California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from Ari-Scc 3, LLC v. Joseph J. Blake & Assocs., Inc., G052063 (Cal. App. 2017):
We begin our analysis by reviewing the elements required for a fraud cause of action. "'"The elements of fraud, which gives rise to the tort action for deceit, are (a) misrepresentation (false representation, concealment, or nondisclosure); (b) knowledge of falsity (or 'scienter'); (c) intent to defraud, i.e., to induce reliance; (d) justifiable reliance; and (e) resulting damage."' [Citation.]" (Small v. Fritz Companies, Inc. (2003) 30 Cal.4th 167, 173.) "Fraud must be pleaded with specificity rather than with '"general and conclusory allegations."' [Citation.] The specificity requirement means a plaintiff must allege facts showing how, when, where, to whom, and by what means the representations were made, and, in the case of a corporate defendant, the plaintiff must allege the names of the persons who made the representations, their authority to speak on behalf of the corporation, to whom they spoke, what they said or wrote, and when the representation was made. [Citation.] [] We enforce the specificity requirement in consideration of its two purposes. The first purpose is to give notice to the defendant with sufficiently definite charges that the defendant can meet them. [Citation.] The second is to permit a court to weed out meritless fraud claims on the basis of the pleadings; thus, 'the pleading
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