Kephart et al v. Rotech Healthcare Inc. et al
Filing
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ORDER Granting Plaintiffs' 14 Motion to Remand to State Court. This case is hereby remanded to the Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County Nevada, Case number A-15-716381-C. Signed by Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey on 12/7/2015. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - certified copy of Order and docket sheet mailed to State Court - SLD)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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John Kephart et al,
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2:15-cv-00859-JAD-NJK
Plaintiff
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v.
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Order Remanding Case Back to
Nevada State Court [ECF 14]
Rotech Healthcare Inc. et al,
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Defendants
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John and Thelma Kephart sue medical-supply manufacturers and distributors Rotech
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Healthcare, Inc. and Principal Medical Equipment Inc. d/b/a/ VitalCare and a Doe VitalCare
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employee for injuries that John Kephart allegedly sustained after a 200 lb oxygen tank supplied by
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defendants fell on him. Defendants removed the case from state court based on diversity of
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citizenship.1 The Kepharts move to remand,2 arguing that complete diversity of citizenship is
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lacking.3 Because the defendants have not shown that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000, I
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grant the Kepharts’ motion and remand this case back to Nevada’s Eighth Judicial District Court
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Case A-15-716381-C.4
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Background
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The Kepharts allege that defendant Rotech is incorporated in Delaware and has its principal
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place of business in Las Vegas, Nevada.5 The Kepharts also allege that Principal Medical
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Equipment/VitalCare is a Florida corporation with its principal place of business in Las Vegas,
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ECF 1.
Plaintiffs’ motion is styled as an “objection to removal,” but it is more properly construed as a
motion to remand.
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ECF 14.
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I find this motion suitable for disposition without oral argument. Nev. LR 78-2.
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ECF 5 at ¶ 4.
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Nevada.6 The Kepharts allege that Doe defendant,7 a VitalCare employee, delivered an oxygen tank
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to the Kephart home in April 2013. Due to manufacturing or design defects and the employee’s poor
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placement of the tank and failure to properly secure it upon delivery, the tank fell on John.8 The tank
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allegedly broke open and the liquid oxygen caused chemical burns to multiple parts of John’s body;
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Thelma allegedly sustained chemical burns on her feet when she came to John’s aid.9 The Kepharts
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sue defendants for negligence, strict products liability, failure to warn, negligent infliction of
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emotional distress, and loss of consortium. They pray for the following damages in their amended
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complaint:
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General damages in excess of $10,000;
Special damages in excess of $10,000;
Compensatory and consequential damages in excess of $10,000;
Punitive damages against Rotech and Vital;
“Costs of medical care and treatment, surgical intervention, and other expenses”;
“Costs of future medical treatment, surgery, physical therapy, rehabilitation” in excess
of $10,000;
Reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.
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In their petition for removal, defendants invoke this court’s diversity jurisdiction. They argue
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that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000 because “[p]laintiffs allege that they sustained
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general special, compensatory, consequential and punitive damages including costs for medical care
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and treatment and surgical intervention and will incur damages for future medical treatment, surgery,
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physical therapy, and rehabilitation.”10 Defendants also argue that complete diversity of citizenship
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is satisfied because: (1) Rotech is incorporated in Delaware and its principal place of business is in
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Florida and (2) Principal Medical Equipment is incorporated in and has its principal place of
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Id. at ¶ 5.
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Id. at ¶ 12.
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Id. at ¶10.
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Id. at ¶ 16.
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ECF 1 at 2.
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business in Florida.11 The Kepharts move to remand, arguing that both companies’ principal places
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of business are in Nevada, and even if the defendant corporations are not diverse, remand is proper
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because they anticipate that discovery will reveal the identity of the Doe defendant employee, who is
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likely domiciled in Nevada.12
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Discussion
A.
Motion to Remand
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When a case is filed in state court between parties who are citizens of different states, and the
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case value exceeds $75,000, the defendant may remove the case to federal court.13 “Federal courts
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are courts of limited jurisdiction.”14 Accordingly, there is a strong presumption against removal
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jurisdiction and “federal jurisdiction must be rejected if there is any doubt as to the right of removal
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in the first instance.”15 The defendant always has the burden of establishing that removal is proper.16
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This burden is usually satisfied if the plaintiff claims a sum greater than the threshold requirement.17
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If the value of plaintiff’s claim is unclear, the defendant must prove by a preponderance of the
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evidence that the jurisdictional amount has been met.18 Defendants may rely on facts presented in
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the removal petition and any summary-judgment-type evidence that is related to the amount in
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controversy.19 “[Section] 1447(c) authorizes sua sponte remand (and, indeed, requires remand)
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ECF 17 at 6.
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ECF 14 at 3.
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28 U.S.C. §§ 1332, 1441, 1446.
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Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins. Co. of America, 511 U.S. 375, 377 (1994).
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Gaus v. Miles, 980 F.2d 564, 566 (9th Cir. 1992).
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Id.
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Id. (citing St. Paul Mercury Indem. Co. v. Red Cab Co., 303 U.S. 283, 288–99 (1938)).
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Id.; see also Sanchez v. Monumental Life Ins. Co., 102 F.3d 395, 404 (9th Cir. 1996).
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Matheson v. Progressive Specialty Ins. Co., 319 F.3d 1089, 1090 (9th Cir. 2003).
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when a court finds that it does not have subject-matter jurisdiction.”20
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B.
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Defendants have established complete diversity of the parties.
In their motion to remand, the Kepharts re-allege that both Rotech and Principal Medical
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Equipment are citizens of Nevada because each maintains a principal place of business in Las
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Vegas.21 The Kepharts also argue that remand is proper because discovery will reveal the identity of
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the Doe VitalCare employee, who is likely domiciled in Nevada.22
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Defendants attach to their opposition the affidavit of Kimbark Lee, the Chief Legal Officer
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and Secretary of Rotech and Secretary of Principal Medical Equipment.23 She indicates that
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Principal Medical Equipment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rotech.24 Lee states that Rotech is a
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Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Florida,25 and that Principal Medical
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Equipment is a Florida corporation with its principal place of business also located in Florida.26
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Defendants attach supporting documents that show that both Rotech and Principal Medical
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Equipment were certified to conduct business in Las Vegas, Nevada, under the fictitious firm name
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VitalCare during the relevant time.27
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I am satisfied (based on the affidavit and supporting documents provided by the defendants)
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that Rotech and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Principal Medical Equipment, are both foreign
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corporations who maintain their principal places of business in Florida, not Nevada. That these
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corporations conduct business in Nevada under the fictitious firm name VitalCare does not make
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Allen v. United Parcel Servs., Inc., 2009 WL 982048 (C.D. Cal. 2009).
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ECF 14 at 2.
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Id. at 3.
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ECF 17-1.
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Id. at ¶ 2.
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Id. at ¶ 3–4.
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Id. at ¶ 5.
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ECF 17-2, 17-3, 17-5. Lee’s affidavit authenticates these documents.
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them citizens of the state of Nevada for diversity purposes. I also reject the Kepharts’ argument that
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the Doe defendant destroys diversity. The removal statute directs that, for purposes of determining
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diversity, “the citizenship of defendants sued under fictitious names shall be disregarded.”28 Thus,
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“the presence of fictitious defendants neither creates a presumption that diversity is destroyed, nor
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requires Doe defendants to be named, abandoned, or dismissed before removal is attempted.”29
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Having determined that the diversity requirement is satisfied, I next consider whether defendants
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have established that the amount-in-controversy requirement is met.
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C.
Remand is required because defendants have not shown that the amount in controversy
exceeds $75,000.
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The face of the amended complaint does not show that the Kepharts claim damages in excess
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of $75,000. They claim in excess of $30,000 for general, special, and compensatory damages, in
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excess of $10,000 for medical expenses, and an unspecified amount for future medical expenses and
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punitive damages. Because the Kepharts do not explicitly claim damages in excess of $75,000, the
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defendants must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the jurisdictional amount has been
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met.30
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Defendants conclusorily argue that the amount-in-controversy requirement has been met
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because “[p]laintiffs allege that they sustained general special, compensatory, consequential and
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punitive damages including costs for medical care and treatment and surgical intervention and will
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incur damages for future medical treatment, surgery, physical therapy, and rehabilitation.”31 But
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conclusory allegations do not overcome the presumption against removal jurisdiction or satisfy the
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defendant’s burden of proving the amount in controversy by a preponderance of the evidence.32
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28 USC § 1441(b)(1).
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Cowan v. Central Reserve Life of North America Ins. Co., F.Supp. 64, 65 (D. Nev. 1989).
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Valdez v. Allstate Ins. Co., 372 F.3d 1115, 1117 (9th Cir. 2004) (internal citations omitted); see
also Sanchez, 102 F.3d at 404.
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ECF 1 at 2.
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Valdez, 372 F.3d at 1117 (internal citations omitted).
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Because the defendants bear, but have not met, the burden of showing that both requirements of
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diversity jurisdiction are met, I grant the Kepharts’ motion to remand.
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Conclusion
Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that plaintiffs’ Objection to Removal [ECF 14],
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which I construe as a Motion to Remand, is GRANTED. This case is hereby remanded to the
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Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County Nevada, Case number A-15-716381-C.
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Dated: December 7, 2015.
Dated this 8th day of November, 2015
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_________________________________
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Jennifer A. Dorsey
nifer Dorsey
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United States District Judge
ed State
t tes
Judge
ud
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