Section 5259.5 Of Article 6. Proceedings From California Public Utilities Code >> Division 2. >> Chapter 7. >> Article 6.
5259.5
. (a) Whenever the commission determines that any household
goods carrier or any officer, director, or agent of any household
goods carrier has abandoned, or is abandoning stored household goods
or property of any shippers under contract with the carrier or
carriers, it may commence a proceeding in superior court for the
purpose of having the court appoint either a receiver or commission
staff to identify the stored items of property, to take possession of
the property, and to arrange the return of the property to its
owners in accordance with the orders of the court and with regard for
the protection of all property rights involved.
(b) The proceeding shall be brought in the superior court in and
for the county, or city and county, in which the cause or some part
thereof arose, or in which the person or corporation complained of
has its principal place of business, or in which the person
complained of resides. The commission shall commence the proceeding
in the name of the people of the State of California, by petition to
the superior court, alleging the facts and circumstances involved and
praying for appropriate relief by way of mandamus, or injunction, or
the appointment of a receiver, and authorizing the commission to
arrange for the hiring of a receiver who shall be required to comply
with the requirements of Sections 566, 567, and 568 of the Code of
Civil Procedure.
(c) The court may also appoint a receiver to manage the business
of the household goods carrier or carriers and return property to its
owner or owners upon a showing by the commission satisfactory to the
court that the abandonment or threatened abandonment by the carrier
jeopardizes property or funds of others in the custody or under the
control of the carrier. The court may make any other order that it
finds appropriate to protect and preserve those funds or property.
Service of the order of the court on a household goods carrier may be
accomplished by personal delivery to the person to be served, or by
posting a copy of the order at the dwelling house, usual place of
abode, usual place of business, or usual residence of the person to
be served and thereafter mailing a copy of the order, by first-class
mail, postage prepaid, to the location where the order was posted.
(d) In the event a receiver is appointed by the court and the
commission is responsible for contracting for a receiver to carry out
the duties authorized by this section, the commission may contract
on an emergency basis with a qualified person or corporation to serve
as receiver under the conditions and guidelines set by the court.
The contract for the receiver services may be executed by the
commission on an expedited basis and without compliance with the
requirements of Sections 11042 and 14615 of the Government Code and
Sections 10295 and 10318 of the Public Contract Code. The receiver
shall be paid from the fees collected pursuant to Section 5003.2.