(PS) Bruzzone v. Intel Corporation

District Court, E.D. California·Decided December 17, 2019·No. 2:18-cv-00865·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 MICHAEL A. BRUZZONE, No. 2:18-cv-0865 KJM DB PS 12 Plaintiff, 13 v. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 14 INTEL CORPORATION, 15 Defendant. 16 17 Plaintiff Michael Bruzzone is proceeding in this action pro se. This matter was referred to 18 the undersigned in accordance with Local Rule 302(c)(21) and 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). Pending 19 before the undersigned are defendants’ motions to dismiss the second amended complaint and 20 defendants’ motions to declare plaintiff a vexatious litigant. (ECF Nos. 45 & 48.) For the 21 reasons stated below, the undersigned will recommend that defendants’ motions to dismiss be 22 granted, the second amended complaint be dismissed without leave to amend, and defendants’ 23 motions to declare plaintiff a vexatious litigant be denied. 24 BACKGROUND 25 Plaintiff, proceeding pro se, commenced this action on April 10, 2018, by filing a 26 complaint and a motion to proceed in forma pauperis. (ECF Nos. 1 & 2.) The undersigned 27 granted plaintiff leave to file an amended complaint on September 28, 2018, and again on April 2, 28 //// 1 2019. (ECF No. 3 & 15.) On April 30, 2019, plaintiff filed a second amended complaint. (ECF 2 No. 17.) And on May 30, 2019, plaintiff paid the required filing fee.1 3 Although nearly impossible to decipher, the second amended complaint alleges, generally, 4 that the “[d]efendants portray[ed] Plaintiff[’s] claims [as] merit-less appear (sic) a blacklisting 5 technique on malicious slander, libel, fraud and contract interference[.]” (Sec. Am. Compl. (ECF 6 No. 17) at 6.2) On June 24, 2019, defendant Intel Corporation (“Intel”) filed a motion to dismiss 7 pursuant to Rule 12(b)(3) and Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. (ECF No. 8 26.) On June 26, 2019, defendant Intel filed a motion to declare plaintiff a vexatious litigant. 9 (ECF No. 28.) On July 19, 2019, defendant ARM, Inc., and ARM Holdings PLC, (“ARM”), also 10 filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(3) and Rule 12(b)(6), as well as a motion to 11 declare plaintiff a vexatious litigant. (ECF Nos. 34 & 35.) 12 On July 19, 2019, plaintiff filed an opposition to defendant Intel’s motion to dismiss. 13 (ECF No. 39.) Defendant Intel filed a reply on August 2, 2019. (ECF No. 42.) On August 2, 14 2019, plaintiff filed an opposition to defendant ARM’s motion to declare plaintiff a vexatious 15 litigant. (ECF No. 46.) Defendant ARM filed a reply on August 9, 2019. (ECF No. 47.) 16 Plaintiff filed a sur-reply on August 15, 2019.3 (ECF No. 49.) 17 STANDARD 18 I. Legal Standards Applicable to Motions to Dismiss Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(3) 19 Rule 12(b)(3) allows a defendant to challenge a complaint for improper venue. “Once a 20 defendant has challenged venue, the plaintiff has the burden of demonstrating that venue is proper 21 in the chosen district.” United Tactical Systems LLC v. Real Action Paintball, Inc., 108

22 1 Despite having paid the required filing fee plaintiff filed a second motion to proceed in forma 23 pauperis on July 1, 2019. (ECF No. 33.) Because plaintiff has paid the required filing fee, and because the second amended complaint is frivolous, the undersigned will recommend that 24 plaintiff’s motions to proceed in forma pauperis be denied.

25 2 Page number citations such as this one are to the page number reflected on the court’s CM/ECF system and not to page numbers assigned by the parties. 26

27 3 The filing of a sur-reply is not authorized by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or the Local Rules. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12; Local Rule 230. Nonetheless, in light of plaintiff’s pro se status, 28 the undersigned has considered plaintiff’s sur-reply in evaluating defendants’ motions. 1 F.Supp.3d 733, 751 (N.D. Cal. 2015) (citing Piedmont Label Co. v. Sun Garden Packing Co., 598 2 F.2d 491, 496 (9th Cir. 1979)). “When there are multiple parties and/or multiple claims in an 3 action, the plaintiff must establish that venue is proper as to each defendant and as to each claim.” 4 Allstar Marketing Group, LLC v. Your Store Online, LLC, 666 F.Supp.2d 1109, 1126 (C.D. Cal. 5 2009) (quotation omitted). Where an action is filed in the wrong division or district the court 6 “shall dismiss, or if it be in the interest of justice, transfer such case to any district or division in 7 which it could have been brought.” 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a). 8 II. Legal Standards Applicable to Motions to Dismiss Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) 9 The purpose of a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) is to test the legal 10 sufficiency of the complaint. N. Star Int’l v. Ariz. Corp. Comm’n, 720 F.2d 578, 581 (9th Cir. 11 1983). “Dismissal can be based on the lack of a cognizable legal theory or the absence of 12 sufficient facts alleged under a cognizable legal theory.” Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep’t, 901 13 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 1990). A plaintiff is required to allege “enough facts to state a claim to 14 relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). “A 15 claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw 16 the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. 17 Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). 18 In determining whether a complaint states a claim on which relief may be granted, the 19 court accepts as true the allegations in the complaint and construes the allegations in the light 20 most favorable to the plaintiff. Hishon v. King & Spalding, 467 U.S. 69, 73 (1984); Love v. 21 United States, 915 F.2d 1242, 1245 (9th Cir. 1989). In general, pro se complaints are held to less 22 stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers. Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 23 520-21 (1972). However, the court need not assume the truth of legal conclusions cast in the 24 form of factual allegations. United States ex rel. Chunie v. Ringrose, 788 F.2d 638, 643 n.2 (9th 25 Cir. 1986). While Rule 8(a) does not require detailed factual allegations, “it demands more than 26 an unadorned, the defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. A 27 pleading is insufficient if it offers mere “labels and conclusions” or “a formulaic recitation of the 28 elements of a cause of action.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555; see also Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 676 1 (“Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory 2 statements, do not suffice.”). Moreover, it is inappropriate to assume that the plaintiff “can prove 3 facts which it has not alleged or that the defendants have violated the . . . laws in ways that have 4 not been alleged.” Associated Gen. Contractors of Cal., Inc. v. Cal. State Council of Carpenters, 5 459 U.S. 519, 526 (1983).

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