Bassett v. Subaru-Isuzu Automotive, Inc.

948 F. Supp. 811, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18623, 1996 WL 718202
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedDecember 3, 1996
DocketNo. 4:96cv0062 AS
StatusPublished

This text of 948 F. Supp. 811 (Bassett v. Subaru-Isuzu Automotive, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bassett v. Subaru-Isuzu Automotive, Inc., 948 F. Supp. 811, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18623, 1996 WL 718202 (N.D. Ind. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

ALLEN SHARP, Chief Judge.

I. Procedural History

This cause of action was removed to this Court on September 6, 1996 from the Tippecanoe Superior Court II Case number 79D02-9608-CP-110 pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1332 and 1441. On September 13, 1996 the plaintiff, Donald A. Bassett, Jr. (“Bassett”) filed objections to the defendant’s, Subaru-Isuzu Automotive, Inc. (“SIA”) notice of removal. SIA filed a response to the objections on September 23, 1996. On September 24, 1996, Bassett filed a reply. This Court held a pretrial conference on October 7, 1996, whereby this action was stayed until June 30, 1997 at which time counsel is to advise of the status of the EEOC case. On October 15, 1996, Bassett filed a motion for relief from this order, or in the alternative, a motion to dismiss count I of his complaint, and to thereby remand the case to state court. SIA filed objections on October 23, 1996. On October 24, 1996, Bassett filed a reply. This Court is now ready to rule on the aforementioned motions.

II. Facts

Bassett filed an objection to the removal of this action to this Court claiming that the complaint originally filed in the Tippecanoe County Superior Court II asserted state claims only. Bassett has filed charges with the EEOC, which are still pending, asserting a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). A right to sue letter has not been issued thus far. Bassett claims that this Court does not have jurisdiction over this cause of action because of the pending nature of the ADA claim with the EEOC. Aternatively, Bassett seeks to dismiss count I of his complaint, and remand the action back to the state court.

III. Discussion and Analysis

A. Motion for relief from October 7,1996 order

The complaint originally filed in Tippecanoe Superior Court II stated count I as a wrongful termination/retaliatory discharge.

1. Plaintiff was employed by Defendant (being a loyal and competent employee at all times), having been so employed since December, 1989 (working as a production worker involved in metal finish repair at Defendant’s automotive assembly plant) and continuing such employment until he was involuntarily terminated by Defendant on or about March 8,1996.
2. Plaintiff was on medical leave and had requested reasonable accommodation for his disability, but Defendant refused such even though Plaintiff was exercising a statutory conferred right (under the Ameriean[s] With Disabilities Act), retaliation as against Plaintiff by terminating him; such termination being an intentional act designed to prevent and/or punish Plaintiff for exercising his right in an unfettered fashion without being subject to reprisal, and Defendant’s acts were done with malice, ill-will, and entitles Plaintiff to recover [813]*813both compensatory and punitive damages —

(Plaintiffs complaint, p. 1).

Carnegie-Mellon University v. Cohill, 484 U.S. 343, 108 S.Ct. 614, 98 L.Ed.2d 720 (1988) can be used to determine the jurisdiction of this Court. The Supreme Court dealt with the issue of pendent jurisdiction in remanding a case back to state court which had been previously removed. In determining this issue the Court discussed the modern doctrine of pendent jurisdiction as set forth by the decision in United Mine Workers v. Gibbs, 383 U.S. 715, 86 S.Ct. 1130, 16 L.Ed.2d 218 (1966).

A federal court has jurisdiction over an entire action, including state-law claims, whenever the federal-law claims and state-law claims in the case ‘derive from a common nucleus of operative fact’ and are ‘such that [a plaintiff] would ordinarily be expected to try them all' in one judicial proceeding.’

Carnegie-Mellon, 484 U.S. at 349, 108 S.Ct. at 618, citing, Gibbs, 383 U.S. at 725, 86 S.Ct. at 1138. “According to Gibbs, ‘considerations of judicial economy, convenience and fairness to litigants’ support a wide-ranging power in the federal courts to decide state-law claims in cases that also present federal questions.” Carnegie-Mellon, 484 U.S. at 349, 108 S.Ct. at 618, citing, Gibbs, 383 U.S. at 726, 86 S.Ct. at 1139. Additionally, Camegie-Mellon continued to quote Gibbs stating:

a federal court’s determination of state-law claims could conflict with the principle of comity to the States and with the promotion of justice between the litigating parties. For this reason, Gibbs emphasized that ‘pendent jurisdiction is a doctrine of discretion, not of plaintiffs right.’ Ibid. Under Gibbs, a federal court should consider and weigh in each case, and at every stage of the litigation, the values of judicial economy, convenience, fairness, and comity in order to decide whether to exercise jurisdiction over a case brought in that court involving pendent state-law claims.

Carnegie-Mellon, 484 U.S. at 350, 108 S.Ct. at 619.

The defendant involved in this action alludes to forum manipulation. Concerns of forum manipulation were also discussed in Camegie-Mellon.

A district court can consider whether the plaintiff has engaged in any manipulative tactics when it decides whether to remand a case. If the plaintiff has attempted to manipulate the forum, the court should take this behavior into account in determining whether the balance of factors to be considered under the pendent jurisdiction doctrine support a remand in the case. The district courts thus can guard against forum manipulation without a blanket rule that would prohibit the remand of all cases involving pendent state-law claims.

Id.

Bassett claims that this Court does not have jurisdiction over the present case. Bassett states that he is not asserting a federal claim, or even if there were a federal claim it is not properly before this Court. The claim is currently filed with the EEOC, but a right to sue letter has not been issued. The administrative remedy has not been exhausted; however, this Court has stayed the action until June, 1997.

The pre-trial conference held on October 7, 1996, determined that plaintiffs complaint did assert a federal claim. The complaint specifically states the “Americans with Disabilities Act” in the description of the alleged violation. The question remains whether this Court has jurisdiction over the current action even though plaintiff has not received a right to sue letter concerning this aspect of the complaint.

In a lengthy footnote in Prince v. Rescorp Realty, 940 F.2d 1104 (7th Cir.1991), Judge Ripple discussed a situation closely paralleled to the current action.

‘Federal Courts base decisions about subject matter jurisdiction after removal on the plaintiffs complaint as it existed at the time that the defendant filed the removal petition.’

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Related

United Mine Workers of America v. Gibbs
383 U.S. 715 (Supreme Court, 1966)
Johnson v. Railway Express Agency, Inc.
421 U.S. 454 (Supreme Court, 1975)
Carnegie-Mellon University v. Cohill
484 U.S. 343 (Supreme Court, 1988)
Newman-Green, Inc. v. Alfonzo-Larrain
490 U.S. 826 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Debra Kidd v. Southwest Airlines, Co.
891 F.2d 540 (Fifth Circuit, 1990)
Lucille Qualls Woods v. Dunlop Tire Corporation
972 F.2d 36 (Second Circuit, 1992)
Price v. Highland Community Bank
722 F. Supp. 454 (N.D. Illinois, 1989)

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948 F. Supp. 811, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18623, 1996 WL 718202, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bassett-v-subaru-isuzu-automotive-inc-innd-1996.