Butenschoen v. Flacker, No. BV 310862 (L.A. Super. App. Div. Oct. 16, 2017)
The trial court in a unlawful detainer case denied Tenant’s motion to quash service and ordered her to “file and serve an answer only” within five days. Instead of an answer, Tenant demurred. That led to a default, presumably for failure to answer. Tenant appealed, and the LA Superior Appellate Division reverses.
UD practice has some procedures that are particular to it. Their defining characteristic is very short deadlines. If a defendant moves to quash service and the motion is denied, she gets only five calendar days to file a responsive pleading. But one way in which UD is like ordinary civil procedure is that appropriate responsive pleadings include both an answer and a demurrer. So the trial court couldn’t effectively order Tenant to forego a demurrer, just because the motion to quash was denied. So the default’s no good.
Reversed.
The trial court in a unlawful detainer case denied Tenant’s motion to quash service and ordered her to “file and serve an answer only” within five days. Instead of an answer, Tenant demurred. That led to a default, presumably for failure to answer. Tenant appealed, and the LA Superior Appellate Division reverses.
UD practice has some procedures that are particular to it. Their defining characteristic is very short deadlines. If a defendant moves to quash service and the motion is denied, she gets only five calendar days to file a responsive pleading. But one way in which UD is like ordinary civil procedure is that appropriate responsive pleadings include both an answer and a demurrer. So the trial court couldn’t effectively order Tenant to forego a demurrer, just because the motion to quash was denied. So the default’s no good.
Reversed.