Somo v. Larson
Plaintiffs Adel Somo and Muntaha Somo sued Dixie College Foundation (Foundation) and nine Foundation officers and/or board members alleging they committed fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with plaintiffs' April 2004 purchase of allegedly contaminated real property. The trial court granted a motion to quash service of summons brought by eight of the individual defendants (the directors or director defendants) on grounds California lacked personal jurisdiction over them, and simultaneously denied plaintiffs' motion to compel written discovery and depositions to discover information assertedly relevant to personal jurisdiction. On appeal from these orders, plaintiffs contend they made a sufficient showing that the directors possessed material adverse information concerning the property that they failed to disclose to the buyers and also withheld from an appraiser, so as to subject the directors to personal jurisdiction. Plaintiffs further contend the trial court erred in refusing to compel discovery as to the directors' knowledge of the information concerning the property's contamination and cleanup, and the relevant property disclosure requirements. Court reverse the orders and remand the matter with directions set forth below.
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