Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_06-cv-02533/USCOURTS-casd-3_06-cv-02533-6/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 710
Nature of Suit: Fair Labor Standards Act
Cause of Action: 29:201 Fair Labor Standards Act

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1 06CV 2533 BEN (AJB) 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

CONNIE DIBEL, BELINDA HAGEN, 

and VANESSA BROWN, individually 

and on behalf of others similarly 

situated, 

 Plaintiff, 

 v. 

JENNY CRAIG, INC., JENNY CRAIG 

INTERNATIONAL, INC.; JENNY 

CRAIG MANAGEMENT, INC.; 

JENNY CRAIG OPERATIONS, INC.; 

JENNY CRAIG PRODUCTS, INC.; 

JENNY CRAIG WEIGHT LOSS 

CENTRES, INC.; and DOES 1 through 

50, inclusive, 

 Defendants. 

CASE NO. 06CV 2533 BEN (AJB) 

ORDER: (1) DENYING PLAINTIFFS’ 

MOTION FOR A TEMPORARY 

RESTRAINING ORDER AND 

PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION; 

(2) STAYING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION 

FOR CLASS ACTION CERTIFICATION; 

(3) DENYING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION 

TO STRIKE; AND (4) DENYING 

DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR AN 

ORDER SHORTENING TIME ON 

MOTION TO STRIKE [D.E. 47, 51, 82, 83]

Courtroom: 3 

Judge: Roger T. Benitez 

Trial Date: None Set 

I. INTRODUCTION 

Plaintiffs move for conditional certification of a proposed nationwide Fair Labor 

Standards Act (“FLSA “) class, based on a claim for unpaid wages arising from alleged 

off-the-clock work. (Doc. No. 47). Plaintiffs also move for a Temporary Restraining 

Order and Order to Show Cause Regarding Preliminary Injunction to enjoin Defendants 

from litigating or pursuing settlement of putative class members’ FLSA claims in any 

action in state court. (Doc. No. 51). After consideration of the briefs and arguments of 

Case 3:06-cv-02533-JLS-AJB Document 93 Filed 08/10/07 Page 1 of 4
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counsel, and all other matters presented to the Court, the Court finds as follows: 

II. PLAINTIFFS’ MOTIONS FOR A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER AND 

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE REGARDING PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION ARE 

DENIED

Plaintiffs seek to enjoin Defendants from litigating or pursuing settlement of 

putative class members’ FLSA claims in any action in state court. The state court action to 

which Plaintiffs’ motion is primarily directed is the Cleaves, et al. v. Jenny Craig, et al.

class action pending in the Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC354904. That action 

was filed on June 30, 2006, three months prior to the present action, and involves a 

variety of wage claims, all of which were brought pursuant to California state law. 

The state court granted preliminary approval to a class settlement in the Cleaves

action on July 10, 2007; and in doing so, the state court conditionally certified two 

settlement classes and ordered that notices of the proposed settlement be mailed to 

members of the settlement classes. One of the two settlement classes in the Cleaves

action also includes all of the putative class members in this action who worked in the 

state of California. Notices of the proposed settlement were mailed on July 30, 2007.1

 

The Cleaves court has scheduled a final approval hearing on October 23, 2007. 

Plaintiffs urge this Court to issue an injunction to prohibit Jenny Craig from 

proceeding with the Cleaves settlement, arguing that absent such an injunction, members 

of the putative class in this action who worked in California, and who are also members of 

one or more of the settlement classes in the Cleaves class action, will be irreparably 

harmed because: (1) the Cleaves settlement releases FLSA claims on an opt-out basis; (2) 

the Cleaves settlement is collusive and unfair to the class members; and (3) the Cleaves

settlement improperly enjoins class members from filing consents to joinder in this action. 

 

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 The notice gives the class members a choice. They can: (1) file a claim form and receive a 

settlement payment; (2) do nothing; or (3) file a request for exclusion (“opt-out”) from the 

settlement. 

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Without addressing the merits of Plaintiffs’ arguments, the Court notes that 

Plaintiffs’ attorneys, as representatives of a group of “objectors” in the Cleaves state court 

action, have already raised, briefed, and argued each of these issues in the state court. 

More specifically, Plaintiffs’ counsel appeared ex parte and argued against the 

preliminary approval of the Cleaves settlement on July 9 and July 10, 2007. 

Notwithstanding the two separate appearances and the numerous arguments raised by 

Plaintiffs’ counsel, the state court granted preliminary approval of the Cleaves settlement. 

The Cleaves court found that the settlement was fair, reasonable, and the result of armslength negotiation. There is no reason for this Court to second guess the state court 

judge’s decision; nor do the principles of equity, comity, and federalism encourage this 

Court to do so. 

The doctrine of abstention established in Younger v. Harris, 401 U.S. 37 (1971), 

requires that a federal court not interfere with an ongoing state judicial proceeding such as 

the Cleaves action. Younger abstention is a “circumscribed exception to mandatory 

federal jurisdiction,” which applies when there is a pending state proceeding that 

implicates important state interests and provides the federal plaintiff with an opportunity 

to raise federal claims. Baffert v. California Horse Racing Bd., 332 F.3d 613, 617 (9th 

Cir. 2003). 

Accordingly, Plaintiffs’ Motions for a Temporary Restraining Order and Order to 

Show Cause Regarding Preliminary Injunction against the Jenny Craig defendants are 

DENIED pursuant to the principles enunciated in Younger. 

III. PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR FLSA CLASS CERTIFICATION IS STAYED 

Plaintiffs also move for conditional certification of their proposed nationwide 

FLSA class, based on a claim for unpaid wages arising from alleged off-the-clock work. 

In the interests of judicial economy and orderly disposition of this case, as well as the 

direct correlation with the abstention principles discussed above, the Court orders that 

Plaintiffs’ Motion for FLSA Class Certification and all further proceedings be temporarily 

stayed until October 24, 2007, to allow resolution of the final approval hearing scheduled 

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for October 23, 2007, in the Cleaves action. The trial court has the inherent authority to 

control its own docket and calendar, including the issuance of stays when appropriate. 

See Landis v. North American Co., 299 U.S. 248, 254 (1936). The parties are ordered to 

submit a Joint Status Update Report to this Court, no later than October 26, 2007, 

explaining the status and disposition of the Cleaves action. A courtesy copy of this update 

should be submitted to Chambers, no later than October 26, 2007. Upon receipt of the 

update, the Court shall, if necessary, issue an order setting a supplemental briefing 

schedule regarding Plaintiffs’ Motion for FLSA Class Certification. 

IV. DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO STRIKE AND DEFENDANTS’ MOTION 

FOR AN ORDER SHORTENING TIME ARE DENIED AS MOOT 

The Court finds it unnecessary to address Defendants’ Motion to Strike or 

Defendants’ Motion for an Order Shortening Time, in light of the Court’s decision to stay 

Plaintiffs’ Motion for FLSA Class Certification. Therefore, both motions are denied as 

moot. (Doc. Nos. 82, 83). 

V. CONCLUSION 

For the reasons stated above: (1) Plaintiffs’ Motion for a Temporary Restraining 

Order and Order to Show Cause Regarding Preliminary Injunction (Doc. No. 51) against 

the Jenny Craig defendants is DENIED; (2) Plaintiffs’ Motion for FLSA Class 

Certification (Doc. No. 47) is STAYED; (3) Defendants’ Motion to Strike (Doc. No. 82) 

is DENIED as moot; and (4) Defendants’ Motion for an Order Shortening Time (Doc. 

No. 83) is DENIED as moot. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: August 10, 2007 

 HON. ROGER T. BENITEZ 

 UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 

Case 3:06-cv-02533-JLS-AJB Document 93 Filed 08/10/07 Page 4 of 4