SJC Funeral Care, Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Claire Owens and others in the Court of Appeal of the State of California, Sixth Appellate District. The case, identified as H051073 and dated April 19, 2024, involves a dispute over a mortuary lease agreement and the exercise of a purchase option therein.
The plaintiff, SJC Funeral Care, sued property owners Claire Owens, trustee of the A. Alan Alameda Bypass Trust, and Dee’s Group II, LLC for "breach of contract; specific performance; declaratory relief; and to confirm appraisal award." The company alleges that the defendants improperly refused to fulfill their contractual obligations to transfer real property under a purchase option in the written lease agreement.
SJC Funeral Care claimed that the final purchase price for the subject property had been conclusively set by a binding appraisal at $3.85 million. They sought damages, confirmation of the appraised value, specific performance under the purchase option, and declaratory relief. However, the trial court denied SJC's request to confirm the appraisal award as the purchase price for the leased premises.