Electronically FILED by Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles on 10/02/2020 08:33 AM Sherri R. Carter, Executive Officer/Clerk of Court, by L. Kulkin,Deputy Clerk 1 JOHN C. MANLY, Esq. (State Bar No. 149080) VINCE W. FINALDI, Esq. (State Bar No. 238279) 2 ALEX E. CUNNY, Esq. (State Bar No. 291567) MANLY, STEWART & FINALDI 3 19100 Von Karman Ave., Suite 800 Irvine, CA 92612 4 Telephone: (949) 252-9990 Fax: (949) 252-9991 5 Attorneys for Plaintiff, JAMES SAFECHUCK, an individual 6 7 8 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA 9 IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES-WEST DISTRICT 10 11 JAMES SAFECHUCK, an individual, Case No.: BC545264 LDI 12 Plaintiff, [Related to civil case, BC508502, Wade Robson 9990 - v. MJJ Productions, et al., and probate case 13 vs. 92612 & FINA BP117321, In re Estate of Michael Joseph ia 14 MJJ PRODUCTIONS, INC., a California Jackson] forn corporation; MJJ VENTURES, INC. a Cali 15 California corporation; and DOES 6-50, [Both cases assigned to the Honorable Judge STEWART inclusive, , Mark A. Young, Dept. M] 16 ATTORNEYS AT LAW Irvine, Defendants. Telephone: (949)17 252 MANLY 19100 Von Karman Ave., Suite 800 NOTICE OF PLAINTIFF JAMES SAFECHUCK’S OPPOSITION AND 18 OPPOSITION TO DEMURRER TO THIRD AMENDED COMPLAINT; 19 MEMORANDUM OF POINTS AND AUTHORITIES 20 21 Hearing Date: October 16, 2020 Hearing Time: 8:30 a.m. 22 Location: M 23 Reserved by the Court on June 25, 2020 Complaint Filed: May 9, 2014 24 Trial Date: None Set 25 26 27 28 i NOTICE OF PLAINTIFF JAMES SAFECHUCK’S OPPOSITION TO DEMURRER TO THIRD AMENDED COMPLAINT 1 TO THE COURT, ALL PARTIES AND THEIR ATTORNEYS OF RECORD: 2 PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that Plaintiff James Safechuck (“Plaintiff”) files the instant 3 Opposition to Defendants MJJ Productions, Inc.’s (“Productions”) and MJJ Ventures, Inc.’s 4 (“Ventures”) (collectively, “Defendants”) Demurrer to the Third Amended Complaint (the 5 “Opposition”). This Opposition is grounded in the following legal and factual bases which 6 mandate that the Demurrer be overruled, in toto: 7 1. These Defendants stood in a special relationship with the minor Plaintiff, and as such under California law owed him—a minor employee of Defendants—a 8 duty of care to protect, supervise, train, educate, and warn against the foreseeable dangers that they knew or should have known that Michael 9 Jackson (“Jackson”), an agent of Defendants, that was known to exert; 2. In addition to owing the Plaintiff a duty of care, Defendants maintained control 10 over Jackson, through Defendants’ managing agents, and were mandated by the laws of the State of California that further conferred a duty to protect 11 against Jackson perpetrating sexually abusive acts upon the minors in Defendants’ care, custody and control; LDI 12 3. The Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (“IIED”) cause of action 9990 - 13 (Cause of Action Number 1) has been sufficiently pled with ultimate facts, as 92612 & FINA Defendants conduct, in facilitating the repeated childhood sexual assaults of ia 14 the Plaintiff, by Jackson, constitutes “outrageous” and “extreme” conduct, that forn was intentional, directed at the Plaintiff, and caused him severe emotional distress; Cali 15 STEWART , 4. The Negligence cause of action (Cause of Action Number 2) has been 16 ATTORNEYS AT LAW sufficiently pled with ultimate facts, showing duty, breach, causation and Irvine, Telephone: (949) 252 damages, thus, the Demurrer to this cause of action should be overruled; 17 MANLY 19100 Von Karman Ave., Suite 800 5. The Negligent Supervision cause of action (Cause of Action Number 3) has 18 been sufficiently pled with ultimate facts, showing duty, breach, causation and damages, thus, the Demurrer to this cause of action should be overruled; 19 6. The Negligent Retention cause of action (Cause of Action Number 4) has been sufficiently pled with ultimate facts, showing duty, breach, causation and 20 damages, thus, the Demurrer to this cause of action should be overruled; 21 7. The Negligent Failure to Warn, Train or Educate cause of action (Cause of Action Number 5) has been sufficiently pled with ultimate facts, showing duty, 22 breach, causation and damages, thus, the Demurrer to this cause of action should be overruled; and 23 8. The Breach of Fiduciary Duty cause of action (Cause of Action Number 5) has been properly pled, as the Plaintiff was in a confidential, fiduciary relationship with 24 Defendants and Jackson (Defendants’ agent), which was breached through the repeated molestations that he suffered at the hands of Jackson and Defendants’ 25 concealment and facilitation of such abuse. 26 This Opposition is grounded in this Notice, the attached Motion and Memorandum of 27 Points and Authorities, the Declaration of Alex E. Cunny, the entirety of the files and records in 28 ii NOTICE OF PLAINTIFF JAMES SAFECHUCK’S OPPOSITION TO DEMURRER TO THIRD AMENDED COMPLAINT 1 this case, and upon any argument or evidence, documentary, oral or other, raised at the hearing of 2 the Motion. 3 Date: October 2, 2020 MANLY, STEWART & FINALDI 4 By:______________________________ __________________________________________ 5 ALEX CUNNY, Esq. attorneys for James Safechuck 6 7 8 9 10 11 LDI 12 9990 - 13 92612 & FINA ia 14 forn Cali 15 STEWART , 16 ATTORNEYS AT LAW Irvine, Telephone: (949) 252 (949) Telephone: 17 MANLY 19100 Von Karman Ave., Suite 800 Suite Ave., Karman Von 19100 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 iii NOTICE OF PLAINTIFF JAMES SAFECHUCK’S OPPOSITION TO DEMURRER TO THIRD AMENDED COMPLAINT 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 I. INTRODUCTION AND FACTUAL BACKGROUND ............................................ 1 A. THE PARTIES AND PLAINTIFF UNDER THE DEFENDANTS’ 3 CONTROL. ....................................................................................................... 1 4 B. THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF THE PLAINTIFF AND PROCESS THROUGH WHICH DEFENDANTS FACILITATED IT. ............................................... 2 5 C. DEFENDANTS’ KNOWLEDGE OF JACKSON’S SEXUAL ABUSE. ..... 3 6 D. AUTHORITY CONFERRED ON DEFENDANTS’ EMPLOYEES BY JACKSON. ......................................................................................................... 3 7 E. DUTIES ALLEGED AND CAUSATION. ...................................................... 3 8 II. LEGAL ARGUMENT .................................................................................................. 4 A. FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS ARE TO BE ACCEPTED AS TRUE WITH 9 ALL INFERENCES RESOVLED IN FAVOR OF THE PLAINTIFF. ...... 4 10 B. CIVIL CODE SECTION 1714 AND THE “SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP” CREATE A DUTY. ........................................................................................... 5 11 1. Defendants’ “Inability to Control” Jackson Argument Ignores the Separate Duty it Has to Protect the Plaintiff, but also, Ignores the Facts LDI 12 ................................................................................... 5 Showing Control. 9990 - 13 2. Defendants’ “Inability to Control” Jackson Argument Ignores the 92612 & FINA Separate Duty it Has to Protect the Plaintiff, but also, Ignores the Facts ia 14 Showing Control. ................................................................................... 10 forn C. THE PLAINTIFF HAS ADEQUATELY PLED NEGLIGENCE. .............. 11 Cali 15 D. THE PLAINTIFF HAS ADEQUATELY PLED NEGLIGENT STEWART , 16 SUPERVISION. ................................................................................................ 12 ATTORNEYS AT LAW Irvine, Telephone: (949) 252 E. THE PLAINTIFF HAS ADEQUATELY PLED NEGLIGENT HIRING. 12 17 MANLY 19100 Von Karman Ave., Suite 800 F. NEGLIGENT FAILURE TO WARN, TRAIN OR EDUCATE IS PROPER. 18 ................................................................................................................. 13 G. THE PLAINTIFF HAS ADEQUATELY PLED IIED. ................................. 14 19 H. LIABILITY IS PLED VICARIOUSLY, THROUGH RATIFICATION. ... 14 20 I. PLAINTIFF HAS ADEQUATELY PLED BREACH OF FIDUCIARY DUTY. ................................................................................................................ 15 21 J. IN THE ALTERNATIVE, PLAINTIFF REQUESTS LEAVE TO AMEND. 22 ................................................................................................................. 15 III. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................. 15 23 24 25 26 27 28 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES STATUTES 2 Civil Code §2330 ....................................................................................................................... 11 3 Civil Code §1714 ....................................................................................................................... 5 4 Code of Civil Procedure §340.1(b) ............................................................................................ 15 5 Code of Civil Procedure §422.10............................................................................................... 4 6 Code of Civil Procedure §589 ................................................................................................... 4 7 Evidence Code §669 .................................................................................................................. 11 8 Penal Code §11165.7 ................................................................................................................. 10 9 Penal Code §11166 .............................................................................................................. 4, 10, 12