Sanai

Cyrus M. Sanai appeals from the judgment entered after the trial court granted motions for judgment on the pleadings filed by Harvey A. Saltz, the former president of The U.D. Registry, Inc. (UDR), a company acquired during the pendency of these proceedings by First Advantage Corporation, and by First Advantage Corporation, as successor in interest to UDR, terminating Mr. Sanai’s action for violations of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA; 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.) and the California Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act and related state common law claims based on UDR’s negative reports about Mr. Sanai’s credit following a dispute between Mr. Sanai and his landlord over the amount of rent due for an apartment Mr. Sanai had leased in Newport Beach. Mr. Sanai also appeals from several trial court orders relating to a stay of discovery, denial of leave to amend his complaint and awards of attorney fees and costs. We reverse in part.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

We described at length the largely undisputed factual background and the procedural history of the first five years of this litigation in our nonpublished decision in Sanai v. Saltz (June 28, 2005,…