Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-01790/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-cv-01790-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Chuck Koch
Defendant
MOAB Investment Group, LLP
Plaintiff

Document Text:

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MOAB INVESTMENT GROUP, LLP,

Plaintiff,

v.

CHUCK KOCH,

Defendant.

Case No. 15-cv-01790-MEJ 

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

On April 21, 2015, Defendant Chuck Koch removed this unlawful detainer action from 

San Mateo County Superior Court. However, an unlawful detainer action does not arise under 

federal law but is purely a creature of California law. Wells Fargo Bank v. Lapeen, 2011 WL 

2194117, at *3 (N.D. Cal. June 6, 2011); Wescom Credit Union v. Dudley, 2010 WL 4916578, at 

*2 (C.D. Cal. Nov. 22, 2010). Thus, it appears that jurisdiction is lacking and the case should be 

remanded to state court. Accordingly, the Court ORDERS Defendant to show cause why this case 

should not be remanded to the San Mateo County Superior Court. Defendant shall file a 

declaration by May 5, 2015, and the Court shall conduct a hearing on May 21, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. 

in Courtroom B, 15th Floor, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, California. In the 

declaration, Defendant must address how this Court has jurisdiction over the unlawful detainer 

claim. 

Defendant should be mindful that an anticipated federal defense or counterclaim is not 

sufficient to confer jurisdiction. Franchise Tax Bd. of Cal. v. Constr. Laborers Vacation Trust, 

463 U.S. 1, 10 (1983); Berg v. Leason, 32 F.3d 422, 426 (9th Cir. 1994). “A case may not be 

removed to federal court on the basis of a federal defense, . . . even if the defense is anticipated in 

the plaintiff’s complaint, and even if both parties admit that the defense is the only question truly 

Case 3:15-cv-01790-MEJ Document 5 Filed 04/23/15 Page 1 of 3
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United States District Court

Northern District of California

at issue in the case.” ARCO Envtl. Remediation, LLC v. Dep’t of Health and Envtl. Quality of the 

State of Montana, 213 F.3d 1108, 1113 (9th Cir. 2000); see also Valles v. Ivy Hill Corp., 410 F.3d 

1071, 1075 (9th Cir. 2005) (“A federal law defense to a state-law claim does not confer 

jurisdiction on a federal court, even if the defense is that of federal preemption and is anticipated 

in the plaintiff's complaint.”). Thus, any anticipated defense, such as a claim under the Protecting 

Tenants at Foreclosure Act, Pub.L. No. 111–22, § 702, 123 Stat. 1632 (2009), is not a valid 

ground for removal. See e.g. Aurora Loan Serv., LLC v. Montoya, 2011 WL 5508926, at *4 (E.D.

Cal. Nov. 9, 2011); SD Coastline LP v. Buck, 2010 WL 4809661, at *2–3 (S.D. Cal. Nov.19, 

2010); Wescom Credit Union v. Dudley, 2010 WL 4916578, at 2–3 (C.D. Cal. Nov. 22, 2010);

Aurora Loan Serv., LLC v. Martinez, 2010 WL 1266887, at * 1 (N.D. Cal. March 29, 2010).

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: April 23, 2015

______________________________________

MARIA-ELENA JAMES

United States Magistrate Judge

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MOAB INVESTMENT GROUP, LLP,

Plaintiff,

v.

CHUCK KOCH,

Defendant.

Case No. 15-cv-01790-MEJ 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I am an employee in the Office of the Clerk, U.S. 

District Court, Northern District of California.

That on 4/23/2015, I SERVED a true and correct copy(ies) of the attached, by placing said 

copy(ies) in a postage paid envelope addressed to the person(s) hereinafter listed, by depositing 

said envelope in the U.S. Mail, or by placing said copy(ies) into an inter-office delivery receptacle 

located in the Clerk's office.

Chuck Koch

236 Corte Madera Road

Portola Valley, CA 94028 

Dated: 4/23/2015

Richard W. Wieking

Clerk, United States District Court

By:________________________

Chris Nathan, Deputy Clerk to the 

Honorable MARIA-ELENA JAMES

Case 3:15-cv-01790-MEJ Document 5 Filed 04/23/15 Page 3 of 3