Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_16-cv-07244/USCOURTS-cand-3_16-cv-07244-15/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 370
Nature of Suit: Other Fraud
Cause of Action: 15:2301 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MONTEVILLE SLOAN, et al.,

Plaintiffs,

v.

GENERAL MOTORS LLC,

Defendant.

Case No. 16-cv-07244-EMC 

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S 

MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION 

AND DISMISSING THE CLAIMS OF 

ADDITIONAL PLAINTIFFS

Docket No. 221

I. INTRODUCTION

Defendant General Motors (“GM” or “Defendant”) moves the Court for reconsideration of 

its order from February 7, 2018, specifically on the question “whether the Court has personal 

jurisdiction over the five out-of-state plaintiffs added in the second amended complaint.” Motion 

for Reconsideration (“Mot.”) at 1, Docket No. 221. Those five out-of-state Plaintiffs are Illinois 

Plaintiffs Edwin and Katelyn Doepel, New York Plaintiff Dennis Vita, Oregon Plaintiff William 

Martell, and Washington Plaintiff Kelly Harris. Id. at 2. The motion stems from the Court’s 

December 5, 2019 order, dismissing the claims of the Ohio Plaintiff for lack of personal 

jurisdiction. At the hearing regarding dismissal of those claims, the Court contemplated that, were 

it to conclude that it lacked personal jurisdiction as to the claims of the Ohio Plaintiff, it would 

likely need to reconsider personal jurisdiction as to the claims of the five plaintiffs added in the 

Second Amended Complaint. See Transcript of Proceedings from September 12, 2019 

(“Transcript”) at 17:1–16, Docket No. 197. GM now seeks reconsideration of that issue, in light 

of the Court’s order from December 5, 2019. 

Case 3:16-cv-07244-EMC Document 235 Filed 02/11/20 Page 1 of 5
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II. BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs filed a Second Amended Complaint (“SAC”) in this case on August 31, 2017. 

See Docket No. 67. That SAC added five new Plaintiffs: Illinois Plaintiffs Edwin and Katelyn 

Doepel, New York Plaintiff Dennis Vita, Oregon Plaintiff William Martell, and Washington 

Plaintiff Kelly Harris. Id. GM filed a Motion to Dismiss the Second Amended Complaint, 

arguing—among other things—that the Court lacked personal jurisdiction over the claims of nonCalifornia Plaintiffs, including the newly added Plaintiffs from Illinois, New York, Oregon, and 

Washington. See Docket No. 70. On February 7, 2018, after extensive supplemental briefing, the 

Court issued an order granting in part and denying in part that motion. See Docket No. 99. In that 

order, the Court concluded that the existence of federal question jurisdiction precluded the 

application of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California, 137 S. Ct. 1773 (2017); 

the Court therefore found it proper to exercise pendent personal jurisdiction over the claims of the 

newly added non-California Plaintiffs. Id. 

In July 2019, Plaintiffs filed a Fifth Amended Complaint, which added a Plaintiff from 

Ohio. See Docket No. 157. GM moved to dismiss the claims of the Ohio Plaintiff for lack of 

personal jurisdiction. See Docket No. 158. On December 5, 2019, the Court dismissed the claims 

of the Ohio Plaintiff on the grounds that it lacked personal jurisdiction over those claims. See

Docket No. 195 (“5AC Order”). In so doing, the Court noted first that “there is no federal 

question furnishing federal question jurisdiction as it relates to Plaintiff Szep’s claims.” 5AC 

Order at 11. Federal question jurisdiction had not been pled by Plaintiffs, and the Ohio Plaintiff 

had no viable Magnuson Moss Warranty Act claim (which might otherwise furnish a basis for 

federal question jurisdiction). Id. Next, the Court observed that “nearly every court considering 

the issue has concluded pendent party jurisdiction cannot be exercised by a federal court sitting in 

diversity.” Id. at 14. Because pendent party jurisdiction was the sole basis for personal 

jurisdiction advanced by Plaintiffs, the Court concluded that because it would be inappropriate to 

exercise pendent party jurisdiction, the Court lacked personal jurisdiction over the claims of the 

Ohio Plaintiff. See id. at 14–16.

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As noted above, at the hearing regarding GM’s Motion to Dismiss the claims of the Ohio 

Plaintiff, the Court contemplated the possibility that, should it conclude it lacked personal 

jurisdiction as to the claims of the Ohio Plaintiff, GM would likely request that the Court 

reconsider the existence of personal jurisdiction as to the claims of the five plaintiffs added in the 

Second Amended Complaint. See Transcript at 17:1–16. On December 23, 2019, GM filed such 

a motion. See Docket No. 200. On December 24, 2020, the Court granted GM’s Motion for 

Leave to File a Motion for Reconsideration. See Docket No. 208. Also pending before the Court 

are Plaintiff’s Motion for Class Certification, see Docket No. 175, Defendant’s Motion for Partial 

Summary Judgment, see Docket No. 184, and Defendant’s Motion to Exclude Certain Expert 

Testimony, see Docket No. 201. 

III. DISCUSSION

Plaintiffs effectively concede that—in light of the Court’s order dismissing the claims of 

the Ohio Plaintiff—the claims of Illinois Plaintiffs Edwin and Katelyn Doepel, Oregon Plaintiff 

William Martell, and Washington Plaintiff Kelly Harris should be dismissed for lack of personal 

jurisdiction.1 See Plaintiffs’ Opposition to General Motors’ Motion for Reconsideration (“Opp.”) 

at 1, 1 n.1, Docket No. 232. However, Plaintiffs contend that New York Plaintiff Dennis Vita has 

a valid claim under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which raises a federal question that 

“permits this Court to exercise pendent personal jurisdiction over Plaintiff Vita’s claims

notwithstanding Bristol-Myers.” Id. at 1. Thus, Plaintiffs argue that “GM’s Motion should, at 

minimum, be denied with respect to Plaintiff Vita.” Id. at 3. 

According to the MMWA statute, for cases filed in federal district courts where the action 

is a class action, no claim shall be cognizable if “the number of named plaintiffs is less than one 

1 Plaintiffs specifically state: “The other SAC Plaintiffs have also pled MMWA claims but only 

for the purpose of preserving them for appeal in light of this Court’s previous orders dismissing 

their express and implied warranty claims. See Docket No. 157 at 63 nn.40–41, 189 n.45. 

Plaintiffs respectfully submit that, for the reasons discussed in Plaintiffs’ briefing with respect to 

GM’s motion to dismiss Mr. Szep’s claims, this court nonetheless may exercise personal 

jurisdiction over these Plaintiffs’ claims, see Docket Nos. 161, 179, but recognize that this Court 

has already ruled otherwise.” Opp. at 1 n.1. 

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hundred.” 15 U.S.C. § 2310(d). Plaintiffs here do not meet that requirement.2

To be sure, some courts interpreting this provision “have held that the requirement is 

satisfied when plaintiffs properly invoke jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act 

(‘CAFA’). These cases hold that where the party invoking federal jurisdiction is able to meet his 

or her burden of proving jurisdiction under CAFA, the absence of at least one hundred named 

plaintiffs does not prevent the plaintiff from asserting claims under the Magnuson–Moss Warranty 

Act.” Keegan v. Am. Honda Motor Co., 838 F. Supp. 2d 929, 954 (C.D. Cal. 2012); see also

Morgan v. Apple Inc., No. 17-CV-05277-RS, 2018 WL 2234537, at *8 (N.D. Cal. May 16, 2018) 

(citing Keegan, 838 F. Supp. 2d at 954) (“While Apple initially argues that plaintiffs’ MMWA 

claims fail for the separate reason that they lack at least 100 named plaintiffs, the MMWA’s 

requirements are satisfied as plaintiffs have invoked jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness 

Act.”). On the other hand, other courts have rejected that jurisdictional analysis. See MacDougall 

v. Am. Honda Motor Co., No. SACV1701079AGDFMX, 2017 WL 8236359, at *4 (C.D. Cal. 

Dec. 4, 2017) (“Plaintiffs’ argument that the Court can exercise jurisdiction over their MagnusonMoss Act claim through CAFA is nonsensical. CAFA—a basis for federal courts to exercise 

jurisdiction over state law disputes between diverse parties—doesn’t fill in the gaps for missing 

substantive requirements of a federal law.”); Floyd v. Am. Honda Motor Co., No. 2:17-CV-08744-

SVW-AS, 2018 WL 6118582, at *3 (C.D. Cal. June 13, 2018) (“this Court declines to follow 

Keegan and similar cases and instead follows MacDougall in requiring Plaintiffs to meet the 

jurisdictional standards and pleading standards imposed by both CAFA and MMWA”). 

Irrespective of the divide on the general question of jurisdiction, Plaintiffs contend that his 

MMWA claim, asserted via CAFA jurisdiction, establishes the existence of federal question

jurisdiction,

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and that this permits pendent personal jurisdiction. Opp. at 5. 

2 Although Plaintiff Vita brings his MMWA count individually and on behalf of a class, Section 

2310 provides: “No claim shall be cognizable in a suit brought [in federal district court] . . . if the 

action is brought as a class action, and the number of named plaintiffs is less than one hundred.” 

15 U.S.C. § 2310(d)(3) (emphasis added). Thus, it appears that whether the claim is cognizable 

turns on whether the suit is a class action; the suit herein is a class action.

3 As the Court noted in its order dismissing the claims of the Ohio Plaintiff, claims brought under 

the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act confer federal question jurisdiction. See 5AC Order (citing 

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Plaintiffs’ argument is unpersuasive. Plaintiffs have only pled diversity jurisdiction. This 

is consistent with the fact that CAFA constituted an expansion of diversity jurisdiction; it does not, 

on its own, purport to establish federal question jurisdiction. Indeed, several courts have 

recognized the distinction between diversity jurisdiction under CAFA and federal question 

jurisdiction furnished by MMWA claims. See, e.g., Chavis v. Fid. Warranty Servs., Inc., 415 F. 

Supp. 2d 620, 627 (D.S.C. 2006) (discussing the fact that “the Report and Recommendation 

acknowledges that where the federal question jurisdictional requirements in the M/M Act (15 

U.S.C. § 2310(d)(3)(B)) are not satisfied, diversity jurisdiction as set forth in 28 U.S.C. § 1332 

may still be appropriate to retain federal jurisdiction over Magnusson–Moss claims” (emphasis 

added)); Haslam v. Lefta, Inc., No. 93 C 4311, 1994 WL 117463, at *2 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 25, 1994) 

(“For substantially the same reasons set forth in Wetzel, this Court finds that diversity jurisdiction 

is limited solely by the requirements set forth in § 1332, and not by the federal question 

jurisdictional requirements in the MMWA § 2310(d)(3)(B).” (emphasis added)). Consequently, 

even if Plaintiff Vita is able to assert a viable MMWA claim in this case by virtue of CAFA, that 

claim would not furnish federal question jurisdiction. Accordingly, it is not a basis, under current 

law, to distinguish Bristol-Myers.

IV. CONCLUSION

Accordingly, the Court GRANTS Defendants’ Motion for Reconsideration and 

DISMISSES the claims of Plaintiffs Edwin and Katelyn Doepel, Dennis Vita, William Martell, 

and Kelly Harris.

This order disposes of Docket No. 221. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: February 11, 2020

______________________________________

EDWARD M. CHEN

United States District Judge

Arutunian v. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, No. CV186806DMGRAOX, 2018 WL 6617636, at *3 

(C.D. Cal. Dec. 17, 2018) (“the Court has federal question jurisdiction over Plaintiff’s MMWA 

claims”); Luna v. BMW of N. Am., LLC, No. 317CV02067BENKSC, 2018 WL 2328365, at *4 

(S.D. Cal. May 22, 2018) (“the Court has federal question jurisdiction over the MMWA claim”)). 

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