Vashisht-Rota v. Reyes

• Court: Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• Decided: May 28, 2025
• Docket: 24-7171
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS MAY 28 2025 MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

APARNA VASHISHT-ROTA, an No. 24-7171 individual; pro se allowed to efile, D.C. No. 3:22-cv-00978-AGS-KSC Plaintiff - Appellant, MEMORANDUM* v.

Hon. Gen. SEAN D. REYES, Utah Attorney General, an individual, and Utah Attorney General in his official capacities; et al.

Defendants - Appellees,

and

STATE OF UTAH, et al.,

Defendants.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of California Andrew George Schopler, District Judge, Presiding

Submitted May 21, 2025**

Before: SILVERMAN, LEE, and VANDYKE, Circuit Judges.

* This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3. ** The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2). Aparna Vashisht-Rota appeals pro se from the district court’s judgment

dismissing her action alleging various federal and state law claims arising out of

Utah state court proceedings. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We

review de novo a dismissal under Fed. R. Civ. P 12(b)(2) for lack of personal

jurisdiction. Axiom Foods, Inc. v. Acerchem Int’l, Inc., 874 F.3d 1064, 1067 (9th

Cir. 2017). We affirm.

The district court properly dismissed Vashisht-Rota’s action for lack of

personal jurisdiction because Vashisht-Rota failed to allege facts sufficient to

establish that defendants had such continuous and systematic contacts with

California as to establish general personal jurisdiction, or sufficient claim-related

contacts with California to provide the court with specific personal jurisdiction

over defendants. See Williams v. Yamaha Motor Co., 851 F.3d 1015, 1020-25 (9th

Cir. 2017) (discussing requirements for general and specific personal jurisdiction);

see also Walden v. Fiore, 571 U.S. 277, 290 (2014) (“[M]ere injury to a forum

resident is not a sufficient connection to the forum.”).

The district court did not abuse its discretion by denying Vashisht-Rota’s

motion for leave to amend the complaint or by dismissing without further leave to

amend because amendment would be futile. See Cervantes v. Countrywide Home

Loans, Inc., 656 F.3d 1034, 1041 (9th Cir. 2011) (setting forth standard of review

and explaining that dismissal without leave to amend is proper when amendment

2 24-7171 would be futile).

All pending motions and requests are denied.

AFFIRMED.

3 24-7171