Waller v. Truck Ins. Exchange, Inc.

Holding that, when extrinsic facts eliminate the potential for coverage, an insurer may decline to defend even if the complaint had suggested potential liability

Applied Equipment Corp. v. Litton Saudi Arabia Ltd.

Holding that there is no separate cause of action for civil conspiracy, and that to establish such an action, a plaintiff must show some other underlying tort or civil wrong

McKell v. Washington Mutual Inc.

Holding that a loan transaction is a business practice under the UCL

Robinson Helicopter Co. v. Dana Corp.

Holding the "narrow" exception to the economic loss rule is "limited to a defendant's affirmative misrepresentations on which a plaintiff relies and which expose a plaintiff to liability for personal damages."

Rakestraw v. California Physicians' Service

Requiring party to "clearly and specifically set forth the ‘applicable substantive law’ and the legal basis for amendment, i.e., the elements of the cause of action and authority for it," and all specific factual allegations for the claim

Erlich v. Menezes

Holding that a defendant may not be liable for negligent breach of contract

Gruenberg v. Aetna Ins. Co.

Holding that "when the insurer unreasonably and in bad faith withholds payment of the claim of its insured, it is subject to liability" for violation of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing

Reynolds v. Bement

Holding that statutes are construed in light of the common law unless the Legislature clearly and unequivocally indicates otherwise

Mesler v. Bragg Management Co.

Holding that the trial court should have allowed plaintiff to amend the complaint to add an alter ego theory

Kransco v. American Empire Surplus Lines Ins. Co.

Holding "contractual breaches are generally excluded from comparative fault allocations; favorably citing comment in treatise that "comparative fault [is] inapplicable to actions that are fully contractual in their gravamen"

Section 452 - Matters permitting judicial notice

Permitting notice to be taken of the "[o]fficial acts of the . . . judicial departments . . . of any state of the United States"

Section 430.10 - Grounds for objection by party against whom complaint or cross-complaint filed

Explaining "[t]he party against whom a complaint ... has been filed may object, by demurrer ..., to the pleading" on the basis that "[t]he pleading does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action"

Section 11580 - Provisions required in policy insuring against losses

In § 11580, California has announced that an insurance policy must allow for some kind of action to seek recovery when judgment is rendered against the insured.

Section 430.41 - Meeting required before filing demurrer

Addressing meet and confer conferences following grant of demurrer with leave to amend; "Nothing in this section prohibits the court from ordering a conference on its own motion at any time or prevents a party from requesting that the court order a conference to be held"

Section 381 - Matters specified in policy