Judge: Holly J. Fujie, Case: 22STCP02338, Date: 2022-09-22 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: 22STCP02338    Hearing Date: September 22, 2022    Dept: 56

22STCP02338 [TENTATIVE] ORDER RE: PETITION TO CONFIRM ARBITRATION AWARD Date: September 22, 2022 Time: 8:30 a.m. Dept. 56

KATHERINE LOOPER, TRUSTEE OF THE LOOPER FAMILY TRUST, et al.,
Petitioners,
vs.
PRIMEX PRIME ELECTRONIC EXECUTION, INC., et al.,
Respondents.

MOVING PARTY: Petitioners

The Court has considered the moving papers. No opposition papers were filed. Any opposition papers were required to have been filed and served at least nine court days before the hearing under California Code of Civil Procedure (“CCP”) section 1005, subdivision (b).

BACKGROUND

Petitioners filed an unopposed petition (the “Petition”) for an order confirming the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) Dispute Resolution Arbitration Award dated March 7, 2022 (the “Award”) in the case styled as FINRA Case No. 18-03614. (See Petition, Exhibit A.) The Award provides that Respondents are jointly and severally liable for compensatory damages: (1) in the amount of $133,100 to Petitioner Katherine Looper, Trustee of

the Looper Family Trust; (2) in the amount of $86,123 to Petitioner George Vrakas, as general partner of JonMar Partnership; (3) in the amount of $109,612 to Petitioner William Bump, as executor of the John Fils Estate and Karen Fils Estate; (4) in the amount of $106,041 to Petitioner Paul Cohen; (5) in the amount of $106,041 to Petitioner Lawrence Leventon, as executor of the Stanley Cohen Estate; (6) in the amount of $86,123 to Petitioner Thomas Scheidt; (7) in the amount of $86,123 to Petitioner Ellen Friedman; and (8) in the amount of $321,007 to Petitioner Mark Van Mourick, manager of Chicago Houston Partners, LLC. (Exhibit A at 5.) The Award also provides that Respondents are responsible for paying Petitioners interest on the aforementioned damages at a rate of seven percent per annum from February 1, 2022 until the damages are paid in full. (Id. at 5-6.) Petitioners additionally request that the judgment include the judgment include post-award, pre-judgment interest pursuant to Pierotti v. Torian (2000) 81 Cal.App.4th 17, 27.

As it is unopposed, the Court GRANTS the Petition in its entirety. (Sexton v. Superior Court (1997) 58 Cal.App.4th 1403, 1410.)

Moving party is ordered to give notice of this ruling.

In consideration of the current COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Court strongly encourages that appearances on all proceedings, including this one, be made by LACourtConnect if the parties do not submit on the tentative. If you instead intend to make an appearance in person at Court on this matter, you must send an email by 2 p.m. on the last Court day before the scheduled date of the hearing to SMC_DEPT56@lacourt.org stating your intention to appear in person. The Court will then inform you by close of business that day of the time your hearing will be held. The time set for the hearing may be at any time during that scheduled hearing day, or it may be necessary to schedule the hearing for another date if the Court is unable to accommodate all personal appearances set on that date. This rule is necessary to ensure that adequate precautions can be taken for proper social distancing.

Parties who intend to submit on this tentative must send an email to the Court at SMC_DEPT56@lacourt.org as directed by the instructions provided on the court website at www.lacourt.org. If the department does not receive an email and there are no appearances at the hearing, the motion will be placed off calendar.

Dated this 22nd day of September 2022

____________________

Hon. Holly J. Fujie
Judge of the Superior Court