John Nguyen and Jeslyn Tran v. Minh Nguyen and Nga Le
Appellants John Nguyen and Jeslyn Tran (Managers) appealed a summary judgment granted in favor of appellees Minh Nguyen and Nga Le (Co-owners). The dispute originated from alleged unpaid profit distributions from SJN Hollywood Nails & Spa LLC, a business jointly owned and managed by the parties. Managers claimed the dispute was resolved by a settlement agreement, but Co-owners argued the agreement's conditions for release were not met. The trial court's decision was largely based on deemed admissions due to Managers' repeated discovery misconduct, despite Managers' claims of non-receipt and illness. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's judgment, finding no abuse of discretion in deeming the admissions given the Managers' pattern of discovery abuse and that the settlement's release provision was conditional and not fully satisfied. The court also upheld the award of attorney's fees.