Nyland v. Calaveras County Sheriff's Jail
Filing
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ORDER Denying Motion to Dismiss re 63 , without Prejudice, signed by Magistrate Judge Gary S. Austin on 3/3/18. Thirty-Day Deadline. (Gonzalez, R)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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JON L. NYLAND,
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Plaintiff,
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vs.
CALAVERAS COUNTY SHERIFF’S JAIL,
et al.,
I.
THIRTY DAY DEADLINE
BACKGROUND
Jon L. Nyland (“Plaintiff”) is a former jail inmate proceeding pro se and in forma
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ORDER DENYING MOTION TO DISMISS
CASE, WITHOUT PREJUDICE
(ECF No. 63.)
Defendants.
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1:15-cv-00886-GSA-PC
pauperis with this civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
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The parties to this action have consented to Magistrate Judge jurisdiction pursuant to
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28 U.S.C. § 636(c). On September 14, 2017, the case was reassigned to the undersigned to
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conduct any and all proceedings in the case, including trial and entry of final judgment. (ECF
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Nos. 4, 46, 47, 48.)
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On February 23, 2018, the parties to this action filed a stipulation dismissing this case
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with prejudice. (ECF No. 63.) The court construes the stipulation as a motion to dismiss this
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case under Rule 41(a).
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II.
MOTION TO VOLUNTARILY DISMISS CASE
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The parties request dismissal of this case conditioned on the court’s retention of
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jurisdiction for purposes of enforcing their settlement agreement. (ECF No. 63 at 2:9-10.)
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Under Rule 41(a)(1), a plaintiff has an absolute right to voluntarily dismiss his action without a
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court order by filing a stipulation of dismissal signed by all parties who have appeared. Fed. R.
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Civ. P. 41. However, in this instant case the parties may not obligate the court to retain
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jurisdiction without the court’s consent. Therefore, the parties’ stipulation as written is not
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effective to dismiss the case on filing, and the motion to dismiss must be denied.
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Generally, federal courts lack jurisdiction to enforce settlement agreements. O’Connor
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v. Colvin, 70 F.3d 530, 532 (9th Cir. 1995) (citing Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins. Co., 511
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U.S. 375, 114 S.Ct. 1673, 128 L.Ed.2d 391 (1994)). When a district court dismisses an action
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with prejudice pursuant to a settlement agreement, federal jurisdiction usually ends. Kelly v.
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Wengler, 822 F.3d 1085, 1094 (9th Cir. 2016) (citing O’Connor, 70 F.3d at 532). Ordinarily, a
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dispute arising under a settlement agreement is “a separate contract dispute requiring its own
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independent basis for jurisdiction.” O’Connor, 70 F.3d at 532. However, an exception to this
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rule occurs where the order dismissing the action, by agreement of the parties, incorporates the
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terms of the settlement agreement or otherwise expressly indicates that the court intends to
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retain jurisdiction over the settlement agreement. Id.
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In Kokkonen, the Supreme Court held that “[e]nforcement of . . . [a] settlement
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agreement, . . . whether through award of damages or decree of specific performance, is more
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than just a continuation or renewal of the dismissed suit, and hence requires its own basis for
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jurisdiction.” Kokkonen, 511 U.S. at 378. The mere existence of an “agreement that has as
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part of its consideration the dismissal of a case before a federal court,” id. at 380, without more,
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is not a sufficient basis for a federal court’s jurisdiction.
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When dismissal occurs pursuant to Rule 41(a)(1)(ii), the district court is empowered
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(with the consent of the parties) to incorporate the settlement agreement in the order or retain
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jurisdiction over the settlement contract itself. Kokkonen, 511 U.S. at 375. Absent such
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action, however, enforcement of the settlement agreement is for state courts, unless there is
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some independent basis for federal jurisdiction. Id. at 375-76.
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Here, the court shall not retain jurisdiction to enforce a settlement agreement that it has
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not seen, nor reviewed. Therefore, the parties’ motion to dismiss this case pursuant to their
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stipulation shall be denied, without prejudice. The parties shall be granted thirty days in which
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to do one of following: (1) withdraw their stipulation, (2) file a copy of their settlement
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agreement under seal for the Court’s review, or (3) file an amended stipulation, as instructed
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below.
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III.
CONCLUSION
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Based on the foregoing, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:
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1.
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The parties’ motion to dismiss this case pursuant to their stipulation, filed on
February 23, 2018, is DENIED, without prejudice;
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Within thirty days of the date of service of this order, the parties shall either:
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(1)
File a request to withdraw their stipulation filed on February 23, 2018;
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(2)
Submit a copy of their settlement agreement to the court, with
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instructions to the Clerk of Court to file it under seal pursuant to this
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order, for the court’s review in consideration of their stipulation filed on
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February 23, 2018; or
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(3)
File an amended stipulation to dismiss this case that does not include a
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provision for the court to retain jurisdiction over the case for purposes of
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enforcing the parties’ settlement agreement; and, finally
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3.
Failure to comply with this order may result in the imposition of sanctions.
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated:
March 3, 2018
/s/ Gary S. Austin
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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