Sunburst Apartments v. Lewis et al

Filing 5

ORDER signed by District Judge Morrison C. England, Jr on 2/9/2017; REMANDING CASE to San Joaquin County Superior Court. A certified copy of remand order sent to other court; DENYING as MOOT 2 and 3 Motion to Proceed IFP; The Clerk of Court is DI RECTED to close this case and VACATE all dates; The Clerk of the Court is ORDERED not to open another case removing the following unlawful detainer action: No. STK-CV-LUDR-2016-12649. CASE CLOSED (Washington, S) Modified on 2/10/2017 (Washington, S).

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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SUNBURST APARTMENTS,

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NO 2:17-cv-00270-MCE-AC

Plaintiff,
ORDER

v.
NICOLE LEWIS, et al.,

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Defendants.

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On February 8, 2017, Defendants Nicole Lewis and J.W. Tokes, proceeding pro

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se, filed a Notice of Removal of this unlawful detainer action from the San Joaquin

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County Superior Court.1 ECF No. 1. This Court has an independent duty to ascertain its

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jurisdiction and may remand sua sponte for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. See 28

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U.S.C. § 1447(c). “The burden of establishing federal jurisdiction is on the party seeking

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removal, and the removal statute is strictly construed against removal jurisdiction.”

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Emrich v. Touche Ross & Co., 846 F.2d 1190, 1195 (9th Cir. 1988) (internal citation

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omitted). “Federal jurisdiction must be rejected if there is any doubt as to the right of

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removal in the first instance.” Gaus v. Miles, Inc., 980 F.2d 564, 566 (9th Cir. 1992). As

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explained below, Defendants have failed to meet that burden.

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Despite Defendants’ pro se status, the undersigned revokes any actual or anticipated referral to
a Magistrate Judge. See L.R. 302(c)(21).

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The Notice of Removal is premised on the argument that this Court has federal

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jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331. ECF No. 1 at 2. However, a review of the

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Complaint reveals that Plaintiff does not allege any federal claims; instead, Plaintiff

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alleges only unlawful detainer under state law. ECF No. 1 at 5-8.

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“The presence or absence of federal-question jurisdiction is governed by the ‘well-

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pleaded complaint rule,’ which provides that federal jurisdiction exists only when a

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federal question is presented on the fact of plaintiff’s properly pleaded complaint.”

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Caterpillar, Inc. v. Williams, 482 U.S. 386, 392 (1987). This is the case where the

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complaint “establishes either that [1] federal law creates the cause of action or that

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[2] the plaintiff’s right to relief necessarily depends on resolution of a substantial question

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of federal law.” Williston Basin Interstate Pipeline Co. v. An Exclusive Gas Storage

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Leasehold & Easement, 524 F.3d 1090, 1100 (9th Cir. 2008) (quoting Franchise Tax Bd.

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v. Constr. Laborers Vacation Trust, 463 U.S. 1, 27-28 (1983)).

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Here, Plaintiff's one cause of action is for unlawful detainer under state law. At

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most, Defendants argue that they have a defense under federal law. “A case may not

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be removed to federal court on the basis of a federal defense . . . even if the defense is

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anticipated in the plaintiff’s complaint, and even if both parties admit that the defense is

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the only question truly at issue in the case.” ARCO Envtl. Remediation, LLC v. Dep’t. of

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Health & Envtl. Quality of the State of Montana, 213 F.3d 1108, 1113 (9th Cir. 2000)

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(citation and quotation marks omitted). Therefore, this Court lacks jurisdiction under

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28 U.S.C. § 1331.2

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Accordingly:

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The action is REMANDED to the San Joaquin County Superior Court.

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2.

The Clerk of Court is directed to serve a certified copy of the order on the

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Clerk of the San Joaquin County Superior Court, and reference the state
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Nor have Defendants established that this Court has diversity jurisdiction, since the Notice of
Removal does not establish diversity of the parties or that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000.
See Fed. Home Loan Mortg. Corp. v. Cantillano, No. CV 12-01641 GAF (CMx), 2012 WL 1193613, at *2
(C.D. Cal. Apr. 9, 2012) (“The appropriate dollar amount in determining the amount of controversy in
unlawful detainer actions is the rental value of the property, not the value of the property as a whole.”).

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case number (No. STK-CV-LUDR-2016-12649) in the proof of service
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Defendants’ Motions to Proceed in Forma Pauperis (ECF No. 2, 3) are
DENIED as moot.

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The Clerk of Court is directed to close this case and vacate all dates.

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5.

The Clerk of the Court is ordered not to open another case removing the

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following unlawful detainer action: No. STK-CV-LUDR-2016-12649.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated: February 9, 2017

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