Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_09-cv-01028/USCOURTS-casd-3_09-cv-01028-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal

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09cv1028

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

WARREN L. BURINGTON; SANDRA

BURINGTON,

Plaintiffs,

v.

T.D. SERVICE COMPANY; et. al.,

Defendants.

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Civil No. 09cv1028 L(NLS)

ORDER DENYING AS MOOT

MOTION TO DISMISS AND TO

STRIKE ALLEGATIONS WITHOUT

PREJUDICE [doc. #7] and DENYING

PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR

LEAVE TO FILE A FIRST

AMENDED COMPLAINT AS MOOT

[doc. #13]

Defendant Bank of America, N.A. and T.D. Service Company filed a motion to dismiss

the complaint and to strike certain allegations from the complaint. [doc. #7]. Rather than address

defendants’ motion, plaintiffs filed motions for leave to file a first amended complaint and to

remand the action. 

A party may amend its pleading once as a matter of course before being served with a

responsive pleading. FED. R. CIV. PROC. 15(a)(1)(A). A motion such as a motion to dismiss or a

motion to strike is not a pleading, and therefore not a responsive pleading, as the term is used in

the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. FED. R. CIV. PROC. 7(a); see Crum v. Circus Circus

Enters., 231 F.3d 1129, 1130 n.3 (9th Cir. 2000). Accordingly, plaintiffs were able to file their

first amended complaint without seeking leave of court. See id.

An amended complaint supersedes a prior complaint as a pleading. Forsyth v. Humana,

Inc., 114 F.3d 1467, 1474 (9th Cir. 1997). A district court may treat as moot a pending motion

Case 3:09-cv-01028-L-NLS Document 16 Filed 07/20/09 Page 1 of 2
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to dismiss when an amended pleading is filed. See William W. Schwarzer et al., FED. CIV.

PROC. BEFORE TRIAL ¶ 9:262 (2009). 

Accordingly, defendants’ motion to dismiss and to strike allegations are DENIED AS

MOOT AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE. Plaintiffs’ motion for leave to file a first amended

complaint is DENIED AS MOOT. Plaintiffs’ shall file their amended complaint within three

days of the filing of this Order. Defendants shall file a response to the first amended complaint

within the time provided in Rule 15(a)(3). Plaintiffs’ motion to remand [doc. #14] remains set

for hearing on September 14, 2009 at 10:30 a.m.

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

DATED: July 20, 2009

M. James Lorenz

United States District Court Judge

COPY TO: 

HON. NITA L. STORMES

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

ALL PARTIES/COUNSEL

Case 3:09-cv-01028-L-NLS Document 16 Filed 07/20/09 Page 2 of 2