Nathan W. Gwilliam et al v. Promedia, Inc.

Filing 18

ORDER DISMISSING CASE WITHOUT PREJUDICE by Judge Cormac J. Carney. Case Terminated. Made JS-6. (mt)

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JS-6

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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SOUTHERN DIVISION

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)
) Case No.: SACV 17-00584-CJC(KESx)
)
NATHAN W. GWILLIAM, CRYSTAL )
)
D. GWILLIAM, ELEVATI, INC., AND )
ARACAJU, INC.,
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) ORDER DISMISSING CASE
) WITHOUT PREJUDICE
)
Plaintiffs,
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v.
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PROMEDIA, INC.,
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)
)
Defendant.
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)
)

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On September 25, 2014, Defendant filed a lawsuit against Plaintiffs in Orange

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County Superior Court. (Dkt. 7-2 Ex. A.) On March 30, 2015, Plaintiffs filed a motion

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in the state court proceeding to dismiss or stay Defendant’s complaint. (Dkt. 7-2 Ex. C.)

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On June 8, 2015, the Orange County Superior Court denied Plaintiffs’ motion. (Dkt. 8-3

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Ex. 1.) Plaintiffs appealed the court’s order, (Dkt. 7-2 Ex. D at 2, 5), and the California

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Court of Appeal affirmed the Superior Court on February 15, 2017, (Id. at 7–9).

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On March 31, 2017, Plaintiffs commenced the instant action by filing a petition to

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compel arbitration and stay the state court action pursuant to 9 U.S.C. § 4 before this

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Court. (Dkt. 1.) Plaintiffs then filed a motion to compel arbitration on April 10, 2017,

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(Dkt. 7), which the Court denied on May 5, 2017, (Dkt. 10). No other issues are pending

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in this action. Months later, on August 25, 2017, Plaintiffs filed a notice of voluntary

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dismissal pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(i). (Dkt. 12.)

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Thereafter the Clerk terminated the case. (See docket entry dated Aug. 25, 2017.)

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Defendant objected to the dismissal and requested that the Court vacate Plaintiffs’

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voluntary dismissal on procedural grounds. (Dkt. 13.) On September 13, 2017, the Court

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held that Rule 41(a) did not permit Plaintiffs to voluntarily dismiss a petition to compel

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arbitration, and vacated Plaintiff’s voluntary dismissal of the action. (Dkt. 14.) Neither

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Plaintiffs nor Defendant have taken any action since that date.

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On the Court’s own motion, the Court DISMISSES Plaintiffs’ action WITHOUT

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PREJUDICE. The underlying dispute between Plaintiffs and Defendant is pending in

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state court, and no issues are pending before this Court. Defendant is free to file any

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post-trial motions, such as a motion for attorney’s fees, if Defendant believes it is

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appropriate. See, e.g., Moore v. Permanente Med. Grp., Inc., 981 F.2d 443, 445 (9th Cir.

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1992) (“it is clear that an award of attorney’s fees is a collateral matter over which a court

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normally retains jurisdiction even after being divested of jurisdiction on the merits.”)

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DATED:

December 8, 2017
__________________________________
CORMAC J. CARNEY

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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