Balle-Tun v. Zeng & Wong, Inc.

CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedMay 13, 2022
Docket1:21-cv-03106
StatusUnknown

This text of Balle-Tun v. Zeng & Wong, Inc. (Balle-Tun v. Zeng & Wong, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Balle-Tun v. Zeng & Wong, Inc., (D. Colo. 2022).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO

Civil Action No. 21-cv-03106-NRN

JUAN BALLE-TUN, ENRIQUE TUN-HAU, and VICTOR MANUEL CEMÉ-CHÁN,

Plaintiffs,

v.

ZENG & WONG, INC. d/b/a PARADISE ASIAN CAFE,

Defendant.

ORDER ON PARTIAL MOTION TO DISMISS ALL CLAIMS BROUGHT BY PLAINTIFFS ENRIQUE TUN-HAU AND VICTOR CEMÉ-CHÁN (Dkt. #10)

N. Reid Neureiter United States Magistrate Judge

This case is before the Court upon the consent of the parties (Dkt. #9) and pursuant to an Order of Reference (Dkt. #11) entered by Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer on January 21, 2022. The matter pending before the Court is Defendant Zeng & Wong, Inc.’s (“Defendant”) Partial Motion to Dismiss all Claims Brought by Plaintiffs Enrique Tun-Hau and Victor Cemé (the “Partial Motion to Dismiss”). (Dkt. #10.) Plaintiffs filed a response to the Partial Motion to Dismiss on February 18, 2022 (Dkt. #14) and Defendant filed its reply on March 4, 2022. (Dkt. #18.) The Court heard argument on March 18, 2022. (See Dkt. #22, Courtroom Minutes.) The Court has taken judicial notice of the Court’s file and considered the applicable Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and case law. Now, being fully informed and for the reasons discussed below, it is hereby ORDERED that Defendant’s Partial Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED. BACKGROUND

This is a wage and hour dispute. In relevant part, Plaintiffs allege that Defendant failed to pay overtime premiums and denied rest breaks in violation of the relevant Colorado Minimum Wage Orders (MWO)1 and Colorado Overtime and Minimum Pay Standards Orders (“COMPS Order”)2 (Count II), 7 Colo. Code Regs. 1103-1, and the Colorado Minimum Wage Act (“CMWA”), Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-6-101 (Count III). For the purposes of the motion to dismiss, the Court accepts as true the allegations that Mr. Tun-Hau and Mr. Cemé-Chán have not worked for Defendant since September 2016 and March 2018, respectively. (Dkt. #1 at 4, ¶¶ 26–27.) Defendant moves for dismissal of these claims with respect to Plaintiffs Mr. Tun-Hau and Mr. Cemé-Chán under Rule 12(b)(6), arguing that their claims are time-barred.3

1 In January 2020, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (“CLDE DLSS”) changed the name of its rules from MWO to COMPS Order but maintained the numbering used. See CDLE DLSS, Statement of Basis, Purpose, Specific Statutory Authority, and Findings, COMPS Order #36 at 1–3 (January 22, 2020). 2 According to Plaintiffs, MWOs #31–#35 and COMPS Orders #36–#37 apply to Plaintiffs’ claims. The current and prior versions of these orders are available online on CDLE DLSS website, https://cdle.colorado.gov/laws-regulations-guidance, as well as the Secretary of State website, https://www.sos.state.co.us/CCR/DisplayRule.do?action =ruleinfo&ruleId=2509. 3 Defendant does not seek dismissal of this claim with respect to Plaintiff Juan Balle-Tun. Plaintiffs also assert a claim for willful filing of fraudulent information returns in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7434 (Count V).4 Defendant seeks dismissal of this claim with respect to all Plaintiffs, arguing that § 7434 does not apply to claims of underreported wages, so Plaintiffs have failed to state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6).5 Defendant also argues that, even if § 7434 does apply, the allegations in the Complaint do not

sufficiently plead fraud. Finally, Defendant argues that the Court lacks jurisdiction over this claim under Rule 12(b)(1) because Plaintiffs have not plead any actual damages, and thus lack standing to pursue their claims. LEGAL STANDARDS I. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Ridge at Red Hawk, L.L.C. v. Schneider, 493 F.3d 1174, 1177 (10th Cir. 2007) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). A plausible claim is one that “allows the court to draw the

reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). While courts must accept well-pled allegations as true, purely conclusory statements are not entitled to this presumption. Id. at 678, 681. So long as the plaintiff pleads sufficient factual allegations such that the right to relief

4 Counts I and IV are asserted only by Plaintiff Juan Balle-Tun and are not at issue in the Partial Motion to Dismiss. 5 The title of Partial Motion to Dismiss would suggest that Defendant seeks dismissal of only Mr. Tun-Hau and Mr. Cemé-Chán’s claims under 26 U.S.C. § 7434, but the body of the motion clarifies that Defendant’s arguments apply with equal force to Mr. Juan Balle-Tun’s claim. crosses “the line from conceivable to plausible,” he has met the threshold pleading standard. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 570. II. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1) Rule 12(b)(1) empowers a court to dismiss a complaint for “lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1). Dismissal under Rule 12(b)(1) is not a

judgment on the merits of a plaintiff’s case; rather, it calls for a determination that the court lacks authority to adjudicate the matter, attacking the existence of jurisdiction rather than the allegations of the complaint. See Castaneda v. INS, 23 F.3d 1576, 1580 (10th Cir. 1994) (recognizing federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction and may only exercise jurisdiction when specifically authorized to do so). Rule 12(b)(1) motions generally take one of two forms: a facial attack or a factual attack. When reviewing a facial attack on a complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), the Court accepts the allegations of the complaint as true. Holt v. United States, 46 F.3d 1000, 1002 (10th Cir. 1995). When reviewing a factual attack on a complaint supported by affidavits and other

documents, the Court makes its own factual findings and need not convert the motion to one brought pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Id. at 1003. Defendant mounts a facial attack against the Court’s subject matter jurisdiction, arguing that Plaintiff’s lack standing under Article III to pursue their claims. “[T]he term ‘standing’ subsumes a blend of constitutional requirements and prudential considerations.” Valley Forge Christian Coll. v. Ams. United for Separation of Church and State, Inc., 454 U.S. 464, 471 (1982).

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