Central District of California denies remand of a Chevrolet Silverado lemon-law case, holding that civil penalties for an alleged willful Song-Beverly violation count toward the federal amount-in-controversy requirement and that the manufacturer need not prove willfulness to invoke that calculation.
Judge Anne Hwang sua sponte remanded a Mercedes-Benz lemon-law case after finding the defendant’s actual-damages calculation ignored the new January 2025 statutory offsets under Cal. Civ. Code § 871.27 and the conclusory willfulness allegation could not support adding $124,012 in civil penalti
Central District of California denies remand of a Song-Beverly lemon-law case, holding that a state-court civil case cover sheet checking a damages box is not an “initial pleading” or “other paper” that starts the 30-day removal clock.
Central District of California remands a putative wage-and-hour class action, holding that an employer’s speculative estimate of the named plaintiff’s attorneys’ fees cannot satisfy the $75,000 federal amount-in-controversy requirement.
Central District of California denies a federal prisoner’s petition to be transported approximately 1,500 miles to testify in person at a private Texas civil trial, finding the cost and security burdens outweigh the benefits.
Magistrate Judge Stephanie S. Christensen remanded a car-accident case to Los Angeles Superior Court after The Hertz Corporation — the only out-of-state defendant whose removal had created federal jurisdiction — was dismissed, leaving only California citizens and destroying complete diversity.
Judge Hernán D. Vera remanded a music-rights case to Los Angeles Superior Court after Pardis Music dropped its federal copyright infringement claims (which it could not pursue federally because it lacked a registered copyright under 17 U.S.C. § 411(a)), eliminating federal-question jurisdiction.
Judge Christina Snyder awarded $247,897 in attorneys’ fees and $4,037 in costs to plaintiffs after a $1.6 million fraud verdict against former Baldwin Park City Attorney Tafoya, but declined to apply any lodestar multiplier — finding the legal issues were not extraordinary, counsel displayed o
Judge Percy Anderson denied remand of a FedEx wage-and-hour class action, holding CAFA’s minimal diversity and $5 million amount-in-controversy thresholds were both established by conservative assumptions and workforce evidence. The court rejected plaintiff’s Sonner argument because the
Judge Dale S. Fischer remanded a FEHA whistleblower-retaliation suit against U.S. Bank, holding that Bogaski’s self-serving denial declaration could not establish fraudulent joinder where the plaintiff could possibly amend to allege the FEHA aiding-and-abetting elements (knowledge plus substan