If You Move and Don't Tell the Court, It's Your Fault if You Don't Get Mail

Kramer v. Traditional Escrow, Inc., No. G058522 (D4d3 Oct. 20, 2020)

After Defendants’ lawyer in this wage and hour case quit, they stopped participating in the case. They missed depos, ignored correspondence, and got sanctioned for it a couple of times. Eventually they wound up in default. They sought relief. Their excuse was that their principal had moved, but failed to tell the court. Also the principal’s divorce attorney had some confusing back and forth with Plaintiff’s attorney about the status of the case. 

Although that was good enough for the trial court, it’s not good enough for the Court of Appeal. As the Court puts it, “Defendants cannot deliberately neglect this lawsuit and go off-grid, so to speak, and then complain that they lacked notice of the proceedings.” 

Reversed.