(a) Any repairperson having perfected his or her statutory lien pursuant to Section 9798.2 shall be entitled to the ex parte issuance of an order to show cause why the aircraft or other property should not be sold at auction. The order to show cause shall be issued by the Superior Court of the State of California upon the filing in the superior court of a verified application for ex parte order to show cause why the aircraft or other property should not be sold at auction, which sets forth a true copy of the notice of lien described in Section 9798.2. The order to show cause shall set a hearing date not less than 20 days after the date of the order, upon which the customer, the registered owner, or any other person having an interest therein may present evidence to the court, by way of declarations under penalty of perjury, or oral testimony as may be authorized by the court, as to any reason why the aircraft or other property subject to the lien should not be sold at auction in accordance with the provisions pertaining to the enforcement of judgments generally within this state.

(b) The order to show cause shall be personally served upon the registered owner, the customer, and any other person then known to the repairperson to have an interest in the aircraft or other property subject to the lien within five days of the date of issuance of the order to show cause; and concurrent with all attempts to obtain personal service, a copy of the order to show cause shall be sent by United States mail, certified, return receipts requested, to each customer, the registered owner, and any other person or entity then known to the repair person to have an interest in the aircraft or other property subject to the lien or any other person who has registered a lien upon, conveyance of, or other interest in, the aircraft or other property subject to the lien with the FAA Aircraft Registry.

(c) At the hearing, the court shall have in rem jurisdiction with respect to the aircraft or other property subject to the lien, and shall have personal jurisdiction over all persons or entities appearing at the hearing, and may make orders and enter judgments in accordance with applicable law.

(d) The registered owner or customer of the aircraft or other property subject to the lien shall have a right of redemption in the full amount of all amounts due to the repairperson, to be paid in cash, or in the equivalent, to the repairperson at any time up to, but not including, the entering of any judgment affecting the title to the aircraft or other property subject to the lien.

(e) Any judgment entered by the court shall be deemed to be a “conveyance” within the meaning of subdivision (17) of Section 1301 of Title 49 of the United States Code, and shall be recordable at the FAA Aircraft Registry pursuant to Section 49.17 of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(f) Upon payment to the repairperson by or on behalf of the registered owner of the aircraft or other property subject to the lien, or by the customer, the repairperson shall cause to be filed with the FAA Aircraft Registry a notice of cancellation of lien. The filing of the notice of cancellation of lien shall terminate all interest of the repairperson that was otherwise subject to the notice of lien.

(g) In any action for the enforcement of the statutory lien provided by this chapter, the prevailing party or parties shall be entitled to recover from the nonprevailing party or parties such costs of suit and attorney fees as may be deemed by the court, in its discretion, to be just and reasonable.

(Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 1001, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1993.)