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California Partition Law Blog

Is there a Statute of Limitations on Partition Actions? (CCP § 318)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

In most cases, no. Instead, the statute of limitations most frequently bars a partition action when a party’s rights to the property have lapsed due to an ouster. What is a Partition Action? A partition action is an action brought by a co-owner of a piece of real property against another co-owner, seeking to...

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What is an Ejectment Action? (CCP § 3375)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

Ejectment is an action brought by a party seeking to recover a possessory interest or claim of title in a piece of real property. Typically, an ejectment action arises when a titleholder to a piece of property has been wrongfully excluded or withheld from the property. Therefore, ejectment applies only to those cases where...

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What is a Partition by Appraisal? (CCP § 873.910)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

A partition by appraisal is an alternative method of partition that occurs when the parties to a partition action agree to have the subject property partitioned by appraisal. With the Partition of Real Property Act taking effect in 2023, almost every partition action moving forward will involve a Partition by Appraisal. As such, the...

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A Guide to California Joint Tenancy (Milian v. De Leon (1986) 181 Cal.App.3d 1185)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

“Joint tenancy” is a phrase that most people associate with the co-ownership of a property. And indeed, this is correct. Joint tenancy is a form of co-ownership in California, second only to tenancies-in-common in terms of popularity. But just because the words “joint tenancy” are used in a deed or other property-related document does...

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What is an Interlocutory Judgement? (CCP § 872.720.)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

In California, in many partition actions, the court may enter an interlocutory judgment of partition, whereby there is an entry of judgment for partition. As opposed to a final judgment, an interlocutory judgment is a temporary judgment that is issued during the litigation of a case rather than after trial. In general, interlocutory judgments...

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How do you enter judgment on an arbitration award? (CCP § 1285)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

If the parties consent to arbitration, they decide to settle their dispute outside the confines and strict procedure of courtrooms. That said, arbitration awards are not automatically court judgments just because they resolve legal claims. On the contrary, arbitration awards are just contracts between parties and are not independently enforceable under the law. For...

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What is a Full Credit Bid? (CCP § 873.630)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

Even when a party finally secures a judgment of partition, the property itself must still be sold (or partitioned in another way). This raises a brand-new set of issues for litigants as they attempt to figure out the terms of sale, when the property should be sold, and, most importantly, the asking price. But...

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What is the Statute of Frauds? (Code of Civil Procedure section 1624)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

In most breach of contract actions, the court must find that a valid contract has been created. There are several requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to have an enforceable contract. In certain circumstances, evidence of the existence of a contract in writing is required for the contract to be valid. In...

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What is a Joint Venture? (April Enterprises, Inc. v. KTTV (1983) 147 Cal.App.3d 805)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

In California, business enterprises can take many forms (LLCs, corporations, partnerships, etc.). But perhaps the most unique is the “joint venture,” a special entity that, more often than not, is imposed by courts as a matter of law. This is because a joint venture is simply an “undertaking by two or more persons jointly...

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Who Can Be a Partition Referee? (CCP § 873.050)
Underwood Law Firm, P.C.

The appointment of a partition referee is one of the most important aspects of a Partition Action. A partition referee is a neutral third party that is appointed by and accountable to the court. The sole function of a partition referee is to assist the court in matters related to partition actions. (CCP §...

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    We were in need of a real estate attorney. Eli Underwood provided excellent legal advice and services. He explained everything well and followed through with all important issues that needed attention. We found him to be reliable, courteous, patient and extremely professional. We highly recommend...

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    Eli took our case and controlled every hurdle put before us. I one time commented to him that he must love his job because it seemed that he was always available. When talking about my case to anyone I always bring up where, I believe, the other parties Lawyer tried to take advantage of my wife and...

    E.T

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    We were in need of an attorney with considerable knowledge of real estate law and the legal issues related to property ownership. Eli Underwood went above and beyond our expectations. In keeping us abreast of our suit, his communication skills were outstanding. This talent was especially...

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