Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-08015/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-08015-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
PayPal, Inc.
Defendant
Todd White
Plaintiff

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

TODD WHITE,

Plaintiff,

v.

PAYPAL, INC.,

Defendant.

Case No. 19-cv-08015-DMR 

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

On December 6, 2019, Plaintiff Todd White filed a complaint against Defendant PayPal, 

Inc. (“PayPal”) and an application for leave to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP”). [Dockets No. 1

(“Compl.”), 2.] The court now orders Mr. White to show cause as to why his complaint should not 

be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, and a “federal 

court is presumed to lack jurisdiction in a particular case unless the contrary affirmatively appears.” 

Stock W., Inc. v. Confederated Tribes, 873 F.2d 1221, 1225 (9th Cir. 1989) (citations omitted). A federal 

court may exercise either federal question jurisdiction or diversity jurisdiction. Mr. White’s complaint 

contains only state law claims for breach of contract, fraud, and violations of California Business & 

Professions Code § 17200, et seq. Because these claims do not give rise to federal question jurisdiction, 

Mr. White must plead diversity jurisdiction.

A district court has diversity jurisdiction where the parties are diverse and “the matter in 

controversy exceeds the sum or value of $75,000, exclusive of interests and costs.” 28 U.S.C. § 1332. 

Parties are diverse only when the parties are “citizens of different states.” Id. A corporation is a citizen 

of “every State and foreign state by which it has been incorporated and of the State or foreign state where 

it has its principal place of business.” 28 U.S.C. § 1332(c)(1). The complaint states that Mr. White is a 

citizen of California and PayPal is a “Delaware corporation.” Compl. ¶¶ 4, 5. It does not explain whether 

PayPal is incorporated in Delaware, has its principal place of business there, or both. If PayPal is 

incorporated in Delaware but its principal place of business is in California, then the parties are not 

Case 4:19-cv-08015-DMR Document 4 Filed 12/30/19 Page 1 of 2
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United States District Court

Northern District of California

diverse and the court lacks diversity jurisdiction. In his response, Mr. White shall explain the citizenship 

of PayPal, including the state in which it is incorporated and its principal place of business.

Mr. White must file a written response to this order to show cause by January 10, 2020. 

The court refers Mr. White to the section “Representing Yourself” on the Court’s website, located 

at http://cand.uscourts.gov/proselitigants, as well as the Court’s Legal Help Centers for 

unrepresented parties. In San Francisco, the Legal Help Center is located on the 15th Floor, Room 

2796, of the United States Courthouse, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco. In Oakland, the 

Legal Help Center is located on the 4th Floor, Room 470S, of the United States Courthouse, 1301 

Clay Street, Oakland.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: December 30, 2019 

______________________________________

 DONNA M. RYU

 United States Magistrate Judge

Case 4:19-cv-08015-DMR Document 4 Filed 12/30/19 Page 2 of 2