Wynetta Taylor v. Alaska Airlines Incorporated

District Court, D. Arizona·Decided December 4, 2025·No. 2:24-cv-03653·Unknown

Opinion

WO

Wynetta Taylor, No. CV-24-03653-PHX-DMF

Plaintiff,

v. ORDER

Alaska Airlines Incorporated,

Defendant. This matter is before the Court on Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint (Doc. 59) and Plaintiff’s subsequently filed Motion for Leave to Amend Complaint (Doc. 65) with a proposed Third Amended Complaint (or “TAC”) attached (Doc. 65-2). Wynetta Taylor (“Plaintiff” and/or “Taylor”) is a self-represented, non-incarcerated litigant. Plaintiff and Defendant Alaska Airlines Incorporated (“Defendant”) are the only parties to this matter. In accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(c), all parties have voluntarily consented to have a United States Magistrate Judge conduct all further proceedings in this case with direct review by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals if an appeal is filed (Docs. 9, 39, 40). In the pending Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint, Defendant requests dismissal with prejudice of this action pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (“Rule”) 12(b)(1) for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted (Doc. 59). The Court provided Plaintiff the required notice of response warning (Doc. 61). Plaintiff responded in opposition to Defendant’s motion (Doc. 64), and Defendant replied (Doc. 67). Defendant’s motion to dismiss (Doc. 59) is ripe for decision. In the pending Motion for Leave to Amend Complaint, Plaintiff requests leave to amend her Second Amended Complaint (Doc. 65). Defendant responded in opposition (Doc. 66). Plaintiff has not filed a reply in support of her Motion for Leave to Amend Complaint and the time to do so has expired. Plaintiff’s Motion for Leave to Amend Complaint (Doc. 65) is ripe for decision. Upon careful review of the record in this matter and applicable law, the Court will grant in part as set forth herein Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 59) and will deny Plaintiff’s Motion for Leave to Amend Complaint (Doc. 65). This is Plaintiff’s second action against Defendant in this Court arising out of Plaintiff’s previous employment relationship with Defendant. The first action by Plaintiff against Defendant was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court on March 1, 2022, and removed to this Court by Defendant on June 6, 2022. Notice of Removal at 1, Taylor v. Alaska Airlines Inc., No. CV-22-00982-DWL (D. Ariz. dismissed July 29, 2022) (Doc. 1). In the Notice of Removal, Defendant asserted that the action was removable under 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a) because “Plaintiff is a citizen and resident of the State of Arizona,” “Alaska’s principal place of business is in Washington,” and the “amount in controversy is at least $300,000.” Notice of Removal at 2-3 ¶¶ 4-9, Taylor, No. CV-22-00982-DWL (Doc. 1). After Defendant moved to dismiss that action, Plaintiff filed an amended complaint, mooting the motion to dismiss. Motion to Dismiss, Taylor, No. CV-22-00982-DWL (Doc. 9); Amended Complaint, Taylor, No. CV-22-00982-DWL (Doc. 17) (alleging violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other violations of state and federal law); Order, Taylor, No. CV-22- 00982-DWL (Doc. 18). Thereafter, Defendant moved to dismiss the amended complaint. Motion to Dismiss, Taylor, No. CV-22-00982-DWL (Docs. 19, 20). In July 2022 and before decision on the second motion to dismiss, the parties stipulated to dismissal of the action; the Court dismissed the action without prejudice. Stipulation at 1, Taylor, No. CV- 22-00982-DWL (Doc. 21); Order at 1, Taylor, No. CV-22-00982-DWL (Doc. 22). On December 20, 2024, Plaintiff again sued Defendant, filing a complaint in this Court (“Complaint”) (Doc. 1) and applying to proceed in forma pauperis (“Application”) (Doc. 2). The Court granted Plaintiff’s Application and conducted its initial screening of the Complaint (Doc. 10). In doing so, the Court noted that “the statutory sections referenced by Plaintiff may not all apply” but nevertheless allowed the Complaint to proceed to service (Id. at 2).1 On January 3, 2025, Plaintiff filed a First Amended Complaint (Doc. 12). Defendant moved to dismiss the First Amended Complaint arguing that the Court lacked subject matter jurisdiction and that Plaintiff failed to state a claim for which relief can be granted (Doc. 28; see also Docs. 29, 30, 31). Plaintiff was warned by the Court of the need for Plaintiff to timely respond to the motion (Doc. 32). After the motion was fully briefed (see Docs. 51, 52, 53), the Court granted Defendant’s motion in part finding that Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted and dismissing the First Amended Complaint with leave to amend (Doc. 54). In the Order, the Court noted:

Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint “cites to a litany of state and federal statutes,” includes statutes that do not provide a private right of action, is deficient as to factual allegations, and fails to link factual allegations to particular claims (Docs. 28, 53). While Defendant makes germane points in its motion to dismiss and supporting documents as well as in its reply in support thereof, the Court is not convinced that Plaintiff should be denied an opportunity at this stage in this lawsuit to file a legally compliant amended complaint. Indeed, Plaintiff’s response demonstrates that Plaintiff is capable of setting forth legal claims and asserted bases therefor even though she has not done so in her First Amended Complaint (Doc. 12). Moreover, decision on the merits is premature. Therefore, the Court will grant Plaintiff an

1 The screening does not preclude consideration of a later filed motion to dismiss. See Coleman v. Maldnado, 564 F. App'x 893, 894 (9th Cir. 2014) (finding a district court may properly grant a motion to dismiss despite a prior screening order allowing a complaint to proceed to service). opportunity to cure deficiencies in of her First Amended Complaint, including setting forth specific factual bases for claim Plaintiff pursues in her Second Amended Complaint. Defendant’s motion to dismiss and reply put Plaintiff on notice regarding numerous deficiencies of Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint. (Doc. 54 at 4 (footnotes omitted)). The Court further instructed Plaintiff that:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Wynetta Taylor v. Alaska Airlines Incorporated, (D. Ariz. 2025).

Wynetta Taylor v. Alaska Airlines Incorporated (Wynetta Taylor v. Alaska Airlines Incorporated) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Hertz Corp. v. Friend
559 U.S. 77 (Supreme Court, 2010)
Foman v. Davis
371 U.S. 178 (Supreme Court, 1962)
Haines v. Kerner
404 U.S. 519 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Cort v. Ash
422 U.S. 66 (Supreme Court, 1975)
Owen Equipment & Erection Co. v. Kroger
437 U.S. 365 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Ruhrgas Ag v. Marathon Oil Co.
526 U.S. 574 (Supreme Court, 1999)
Pliler v. Ford
542 U.S. 225 (Supreme Court, 2004)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Hebbe v. Pliler
627 F.3d 338 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
Gordon v. City of Oakland
627 F.3d 1092 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
United States v. Newell
658 F.3d 1 (First Circuit, 2011)
United States v. Corinthian Colleges
655 F.3d 984 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)
Bonanno v. Thomas
309 F.2d 320 (Ninth Circuit, 1962)
United States v. Hiram Webb
655 F.2d 977 (Ninth Circuit, 1981)
Ivey v. Board of Regents of University of Alaska
673 F.2d 266 (Second Circuit, 1982)
Solomon Lew v. Stanton Moss and Harlean Moss
797 F.2d 747 (Ninth Circuit, 1986)
Noll v. Carlson
809 F.2d 1446 (Ninth Circuit, 1987)