Supreme Court of California

AGUILAR v. ATL. RICHFIELD CO., S086738

Summary judgment law does not require a plaintiff moving for summary judgment to disprove any defense asserted by the defendant as well as prove each element of his own cause of action or require a defendant to conclusively negate an element of the plaintiff's cause of action.

Appellate Information

• Decided 06/14/2001
• Published 06/14/2001

Judges

• MOSK, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
•  Spiegel Liao & Kagay, Michael I. Spiegel, Charles M. Kagay, San Francisco;  Cohelan & Khoury, Timothy D. Cohelan, Isam C. Khoury, Diana M. Khoury, Michael D. Singer, Margaret L. Coates, San Diego;  The Mogin Law Firm, Daniel J. Mogin and Angela Milea Mogin, San Diego, for Plaintiffs and Appellants., John J. Sansome, County Counsel (San Diego), Diane Bardlsey, Chief Deputy County Counsel, C. Ellen Pilsecker and Timothy M. Barry, Deputy County Counsel, for County of San Diego as Amicus Curiae, on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants., Casey Gwinn, City Attorney (San Diego) and Leslie E. Devaney, Assistant City Attorney, for City of San Diego as Amicus Curiae, on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants., McDougal, Love, Eckis & Grindle, McDougal, Love, Eckis, Smith & Boehmer, El Cajon, and Glenn P. Sabine, La Mesa, for City of La Mesa as Amicus Curiae, on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants., Zelle, Hofmann, Voelbel & Gette and Craig C. Corbitt, San Francisco, for Utility Consumers' Action Network as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants.,  Law Offices of Francis O. Scarpulla, Francis O. Scarpulla, San Francisco;  Law Offices of Ruel Walker and W. Ruel Walker, Oakland, for the California Trucking Association as Amicus Curiae, on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants., Bill Lockyer, Attorney General, Richard M. Frank, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Thomas Greene, Assistant Attorney General, Peter Siggins, Kathleen E. Foote and John G. Donhoff, Jr., Deputy Attorneys General, as Amici Curiae, on behalf of Plaintiffs and Appellants.


• For Appellees:
  
• Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro, Pillsbury Winthrop, Robert A. Mittelstaedt, Craig E. Stewart, Caroline N. Mitchell, San Francisco;  and Paul R. Truebenbach, San Francisco, for Defendants and Appellants Chevron Corporation and Chevron U.S.A. Inc., Munger, Tolles & Olson, Ronald L. Olson, Bradley S. Phillips, William D. Temko, Hojoon Hwang, Los Angeles;  and Raymond V. McCord, Los Angeles, for Defendant and Appellant Shell Oil Company., Richard C. Morse, John J. Kralik IV, Susan C. Wright, Los Angeles;  Post, Kirby, Noonan & Sweat, David J. Noonan, Sandra L. Lackey, San Diego;  Arnold & Porter and Ronald C. Redcay, Los Angeles, for Defendant and Appellant Atlantic Richfield Company., William R. Hurt, Gregory T. Kenney, Houston, TX;  Kelly H. Scoffield, Las Vegas, NV;  Law Offices of Patrick J. Sullivan and Patrick J. Sullivan, Oceanside, for Defendant and Appellant Exxon Corporation., Hogan & Hartson, Mary Carter Andrues, Kirsten S. Harbers, John Mark Potter, Andrew J. Kilcarr, Stephen G. Vaskov, Washington, DC;  and Elizabeth J. Haegelin, for Defendant and Appellant Mobil Oil Corporation., Howrey & Simon, Howrey Simon Arnold & White, Alan M. Grimaldi, Cheryl O'Connor Murphy, Mark I. Levy, Charles H. Samel, Dale J. Giali, Michael J. McGaughey, Los Angeles;  Lawrence R. Jerz, White Plains, NY;  Robert E. Fuller and Mark D. Litvak, for Defendant and Appellant Texaco Refining and Marketing, Inc., Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Craig J. de Recat, Kevin O'Connell, Dennis Franks, Shari Mulrooney Wollman, Edward M. Jordan and Sam Puathasnanon, Los Angeles;  Blecher & Collins, Maxwell M. Blecher, Harold R. Collins, Jr., William C. Hsu, Los Angeles;  Marilyn Jenkins Milner, Marina Del Rey, for Defendant and Appellant Ultramar Inc., Latham & Watkins, James W. Baker, Peter H. Benzian, John J. Lyons, Gregory N. Pimstone, Julia E. Parry, J. Thomas Rosch and Kristine L. Wilkes, San Diego, for Defendant and Appellant Tosco Corporation., Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, Ernest I. Reveal III, Susan L. Dunbar, Elliot S. Kaplan, Minneapolis, MN;  and Timothy R. Thomas, El Segundo, for Defendant and Appellant Union Oil Company of California.,  Neilsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Mueller & Naylor, John E. Mueller and Andrew M. Wolfe, Mill Valley, for California Chamber of Commerce and California Manufacturers and Technology Association as Amici Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Appellants., Knox, Lemmon & Anapolsky, Thomas S. Knox, Sacramento;  Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, Donald B. Ayer and Jeffrey A. LeVee, Los Angeles, for California Retailers Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Appellants.