Sternberg v. Warneck

District Court, D. Nevada·Decided July 18, 2024·No. 2:23-cv-01466·Unknown

Opinion

1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 2 DISTRICT OF NEVADA 3 MICHAEL C. STERNBERG, et al., Case No.: 2:23-cv-01466-APG-EJY

4 Plaintiffs Order (1) Granting Santa Clara County Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss and (2) 5 v. Referring Objection to Magistrate Judge

6 SHELLEY WARNECK, et al., [ECF Nos. 73, 147]

7 Defendants

8 Plaintiff Michael Sternberg sues 75 individuals and entities regarding events arising out 9 of a custody dispute with the mother of his children, defendant Shelley Warneck. In this order, I 10 address the motion to dismiss filed by defendants County of Santa Clara, Erica Doerr, Russell 11 Davis, Brett Moore, Jeff Rosen, Jay Boyarsky, Tracy Tefertiller, Maria Gershenovich, and Rob 12 Imobersteg (collectively, Santa Clara County Defendants). The Santa Clara County Defendants 13 argue that this court lacks personal jurisdiction over them and that the first amended complaint 14 (FAC) fails to state a claim against them. Finally, they argue that Sternberg cannot represent his 15 children in this case. Sternberg responds that the defendants are subject to personal jurisdiction 16 and that he has plausibly alleged his claims. He also contends that he should be permitted to 17 represent his children pro se. I also address in this order defendant Rosen’s objection to 18 Magistrate Judge Youchah’s order directing Rosen to pay Sternberg’s service costs. 19 The parties are familiar with the FAC’s allegations, so I repeat them here only as 20 necessary to resolve the motion to dismiss. I grant the motion to dismiss because this court lacks 21 personal jurisdiction over the Santa Clara County Defendants. I refer Rosen’s objection to 22 Magistrate Judge Youchah’s order back to Judge Youchah for consideration in light of changed 23 circumstances since she entered her order awarding service costs. 1 I. MOTION TO DISMISS (ECF No. 147) 2 “When a defendant moves to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, the plaintiff bears 3 the burden of demonstrating that the court has jurisdiction over the defendant.” Pebble Beach 4 Co. v. Caddy, 453 F.3d 1151, 1154 (9th Cir. 2006). If the motion to dismiss is based on written 5 materials rather than an evidentiary hearing, I must determine whether the plaintiff’s “pleadings

6 and affidavits make a prima facie showing of personal jurisdiction.” Schwarzenegger v. Fred 7 Martin Motor Co., 374 F.3d 797, 800 (9th Cir. 2004) (quotation omitted). In deciding whether 8 the plaintiff has met his burden, I must accept as true the complaint’s uncontroverted allegations. 9 Id. 10 “The general rule is that personal jurisdiction over a defendant is proper if it is permitted 11 by a long-arm statute and if the exercise of that jurisdiction does not violate federal due process.” 12 Pebble Beach Co., 453 F.3d at 1154. Nevada’s long-arm statute permits the exercise of 13 jurisdiction on any basis consistent with federal due process. Nev. Rev. Stat. § 14.065(1). Due 14 process requires that to exercise of personal jurisdiction over a defendant, the defendant must

15 “have certain minimum contacts with the forum state such that the maintenance of the suit does 16 not offend traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice.” Ranza v. Nike, Inc., 793 F.3d 17 1059, 1068 (9th Cir. 2015) (quotation omitted). Personal jurisdiction over a defendant may be 18 based on general or specific jurisdiction. Id. 19 A. General Personal Jurisdiction 20 If a court has general jurisdiction over a defendant, then the plaintiff may bring any claim 21 he or she has against that defendant regardless of whether the claim relates to the defendant’s 22 activities in the forum state. Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct., 592 U.S. 351, 358 23 (2021). “Because the assertion of judicial authority over a defendant is much broader in the case 1 of general jurisdiction than specific jurisdiction, a plaintiff invoking general jurisdiction must 2 meet an exacting standard for the minimum contacts required.” Ranza, 793 F.3d at 1069 3 (quotation omitted). A court may assert general jurisdiction over defendants when their 4 “affiliations with the State are so continuous and systematic as to render them essentially at 5 home in the forum State.” Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations, S.A. v. Brown, 564 U.S. 915, 919

6 (2011) (quotation omitted). “For an individual, the paradigm forum for the exercise of general 7 jurisdiction is the individual’s domicile.” Daimler AG v. Bauman, 571 U.S. 117, 137 (2014). 8 Although these are not necessarily the only means for a defendant to be subject to general 9 jurisdiction, the defendant’s contacts with the forum must be “so substantial and of such a nature 10 as to justify suit on causes of action arising from dealings entirely distinct from those activities.” 11 Id. at 137-38 (simplified). 12 Sternberg has not alleged facts showing the Santa Clara County Defendants had 13 continuous and systematic contacts with Nevada such that they may be deemed to be at home in 14 Nevada. To the contrary, his amended complaint identifies each of these defendants at a

15 California address. ECF No. 86-2 at 2-4. Sternberg’s reliance on the defendants’ potential 16 participation in an interstate compact enforcement does not suffice. Those activities would not 17 render a California county, California prosecutors and an investigator, or California sheriff 18 employees essentially at home in Nevada. Consequently, there is no basis to exercise general 19 jurisdiction over the Santa Clara County Defendants. 20 B. Specific Personal Jurisdiction 21 The Ninth Circuit has established a three-prong test for analyzing a claim of specific 22 personal jurisdiction: 23 (1) The non-resident defendant must purposefully direct his activities or consummate some transaction with the forum or resident thereof; or perform 1 some act by which he purposefully avails himself of the privilege of conducting activities in the forum, thereby invoking the benefits and protections of its laws; 2 (2) the claim must be one which arises out of or relates to the defendant’s forum- related activities; and 3 (3) the exercise of jurisdiction must comport with fair play and substantial justice, i.e. it must be reasonable. 4 5 Schwarzenegger, 374 F.3d at 802 (quotation omitted). “The plaintiff bears the burden of 6 satisfying the first two prongs of the test.” Id. If he succeeds, then the defendant must “present a 7 compelling case that the exercise of jurisdiction would not be reasonable.” Id. (quotation 8 omitted). 9 Under the first prong, “to be subject to specific jurisdiction the defendant must 10 purposefully direct its activities toward the forum state, purposefully avail itself of the privileges 11 of conducting activities there, or engage in some combination thereof.” Impossible Foods Inc. v. 12 Impossible X LLC, 80 F.4th 1079, 1088 (9th Cir. 2023) (quotation omitted). When the claims at 13 issue are torts and the defendant’s conduct “primarily occurs outside the forum state, [I] 14 generally apply the purposeful direction test and look to whether the defendant expressly aimed 15 acts at the forum state knowing that they would harm the plaintiff there.” Id.

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