Eminence Investors, L.L.L.P. v. Bank of New York Mellon

24 F. Supp. 3d 968, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136477, 2014 WL 2567172
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedSeptember 26, 2014
DocketCase No. 1:13-cv-02025-AWI-MJS
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 24 F. Supp. 3d 968 (Eminence Investors, L.L.L.P. v. Bank of New York Mellon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eminence Investors, L.L.L.P. v. Bank of New York Mellon, 24 F. Supp. 3d 968, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136477, 2014 WL 2567172 (E.D. Cal. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER ADOPTING FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO GRANT PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO REMAND

ANTHONY W. ISHII, Senior District Judge.

I. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In this action Eminence Investors, L.L.L.P. and John Does (“Plaintiffs”) seek to recover for Defendant Bank of New York Mellon’s alleged breaches of duties it owed as the Indenture Trustee of bonds issued to fund the development of real property.

On November 23, 2011, Plaintiff Eminence initiated this action against Defendant and two California residents in Madera County Superior Court. On February 12, 2012, and August 23, 2013, respectively, the two California defendants were dismissed, resulting in complete diversity between the remaining parties. Defendant did not remove the case to Federal Court at that time.

On November 13, 2013, Plaintiff filed a First Amended Complaint, adding class allegations on behalf of more than 100 individuals each holding bonds having at least $5000 in face value.

On December 10, 2013, within thirty days of the filing of the First Amended Complaint, Defendant removed the action to this Court alleging federal jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act (“CAFA”), 28 U.S.C. § 1453. (ECF No. 1.) On January 9, 2014, Plaintiffs filed this motion to remand back to the state Superi- or Court. (ECF No. 25.) The matter was referred to a United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) and Local Rule 302 of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.

On June 6, 2014, the Magistrate Judge issued Findings and Recommendations to grant Plaintiffs’ motion to remand. (ECF No. 58.) Defendant filed objections to the Findings and Recommendations (ECF No. 60), Plaintiffs filed a response (ECF No. 62), and, with leave of the Court (ECF No. 64), Defendant filed a reply (ECF No. 65). The parties also submitted unsolicited letter briefs addressing the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in Reece v. Bank of New York Mellon, 760 F.3d 771 (8th Cir.2014).

In accordance with the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1), the Court has conducted a de novo review of this case. Having carefully reviewed the entire file, the Court finds the Findings and Recommendations to be supported by the record and by proper analysis. Accordingly, the Court adopts the Findings and Recommendations (ECF No. 58) in full. However, in light of Defendant’s objection that the Magistrate Judge conflated two distinct arguments, and did not fully and separately address its argument that CAFA presents a “new” basis for removal that restarts the thirty day removal window, that argument is addressed below.1

[971]*971II. ANALYSIS

“After a defendant learns that an action is removable, he has thirty days to remove the case to federal court.” Durham v. Lockheed Martin Corp., 445 F.3d 1247, 1250 (9th Cir.2006) (citing 28 U.S.C. § 1446(b)). The thirty day time period for removal starts to run from defendant’s receipt of the initial pleading if that pleading “affirmatively reveals on its face” the facts necessary for federal court jurisdiction. Harris v. Bankers Life & Cas. Co., 425 F.3d 689, 690-91 (9th Cir.2005) (citations omitted); see 28 U.S.C. § 1446(b)(1). Otherwise, the removal period begins to run when defendant receives “a copy of an amended pleading, motion, order or other paper from which it may first be ascertained that the case is one which is or has become removable.” 28 U.S.C. § 1446(b)(3). Failure to remove timely waives the right to remove. Cantrell v. Great Republic, Inc., 873 F.2d 1249, 1256 (9th Cir.1989).

The removal period begins to run once the defendant receives enough facts to remove on any basis; later disclosure that the case also is removable on another ground generally does not restart the thirty-day clock. Durham, 445 F.3d at 1253; see 28 U.S.C. § 1446. This is particularly true of cases removable on diversity or federal question grounds pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1441. Durham, 445 F.3d at 1253. However, Defendant argues that this general rule does not apply to CAFA cases, which are removable pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1453. Defendant argues that CAFA is a “special removal statute” that restarts the thirty-day clock.

Defendant’s argument is premised on the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Durham, which recognized that allegations of federal officer jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1442 restart the removal clock. In that case, the action originally was removable on federal question grounds, but the defendant did not remove within thirty days of being served with the complaint. Durham, 445 F.3d at 1249. Later, plaintiffs responses to interrogatories revealed that the conduct at issue occurred while the defendant was acting as an agent to a federal officer, and the defendant sought removal on federal officer grounds. Id.

The Ninth Circuit noted that 28 U.S.C. § 1446 requires removal within thirty days of the defendant receiving a pleading or other paper from which it can be ascertained that the case is removable. However, the court opined that the term “removable” is susceptible to two plausible constructions within the context of federal officer jurisdiction:

First, we could interpret “removable” as binary — either there’s some basis for removal, or there’s not. Under this reading of the statute, the case was “removable” when [defendants] received the complaint because the defendants — had they unanimously agreed to it — could have removed the case on federal enclave grounds. The second way to interpret “removable” is to look to each ground for removal separately. Under this reading, a case does not become removable until the particular basis on which removal is sought becomes apparent from the record.

Id. at 1252.

The Court adopted the second interpretation of “removable” with respect to federal officer jurisdiction, in light of the “clear command from both Congress and the Supreme Court that when federal officers and their agents are seeking a federal forum, [courts] are to interpret section [972]

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Bluebook (online)
24 F. Supp. 3d 968, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 136477, 2014 WL 2567172, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eminence-investors-lllp-v-bank-of-new-york-mellon-caed-2014.