Colon-Rodriguez v. Astra/Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP

831 F. Supp. 2d 545, 2011 WL 6180455, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143239
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedDecember 13, 2011
DocketCivil No. 11-1495 (FAB)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 831 F. Supp. 2d 545 (Colon-Rodriguez v. Astra/Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Colon-Rodriguez v. Astra/Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP, 831 F. Supp. 2d 545, 2011 WL 6180455, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143239 (prd 2011).

Opinion

[548]*548OPINION AND ORDER

BESOSA, District Judge.

Before the Court is plaintiff Annette Colon-Rodriguez’s motion to remand this case to the Commonwealth court (Docket No. 8), defendant Astra/Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP’s (“AZP”) opposition to the motion remand (Docket No. 14), and defendant AZP’s motion to dismiss the case (Docket No. 11). For the reasons set forth below, plaintiff Colon-Rodriguez’s motion to remand is DENIED and defendant AZP’s motion to dismiss is GRANTED.

DISCUSSION

I. Background

Plaintiff Colon-Rodriguez sued defendant AZP, her former employer, pursuant to Puerto Rico law in the Commonwealth Court of First Instance, Carolina Superior Division (Civil No. FFPE 11-0389-403). Her claims arise out of AZP’s alleged failure to perform under the terms of a severance agreement, the Astra/Zeneca Separation Plan (“Severance Plan”), between AZP and her. (Docket No. 10-1, ¶¶ 3.4r-3.6 and 4.4.) On May 27, 2011, AZP removed the case to this forum, arguing that the Severance Plan is an “employee welfare benefit plan” covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), 29 U.S.C. §§ 1001 et seq. (Docket No. 1 at p. 2.) Defendant AZP argues that plaintiff Colon-Rodriguez’s cause of action amounts to a claim for benefits under ERISA § 502(a)(1)(B), 29 U.S.C. 1132(a)(1)(B). Id. AZP concludes that this Court has concurrent jurisdiction with the Commonwealth courts, and that removal was therefore proper. Id. at 3.

Subsequently, plaintiff Colon-Rodriguez moved to remand the case to the Commonwealth court on June 27, 2011. (Docket No. 8.) She argues (1) that the well-pleaded complaint rule precludes removal because the complaint on its face does not make reference to ERISA, (2) that the suit filed before the Commonwealth court is not an action to recover benefits under an employee benefit plan but seeks relief for defendant AZP’s violation of a legal duty under Puerto Rico law, and (3) that rules of comity counsel against federal court involvement in state controversies in the area of taxation.

On June 27, 2011, defendant AZP filed a motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) (“Rule 12(b)(6)”) for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. (See Docket No. 11.) Defendant AZP also attached the AZP Separation Plan, (see Docket No. 11-1), and the AZP Separation Plan Summary Plan Description, (see Docket No. 11-2), to its motion to dismiss.

On July 14, 2011, defendant AZP filed an opposition to plaintiff Colon-Rodriguez’s motion to remand, responding (1) that ERISA’s complete preemption doctrine is an exception to the well-pleaded complaint rule, (2) that plaintiff Colon-Rodriguez’s severance benefits are provided as part of an employee benefits plan governed by ERISA, and (3) that the rules of comity do not apply to the facts of this case. The Court will consider each argument in turn.

On August 4, 2011, defendant AZP filed a motion pursuant to Local Rule 7(b) to deem its motion to dismiss as unopposed. (See Docket No. 20.) On August 5, 2011, the Court granted defendant AZP’s motion to have its motion to dismiss be considered unopposed. (See Docket No. 22.) The Court will first decide plaintiffs motion to remand and subsequently address defendant’s motion to dismiss.

II. Standards

A. Removal

A defendant may remove a case to federal court only when the action could [549]*549have originally been filed in federal court. 28 U.S.C. § 1441. When a notice of removal is presented, “defendants have the burden of showing the federal court’s jurisdiction.” See, e.g., Danca v. Private Health Care Sys., 185 F.3d 1, 4 (1st Cir.1999) (citing BIW Deceived v. Local S6, 132 F.3d 824, 831 (1st Cir.1997)). If there are any doubts about the propriety of the removal, however, “all doubts should be resolved in favor of remand.” Boyer v. Snap-on Tools Corp., 913 F.2d 108, 111 (3d Cir.1990) (quoting Steel Valley Auth. v. Union Switch and Signal Div., 809 F.2d 1006, 1010 (3d Cir.1987)).

B. Federal Question Jurisdiction and Preemption

Federal courts have original jurisdiction over cases “arising under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States.” 28 U.S.C. § 1331. “A case arises under federal law for purposes of removal when ‘the plaintiffs right to relief necessarily depends on resolution of a substantial question of federal law.’” Rossello-Gonzalez v. Calderon, 398 F.3d 1, 12 (1st Cir.2004) (internal citations omitted).

The controlling principle for federal jurisdiction is the “well-pleaded complaint” rule, which forbids the application of federal question jurisdiction if no federal claim can be discerned from the face of a complaint. BIW Deceived, 132 F.3d at 831. Congress has preempted certain matters to have an exclusive federal cause of action, however, so that even what a plaintiff may call a state claim is to be characterized as a federal one. See Metro. Life Ins. Co. v. Taylor, 481 U.S. 58, 64-65, 107 S.Ct. 1542, 95 L.Ed.2d 55 (1987) (“Congress may so completely preempt a particular area [of law] that any civil complaint raising this select group of claims is necessarily federal in character.”) Thus, certain state law claims can be removed “even if they purport to rest only on state law because the subject matter is powerfully preempted by federal law.” Negron-Fuentes v. UPS Supply Chain Solutions, 532 F.3d 1, 6 (1st Cir.2008) (internal citations omitted). “The articulation ... is that these are federal claims in state law clothing and, to defeat artful pleading, the district court can simply ‘recharacterize’ them to reveal their true basis.” Id. This doctrine is sometimes called “complete preemption” and is an exception to the well-pleaded complaint rule. Id. Consequently, even if a claim does not make reference to a federal cause of action, if the court determines a plaintiff has asserted a federal law claim that is characterized as a state law claim, removal is proper. BIW Deceived, 132 F.3d at 831.

C. Rule 12(b)(6) Standard

Rule 12(b)(6) permits a court to dismiss a complaint when it fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), a court must take the allegations of the complaint as “true, and determine whether, under any theory, the allegations are sufficient to state a cause of action in accordance with the law.” Brown v. Hot, Sexy & Safer Prod., 68 F.3d 525, 530 (1st Cir.1995).

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Bluebook (online)
831 F. Supp. 2d 545, 2011 WL 6180455, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143239, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/colon-rodriguez-v-astrazeneca-pharmaceuticals-lp-prd-2011.