Judge: Jon R. Takasugi, Case: BC508895, Date: 2025-04-08 Tentative Ruling

Case Number: BC508895    Hearing Date: April 8, 2025    Dept: 17

Superior Court of California

County of Los Angeles

DEPARTMENT 17

TENTATIVE RULING

Plaintiff’s motion to amend judgment to reflect Defendant Larry Nava’s correct legal name is GRANTED.

            On 12/5/2013, a judgment was entered in favor of Plaintiff Edwin U Perez (Plaintiff) against Defendants Larry’s Custom Furniture and Upholstery, Inc. and Larry Nava (collectively, Defendants).

            Now, Plaintiff moves to amend the judgment to reflect Defendant Larry Nava’s true name.

            The motion is unopposed.

Discussion

            The 2013 Judgment was entered against Larry Nava. However, at the previous judgment debtor hearing, Plaintiff discovered that Defendant’s legal name is Lorenzo Nava, as reflected in Defendant’s driver’s license and bank statement. The “discrepancy between the name listed in the judgment and Defendant’s actual legal name has created enforcement challenges, necessitating this amendment to ensure the judgment is effective and enforceable.” (Motion, 3: 2-6.)

Under CCP section 187, “[a] court may amend its judgment at any time so that the judgment will properly designate the real defendants.” This principle has been affirmed in Hall, Goodhue, Haisley & Barker, Inc. v. Marconi Conf. Center Bd. (1996) 41 Cal. App. 4th 1551, 1555, Greenspan v. LADT LLC (2010) 191 Cal. App. 4th 486, 508, and Carolina Casualty Ins. Co. v. L.M. Ross Law Group, LLP (2012) 212 Cal. App. 4th 1181, 1188.

The Court finds the relief sought to be warranted, given that Defendant will not suffer any prejudice as a result of the amendment. The modification does not create new liability, change the scope of the judgment, or introduce any new claims. Instead, it merely ensures that the judgment correctly reflects Defendant’s actual legal name, thereby facilitating enforcement.

Based on the foregoing, Plaintiff’s motion to amend judgment to reflect Defendant Larry Nava’s correct legal name is granted.

It is so ordered.

Dated:  April    , 2025

   Hon. Jon R. Takasugi
   Judge of the Superior Court

Parties who intend to submit on this tentative must send an email to the court at smcdept17@lacourt.org by 4 p.m. the day prior as directed by the instructions provided on the court website at www.lacourt.org.  If a party submits on the tentative, the party’s email must include the case number and must identify the party submitting on the tentative.  If all parties to a motion submit, the court will adopt this tentative as the final order.  If the department does not receive an email indicating the parties are submitting on the tentative and there are no appearances at the hearing, the motion may be placed off calendar.  For more information, please contact the court clerk at (213) 633-0517.