Jefferies v. District of Columbia

924 F. Supp. 2d 126, 2013 WL 602456, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21981
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Jefferies v. District of Columbia. Read the opinion of the Court — 917 F. Supp. 2d 10
District Court, District of Columbia·Decided February 19, 2013·No. Civil Action No. 2011-1159·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

ROYCE C. LAMBERTH, Chief Judge.

Plaintiff originally filed this action in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. See Compl., Mar. 30, 2011, ECF No. 1-1. Upon notice by the District of Columbia, this case was removed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. See Notice of Removal, June 26, 2011, ECF No. 1. As asserted in the Notice of Removal:

The grounds for removal is that the Complaint asserts, inter alia, causes of action “founded on a claim or right arising under the Constitution, treatises or laws of the United States” which are removable without regard to the citizenship or residence of the parties. See 28 U.S.C. § 1441(b). The complaint as whole implicates a number of federal agencies and alleges violations of federal law in the District of Columbia.

Id. at 4. After the case was removed to federal court, pursuant to unopposed motions to dismiss many federal and municipal agencies were dismissed with prejudice. See ECF Docket Entries 8, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21.

On January 7, 2013, this Court ruled on the District of Columbia and Police Chief Cathy Lanier’s Motion to Dismiss. Mem. Op., Jan. 7, 2013, ECF No. 33; Order, Jan. 7, 2013, ECF No. 32. The Court dismissed all claims against Chief Lanier in her official capacity with prejudice, and all claims against Chief Lanier in her individual capacity without prejudice and with leave to amend the complaint. Order 1, ECF No. 32. The Court dismissed the plaintiffs request for punitive damages without prejudice and with leave to amend the complaint. Id. The Court

denied defendant District of Columbia’s Motion to Dismiss as to plaintiffs claims under Count Two, Count Three, and Count Fourteen that arise from the following factual allegation made in ¶ 42 of plaintiffs Complaint, Mar. 30, 2011, ECF No. 1-1: “[T]he ambulance driver closest to the scene that would have had the most impact on saving lives of the critically injured African American youths of Wards 7 and 8 was the last to arrive. Instead of dispatching to the scene when it first received the emergency call, the ambulance operators chose to run personal errands.”

Id. at 2. As to all other claims against the District of Columbia, the Court either denied them with prejudice, or without preju *128 dice and with leave to amend the complaint. The Court granted the plaintiff leave to amend her complaint within thirty days of the date of the Order.

Those thirty days elapsed on February 7, 2013. The plaintiff has not filed an amended complaint, or requested from this Court additional time in order to file an amended complaint. Therefore, the Court shall DISMISS WITH PREJUDICE all plaintiffs claims against Cathy Lanier, the plaintiffs request for punitive damages from the District, the plaintiffs claims under Counts One, Four, Six, and Seven, and the plaintiffs claims under Counts Two, Three, and Fourteen that do not relate to the alleged affirmative negligence of the ambulance driver closest to the scene (as described in ¶ 42 of plaintiffs Complaint).

When combined with the claims the Court previously dismissed with prejudice, the only claims that remain against the District of Columbia are:

plaintiffs claims under Count Two, Count Three, and Count Fourteen that arise from the following factual allegation made in ¶ 42 of plaintiffs Complaint, Mar. 30, 2011, ECF No. 1-1: “[T]he ambulance driver closest to the scene that would have had the most impact on saving lives of the critically injured African American youths of Wards 7 and 8 was the last to arrive. Instead of dispatching to the scene when it first received the emergency call, the ambulance operators chose to run personal errands.”

Id. Count Two is for “Wrongful Death, Survival, and Loss of Consortium,” Compl. ¶¶ 57-68; Count Three is for “Gross Negligence and Negligence,” id. ¶¶ 69-82; Count Fourteen is for “Intentional Inflection of Emotional Distress,” id. ¶¶ 129-30. These are all District of Columbia common law causes of action, and do not substantially implicate federal law or the Constitution. There is no diversity between the parties or other basis for original federal jurisdiction.

The key question—whether the alleged conduct constitutes “affirmative negligence” by emergency personnel for which the District can be liable in tort—is one of D.C. common law. See, e.g., Johnson v. District of Columbia, 580 A.2d 140, 142-43 (D.C.1990). For plaintiffs claims to be viable under such an affirmative negligence theory, it might require an expansion or refinement of the current doctrine. Compare Hines v. District of Columbia, 580 A.2d 133, 138-40 (D.C.1990) (public duty doctrine bars suit against District for actions in connection with dispatch and provision of emergency ambulatory care); Wanzer v. District of Columbia, 580 A.2d 127, 132 (D.C.1990) (“A one-time call to 911 for help does not establish a special relationship.”); with Johnson, 580 A.2d at 142-43 (District can liable for affirmative negligence of its emergency personnel whose actions worsened plaintiffs injuries); Weeda v. District of Columbia, 521 A.2d 1156, 1158-61 (D.C.1987) (D.C. could be held liable for negligent acts of emergency personnel in administering emergency medical care; public duty doctrine not raised).

When there are no federal issues remaining, and the only remaining issues touch on developing areas of D.C. common law, it is appropriate for the Court to refuse to exercise supplemental jurisdiction and to remand those claims to Superi- or Court. See, e.g., 28 U.S.C. § 1367(c)(1), (3)(“The district courts may decline to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over a claim ... if (1) the claim raises a novel or complex issue of State law, ... [or] (3) the district court has dismissed all claims over which it has original jurisdiction^]”); Carnegie-Mellon Univ. v. Cohill, 484 U.S. 343, *129 350 n. 7, 108 S.Ct. 614, 98 L.Ed.2d 720 (1988) (“[I]n the usual case in which all federal-law claims are dismissed before trial, the balance of factors to be considered under the pendent jurisdiction doctrine —judicial economy, convenience, fairness, and comity — will point toward declining to exercise jurisdiction over the remaining state-law claims.”); Alraee v. Board of Trustees of Univ. of Dist. of Columbia,

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Jefferies v. District of Columbia, 924 F. Supp. 2d 126, 2013 WL 602456, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21981 (D.D.C. 2013).

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Related

Carnegie-Mellon University v. Cohill
484 U.S. 343 (Supreme Court, 1988)
Johnson v. District of Columbia
580 A.2d 140 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1990)
Hines v. District of Columbia
580 A.2d 133 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1990)
Wanzer v. District of Columbia
580 A.2d 127 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1990)
Weeda v. District of Columbia
521 A.2d 1156 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, 1987)