(PS) Harrell v. Elizabeth E. Ferguson Revocable Living Trust

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedDecember 5, 2019
Docket2:17-cv-02693
StatusUnknown

This text of (PS) Harrell v. Elizabeth E. Ferguson Revocable Living Trust ((PS) Harrell v. Elizabeth E. Ferguson Revocable Living Trust) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
(PS) Harrell v. Elizabeth E. Ferguson Revocable Living Trust, (E.D. Cal. 2019).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 PETER T. HARRELL, No. 2:17-cv-2693 TLN DB PS 12 Plaintiff, 13 v. ORDER 14 ELIZABETH F. FERGUSON REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST, et al., 15 16 Defendants. 17 18 Plaintiff Pater Harrell is proceeding in this action pro se. This matter was referred to the 19 undersigned in accordance with Local Rule 302(c)(21) and 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). Pending 20 before the court are plaintiff’s motion to dismiss, plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction, 21 and plaintiff’s motions to strike.1 (ECF Nos. 34, 35, 40, and 50.) For the reasons stated below, 22 plaintiff’s motion to dismiss is granted, defendants are granted leave to file a second amended 23

24 1 Plaintiff has also filed a request for interdistrict transfer of this action to the Redding Division. (ECF No. 33.) Therein, plaintiff asserts that plaintiff “relied on past policies and procedures of 25 this Court to initially assign matters arising from Siskiyou County to the Redding division[.]” (Id. at 1.) Plaintiff appears to be referring to Appendix A of the Local Rules subsection (L) which 26 provides that a civil action will “be directly assigned to the Magistrate Judge sitting in Redding” 27 when the plaintiff is from Siskiyou County. Plaintiff here, however, is not from Siskiyou County. Moreover, as noted by defendants, Local Rule 120(f) requires that plaintiff’s request be brought 28 in the form of a properly noticed motion. 1 answer and counterclaim, and plaintiff’s motions to strike and motion for preliminary injunction 2 are denied. 3 BACKGROUND 4 Plaintiff, proceeding pro se, commenced this action on December 26, 2017, by filing a 5 complaint and motion to proceed in forma pauperis. (ECF Nos. 1 & 2.) The complaint alleges 6 that defendants Darlene Little, Elizabeth E. Ferguson, and the Elizabeth E. Ferguson Revocable 7 Living Trust, (“the Trust”), abandoned the property at 404 Henley Hornbrook Road, Hornbrook, 8 CA, (“subject property”), “since at least August 1, 2006[.]” (Compl. (ECF No. 1) at 2.2) Plaintiff 9 “has openly, continuously, notoriously, uninterruptedly, and in a manner hostile to the holders of 10 title thereto,” occupied the subject property “since at least May of 2011[.]” (Id.) “In late 2015,” 11 plaintiff filed a declaration of adverse position and “paid the taxes for that property on November 12 19, 2015.” (Id. at 3.) Defendants then “aided the Siskiyou County Treasure/Tax Collector’s 13 office to wrongfully cancel Plaintiff’s tax payment o the subject property.” (Id.) Based on these 14 allegations the complaint asserts state law claims for prescriptive easement, nuisance, negligence, 15 and the negligent infliction of emotional distress. (Id. at 6-7.) 16 On September 4, 2018, the previously assigned Magistrate Judge granted plaintiff’s 17 motion to proceed in forma pauperis and ordered service on the defendants.3 (ECF No. 5.) 18 Defendants filed an answer and counterclaim on December 3, 2018. (ECF No. 9.) On February 19 4, 2019, defendants filed an amended answer and counterclaim. (ECF No. 24.) 20 On March 13, 2019, plaintiff filed a motion to dismiss the counterclaim pursuant to Rules 21 12(b)(6) and 12(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. (ECF No. 34.) Plaintiff also filed a 22 motion to strike the affirmative allegations and defenses in the amended answer. (ECF No. 35.) 23 On April 12, 2019, plaintiff filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. (ECF No. 40.) On May 24 21, 2019, defendants filed oppositions to plaintiff’s motion to dismiss and motion to strike. (ECF 25

2 Page number citations such as this one are to the page number reflected on the court’s CM/ECF 26 system and not to page numbers assigned by the parties. 27 3 This matter was reassigned from the previously assigned Magistrate Judge to the undersigned on 28 December 14, 2018. (ECF No. 13.) 1 Nos. 42 & 44.) On May 30, 2019, plaintiff filed a motion to strike portions of a declaration 2 offered in support of defendant’s opposition. (ECF No. 50.) That same day plaintiff filed a reply 3 to defendants’ opposition to plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunction. (ECF No. 51.) 4 On June 3, 2019, plaintiff’s motion to dismiss, motions to strike, and motion for 5 preliminary injunction were taken under submission. (ECF No. 53.) On June 3, 2019, plaintiff 6 filed replies to defendants’ oppositions. (ECF Nos. 54 & 55.) On June 4, 2019, defendants filed 7 an objection to evidence submitted in connection with plaintiff’s reply to the motion for 8 preliminary injunction. (ECF No. 56.) 9 STANDARDS 10 I. Legal Standards Applicable to Motions to Dismiss Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) 11 “A motion to dismiss a counterclaim brought under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12 12(b)(6) is evaluated under the same standard as a motion to dismiss a plaintiff’s complaint.” 13 Oracle America, Inc. v. CedarCrestone, Inc., 938 F.Supp.2d 895, 900 (N.D. Cal. 2013). The 14 purpose of a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 15 is to test the legal sufficiency of the complaint. N. Star Int’l v. Ariz. Corp. Comm’n, 720 F.2d 16 578, 581 (9th Cir. 1983). “Dismissal can be based on the lack of a cognizable legal theory or the 17 absence of sufficient facts alleged under a cognizable legal theory.” Balistreri v. Pacifica Police 18 Dep’t, 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 1990). A plaintiff is required to allege “enough facts to state a 19 claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 20 (2007). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that 21 allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct 22 alleged.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). 23 In determining whether a complaint states a claim on which relief may be granted, the 24 court accepts as true the allegations in the complaint and construes the allegations in the light 25 most favorable to the plaintiff. Hishon v. King & Spalding, 467 U.S. 69, 73 (1984); Love v. 26 United States, 915 F.2d 1242, 1245 (9th Cir. 1989). In general, pro se complaints are held to less 27 stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers. Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 28 520-21 (1972). However, the court need not assume the truth of legal conclusions cast in the 1 form of factual allegations. United States ex rel. Chunie v. Ringrose, 788 F.2d 638, 643 n.2 (9th 2 Cir. 1986). 3 While Rule 8(a) does not require detailed factual allegations, “it demands more than an 4 unadorned, the defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. A 5 pleading is insufficient if it offers mere “labels and conclusions” or “a formulaic recitation of the 6 elements of a cause of action.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555; see also Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 676 7 (“Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory 8 statements, do not suffice.”). Moreover, it is inappropriate to assume that the plaintiff “can prove 9 facts which it has not alleged or that the defendants have violated the . . .

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(PS) Harrell v. Elizabeth E. Ferguson Revocable Living Trust, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ps-harrell-v-elizabeth-e-ferguson-revocable-living-trust-caed-2019.