Rodriguez v. St. Luke's Hospital

CourtDistrict Court, D. Idaho
DecidedMay 7, 2025
Docket1:24-cv-00159
StatusUnknown

This text of Rodriguez v. St. Luke's Hospital (Rodriguez v. St. Luke's Hospital) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Idaho primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rodriguez v. St. Luke's Hospital, (D. Idaho 2025).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF IDAHO

DIEGO RODRIGUEZ, individually; LEVI ANDERSON, individually; Case No. 1:24-cv-00159-DCN MARISSA ANDERSON, individually; and MIRANDA CHAVOYA, MEMORANDUM DECISION AND individually, ORDER

Plaintiffs,

v.

ST. LUKE’S HOSPITAL, a corporation1; IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND WELFARE, a corporation; DAVE JEPPESEN, an individual; TRACY JUNGMAN, an individual; ROXANNE PRINTZ, an individual; CITY OF MERIDIAN, a municipal corporation; KELSEY JOHNSTON, an individual; JEFF FULLER, an individual; STEVEN HANSEN, an individual; SEAN KING, an individual; KENNETH CAYGLE, an individual; CHRISTOPHER MCGILVERY, an individual; CHIEF TRACY BASTERRECHEA, an individual; and DOES I-X, inclusive, unknown parties,

Defendants.

1 “St. Luke’s Hospital, a corporation” is a nonexistent entity. Plaintiffs ostensibly intended to sue either St. Luke’s Health System, Ltd. or St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, Ltd. Dkt. 9-1, at 1 n. 1. I. INTRODUCTION

Before the Court are: (1) Defendants St. Luke’s Hospital and Tracy Jungman’s (collectively, “St. Luke’s Defendants”) Motion to Dismiss for Insufficient Service of Process (Dkt. 9); (2) Defendants City of Meridian, Kelsey Johnston, Jeff Fuller, Steven Hansen, Sean King, Kenneth Caygle, Christopher McGilvery, and Tracy Basterrechea’s (collectively, “Meridian Defendants”) Motion for Joinder to the St. Luke’s Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (Dkt. 14); (3) Defendants Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Dave Jeppesen, and Roxanne Printz’s (collectively, “State Defendants”) Motion to Dismiss

for Insufficient Service of Process (Dkt. 16); and (4) Plaintiff Diego Rodriguez’s Motion to Extend Time to Respond to the Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss (Dkt. 18), Motion to Extend Time to Effectuate Service (Dkt. 19), and Motion to Allow E-Filing and Notification Via Email (Dkt. 20). Having reviewed the record and pending motions, the Court finds the facts and legal

arguments are adequately presented. Accordingly, in the interest of avoiding further delay, and because the Court conclusively finds the decisional process would not be significantly aided by oral argument, the Court decides the pending motions on the record and without oral argument. Dist. Idaho Loc. Civ. R. 7.1(d)(1)(B). For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants each of the Defendants’ Motions

to Dismiss, denies Rodriguez’s Motion to Extend Time to Respond and Motion to Extend Time to Effectuate Service, and moots Rodriguez’s Motion to Allow E-Filing and Notification Via Email. II. BACKGROUND More than one year ago, on March 8, 2024, Plaintiffs Diego Rodriguez, Levi Anderson, Marissa Anderson, and Miranda Chavoya (collectively, “Plaintiffs”) filed the

instant suit in the Middle District of Florida, alleging multiple claims against the Defendants arising out of a traffic stop in Idaho.2 Dkt. 1. Plaintiffs apparently moved to Florida after the incident and sought to prosecute their claims in the Middle District of Florida (hereinafter “Florida Court”). Id. On March 11, 2024, the Florida Court sua sponte issued an Order to Show Cause requiring Plaintiffs to establish why their case should not

be dismissed or transferred for lack of venue. Dkt. 4. Although Plaintiffs responded to the Florida Court’s Order to Show Cause, Plaintiffs did not dispute that the events giving rise to this action occurred in Idaho, or that Defendants are residents or citizens of Idaho. Dkt. 5. The Florida Court accordingly held a Florida venue was improper and transferred the case to the District of Idaho pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a). Dkt. 6. The case was docketed

in this Court on March 27, 2024. Dkt. 7. Nearly four months after the case was transferred to this Court, Plaintiffs had neither obtained summonses, nor attempted to serve any of the Defendants. As such, the St. Luke’s Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss for Insufficient Service of Process on July 17, 2024. Dkt. 9. On July 26, 2024, the Meridian Defendants filed a Motion for Joinder to the St.

2 Plaintiffs suggest a traffic stop did not occur, and that Defendants instead “hunted” Plaintiffs “down and even illegally tracked” Plaintiffs “using a Constitutionally banned cell phone ‘pin,’” and then detained Plaintiffs “so that their child could be forcefully kidnapped and used as a tool of political retaliation against Plaintiffs.’” Dkt. 5, at 2. For purposes of the instant Order, the Court uses the term “traffic stop” solely for ease of reference. The Court has not made any legal determination regarding the nature of the incident at issue. Luke’s Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss for Insufficient Service of Process. Dkt. 14. The State Defendants filed their own Motion to Dismiss for Insufficient Service of Process on August 15, 2024. Dkt. 16.

Instead of attempting to effectuate service on any of the Defendants, Plaintiff Diego Rodriquez3 belatedly filed a Motion for Extension of Time to Respond to Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss (Dkt. 18), and a Motion for Extension of Time to Effectuate Service (Dkt. 19), on August 23, 2024.4 On the same day, Rodriguez also filed a Motion to Allow E-Filing and Notification Via Email. Dkt. 20. Although Defendants opposed Rodriguez’s

Motions (Dkts. 22, 23, 24, 25), neither Rodriguez, nor any of the other plaintiffs, replied. On March 11, 2024, Plaintiffs Levi Anderson (“Levi”) and Marissa Anderson (“Marissa”) filed a separate lawsuit in the District of Idaho, arising out of the same incident, and against most of the Defendants named in this case. See Anderson et al. v. Idaho Department of Health & Welfare et al. 1:24-cv-00138-DCN (hereinafter “Anderson”). Dkt.

3 All four Plaintiffs are representing themselves pro se in this matter, and they each signed their Complaint. Dkt. 1. However, only Diego Rodriguez filed and signed his Motion to Extend Time to Respond to Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss, Motion to Effectuate Service, and Motion to Allow E-filing and Notification via Email. Dkts. 18–20. Rodriguez suggests he brought his Motion to Extend Time and Motion to Effectuate Service on behalf of “Plaintiffs Diego Rodriguez et al.” Dkt. 18, at 1; Dkt. 19, at 1. Yet, as a pro se plaintiff, Rodriguez “has no authority to prosecute an action in federal court on behalf of others than himself.” Stoner v. Santa Clara Cnty. Office of Educ., 502 F.3d 1116, 1126 (9th Cir. 2007). The Court accordingly considers Rodriguez’s three pending Motions as raised solely on his own behalf, and not on behalf of the other three pro se plaintiffs.

4 Plaintiffs’ deadlines to respond to the St. Luke’s Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss and Meridian Defendants’ Motion for Joinder to the St. Luke’s Defendants Motion to Dismiss were, respectively, August 7, 2024, and August 16, 2024. Although Plaintiffs’ deadline for responding the State Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss was not until September 5, 2024, none of the Plaintiffs have ever substantively responded to the three pending Motions to Dismiss. 1.5 In response to various Motions to Dismiss in Anderson, Levi and Marissa6 agreed that many of the claims alleged here and in Anderson are duplicative, and represented that they intended to dismiss the instant case. Id., Dkt. 21, at 2. Despite this representation, a notice

of dismissal has not been filed in the instant case. II. LEGAL STANDARDS 1. Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss for Insufficient Service (Dkts. 9, 14, 16) Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure

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