(a) Whenever the court proceeds upon a petition under Section 2287, it shall order payment out of the fund only upon a determination that the aggrieved party has a valid cause of action within the purview of Section 2282, and has complied with Section 2287.

(b) (1) The Secretary of State may defend any action on behalf of the fund and shall have recourse to all appropriate means of defense and review, including examination of witnesses and the right to relitigate any issues that are material and relevant in the proceeding against the fund. The claimant‘s judgment shall create a rebuttable presumption of the fraud, misrepresentation, or deceit by the corporation, which presumption shall affect the burden of producing evidence.

Terms Used In California Corporations Code 2288

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Agent: means a person who was an officer or director of a corporation, as defined in subdivision (e), at the time the fraudulent acts occurred, was named in a final criminal restitution order in connection with the fraudulent acts, and was acting in the person's capacity as the corporation's officer or director when committing the fraudulent acts. See California Corporations Code 2281
  • Application: means a request for payment from the fund submitted to the Secretary of State pursuant to this chapter. See California Corporations Code 2281
  • Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
  • Claimant: means an aggrieved person who resides in the state at the time of the fraud and who submits an application pursuant to this chapter. See California Corporations Code 2281
  • Corporation: means a domestic corporation as defined by Section 162 or 2509 or a foreign corporation that is qualified to transact business in California pursuant to Section 2105. See California Corporations Code 2281
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Final judgment: means a judgment, arbitration award, or criminal restitution order for which appeals have been exhausted or for which the period for appeal has expired, enforcement of which is not barred by the order of any court or by any statutory provision, which has not been nullified or rendered void by any court order or statutory provision, and for which the claimant has not otherwise been fully reimbursed. See California Corporations Code 2281
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Fund: means the Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund created by Section 2280. See California Corporations Code 2281
  • Person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Corporations Code 18
  • Recourse: An arrangement in which a bank retains, in form or in substance, any credit risk directly or indirectly associated with an asset it has sold (in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles) that exceeds a pro rata share of the bank's claim on the asset. If a bank has no claim on an asset it has sold, then the retention of any credit risk is recourse. Source: FDIC
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Education Code 77
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.

(2) If the civil judgment, arbitration award, or criminal restitution order in the underlying action on which the final judgment in favor of the petitioner was by default, stipulation, consent, or pursuant to Section 594 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or if the action against the corporation or its agent was defended by a trustee in bankruptcy, the petitioner shall have the burden of proving that the cause of action against the corporation or its agent was for fraud, misrepresentation, or deceit.

(c) If the final judgment is a criminal restitution order against an agent, the petitioner shall have the burden of proving that the defendant named in the criminal restitution order qualifies as an agent as defined in this chapter. An active corporation, that has submitted a response to the application pursuant to Section 2282.2, may be permitted by the court to appear in the action regarding the sole issue of whether the defendant named in the criminal restitution order qualifies as its agent as defined in this chapter.

(d) The Secretary of State may move the court at any time to dismiss the petition when it appears there are no triable issues and the petition is without merit. The motion may be supported by affidavit of any person or persons having knowledge of the facts, and may be made on the basis that the petition, and the judgment referred to therein, does not form the basis for a meritorious recovery claim within the purview of Section 2282; provided, however, the Secretary of State shall give written notice at least 10 calendar days before hearing on the motion to the claimant.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 390, Sec. 5. (AB 2759) Effective January 1, 2017.)

  Previous section
Next section  
 Chapter 22.5 Contents