Macanas v. County of Stanislaus CA5
At the start of the court trial, defense counsel admitted that his client, the County of Stanislaus (County), was 100 percent liable for the traffic accident and then, after the close of evidence, argued County was not liable because plaintiff failed to prove she complied with the claim presentation requirements of the Government Claims Act (Gov. Code, § 810 et seq.).
Stipulations are contracts and are interpreted using the rules for contract interpretation. In view of the surrounding circumstances, we conclude that, under an objectively reasonable interpretation of the parties’ stipulation to County’s liability, plaintiff was not required to prove at trial compliance with the claim presentation requirements.
We therefore affirm the judgment.
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