Wild v. Gaskins

30 F. Supp. 3d 458, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17970, 2014 WL 583966
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedFebruary 12, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 4:13cv70
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 30 F. Supp. 3d 458 (Wild v. Gaskins) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wild v. Gaskins, 30 F. Supp. 3d 458, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17970, 2014 WL 583966 (E.D. Va. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

RAYMOND A. JACKSON, District Judge.

Before the Court are Defendant Barbara Gaskins’ (“Defendant”) motions to dismiss the negligence claim of Plaintiff Susan Wild (“Plaintiff’). Defendant has filed two separate motions: a Rule 12(b)(6) Motion to. Dismiss for failure to stale a claim (ECF No. 17) and a Rule 12(b)(1) Motion to Dismiss for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction (ECF No. 19). Having-carefully considered the parties’ pleadings, this matter is now ripe for disposition. For the reasons set forth herein, both Motions to Dismiss are DENIED.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Plaintiff alleges that on or about July 8, 2010. Plaintiff was a passenger aboard Defendant’s 19' Skeeter ZX (“the boat”) as it navigated along the John H. Kerr Reservoir. Am. Compl. ¶¶ 5, 18. Plaintiff claims that Defendant was negligent in her di[460]*460rection and operation of the boat by failing to properly account for two passengers and equipment, and that this negligence was the proximate cause of Plaintiffs slip and fall that resulted in Plaintiff fracturing her left leg. Am. Compl. ¶¶ 22-23.

On May 28, 2013. Plaintiff filed a complaint against Defendant, alleging tortious injury and a cause of action for general maritime negligence. Defendant responded by filing a Rule 12(b)(1) Motion to Dismiss, asserting a facial challenge that the Court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction under .admiralty and maritime law. This Court found that Plaintiff failed to establish federal maritime subject-matter jurisdiction and granted Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss without prejudice with leave for Plaintiff to amend her Compliant.

On November 26, 2013, Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint, asserting a single cause of action for negligence. The Amended Complaint alleges diversity jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1332 and asserts that substantive maritime law governs this ease. Am. Compl. ¶¶ 3, 16. The Amended Complaint contains additional factual allegations and legal arguments related to her negligence claim as well as jurisdictional and choice of law issues. On December 11, 2013,- Defendant filed her Rule 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss for failure to state a claim for a violation of a National Park Service regulation. The same day, Defendant filed a second Motion to Dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) for lack of federal admiralty and maritime subject-matter jurisdiction. Plaintiff filed responses to both motions on December 20, 2013.

II. LEGAL STANDARDS

A. Statement of a Claim

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires that, in addition to a statement of the court’s jurisdiction and a demand for relief, a complaint must contain a “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) provides for dismissal of actions that fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. “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.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (internal quotations omitted)); Francis v. Giacomelli, 588 F.3d 186, 193 (4th Cir.2009); Giarratano v. Johnson, 521 F.3d 298, 302 (4th Cir.2008). Specifically, “[a] claim has facial plausibility when the pleaded factual content allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. For purposes of a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, courts may only rely upon matters in the pleadings, including the complaint’s allegations and the documents attached as exhibits or incorporated by reference. Simons v. Montgomery Cnty. Police Officers, 762 F.2d 30, 31 (4th Cir.1985).

B. Subject-Matter Jurisdiction

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) provides for the dismissal of an action if the court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction. Unless a matter involves an area over which federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction, a plaintiff may bring suit in federal court only if the matter involves a federal question arising “under the Constitution, laws or treaties of the United States,” 28 U.S.C. § 1331, or if “the matter in controversy exceeds the sum or value of $75,000, exclusive of interests and costs, and is between citizens of different States,” 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)(1). See Pink[461]*461ley, Inc. v. City of Frederick, Md., 191 F.3d 394, 399 (4th Cir.1999) (“Federal courts are courts of limited subject matter jurisdiction, and as such there is no. presumption that the court has jurisdiction Accordingly, “before a federal court can decide the merits of a claim, the claim must invoke the jurisdiction of the court.” Miller v. Brown, 462 F.3d 312, 316 (4th Cir.2006).

In terms of diversity jurisdiction, a federal court has subject-matter jurisdiction to hear any case where the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000 and no plaintiff shares a state of citizenship with any defendant. See 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)(1). Section 1332(a) requires that all of the plaintiffs be from different states as all of the defendants, called “complete diversity.” Owen Equip. & Erection Co. v. Kroger, 437 U.S. 365, 373, 98 S.Ct. 2396, 57 L.Ed.2d 274 (1978). The second component of diversity jurisdiction is an amount in controversy that exceeds $75,000. In most instances, the good faith “sum claimed by the plaintiff controls.” JTH Tax, Inc. v. Frashier, 624 F.3d 635, 638 (4th Cir.2010) (quoting St. Paul Mercury Indem. Co. v. Red Cab Co., 303 U.S. 283, 288, 58 S.Ct. 586, 82 L.Ed. 845 (1938)).

The burden of proving subject-matter jurisdiction rests on the plaintiff. Evans v. B.F. Perkins Co., 166 F.3d 642, 646 (4th Cir.1999). To determine whether subject-matter jurisdiction exists, the reviewing court may consider evidence outside the pleadings, such as affidavits or depositions,

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Bluebook (online)
30 F. Supp. 3d 458, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17970, 2014 WL 583966, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wild-v-gaskins-vaed-2014.