Erasmus v. Ryan A. Dunlop, D.M.D., Inc.

District Court, E.D. California·Decided July 18, 2022·No. 1:21-cv-01236·Unknown

Opinion

MEGAN D. ERASMUS, CASE NO. 1:21-cv-01236-AWI-SAB

Plaintiff, ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION v. TO DISMISS PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT RYAN A. DUNLOP, D.M.D., INC., a California Professional Corporation, dba Better Life Center for Implant and (Doc. Nos. 13) General Dentistry, Defendant

Plaintiff Megan D. Erasmus filed a Complaint against Defendant Ryan A. Dunlop, D.M.D., Inc., asserting causes of action under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act. Doc. No. 1. Pending before the Court is Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint. Doc. No. 13. For the reasons discussed below, the Court will grant in part and deny in part Defendant’s Motion. BACKGROUND1 Plaintiff is a California resident who is completely deaf and therefore relies entirely on closed captioning to consume audio content such as movies, videos, or tutorials. Doc. No. 1, ¶ 1. Defendant is a professional corporation that owns or operates Better Life Center for Implant and General Dentistry (BLCIGD) located in Fresno County, California. Id. at ¶ 2. In July 2021, Defendant owned and operated BLCIGD’s Website, https://www.betterlifedentistry.com/. Id. at ¶ 4. Defendant currently owns the Website. Id. at ¶ 5. Plaintiff alleges the Website is a nexus between Defendant’s customers and the privileges, goods, or services offered by Defendant. Id. at ¶ 13. Additionally, Plaintiff alleges Defendant offers videos on the Website “to induce customers to purchase its goods or services.” Id. at ¶ 14. Plaintiff visited the Website in July 2021 as a prospective customer looking for information about Defendant’s services. Id. at ¶¶ 15, 16. Plaintiff discovered the video content on the Website lacked closed captioning which made her “unable to fully understand and consume the video contents.” Id. at ¶ 17. Plaintiff allegedly experienced difficulty and discomfort in attempting to view the video “Smile Restoration in Fresno” and, consequently, was “deterred from further use of the Website.” Id. at ¶ 18. Plaintiff alleges that despite her multiple attempts to access the Website on her mobile device, she was “denied the full use and enjoyment of the facilities, goods and services offered by Defendant[] as a result of the accessibility barriers.” Id. at ¶ 20. Further, Plaintiff alleges she “is a tester in this litigation and seeks future compliance with all federal and state laws . . . [and she] will return to the Website to avail herself of its goods and/or services and to determine compliance with the disability access laws once it is represented to her that [Defendant] and [the] Website are accessible.” Id. at ¶ 26. On August 15, 2021, Plaintiff filed her Complaint seeking damages, declaratory relief, injunctive relief, and attorney fees under the ADA and California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act. Doc. No. 1. Defendant thereafter filed its Motion to Dismiss the Complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 12(b)(1) and for failure to state a claim under Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 12(b)(6). Doc. No. 13. A. Rule 12(b)(1) A motion under Rule 12(b)(1) challenges a federal court’s jurisdiction to decide claims alleged in the complaint. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1); see also Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(h)(3) (“If the court determines at any time that it lacks subject-matter jurisdiction, the court must dismiss the action.”). A court considering a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction is not restricted to the face of the complaint and may review evidence of those facts to resolve factual disputes where necessary. Young v. United States, 769 F.3d 1047, 1052 (9th Cir. 2014). “Once challenged, the party asserting subject matter jurisdiction has the burden of proving its existence.” Miller v. Wright, 705 F.3d 919, 923 (9th Cir. 2013) (citing Robinson v. United States, 586 F.3d 683, 685 (9th Cir. 2009)). The Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction and the case must be dismissed if the plaintiff lacks standing under Article III of the United States Constitution. City of Oakland v. Lynch, 798 F.3d 1159, 1163 (9th Cir. 2015). To satisfy Article III standing, a plaintiff must allege: (1) an injury-in-fact that is concrete and particularized, as well as actual or imminent, not conjectural or hypothetical; (2) that is fairly traceable to the challenged action of the defendant; and (3) that is redressable by a favorable judicial decision. Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, 578 U.S. 330, 338 (2016); SmileDirectClub, Ltd. Liab. Co. v. Tippins, 31 F.4th 1110, 1117 (9th Cir. 2022). The plaintiff bears the burden of proof and must “clearly . . . allege facts demonstrating each element.” Spokeo, Inc., 578 U.S. at 338 (quoting Warth v. Seldin, 422 U.S. 490, 518 (1975)). To determine whether the plaintiff met her burden for each element of standing at the pleading stage, the Court must accept as true all material allegations of the complaint, and must construe the complaint in favor of the complaining party. Confederated Tribes & Bands of the Yakama Nation v. Yakima Cty., 963 F.3d 982, 989 (9th Cir. 2020). B. Rule 12(b)(6) Under Rule 12(b)(6), a cause of action may be dismissed where a plaintiff fails “to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). Dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6) may be based on the lack of a cognizable legal theory or on the absence of sufficient facts alleged under a cognizable legal theory. Godecke ex rel. United States v. Kinetic Concepts, Inc., 937 F.3d 1201, 1208 (9th Cir. 2019) (citing Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep’t, 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 1990)). To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion for failure to allege sufficient facts, a complaint must include a “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Compliance with this rule ensures that the defendant has “fair notice” of the claims against it. Williams v. Yamaha Motor Co., 851 F.3d 1015, 1025 (9th Cir. 2017) (citing Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). Under this standard, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter to “state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Irving Firemen’s Relief & Ret. Fund v. Uber Techs., Inc., 998 F.3d 397, 403 (9th Cir. 2021) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570). A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the alleged misconduct. Id. (citing Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009)). In reviewing a complaint under Rule 12(b)(6), all allegations of material fact are taken as true and construed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Benavidez v. Cty. of San Diego, 993 F.3d 1134, 1144 (9th Cir. 2021). But the Court is “not ‘required to accept as true allegations that contradict exhibits attached to the Complaint or matters properly subject to judicial notice, or allegations that are merely conclusory, unwarranted deductions of fact, or unreasonable inferences.’” Seven Arts Filmed Entm’t, Ltd. v. Content Media Corp. PLC, 733 F.3d 1251, 1254 (9th Cir. 2013) (quoted source omitted). Complaints

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Erasmus v. Ryan A. Dunlop, D.M.D., Inc., (E.D. Cal. 2022).

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