Judge: Michael Shultz, Case: 23CMCP00145, Date: 2023-10-12 Tentative Ruling

INSTRUCTIONS: If the parties wish to submit on the tentative ruling and avoid a court appearance on the matter, the moving party must:

1. Contact the opposing party and all other parties who have appeared in the action and confirm that each will submit on the tentative ruling.

2. No later than 4:00 p.m. on the court day before the hearing, call the Courtroom (310-761-4302) advising that all parties will submit on the tentative ruling and waive hearing; and

3. Serve notice of the Court's ruling on all parties entitled to receive service.

If this procedure is followed, when the case is called the Court will enter its ruling on the motion in accordance with its tentative ruling. If any party declines to submit on the tentative ruling, then no telephone call is necessary, and all parties should appear at the hearing. If there is neither a telephone call nor an appearance, then the matter may either be taken off calendar or ruled on. 

TENTATIVE RULINGS -- http://www.lacourt.org/tentativeRulingNet/ui/main.aspx?casetype=civil

Case Number: 23CMCP00145    Hearing Date: October 12, 2023    Dept: A

23CMCP00145 In the Matter of: Hanif Carter

OSC: Tuesday, October 12, 2023, at 8:30 a.m.

[TENTATIVE] ORDER DENYING PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME

            Petitioner, HANIF AKIL-MATSIMELA CARTER, requests an order to change the capitalization of Petitioner’s name from all capital letters to initial capital letters (“Hanif Akil-Matsimela Carter”). The Court has discretion to deny the petition where “there are substantial and principled reasons for denying [it].  … (In re Ross (1937) 8 Cal.2d 608, 610, 67 P.2d 94 [need some substantial reason for denial]; Lee v. Superior Court, supra, 9 Cal.App.4th at p. 515, 11 Cal.Rptr.2d 763 [court may properly deny petition if name adopted to defraud, intentionally confuse, or intrude into someone's privacy or violate recognized public policy.” (In re Arnett (2007) 148 Cal.App.4th 654, 661).

            At common law, a person’s name consists of a given name and a surname or family name. A person’s name "is the distinctive characterization in words by which he is known and distinguished from others.” (In re Ritchie (1984) 159 Cal.App.3d 1070, 1073). The requested change in capitalization alone is not a name change and is also confusing. (Matter of Yates 2022 ND 11, ¶ 5 [Changing a name from all capital letters to initial capital letters followed by lower case letters is not a change from one name to another name.]) Accordingly, the application is DENIED.