City of Tipp City v. City of Dayton

204 F.R.D. 388, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23016, 2001 WL 1579126
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedSeptember 24, 2001
DocketNo. C-3-00-454
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 204 F.R.D. 388 (City of Tipp City v. City of Dayton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Tipp City v. City of Dayton, 204 F.R.D. 388, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23016, 2001 WL 1579126 (S.D. Ohio 2001).

Opinion

DECISION AND ENTRY OVERRULING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR REMAND (DOC. #10); PLAINTIFFS GRANTED FOURTEEN (14) DAYS FROM DATE TO FILE RULE 12(B)(1) MOTION; DEFENDANT GRANTED FOURTEEN (14) DAYS TO RESPOND TO PLAINTIFFS’ SUBMISSIONS, IF ANY; DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR JUDGMENT ON THE PLEADINGS (DOC. #9) OVERRULED, WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO RENEWAL, SHOULD THIS COURT ULTIMATELY RULE THAT IT HAS SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION

RICE, Chief Judge.

This litigation concerns noise pollution caused by northeast departures of flights from the Dayton International Airport (“DIA”), located in Vandalia, Ohio. Plaintiff City of Tipp City is a municipality located in Miami County, Ohio, which lies northeast of DIA. Plaintiff Monroe Township is a township within Miami County, and it includes the City of Tipp City. Defendant City of Dayton is a municipality in Montgomery County, Ohio, which owns and operates DIA. Plaintiffs allege that, as the owner and operator of DIA, Defendant is responsible for the noise generated by airport operations.

[390]*390In their Complaint (Doc. # 1), which was originally filed in the Common Pleas Court of Miami County and removed to this Court by Defendant, Plaintiffs set forth two causes of action against the City of Dayton, to wit: 1) a state law claim for nuisance (Count One), and 2) a state law tort claim, based on a breach of the City of Dayton’s duty to engage in dialogue and to communicate with the communities who claim to be adversely affected by DIA (Count Two).

Pending before the Court are Plaintiffs’ Motion for Remand (Doc. # 10) and Defendant’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings (Doc. # 9). For the reasons assigned, Plaintiffs’ Motion for Remand is OVERRULED. Defendant’s Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings is OVERRULED, without prejudice to renewal, should this Court ultimately conclude that it has subject matter jurisdiction over this action.

I. Plaintiffs’ Motion to Remand (Doc. #10)

The party seeking to litigate in federal court bears the burden of establishing the existence of federal subject matter jurisdiction. McNutt v. General Motors Acceptance Corp. of Indiana, 298 U.S. 178, 189, 56 S.Ct. 780, 80 L.Ed. 1135 (1936). This is no less true where, as here, it is the Defendant, rather than the Plaintiffs, who seeks the federal forum. E.g., Ahearn v. Charter Twp. of Bloomfield, 100 F.3d 451, 453-54 (6th Cir.1996). When the party asserting federal jurisdiction finds its allegations challenged, it must submit evidence substantiating its claims. Amen v. City of Dearborn, 532 F.2d 554, 560 (6th Cir.1976). The removing defendant’s burden is to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the jurisdictional facts it alleges are true. Gafford v. General Electric Co., 997 F.2d 150, 158 (6th Cir.1993). The district court has “wide discretion to allow affidavits, documents and even a limited evidentiary hearing to resolve disputed jurisdictional facts.” Ohio Nat. Life Ins. Co. v. United States, 922 F.2d 320, 325 (6th Cir.1990) (citations omitted). The court may consider such evidence without turning the motion into one for summary judgment. Id.

Where the Court elects to decide the jurisdictional issue on the written materials submitted, the removing Defendant is required only to make a prima facie case of jurisdiction. Armbruster v. Quinn, 711 F.2d 1332, 1335 (6th Cir.1983). In other words, it must only “demonstrate facts which support a finding of jurisdiction in order to avoid a motion to dismiss.” Id. (citations omitted). The Court must consider the pleadings and affidavits in the light most favorable to the removing Defendant. Id.

Plaintiffs present two arguments in favor of remand of this litigation to the state court. First, they contend that the City of Dayton’s Notice of Removal is defective, because it fails to provide a short and plain statement of the grounds for removal. Second, they argue that the Complaint contains no basis for federal jurisdiction. Defendants counter that Plaintiffs’ Motion for Remand should be overruled, because they did not oppose Defendant’s removal of this action within twenty-one (21) days. In addition, they argue that Plaintiffs’ state law claims are completely preempted, thus providing federal question jurisdiction. As a means of analysis, the Court will address the parties’ procedural arguments, and then turn to their arguments regarding the basis for subject matter jurisdiction.

A. Procedural Requirements for Removal

Defendant argues that Plaintiffs’ Motion for Remand is untimely and, therefore, their Motion should be denied. The timeliness of a motion for remand is governed by 28 U.S.C. § 1447(c). That statute states, in pertinent part:

A motion to remand the case on the basis of any defect other than lack of subject matter jurisdiction must be made within 30 days after the filing of the notice of removal under section 1446(a). If at any time before final judgment it appears that the district court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, the case shall be remanded.

Id. Plaintiffs moved for remand on December 8, 2000, nearly three months after Defendant removed this action from state court. Thus, Plaintiffs cannot challenge procedural irregularities in their Motion. See Naragon v. [391]*391Dayton Power & Light Co., 934 F.Supp. 899 (S.D.Ohio 1996)(Merz, M.J.). They can, however, raise objections to the Court’s exercise of subject matter jurisdiction.

In their Motion, Plaintiffs contend that the City of Dayton has failed to comply with the procedural requirements of 28 U.S.C. §§ 1441 and 1446 for removal. In particular, they argue that Defendant has failed to provide a short and plain statement, setting forth the basis for this Court’s subject matter jurisdiction. Because Plaintiffs’ Motion for Remand was filed more than thirty (30) days after removal, Plaintiffs have waived their objection to this alleged procedural defect.1 Accordingly, the Court will not remand the present lawsuit on the basis of Defendant’s allegedly defective Notice of Removal. Plaintiffs’ Motion for Remand, on the ground that the Notice of Removal is proeedurally defective, is OVERRULED.

Plaintiffs also have challenged Defendant’s assertion that this Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this litigation. Accordingly, Plaintiffs’ Motion to Remand, for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, is timely. Because this Court’s exercise of subject matter jurisdiction is in question, the Court will now turn to that issue.

B. Federal Question Jurisdiction

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
204 F.R.D. 388, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23016, 2001 WL 1579126, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-tipp-city-v-city-of-dayton-ohsd-2001.