Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation v. King et al

Filing 8

ORDER: Finding as Moot Magistrate Judge Clarke's Report and Recommendation 5 , and all other pending motions, are moot. This action is remanded to state court for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The Clerk of the Court is directed to send the file of this action to the Jackson County Circuit Court. Signed on 8/26/2009 by Judge Owen M. Panner. (dkj)

IN THE UNITED STATES D I S T R I C T COURT FOR THE D I S T R I C T OF OREGON FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE C O R P . , Civ. No. 09-3048-CL Plaintiff,

v.
JEANNETTE KING, e t a l . , Defendants.
ORDER

PANNER, D i s t r i c t J u d g e :

M a g i s t r a t e J u d g e M a r k D. C l a r k e f i l e d a R e p o r t a n d Recommendation, and t h e m a t t e r i s now before t h i s c o u r t . U.S.C. § 636(b) (1) (B), Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(b). been timely filed. See 28

No o b j e c t i o n s h a v e

T h i s r e l i e v e s me o f my o b l i g a t i o n t o g i v e t h e See 28 U.S.C. § 636(b) (1) (C). I

factual findings de novo review. review legal principles de novo.

DISCUSSION

- ORDER

Plaintiff b r o u g h t t h i s a c t i o n i n J a c k s o n C o u n t y C i r c u i t C o u r t , s e e k i n g r e l i e f u n d e r t h e f o r c i b l e e n t r y a n d d e t a i n e r (FED) s t a t u t e s , Or. Rev. Stat.

§§

105.105 - 105.168.

Defendants removed

the action to this court, asserting diversity jurisdiction.
I. T h e r e I s No D i v e r s i t y J u r i s d i c t i o n

As Judge Clarke c o r r e c t l y n o t e s , the removal s t a t u t e s a r e s t r i c t l y construed against removal, and the defendant bears the burden of showing removal i s proper. For diversity jurisdiction 28 U.S.C.

to e x i s t , more than $75,000 must be a t issue. 1332(a).

§
Bunch

I n FED a c t i o n s , t h e i s s u e i s r i g h t o f p o s s e s s i o n .

v . P e a r s o n , 1 8 6 O r . A p p . 1 3 8 , 1 4 2 , 62 P . 3 d 8 7 8 , 8 8 0 ( 2 0 0 3 ) . P l a i n t i f f here did not seek money damages i n i t s complaint, and there i s no evidence t h a t more than $75,000 i s a t stake. Sanchez v. Monumental Life Ins. Co., 102 F.3d 398, 404 1996).
II.

See

(9th Cir.

This court lacks diversity jurisdiction.

T h e r e I s No F e d e r a l Q u e s t i o n J u r i s d i c t i o n

After removal, defendants filed a motion to dismiss in this court, raising federal constitutional defenses. A defendant's

assertion of a federal defense generally is not sufficient to create federal question jurisdiction, however. pleaded complaint rule, Under the well-

lIa c l a i m a r i s e s u n d e r f e d e r a l l a w ' o n l y

when a federal question i s presented on the face of the plaintiff's properly pleaded complaint.
'II

Moore-Thomas v. Alaska (quoting

Airlines, I n c . , 553 F.3d 1241, 1243 (9th Cir. 2009)

- ORDER

Valles v . I v y H i l l C o r p . , 4 1 0 F . 3 d 1 0 7 1 , 1 0 7 5 ( 9 t h C i r . 2 0 0 5 ) ) . Because p l a i n t i f f ' s complaint here presented no federal questions on i t s face, this court lacks federal question jurisdiction.

Because this court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, I need not address whether this court should abstain from asserting jurisdiction.
CONCLUSION

This action i s remanded to state court for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Magistrate Judge Clarke's Report and The

Recommendation (#5), and a l l other pending motions, are moot.

Clerk of the Court is directed to send the file of this action to the Jackson County Circuit Court. I T I S SO ORDERED. DATED t h i s

~~~~
OWEN M. PANNER U . S . D I S T R I C T JUDGE

- ORDER