Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_11-cv-02396/USCOURTS-azd-2_11-cv-02396-1/pdf.json

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

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WO

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Chuks Odigwe, 

Plaintiff,

v.

National Mentor Healthcare LLC, et al.,

Defendants. 

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No. CV-11-2396-PHX-SMM (BSB)

ORDER

This case is on appeal at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. (See Ninth Circuit Court

of Appeals Docket No. 13-17067.) Plaintiff is appealing judgment in favor of Defendants and

terminating his complaint. (Docs. 148, 149.) Generally, the filing of a notice of appeal

divests the district court of jurisdiction over the matters appealed. See Gould v. Mut. Life Ins.

Co. of New York, 790 F.2d 769, 772 (9th Cir. 1986). However, an appeal from the merits

does not foreclose an award of attorney’s fees by the district court. See Masalosalo by

Masalosalo v. Stonewall Ins. Co., 718 F.2d 955, 956 (9th Cir. 1983).

Subsequent to Magistrate Judge Mark Aspey’s final ruling and Plaintiff’s notice of

appeal, Defendants moved for attorney’s fees and expenses. (Doc. 153.) Even though Judge

Aspey recognized that recusal will result in a sixth judge being assigned to this matter, Judge

Aspey recused himself from further proceedings when, without a factual basis, Plaintiff

accused him of misconduct. (Docs. 157, 158.) Magistrate Judge Bridget Bade was assigned

to handle the matter. (Doc. 158.) Plaintiff then moved to rescind his consent to magistrate

judge jurisdiction. (Doc. 159.) 

Pending before the Court is Judge Bade’s Report and Recommendation

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recommending that Plaintiff’s motion rescinding consent for a Magistrate Judge to preside

over this case be denied. (Doc. 160.) Plaintiff objects to the Report and Recommendation.

(Doc. 161.) After considering the Report and Recommendation and the arguments raised in

Plaintiff’s Objection, the Court will deny Plaintiff’s objection and affirm Judge Bade’s

Report and Recommendation.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

When reviewing a Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation, this Court “shall

make a de novo determination of those portions of the report . . . to which objection is made,”

and “may accept, reject, or modify, in whole or in part, the findings or recommendations

made by the magistrate judge.” 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(C); see Thomas v. Arn, 474 U.S. 140,

149-50 (1985); see also Wang v. Masaitis, 416 F.3d 992, 1000 n.13 (9th Cir. 2005). To the

extent that no objection has been made, arguments to the contrary have been waived. Fed.

R. Civ. P. 72; see 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1) (objections are waived if they are not filed within

fourteen days of service of the Report and Recommendation).

DISCUSSION

Plaintiff objects to Magistrate Judge Bade’s Report and Recommendation which

recommended that Plaintiff’s motion rescinding consent for a Magistrate Judge to preside

over this case be denied. (Doc. 161.) Plaintiff’s reasons for rescinding consent focus on his

contention that Judge Aspey’s rulings were partial toward the Defendants. (Id.) Plaintiff

also objected to Judge Voss’s handling of the merits of his complaint again along partiality

grounds. (Id.)

As previously noted, the merits of Plaintiff’s case will be reviewed and decided by the

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The only part of Plaintiff’s case that remains before Judge

Bade is Defendants’ motion for attorney’s fees. Plaintiff seeks to rescind consent for

Magistrate Judge Bade to rule on this motion. Judge Bade conducted a thorough review of

the matter setting forth the legal standard for vacating consent requiring that Plaintiff

establish extraordinary circumstances. See Dixon v. Ylst, 990 F.2d 478, 480 (9th Cir. 1993).

Judge Bade found that Plaintiff’s dissatisfaction with the Magistrate Judge’s rulings did not

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constitute an extraordinary circumstance and therefore did not rescind his consent. 

Having reviewed the legal conclusions of the Report and Recommendation of the

Magistrate Judge, and Plaintiff’s objections, the Court finds that the Magistrate Judge

adequately addressed all of Plaintiff’s arguments. Therefore, the Court will approve,

incorporate and adopt the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation.

CONCLUSION

For the reasons set forth above,

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED approving, incorporating, and adopting the Report and

Recommendation of Magistrate Judge Bridget Bade. (Doc. 160.)

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED denying Plaintiff’s Objection to Magistrate Judge’s

Report and Recommendation. (Doc. 161.) 

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED denying Plaintiff’s motion to rescind consent for a

Magistrate Judge to Preside over this case. (Doc. 159.)

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of Court forward a copy of this Order

to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

DATED this 1st day of May, 2014.

Case 2:11-cv-02396-BSB Document 162 Filed 05/02/14 Page 3 of 3