Gniewkowski v. Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc.

251 F. Supp. 3d 908
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 21, 2017
Docket16cv1898; 17cv0006; 17cv0031
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 251 F. Supp. 3d 908 (Gniewkowski v. Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gniewkowski v. Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc., 251 F. Supp. 3d 908 (W.D. Pa. 2017).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Arthur J. Schwab, United States District Judge

Before the Court is a Motion for Dismissal filed by Defendant, Churchill Downs Incorporated (“Churchill”), in accordance with Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Doc. no. 45. Plaintiff filed a Brief in Opposition (doc. no. 61), and Churchill filed a Reply to the Brief in Opposition. Doc. no. 63.

Also before the Court, is a Motion for Dismissal filed by AmeriServe Financial Bank (“Ameriserve”), in accordance with Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Doc. no. 50. Plaintiff filed a Brief in Opposition (doc. no. 65), and AmeriServe filed a-Reply to the Brief in Opposition. Doc. no. 75.

These matters are now ripe for adjudication.

I. STANDARD OF REVIEW

A. Rule 12(b)(1)

A Motion to Dismiss pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1) challenges this Court’s “very power to hear the case.” See Judkins v. HT Window Fashions Corp., 514 F.Supp.2d 753, 759 (W.D. Pa. 2007) (Lancaster, J.) (quoting Mortensen v. First Fed. Sav. & Loan Ass’n, 549 F.2d 884, 891 (3d Cir. 1977)). As the party asserting jurisdiction, Plaintiff '“bears the burden of showing that its claims are properly before the district court.” Dev. Fin. Corp. v. Alpha Housing & Health Care, 54 F.3d 156, 158 (3d Cir. 1995). In reviewing a Motion to Dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), this Court must distinguish between facial attacks and factual attacks. See Petruska v. Gannon Univ., 462 F.3d 294, 302 (3d Cir. 2006).

A facial attack challenges the sufficiency of the pleadings, and the Court must accept the Plaintiff’s allegations as true. Id. A Defendant who attacks a complaint on its face “[asserts] that considering the allegations of the complaint as true, and drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of [plaintiff], the allegations of the complaint are insufficient to establish a federal cause of action.” Mullen v. Thompson, 155 F.Supp.2d 448, 451 (W.D. Pa. 2001); Dismissal is proper under Rule 12(b)(1)-only when “the claim clearly appears to be immaterial and made solely for the purpose of obtaining jurisdiction or.. .is wholly insubstantial and frivolous.” Kehr Packages, Inc. v. Fidelcor, Inc., 926 F.2d 1406, 1409 (3d Cir. 1991) (quoting Bell v. Hood, 327 U.S. 678, 682, 66 S.Ct. 773, 90 L.Ed. 939 (1946)).

When, as in this case, a Defendant launches a factual attack on subject matter jurisdiction, “no presumptive truthfulness attaches to plaintiff’s allegations, and the existence of disputed material facts will not' preclude the trial court from evaluating for itself the merits of jurisdictional claims.” Petruska, 462 F.3d at 302 (quoting Mortensen, 549 F.2d at 891). In a factual attack, this Court must weigh the evidence relating to jurisdiction, with discretion to allow affidavits, documents, and even limited evidentiary hearings. See United States ex rel. Atkinson v. Pa. Shipbuilding Co., 473 F.3d 506, 514 (3d Cir. 2007).

[911]*911B. Rule 12(b)(6)

In considering a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, Federal Courts require notice pleading, as opposed to the heightened standard of fact pleading. Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2) requires only “ ‘a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief,’ in order to- ‘give the defendant fair notice of what the... claim is and the grounds on which it rests.’ ” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 47, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957)).

Building upon the landmark United States Supreme Court decisions in Twombly and Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009), the United States Court of Appeals, for the Third Circuit explained that a District Court must undertake the following, three steps to determine, the sufficiency of a complaint:

First, the court must take note of the elements a plaintiff must plead to state a claim. Second, the court should identify allegations that, because they are no more than conclusions, are not entitled to the assumption of truth. Finally, where there are well-pleaded factual allegations, a court should assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement for relief.

Connelly v. Steel Valley Sch. Dist., 706 F.3d 209, 212 (3d Cir. 2013) (citation omitted).

The third step requires this Court to consider the specific nature of the claims presented and to determine whether the facts pled to substantiate the-claims are sufficient to show a “plausible claim for relief.” Covington v. Int’l Ass’n of Approved Basketball Officials, 710 F.3d 114, 118 (3d Cir. 2013). “While legal conclusions can provide the framework of a Complaint, they must be supported by factual allegations.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 664, 129 S.Ct. 1937.

This Court may not dismiss a Complaint merely because it appears unlikely or improbable that Plaintiff can prove the facts alleged or will ultimately prevail on the merits. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 563, n.8, 127 S.Ct. 1955. Instead, this Court must ask whether the facts alleged raise a reasonable expectation that discovery will reveal evidence of the necessary elements. Id. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955. Generally speaking, a Complaint that provides adequate facts to establish “how, when, and where” will survive a Motion to Dismiss. Fowler v. UPMC Shadyside, 578 F.3d 203, 212 (3d Cir. 2009).

In short, a Motion to Dismiss should not be granted if a party alleges facts, which could, if established at trial, entitle him/her to relief. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 563 n.8, 127 S.Ct. 1955.

II. BACKGROUND

Because the Court writes primarily for the benefit of the parties, the factual background shall be truncated. The Court assumes all facts set forth in the Complaints to be true solely for the purpose of deciding these Motions.

Plaintiffs are blind or visually impaired individuals who claim Defendants’-websites are not accessible to them in violation of the Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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Bluebook (online)
251 F. Supp. 3d 908, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gniewkowski-v-lettuce-entertain-you-enterprises-inc-pawd-2017.