G. Dallas Horton & Associates v. Romero et al
Filing
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ORDER Granting 62 Motion to Remand to State Court. The case is REMANDED to the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada. Signed by Judge Miranda M. Du on 1/14/2013. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF; CC: State Court with certified copies of order and docket sheet - SLR)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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***
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G. DALLAS HORTON & ASSOCIATES,
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Case No. 2:12-cv-00989-MMD-VCF
Plaintiff,
ORDER
v.
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(Plf.’s Motion to Remand – dkt. no. 62)
GLORIA ROMERO, et. al.,
Defendants.
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I.
SUMMARY
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Before the Court is Plaintiff G. Dallas Horton & Associates’ Motion to Remand.
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(Dkt. no. 62.) The Motion is unopposed. For the reason set forth below, the Motion is
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granted.
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II.
BACKGROUND
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G. Dallas Horton & Associates (“Horton”), a law firm based in Clark County,
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Nevada, represented Gloria Romero in a lawsuit brought on Ms. Romero’s behalf
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stemming from a January 19, 2006, automobile accident. (See dkt. no. 1-1 at ¶ 5.)
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Horton filed this suit on February 10, 2012, in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark
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County, Nevada, against numerous defendants, seeking to recover attorney’s fees from
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the $28,638.36 awarded in the litigation settlement. (See dkt. no. 1-1 at ¶ 10.) Horton
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alleges that Defendants claim various interests in the settlement amount, but that it is
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entitled to reimbursement prior to the distribution of the remaining funds to any
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Defendants. (Id.)
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On June 11, 2012, Defendant Unite Here Health (“UHH”), a Taft-Hartley
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Employee Benefit Trust Fund whose affairs are governed by the Employee Retirement
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Income Security Act of 1974, removed the action to this Court on the grounds that this
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Court retains federal question jurisdiction to hear Horton’s claims against UHH and
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supplemental jurisdiction to hear the remaining claims against the remaining defendants.
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(See dkt. no. 1 at 4.)
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On November 26, 2012, the Court granted Horton and UHH’s stipulation to
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dismiss Horton’s claim against UHH. (Dkt. no. 61.) Horton thereafter filed this Motion
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seeking to remand the remaining claims to state court. (Dkt. no. 62.) No Defendant
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opposes the Motion.
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III.
LEGAL STANDARD
A defendant may remove an action to federal court if the plaintiff could have
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initially filed the complaint in federal court.
28 U.S.C. § 1441(a).
If removal was
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improper and the federal court lacks jurisdiction, the federal court must remand the case
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to state court. 28 U.S.C. § 1447(c). The “presence or absence of federal-question
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jurisdiction is governed by the ‘well-pleaded complaint rule,’ which provides that federal
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jurisdiction exists only when a federal question is presented on the face of the plaintiff’s
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properly pleaded complaint.” Caterpillar Inc. v. Williams, 482 U.S. 386, 392 (1987).
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A district court analyzes jurisdiction “on the basis of the pleadings filed at the time
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of removal without reference to subsequent amendments.” Sparta Surgical Corp. v. Nat’l
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Ass’n of Sec. Dealers, Inc., 159 F.3d 1209, 1213 (9th Cir. 1998).
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IV.
DISCUSSION
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After the dismissal of Horton’s claims against UHH, only state law claims persist
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against the remaining Defendants. Based upon the Court’s review of the record, no
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federal question exists in the claims against the remaining Defendants, and the
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requirements for diversity jurisdiction are not met as the amount in controversy does not
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appear to exceed $75,000. See 28 U.S.C. § 1332.
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Although no basis for jurisdiction exists after dismissal of UHH, a district court in
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this circumstance may exercise its discretion to retain jurisdiction over the remaining
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state law claims. This may be appropriate in circumstances where the need for judicial
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economy counsels in favor of retaining jurisdiction over the remaining claims. As a
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result, dismissal of a lone jurisdiction-granting claim does not automatically render a
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federal court without jurisdiction to hear the remaining state law claims. See 28 U.S.C. §
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1367(c)(3); Harrell v. 20th Century Ins. Co., 934 F.2d 203, 205 (9th Cir. 1991) (“It is well
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settled that a federal court does have the power to hear claims that would not be
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independently removable even after the basis for removal jurisdiction is dropped from
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the proceedings.”).
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Here, removal was not opposed by any defendant, and judicial economy would
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not be served by litigating the suit in this Court. The Court thus declines to exercise
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jurisdiction over the remaining state law claims. This matter is remanded to the state
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court for further proceedings.
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V.
CONCLUSION
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IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that Plaintiff G. Dallas Horton & Associates’
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Motion to Remand (dkt. no. 62.) is GRANTED. The case is REMANDED to the Eighth
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Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada.
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IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of Court close this case.
DATED THIS 14th day of January 201
2013
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MIRANDA M. DU
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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