Johnson v. Supakam Corp.

District Court, N.D. California·Decided March 11, 2022·No. 5:21-cv-04122·Unknown

Opinion

SCOTT JOHNSON, Case No. 21-cv-04122-BLF

Plaintiff, ORDER DENYING MOTION TO v. DISMISS

SUPAKAM CORP., [Re: ECF No. 19] Defendant.

Before the Court is Supakam Corp.’s (“Supakam”) Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff Scott Johnson’s Americans with Disability Act and California Unruh Act claims under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6). Supakam owns a Togo’s restaurant in San Jose, California that Mr. Johnson allegedly visited on three separate occasions in March and April 2021 to find that the restaurant did not have a wheelchair-accessible outdoor table. See Complaint, ECF No. 1 ¶¶ 8–14. Mr. Johnson, who is a C-5 quadriplegic who uses a wheelchair for mobility, sued Supakam for failure to reasonably accommodate his disability under (1) the ADA, 42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq and (2) California’s Unruh Act, Cal. Civ. Code §§ 51–53. See id. ¶¶ 1, 22–33. Mr. Johnson seeks an injunction compelling Supakam to comply with the ADA and Unruh Act, equitable nominal damages under the ADA, statutory damages under the Unruh Act, and attorneys’ fees and costs. See id. at 7. On October 12, 2021, Supakam moved to dismiss, arguing that this Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over Mr. Johnson’s claims due to mootness and lack of standing under Rule 12(b)(1), as well as various pleading defects under Rule 12(b)(6). Based on the below reasoning, the Court DENIES Supakam’s Motion. Hill Rd. in San Jose, California (the “Restaurant”) in March and April 2021. See Complaint, ECF No. 1 ¶¶ 2–3. Mr. Johnson is a California resident. See id. ¶ 1. Mr. Johnson cannot walk and uses a wheelchair for mobility. See id. Mr. Johnson alleges that he visited the Restaurant once in March 2021 and twice in April 2021 with the intention to avail himself of its goods or services. See id. ¶ 9. Mr. Johnson alleges that on the dates he visited the Restaurant, Supakam failed to provide wheelchair accessible outside dining surfaces in conformance with the ADA Standards. See id. ¶ 10. Mr. Johnson alleges that the Restaurant’s outside dining surfaces lacked sufficient knee or toe clearance for wheelchair users. See id. ¶ 12. Mr. Johnson further alleges that such barriers are easily removed without much difficulty or expense, and numerous alternative accommodations are available. See id. ¶ 19. Mr. Johnson alleges that he will return to the Restaurant to avail himself of its goods once it is represented to him that the Restaurant and its facilities are accessible. See id. ¶ 20. Mr. Johnson brings claims against Supakam for violations of the ADA and California’s Unruh Act. See id. ¶¶ 22–33. On October 12, 2021, Supakam filed a motion to dismiss Mr. Johnson’s claims under Rule 12(b)(1) for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and under Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. Supakam argues that to the extent its Rule 12(b)(1) motion is intertwined with the merits of Mr. Johnson’s claims, it should be treated as a motion for summary judgment under Rule 56. See Motion, ECF No. 19 at 3–5. First, Supakam argues that Mr. Johnson’s ADA claim should be dismissed as moot under Rule 12(b)(1), because Supakam has implemented policies preventing the alleged violations from recurring. See Motion, ECF No. 19 at 5–7. Supakam presents declarations from its representative Amith Chalasani, who is responsible for ADA compliance and operations of the Restaurant, and California Certified Access Specialist (“CASp”) Kelly Bray. See Chalasani Decl., ECF No. 19-4; Bray Decl., ECF No. 19-6; Chalasani Reply Decl., ECF No. 23-3. Supakam argues that the evidence indicates it had an ADA table and a policy for placing it outside each day at the time of Mr. Johnson’s visits; it has an ADA policy that its employees have reviewed; it has posted a checklist at each day; and there is a contract for Mr. Bray to inspect the premises for ADA compliance annually or biannually over three years. See Motion, ECF No. 19 at 5–7. Second, Supakam argues that Mr. Johnson’s Unruh Act claim should be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, since the evidence indicates that the alleged violation resulted from an employee’s temporary mistake, so the Court lacks standing under the de minimis doctrine. See id. at 9–11. Third, Supakam raises two arguments that the Court interprets under Rule 12(b)(6)— specifically, Supakam argues that (1) Mr. Johnson’s ADA claim should be dismissed based on his conclusory allegations regarding Supakam’s failure to make reasonable modifications to its policies or practices and (2) Mr. Johnson is only entitled to recover under the Unruh Act for one of his three visits based on his failure to mitigate his damages. See id. at 7–8. Fourth, Supakam argues that the Court should decline to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over Mr. Johnson’s Unruh Act claim. See id. at 8 n.3. In response, Mr. Johnson argues that Supakam’s Rule 12(b)(1) motion is intertwined with the merits of his claims and cannot be resolved at this stage, and converting Supakam’s motion to a summary judgment motion is premature. See Opposition, ECF No. 21 at 3–4 & n.1. Further, Mr. Johnson argues that there are multiple fact issues that prevent the Court from granting Supakam’s motion at this stage, including how the Restaurant’s employees failed to place the ADA-compliant table outside despite Supakam’s policy and when Supakam implemented its ADA Policies and Procedures. See id. at 5. Further, Mr. Johnson argues that Supakam has failed to establish that the alleged violations will not recur. See id. at 6–8. Additionally, Mr. Johnson argues that the Court should exercise supplemental jurisdiction over his Unruh Act claim, regardless of whether the ADA claim remains. See id. at 8–9. A. Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction – Rule 12(b)(1) and Rule 12(h)(3) A party may challenge the Court’s subject matter jurisdiction by bringing a motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1). A jurisdictional challenge may be facial or factual. Safe Air for Everyone v. Meyer, 373 F.3d 1035, 1039 (9th Cir. 2004). Where the attack is facial, the Court determines whether the allegations contained in the complaint are sufficient on their face to invoke federal jurisdiction, accepting all material allegations in the complaint as true and construing them in favor of the party asserting jurisdiction. Id.; see also Warth v. Seldin, 422 U.S. 490, 501 (1975). Where the attack is factual like in the present case, however, “the court need not presume the truthfulness of the plaintiff’s allegations.” Safe Air for Everyone, 373 F.3d at 1039. In resolving a factual dispute as to the existence of subject matter jurisdiction, the Court may review extrinsic evidence beyond the complaint without converting a motion to dismiss into one for summary judgment. Id. Once the moving party has made a factual challenge by offering affidavits or other evidence to dispute the allegations in the complaint, the party opposing the motion must “present affidavits or any other evidence necessary to satisfy its burden of establishing that the court, in fact, possesses subject matter jurisdiction.” St. Clair v. City of Chico, 880 F.2d 199, 201 (9th Cir. 1989); see also Savage v. Glendale Union High Sch. Dist. No. 205, 343 F.3d 1036, 1040 n.2 (9th Cir. 2003). Dismissal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction is “exceptional” in federal qu

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Johnson v. Supakam Corp., (N.D. Cal. 2022).

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