners entered into a stipulation and order, under which Respondent agreed to withdraw the pending JAMS appeal and agreed to waive any rights to challenge or oppose confirmation of the arbitration award.  (Petition ¶¶ 9-10, Exh. E.)

            On August 29, 2023, the Court granted the parties stipulation – stipulating to the above facts – and stipulating to confirmation of the Final Award and entry of judgment as set forth in the [Proposed] Judgment lodged by Petitioners on August 4, 2023.  (Stipulation filed 8/29/23.)

            The court must confirm the award as made, unless it corrects or vacates the award, or dismisses the proceeding.  (CCP § 1286; Valsan Partners Limited Partnership v. Calcor Space Facility, Inc. (1994) 25 Cal.App.4th 809, 818.)  As the parties have stipulated to the entry of judgment pursuant to the Final Award, the instant petition is GRANTED.

 

CONCLUSION AND ORDER

Based on the foregoing, Petitioners NBCUniversal Media LLC, Machete Corporation, and Camping World, Inc.’s petition to confirm the arbitration award is GRANTED. 

The proposed judgment lodged on August 4, 2023 is signed and hereby incorporated.

Moving Parties are ordered to provide notice of this order and file proof of service of such.

 

DATED: September ___, 2023                                              ___________________________

                                                                                          Elaine Lu

                                                                                          Judge of the Superior Court