Simpson v. California Pizza Kitchen, Inc.

989 F. Supp. 2d 1015, 2013 WL 5718479, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153846
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedOctober 1, 2013
DocketCase No. 13-cv-164 JLS (JMA)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 989 F. Supp. 2d 1015 (Simpson v. California Pizza Kitchen, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simpson v. California Pizza Kitchen, Inc., 989 F. Supp. 2d 1015, 2013 WL 5718479, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153846 (S.D. Cal. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING WITHOUT PREJUDICE DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS PLAINTIFF’S AMENDED COMPLAINT

JANIS L. SAMMARTINO, District Judge.

Presently before the Court is Defendants California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. and Nestlé USA, Ine.’s (“Defendants”) motion to dismiss Plaintiffs amended complaint (Mot. to Dismiss (“MTD”), ECF No. 20.) Also before the Court are Plaintiff Katie Simpson’s (“Plaintiff’) response in opposition to Defendants’ MTD (Resp. in Opp’n to MTD, ECF No. 26) and Defendants’ reply in support of their MTD (Reply in Supp. of (“ISO”) MTD, ECF'No. 29). The hearing set for June 6, 2013 was vacated and the matter taken under submission without oral argument pursuant to Civil Local Rule 7.1.d.l. Having considered the parties’ arguments and the law, the Court GRANTS Defendants’ motion and DISMISSES the FAC WITHOUT PREJUDICE.

BACKGROUND

On January 21, 2013, Plaintiff filed’ a class action against Defendants, alleging claims of public nuisance and unfair and unlawful business practices premised upon Defendants’ use of artificial trans fatty acids (“TFAs”) — specifically, partially hydrogenated vegetable' óil (“PHVO”) — in certain of their frozen' pizza products (“Contested Pizzas”) when safer alternatives are available. (Compl. at ¶3, ECF No. 1.) PHVO “is manufactured via an industrial process called partial hydrogenation, in which hydrogen atoms are added to normal vegetable oil by heating the oil to temperatures above 400 degrees Fahrenheit in the presence of ion donor catalyst metals such as rhodium, ruthenium, and nickel.” (First Am. Compl. (“FAC”) at ¶ 12, ECF No. 13.) Plaintiff alleges that there is “ ‘no safe level’ of artificial trans fat intake” (Id. at ¶ 3), and that consumption of TFAs increases the likelihood of developing certain illnesses and health risks, including cardiovascular disease (Id. at ¶¶ 30-40); type-2 diabetes (Id. at ¶¶ 41-45); breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer (Id. at ¶¶ 46-51); Alzheimer’s Disease (Id. at ¶¶ 52-56); and damage to the vital or-, gans (Id. at ¶ 57).

Defendants moved to dismiss the complaint. (First MTD, ECF No. 11). On March 26, 2013, Plaintiff amended her complaint to assert the additional claim of breach of the implied warranty of mer[1020]*1020chantability. (FAC, ECF No. 13.) On April 12, 2013, Defendants filed the present motion.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

I. Rule 12(b)(1)

Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, and as such have an obligation to dismiss claims for which they lack subject-matter jurisdiction. Demurest v. United States, 718 F.2d 964, 965 (9th Cir.1983). Because the issue of standing pertains to the subject-matter jurisdiction of a federal court, motions raising lack of standing are properly brought under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1). White v. Lee, 227 F.3d 1214, 1242 (9th Cir.2000). The plaintiff bears the burden of establishing he has standing to bring the claims asserted. Takhar v. Kessler, 76 F.3d 995, 1000 (9th Cir.1996); see also In re Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Antitrust Litig., 546 F.3d 981, 984 (9th Cir.2008) (“The party asserting jurisdiction bears the burden of establishing subject matter jurisdiction on a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.”).

Rule 12(b)(1) motions may challenge jurisdiction facially or factually. Safe Air for Everyone v. Meyer, 373 F.3d 1035, 1039 (9th Cir.2004). “In a facial attack, the challenger asserts that the allegations contained in a complaint are insufficient on their face to invoke federal jurisdiction. By contrast, in a factual attack, the challenger disputes the truth of the allegations that, by themselves, would otherwise invoke federal jurisdiction.” Id. Here, Defendants’ challenge is facial because it disputes whether Plaintiff has alleged harm sufficiently particularized to confer Article III standing. To adjudicate this facial challenge, the Court, will assume the truth of Plaintiffs factual allegations, and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of Plaintiff. Whisnant v. United States, 400 F.3d 1177, 1179 (9th Cir.2005); Safe Air for Everyone, 373 F.3d at 1039.

II. Rule 12(b)(6)

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) permits a party to raise by motion the defense that the complaint “fail[s] to state a claim upon which relief can be granted,” generally referred to as a motion to dismiss. The Court evaluates whether a complaint states a cognizable legal theory and sufficient facts in light of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a), which requires a “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Although Rule 8 “does not require ‘detailed factual allegations,’ ... it [does] demand[] more than an unadorned, the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). In other words, “a plaintiffs obligation to provide the ‘grounds’ of his ‘entitle[ment] to relief requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955 (citing Papasan v. Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 286, 106 S.Ct. 2932, 92 L.Ed.2d 209 (1986)). “Nor does a complaint suffice if it tenders ‘naked assertion[s]’ devoid of ‘further factual enhancement.’ ” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 557, 127 S.Ct. 1955).

“To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Id. (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955); see also Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). A claim is facially plausible when the facts [1021]*1021pled “allow[ ] the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955). That is not to say that the claim must be probable, but there must be “more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Id. Facts “ ‘merely consistent with’ a defendant’s liability” fall short of a plausible entitlement to relief. Id. (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 557, 127 S.Ct. 1955). Further, the Court need not accept as true “legal conclusions” contained in the complaint. Id. at 678-79,129 S.Ct. 1937.

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989 F. Supp. 2d 1015, 2013 WL 5718479, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 153846, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simpson-v-california-pizza-kitchen-inc-casd-2013.