Luckett v. Mercury Insurance Company

District Court, D. Nevada·Decided April 11, 2023·No. 2:23-cv-00163·Unknown

Opinion

*** John Luckett, Case No. 2:23-cv-00163-RFB-VCF Plaintiff, vs. Mercury Insurance Company, et al., Defendants. APPLICATION TO PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS

( EFC NO. 4) AND COMPLAINT (ECF NO. 1-1)

Pro se plaintiff John Luckett filed a new application to proceed in forma pauperis and a proposed complaint ECF Nos. 14 and 1-1. I have reviewed his filing and now grant his IFP application. ECF No. 4. I dismiss plaintiff’s complaint without prejudice. ECF No. 1-1. I. Plaintiff’s IFP Application Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(1), a plaintiff may bring a civil action “without prepayment of fees or security thereof” if the plaintiff submits a financial affidavit that demonstrates the plaintiff “is unable to pay such fees or give security therefor.” LSR 1-1 states that an in forma pauperis application, “must include a financial affidavit disclosing the applicant’s income, assets, expenses, and liabilities.” I previously denied pro se plaintiff John Luckett’s previous application to proceed in forma pauperis (IFP) without prejudice because it was incomplete. ECF No. 3. Plaintiff states in his new long form IFP application that he lives on $1,195 from Social Security. ECF No. 4. Plaintiff states that he pays $319 for rent, $300 for food, $100 for utilities, and $60 per month for transportation. Id. I grant his application to proceed in forma pauperis. II. Plaintiff’s Complaint a. Legal Standard Since I grant plaintiff’s IFP application, I must review his complaint to determine whether the complaint is frivolous, malicious, or fails to state a plausible claim. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) provides that a complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the [plaintiff] is entitled to relief.” Rule 8 ensures that each defendant has "fair notice of what the plaintiff's claim is and the grounds upon which it rests." Dura Pharms., Inc. v. Broudo, 544 U.S. 336, 346, 125 S. Ct. 1627, 161 L. Ed. 2d 577 (2005). The Supreme Court’s decision in Ashcroft v. Iqbal states that to satisfy Rule 8’s requirements, a complaint’s allegations must Luckett “the line from conceivable to plausible.” 556 U.S. 662, 680 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 547, (2007)). Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides for dismissal of a complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. A complaint should be dismissed under Rule 12(b)(6), “if it appears beyond a doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of her claims that would entitle him to relief.” Buckey v. Los Angeles, 968 F.2d 791, 794 (9th Cir. 1992). “[A] pro se complaint, however inartfully pleaded, must be held to less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.” Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007) (quoting Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976)). If the court dismisses a complaint under § 1915(e), the plaintiff should be given leave to amend the complaint with directions as to curing its deficiencies, unless it is clear from the face of the complaint that the deficiencies could not be cured by amendment. Cato v. United States, 70 F.3d 1103, 1106 (9th Cir. 1995). "[W]hen a plaintiff files an amended complaint, '[t]he 2 amended complaint supersedes the original, the latter being treated thereafter as non-existent.'" Rhodes v. Plaintiff, 621 F.3d 1002, 1005 (9th Cir. 2010) (quoting Loux v. Rhay, 375 F.2d 55, 57 (9th Cir.1967)). An amended complaint must be "complete in itself, including exhibits, without reference to the superseded pleading." LR 15-1(a). Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, having subject-matter jurisdiction only over matters authorized by the Constitution and Congress. U.S. Const. art. III, § 2, cl. 1; e.g., Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am., 511 U.S. 375, 377, 114 S. Ct. 1673, 128 L. Ed. 2d 391 (1994). “The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of all civil actions arising under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States.” 28 U.S.C.S. § 1331. To establish subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to diversity of citizenship under § 1332(a), the party asserting jurisdiction must show: (1) complete diversity of citizenship among opposing parties and (2) an amount in controversy exceeding $75,000. 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a). Habacon v. Emerald Grande, LLC, No. 2:19-cv-00165-MMD-PAL, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 63163, at 3-4 (D. Nev. Apr. 12, 2019). b. Analysis Plaintiff brings claims for breach of contract, bad faith, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, Americans with Disabilities Act, and “defective road” against defendants Mercury Insurance Company, PHD Insurance Brokerage Inc., California Automobile Insurance Corporation, State of Nevada, State of Nevada Department of Transportation, and Does 1-50. ECF No. 1-1. Plaintiff alleges that at 3:00 AM he was in a car accident in Boulder City, Nevada. Id. He says that there was no lighting and there was no sign to warn him that highway 172 came to an end. Id. He alleges that this caused him to drive off the road into a cliff. He alleges that his car was totaled, and he was injured. Id. He alleges that his insurance company, defendants Mercury, PHD Insurance, and California Automobile Insurance (allegedly subsidiaries of Mercery and referred to collectively as the Mercery 3 defendants) paid the State of Nevada Department of Transportation almost $2,000 to fix the damaged railing but refused to pay his claim. Id. He alleges that at least a year before the accident, he asked defendant Mercury to add collision insurance back to his policy. Id. He alleges that Mercury refused and told him they did not offer that coverage anymore. Id. He alleges that he told Mercury that he was disabled, and their refusal was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Id. He alleges that the defendants the State of Nevada and State of Nevada Department of Transportation (referred to collectively as the Nevada defendants) charged him thousands for towing his car and storing it. Id. He alleges that Mercury told him to subrogate his claims with the State of Nevada, but he alleges that Mercury refused to do the paperwork for him. Id. He alleges that the Nevada defendants had a duty of care to provide safe roads with lights and signs to warn drivers that the road would end. Id. He seeks hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages which includes his hospital bills and car. Id. c. Federal Claim i. Americans with Disabilities Act Title III of the ADA prohibits places of public accommodation from discriminating against an individual "on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations[.]" 42 U.S.C. §

Luckett v. Mercury Insurance Company, (D. Nev. 2023).

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