Garcia

I. Facts1

A. Joint purchase of home in Palos Verdes Estates In 2008, Miguel Garcia (Garcia) was friends and business associates with Sriyantha Benedict Sirimanne (Ben) and Champa

We have pieced together the pertinent facts from the trial record, which does not reflect the full panoply of activity between the parties. The parties also did not have transcribed one day of testimony (February 18, 2022), but the existence of the breach of contract and fraud claims are based on the testimony of Garcia and the Sirimannes, whose testimony we do have.

2 Catherine Sirimanne (Champa) (collectively, the Sirimannes).2 At that time, Garcia was renting a home in Palos Verdes Estates, California that had an outstanding mortgage. The owner of the home transferred title to the property to a trust that Garcia created; Garcia and Champa are beneficiaries of the trust.3 Because the trust vested Garcia with the “Power of Direction” and because he also lived in the home, the Sirimannes left Garcia to make its mortgage payments and pay its other expenses, but provided him money to do so. B. Garcia loses the home in foreclosure By 2011, Garcia was in arrears on the mortgage. In March…