Mason v. Colon-Ortez et al

Filing 4

ORDER REMANDING CASE signed by Magistrate Judge William E Duffin on 11/17/2022 GRANTING Plaintiff's Motions #3 to Dismiss Party and Transfer Case. Defendants Francis Colon-Ortez and VA Medical Center terminated. Certified copy of remand order and certified copy of docket sent to Milwaukee County Circuit Court on 11/17/2022. (cc: all counsel and mailed to pro se Plaintiff)(lz)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN
JACKIE D. MASON,
Plaintiff,
v.

Case No. 22-CV-1316

FRANCIS COLON-ORTEZ, et al.,
Defendants.
ORDER
Jackie D. Mason, who is representing himself, brought this action in Milwaukee
County Circuit Court against Francis Colon-Ortez, “VA Medical Center,” and Joan P.
Mason. The VA Medical Center, more properly designated as the United States
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and its employee, Francis Colon-Ortez, removed
the action to federal court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1442(a)(1). (ECF No. 1.)
Jackie Mason, in turn, filed a motion to dismiss the VA and Colon-Ortez and
remand the action to state court. (ECF No. 3.) Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(a)(1)(A), a
plaintiff has an absolute right at the early stages of a case to dismiss the action as a
whole or individual defendants or claims from the action. Pedrina v. Chun, 987 F.2d 608,
610 (9th Cir. 1993); Madsen v. Park City, 6 F. Supp. 2d 938, 943 (N.D. Ill. 1998) (following

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Pedrina). “The right of voluntary dismissal by notice prior to service of the answer or a
motion for summary judgment extends as fully to cases removed from a state court as it
does to cases commenced in a federal court.” Crook v. WMC Mortg. Corp., No. 06-cv-535JPG, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 72616, at *4 (S.D. Ill. Oct. 5, 2006) (quoting 9 Wright &
Miller, Federal Practice & Procedure § 2363 (collecting cases)). Therefore, Francis ColonOrtez and the VA Medical Center are dismissed as defendants.
Having dismissed the federal defendants, no basis for federal jurisdiction
remains. Therefore, remand to state court is proper. See, e.g., Torres v. CBS News, 879 F.
Supp. 309, 321 (S.D.N.Y. 1994).
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that Francis Colon-Ortez and VA Medical Center
are dismissed as defendants/respondents, and this action is remanded to Milwaukee
County Circuit Court.
Dated at Milwaukee, Wisconsin this 17th day of November, 2022.

_________________________
WILLIAM E. DUFFIN
U.S. Magistrate Judge

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