Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_14-cv-01982/USCOURTS-cand-3_14-cv-01982-2/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
David Machlan
Plaintiff
Nehemiah Manufacturing Company
Defendant
Procter & Gamble Company
Defendant

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

DAVID MACHLAN,

Plaintiff,

v.

PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 14-cv-01982-JD 

AMENDED ORDER RE DEFENDANTS’

MOTIONS TO DISMISS

Re: Dkt. Nos. 23, 25

In this consumer class action, named plaintiff David Machlan alleges that defendants 

Procter & Gamble Company (“P&G”) and Nehemiah Manufacturing Company (“Nehemiah”) 

deceptively marketed several lines of personal wipes as “flushable” when in fact they were not. 

After jointly removing the action, P&G and Nehemiah moved to dismiss the complaint. The 

Court grants the motions in part and denies them in part.1

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff alleges in his class action complaint that “[d]efendants deceptively market several 

lines of personal hygiene moistened wipes (‘wipes’) as ‘flushable.’ They charge a premium for 

these wipes, as compared to both toilet paper and to wipes that are not marketed as ‘flushable.’” 

Dkt. No. 1-1 ¶ 1. According to plaintiff, defendants do not tell consumers that the allegedly 

“flushable” wipes are “not suitable for disposal by flushing down a toilet as they routinely damage 

or clog pipes, septic systems, and sewage pumps; they do not disperse, disintegrate, or biodegrade 

like toilet paper; and they are not regarded by municipal sewage systems as appropriate to flush 

 

1

This order amends the Court’s prior order dated January 6, 2015 only to correct the date of the 

case management conference. The conference is set for 1:30 p.m. on January 28, 2015, not 

January 28, 2014.

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down a toilet.” Id. Plaintiff quotes, for example, the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s 

statement to consumers that “‘[d]isposable’ and ‘flushable’ wipes and other products don’t break

down in the sewer” and instead “get tangled and clumped in hair and debris creating massive 

obstructions in the sewers,” and that such wipes should therefore “never be flushed.” Id. ¶ 30 

(emphasis in original). 

Two types of wipes are at issue in this case: the Charmin Freshmates flushable wipes 

(“Charmin wipes”) and the Pampers Kandoo flushable wipes (“Pampers wipes”). Id. ¶ 19. The 

Pampers wipes are marketed as being intended for toddlers and to assist with potty training; the 

Charmin wipes are alleged to have been marketed more generally for use “as part of a bathroom 

routine.” Id. ¶¶ 18, 40-41.

Plaintiff alleges that defendants played different roles for the two kinds of wipes. The 

complaint states that P&G “manufactures and markets the Charmin Wipes.” Id. ¶ 20. Nehemiah 

is not alleged to have had any involvement with the Charmin wipes. For the Pampers wipes, 

plaintiff alleges that P&G “invented” them and “invested in the initial research and development 

and marketing of those wipes,” but that since 2009, P&G “had shared responsibility with 

Nehemiah for the manufacturing and/or marketing of the product.” Id. ¶ 21. More specifically, 

plaintiff alleges that Nehamiah is a participant in P&G’s “Connect + Develop” program in which 

P&G partners with smaller manufacturers, and that Nehamiah is a licensee for the Pampers 

Kandoo product. Id. ¶¶ 17-18. 

Plaintiff’s interactions with the two wipes is also different. His complaint alleges only that 

he bought the Pampers Kandoo wipes. He purchased one 350-count package for $11.09 in 

January 2014, and began using them. Id. ¶ 74. According to the complaint, “[a]fter his children 

went to the bathroom, he would use 1-2 wipes to clean and dry them. He immediately had 

problems flushing the wipes, as the toilet clogged and backed up. After he unclogged the toilet, he 

noticed that the toilet paper had partially decomposed, but the wipes were completely intact. 

Concerned about a risk of expensive plumbing repairs, he stopped flushing the wipes.” Id. ¶¶ 75-

76. He claims that “[h]ad Defendants not misrepresented (by omission and commission) the true 

nature of their ‘Flushable’ Products, Plaintiff would not have purchased Defendants’ product.” Id. 

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¶ 77.

Plaintiff seeks to represent a class of California purchasers of the wipes from March 21, 

2010 to the present. Id. ¶ 78. (The complaint contains a typo known to both sides that gives the 

beginning date for the class period as March 21, 2014. Plaintiff has stated that he intends to 

correct this typo “at an appropriate juncture.” See Dkt. No. 43 at 2 n.1. He will have that 

opportunity in response to this order.) The complaint asserts four claims against defendants: 

(1) violation of the Consumer Legal Remedies Act (“CLRA”), California Civil Code § 1750 et 

seq.; (2) false advertising in violation of California Business and Professions Code § 17500 et seq.

(“FAL”); (3) fraud, deceit and/or misrepresentation; and (4) unfair, unlawful and deceptive trade 

practices in violation of California Business and Professions Code § 17200 et seq. (“UCL”). Dkt. 

No. 1-1 at 22-30. He asks the Court to grant him restitution and injunctive relief for his CLRA,

FAL and UCL claims, and compensatory and punitive damages for his common law fraud claim. 

Id. at 30-31.

Plaintiff originally filed his complaint in the California Superior Court for the City and 

County of San Francisco, but P&G and Nehemiah jointly removed the action to this federal 

district court, invoking the Court’s jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act (“CAFA”), 28 

U.S.C. § 1332(d). Dkt. No. 1 at 3. Defendants asserted that the Court has jurisdiction because the 

case “is (1) a proposed class action within the meaning of CAFA, in which (2) ‘any member of a 

class of plaintiffs is a citizen of a State different from any defendant,’ (3) the ‘number of members 

of all proposed plaintiff classes in the aggregate is [not] less than 100,’ and (4) ‘the matter in 

controversy exceeds the sum or value of $5,000,000, exclusive of interests and costs.’” Id. (citing 

28 U.S.C. § 1332(d)(2), (d)(5)(B)). Plaintiff did not contest the removal. 

Before the Court is P&G’s motion to dismiss the complaint under Federal Rules of Civil 

Procedure 12(b)(1), 12(b)(6) and/or 9(b). Dkt. No. 25. Nehemiah joins in certain of P&G’s 

arguments, and additionally moves to dismiss the complaint or strike the class allegations from it 

pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), 12(f), 23(c)(1)(A) and 23(c)(1)(D). Dkt. 

No. 26.

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DISCUSSION

I. LEGAL STANDARDS

Defendants challenge the complaint under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) for 

lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, and the “case 

or controversy” requirement of Article III of the U.S. Constitution “limits federal courts’ subject 

matter jurisdiction by requiring, inter alia, that plaintiffs have standing . . . .” Chandler v. State 

Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 598 F.3d 1115, 1121 (9th Cir. 2010). The “irreducible constitutional 

minimum of standing” contains three elements: (1) the plaintiff must prove that he suffered an 

“injury in fact,” (2) the plaintiff must establish a causal connection by proving that his injury is 

fairly traceable to the challenged conduct of the defendant, and (3) the plaintiff must show that his

injury will likely be redressed by a favorable decision. Id. at 1122. The argument that a plaintiff 

lacks standing is “properly raised in a Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss.” Id. The party opposing 

the motion bears the burden of establishing the Court’s jurisdiction, and at the motion to dismiss 

stage, Article III standing is adequately demonstrated through allegations of “specific facts 

plausibly explaining” why the standing requirements are met. Barnum Timber Co. v. Envtl. Prot. 

Agency, 633 F.3d 894, 899 (9th Cir. 2011). 

The other primary ground for defendants’ dismissal motions is Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 12(b)(6). A complaint may be dismissed under Rule 12(b)(6) when it fails to meet Rule 

8(a)’s requirement to make “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is 

entitled to relief.” To avoid dismissal under those rules, the complaint must allege “enough facts 

to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 

570 (2007). “A claim has facial plausibility when the pleaded factual content allows the court to 

draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. 

Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Twombly at 556). “[F]or a complaint to survive a motion 

to dismiss, the non-conclusory ‘factual content,’ and reasonable inferences from that content, must 

be plausibly suggestive of a claim entitling the plaintiff to relief.” Moss v. U.S. Secret Service, 

572 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2009) (citing Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 677). 

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II. PROCTER & GAMBLE’S MOTION TO DISMISS

P&G frames its motion to dismiss primarily as lack of standing arguments under Rule 

12(b)(1), although it alternatively argues that the same deficiencies can also be seen as a failure to 

state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6). See, e.g., Dkt. No. 42 at 7 n.7. The Court focuses the analysis 

of P&G’s arguments through the lens of standing. 

A. STANDING TO SEEK INJUNCTIVE RELIEF

The first question presented is whether plaintiff has standing to pursue injunctive relief

at all in this case. The complaint seeks injunctive relief for three out of four claims, i.e., the 

CLRA, UCL and FAL causes of action. See Dkt. No. 1-1 at 30; see also, e.g., id. ¶ 125 (“Plaintiff 

seeks, on behalf of those similarly situated, an injunction to prohibit Defendants from continuing 

to engage in the unfair trade practices complained of herein.”). 

P&G argues that plaintiff lacks standing to seek this relief because he “does not, and 

cannot, allege that such relief will redress a real and immediate threat of repeated injury.” Dkt. 

No. 25 at 12. P&G further argues that plaintiff has not alleged that he is likely “to purchase 

Kandoo Wipes again (or to purchase Freshmates for the first time),” and in any event, “there is . . . 

no basis for concluding that he is likely to be misled into making such purchases based on the 

advertising and labelling that he challenges.” Id. Plaintiff argues in response that he has never 

stated that he will not purchase defendants’ flushable wipes again and that he would in fact “love 

to purchase Defendants’ Wipes if they were truly ‘flushable.’” Dkt. No. 31-1 at 5. 

The problem with plaintiff’s response is that the Supreme Court and our Circuit Court have 

made clear that, in order to have Article III standing to seek an injunction in a federal court, a 

plaintiff must demonstrate “a sufficient likelihood that he will again be wronged in a similar way.” 

City of Los Angeles v. Lyons, 461 U.S. 95, 111 (1983). See also Chapman v. Pier 1 Imports (U.S.) 

Inc., 631 F.3d 939, 948 (9th Cir. 2011) (quoting same language from Lyons, and further stating 

that a plaintiff “must establish a ‘real and immediate threat of repeated injury’”). 

The holdings in these cases show why Mr. Machlan lacks standing under Article III to 

pursue injunctive relief in this federal district court. In Lyons, the Court held that the fact “[t]hat 

Lyons may have been illegally choked by the police on October 6, 1976, while presumably 

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affording Lyons standing to claim damages against the individual officers and perhaps against the 

City, does nothing to establish a real and immediate threat that he would again be stopped for a 

traffic violation, or for any other offense, by an officer or officers who would illegally choke him 

into unconsciousness without any provocation or resistance on his part.” 461 U.S. at 105. In 

Chapman, our Circuit Court held that “an ADA plaintiff can show a likelihood of future injury 

when he intends to return to a noncompliant accommodation and is therefore likely to reencounter 

a discriminatory architectural barrier.” 631 F.3d at 950.

Here, the harm that is at the center of plaintiff’s complaint is that he was allegedly 

deceived about the true nature of the “flushable” wipes marketed and sold by defendants. He paid 

a premium for those wipes because he thought “flushable” meant “suitable for flushing.” But 

plaintiff has filled his complaint with pages of allegations -- and photos which graphically 

illustrate -- that he has since learned that those “flushable” wipes are not, in fact, suitable for 

flushing. Even if plaintiff were to allege that he intends to buy these wipes again, and even if 

plaintiff has continued and will continue to purchase those wipes daily, the nature of his alleged 

injury, i.e., deception, is such that he personally cannot be harmed in the same way again. 

The Court consequently finds that, under controlling precedent, plaintiff does not have 

Article III standing to seek an injunction from this federal district court prohibiting defendants 

from continuing to engage in the conduct complained of in the complaint. Although the Court 

agrees that this ruling goes against the broad remedial purposes behind California’s consumer 

protection statutes, see, e.g., In re Tobacco II Cases, 46 Cal. 4th 298 (2009), the scope of the 

Court’s jurisdiction begins and ends with Article III, and it cannot hear a case that falls outside 

that scope just because that would better serve public policy. The result in a California state court 

would likely be different. As the Supreme Court stated in Lyons, “the state courts need not impose 

the same standing or remedial requirements that govern federal court proceedings.” 461 U.S. at 

113. The UCL permits an injured plaintiff to obtain an injunction from the state court that 

prevents future harm to other unsuspecting consumers by “stopping such practices in their tracks.”

In re Tobacco II, 46 Cal. 4th at 320. But when the alleged unfair practice is deception, the 

previously-deceived-but-now-enlightened plaintiff simply does not have standing under Article III 

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to ask a federal court to grant an injunction. 

The question remains what the Court should do about the injunctive relief portions of 

plaintiff’s claims. The obvious options are dismissal or remand. In a slightly different context, in 

Lee v. American National Insurance Company, 260 F.3d 997, 1007 (9th Cir. 2001), the Circuit 

Court acknowledged the possibility of a “partial remand” (i.e., a remand not of the entirety of an 

action, but only portions thereof), but expressly “decline[d] to address the partial remand 

alternative” in that case because the appellant had not adequately raised the issue on appeal. The 

Supreme Court also has not spoken on this precise issue.

Under the principles set forth in Carnegie-Mellon University v. Cohill, 484 U.S. 343 

(1988), the Court finds that it has the discretion to order a remand rather than a dismissal of the 

injunctive relief portions of plaintiff’s claims. This action was removed under the Class Action 

Fairness Act, and there is no dispute about the removability of this action pursuant to that Act. 

But for the reasons stated above, the Court finds that the injunctive relief portions of this case are 

not justiciable -- and will never be justiciable -- by this Court. There is therefore the possibility 

that an action like this one could become stuck in a perpetual loop of (1) plaintiff’s re-filing in 

state court, followed by (2) removal by defendants and then (3) dismissal by this Court. If such a 

scenario were to play out, plaintiff’s claims would likely be prevented from being adjudicated on 

the merits, definitely so once the statute of limitations on plaintiff’s claims expires. Although an 

order remanding rather than dismissing does not solve the potential problem altogether, it is an 

important step in the right direction. See Carnegie-Mellon, 484 U.S. at 351-52 (“a remand 

generally will be preferable to a dismissal when the statute of limitations on the plaintiff’s statelaw claims has expired” in which case “a dismissal will foreclose the plaintiff from litigating his 

claims,” a consequence that “may work injustice to the plaintiff”). 

Principles of fairness and comity also strongly support remand rather than dismissal. As 

the Supreme Court stated in Carnegie-Mellon: 

Even when the applicable statute of limitations has not expired, a 

remand may best promote the values of economy, convenience, 

fairness and comity. Both litigants and States have an interest in the 

prompt and efficient resolution of controversies based on state law. 

Any time a district court dismisses, rather than remands, a removed 

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case involving pendent claims, the parties will have to refile their 

papers in state court, at some expense of time and money. 

Moreover, the state court will have to reprocess the case, and this 

procedure will involve similar costs. Dismissal of the claim 

therefore will increase both the expense and the time involved in 

enforcing state law. Under the analysis set forth in Gibbs, this 

consequence, even taken alone, provides good reason to grant 

federal courts wide discretion to remand cases involving pendent 

claims when the exercise of pendent jurisdiction over such cases 

would be inappropriate.

484 U.S. at 353. 

The Court finds that these considerations apply forcefully here. Injunctive relief is an 

important remedy under California’s consumer protection laws. See, e.g., In re Tobacco II, 46 

Cal. 4th at 319 (“the primary form of relief available under the UCL to protect consumers from 

unfair business practices is an injunction”). Allowing a defendant to undermine California’s 

consumer protection statutes and defeat injunctive relief simply by removing a case from state 

court is an unnecessary affront to federal and state comity. This case was originally filed in a 

California state court by a California plaintiff on behalf of a putative class of California residents 

under California’s state laws. A California state court ought to decide whether injunctive relief is 

appropriate for plaintiff’s claims. Respect for comity and federalism compel that conclusion, and 

just tossing aside the state’s injunction remedy because of this Court’s limited jurisdiction is an 

unwarranted federal intrusion into California’s interests and laws. 

The portions of plaintiff’s claims that seek injunctive relief under the UCL, FAL and 

CLRA are remanded to the California Superior Court for the City and County of San Francisco. 

The Court will implement appropriate case management and scheduling orders to ensure smooth 

sailing of this case in relation to the state action. 

B. STANDING AS TO PRODUCT NOT PURCHASED (CHARMIN 

FRESHMATES WIPES)

The Court next considers P&G’s standing argument that is centered on the fact that 

plaintiff never bought the Charmin Freshmates product; he bought only the Pampers Kandoo 

product. On that basis, P&G argues that Machlan “lacks standing to prosecute any claims about 

P&G’s own Freshmates product, which he did not buy.” Dkt. No. 42 at 4. Plaintiff argues that 

there is a “sufficient similarity” between the product he did buy (Pampers wipes) and the product 

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he did not (Charmin wipes), and that in any event, the question is one of typicality under Rule 23 

which should be addressed further down the line at the class certification stage. Dkt. No. 31-1 at 

10-14. These, too, are issues on which our Circuit has not yet spoken, and both sides acknowledge 

that district courts have hardly been uniform. See, e.g., Dkt. No. 25 at 10 and Dkt. No. 31-1 at 10-

14. 

As an initial matter, the Court finds it appropriate -- and indeed, necessary -- to inquire 

whether plaintiff Mr. Machlan has standing to bring claims against P&G that challenge the 

Charmin Freshmates product which he did not buy. Mr. Machlan is the sole named plaintiff in 

this case, and “[a] class of plaintiffs does not have standing to sue if the named plaintiff does not 

have standing.” B.C. v. Plumas Unified Sch. Dist., 192 F.3d 1260, 1264 (9th Cir. 1999). See also

Lewis v. Casey, 518 U.S. 343, 357 (1996) (“even named plaintiffs who represent a class ‘must 

allege and show that they personally have been injured, not that injury has been suffered by other, 

unidentified members of the class to which they belong and which they purport to represent.’”).

The Court does not need to wade into the debate on whether sufficient or substantial 

similarity of products is enough to find standing here. Even assuming, without actually finding,

that satisfying the substantially similar test articulated by some district courts would be enough to 

give Mr. Machlan standing to sue P&G for the Charmin wipes, the Court finds that he has failed to 

satisfy that test here. Comparing this case to two of the main cases relied on by Mr. Machlan

shows why this is so. In Astiana v. Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Inc., No. C-11-2910 EMC, 2012 

WL 2990766 (N.D. Cal. July 20, 2012), the named plaintiffs had purchased Dreyer’s/Edy’s ice 

cream products only, but the Court still permitted them to pursue misrepresentation claims relating 

to identical labelling on Haagen-Dazs products that they did not purchase. Significantly, the 

complaint alleged that the single defendant in that case “manufactures and distributes ice cream 

under the following brand names: Dreyer’s, Edy’s, and Haagen-Dazs.” 2012 WL 2990766, at *1. 

In Koh v. S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., No. C-09-00927 RMW, 2010 WL 94265 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 6, 

2010), the Court permitted plaintiff, who had purchased only the Windex cleaning product from 

defendant SCJ, also to pursue misrepresentation claims against SCJ for the Shout cleaning product

that had the same alleged mislabeling. But again, it was alleged in that case that SCJ was the 

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manufacturer for both Windex and Shout, see 2010 WL 94265, at *1, and the Court found it 

“notable” that the case was not one “in which plaintiff [was] asserting claims against defendants 

that never harmed him,” id. at *3.

Here, P&G is alleged to have played a different role with respect to the Charmin wipes and 

the Pampers wipes. For the Pampers wipes -- the only product he purchased -- Nehemiah, a 

“smaller manufacturer,” is alleged to have held the license and to have “developed” the product 

line “in conjunction with P&G.” Dkt. No. 1-1 ¶ 17. P&G is alleged only to have “shared 

responsibility with Nehemiah for the manufacturing and/or marketing of the product.” Id. ¶ 21. 

For the Charmin wipes, in contrast, plaintiff alleges that “P&G manufactures and markets the 

Charmin Wipes.” Id. ¶ 20. The contrast between these allegations sets this case apart from those 

plaintiff has cited. While the Court finds for the reasons below that plaintiff has alleged enough to 

proceed against P&G at this point for the Pampers wipes, the Court does not find that plaintiff 

may also proceed against P&G for the Charmin wipes, which he concedes he did not purchase. 

His claims against P&G for the Pampers wipes and Charmin wipes, respectively, are not 

“substantially similar.” Whereas the former will largely raise questions about whether the 

“flushable” representation was false or misleading, the latter will also raise an additional 

dimension regarding what role P&G (as opposed to Nehemiah) played with respect to the wipes 

and the representations that were made. 

Although plaintiff does not specifically say in his complaint, his claims that are based on 

the Charmin wipes appear to be directed at P&G only, as Nehemiah is not alleged to have played 

any role with respect to those wipes. Those claims are dismissed with prejudice as to 

Mr. Machlan, but may be renewed by a new named plaintiff who did purchase Charmin wipes.

C. STANDING AGAINST P&G FOR PAMPERS KANDOO WIPES

With respect to the Pampers wipes which Mr. Machlan did purchase, P&G argues that 

Mr. Machlan lacks standing to pursue claims against P&G based on those wipes, too, despite the 

complaint’s allegation that “since 2009, P&G had shared responsibility with Nehemiah for the 

manufacturing and/or marketing of the product.” Dkt. No. 1-1 ¶ 21. This is because, P&G argues, 

Mr. Machlan cannot establish Article III standing “by falsely alleging that P&G shared 

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responsibility for manufacturing or marketing the product.” Dkt. No. 25 at 7. 

P&G’s argument that this allegation in the complaint is “false” is based on two license 

agreements that it has submitted in support of its motion. See Dkt. No. 25 at 8 (license agreements 

are attached as Exhibits A and B to attorney declaration in support of motion). P&G claims that 

the terms of these license agreements establish that “P&G has had no responsibility for the 

development or manufacture of Kandoo Wipes since August 2009.” Id. (emphasis in original). 

P&G additionally argues that the Court can properly consider these license agreements in 

resolving its 12(b)(1) arguments because “[t]his is not a case where the jurisdictional and 

substantive issues are ‘so intertwined’ that the Court may not resolve jurisdictional issues on a 

motion to dismiss.” Id. at 7 n.4. P&G goes on to argue that “[w]hether P&G manufactured 

Kandoo Wipes or had responsibility for the challenged representations about Kandoo Wipes -- the 

issue relevant to this Court’s jurisdiction over P&G -- is a discrete issue that has nothing to do 

with whether Kandoo Wipes were deceptively marketed.” Id.

The Court finds these arguments misguided in several respects. This is indisputably an 

issue that goes directly to P&G’s liability, and as such, it is not one that the Court can resolve on a 

12(b)(1) motion. Indeed, as in Safe Air for Everyone v. Meyer, 373 F.3d 1035, 1040 (9th Cir. 

2004), a dismissal under 12(b)(1) would be improper “because the jurisdictional issue and

substantive issues . . . are so intertwined that the question of jurisdiction is dependent on the 

resolution of factual issues going to the merits.” Moreover, even assuming that the license 

agreements clearly establish that as a contractual matter, “P&G had no responsibility for the 

development or manufacture of Kandoo Wipes since August 2009,” Dkt. No. 25 at 8, that would 

hardly establish as a factual matter that those terms were complied with. The Court also notes that 

even under P&G’s own argument, it admits that it “ha[d] approval rights over products bearing a 

licensed mark and any advertising or promotional materials related to those products . . . .” Id. 

Consequently, the Court rejects P&G’s argument that Mr. Machlan lacks standing to pursue 

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claims against it that relate to his purchase of the Pampers Kandoo wipes.2

D. INJURY-IN-FACT

P&G argues that plaintiff has failed to sufficiently allege injury-in-fact because he 

“nowhere alleges that he was unable to flush the wipes” and he “notably fails to allege that the 

Kandoo Wipes caused the clog.” Dkt. No. 25 at 13. Plaintiff responds that he “does allege that 

the Wipes clogged his toilet” and that in any event, he is not challenging whether the wipes 

“actually flushed down his toilet” but rather, “whether the product is truly ‘flushable,’ i.e., suitable 

for flushing, as advertised.” Dkt. No. 31-1 at 4.

The Court finds P&G’s argument to be based on a hyper-literal and non-sensical reading of 

the complaint, and rejects it on that basis. Mr. Machlan has alleged that he “immediately had 

problems flushing the wipes, as the toilet clogged and backed up. After he unclogged the toilet, he 

noticed that the toilet paper had partially decomposed, but the wipes were completely intact.” Dkt. 

No. 1-1 ¶ 75. P&G’s argument consequently fails on its own terms.

Mr. Machlan’s claim is that the Pampers wipes were represented to be “flushable,” but he 

could not flush the wipes down without the wipes clogging his toilet, and he would not have 

purchased and paid a premium for this product had it not been for the alleged misrepresentation. 

At this stage, that is enough. See, e.g., Hinojos v. Kohl’s Corp., 718 F.3d 1098 (9th Cir. 2013).

III.NEHEMIAH MANUFACTURING COMPANY’S MOTION TO DISMISS

Defendant Nehemiah has filed a separate motion to dismiss which requests the Court to

dismiss or strike the class action allegations in the complaint. Dkt. No. 23. The Court, however, 

finds Nehemiah’s arguments to be perfunctory and premature, and denies them on that basis. The 

denial is, of course, without prejudice to Nehemiah renewing the same arguments at a later stage 

of this litigation.

 

2

P&G also argues that “Machlan lacks standing to challenge representations about either product 

that allegedly appeared on the websites identified in the CAC.” Dkt. No. 25 at 11. Plaintiff 

clarifies that he has described the websites only “to provide context and factual support for his 

allegations,” and his claims are based on his reliance on the alleged misrepresentations “on the 

packaging.” Dkt. No. 31-1 at 7. The Court consequently deems this argument as moot and rejects 

it on that basis.

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CONCLUSION

The portions of plaintiff’s claims under the UCL, FAL and CLRA that seek injunctive 

relief are remanded to the California Superior Court for the City and County of San Francisco.

For the remainder of plaintiff’s action, P&G’s motion is granted with respect to the 

Charmin Freshmates wipes, but defendants’ motions are denied in all other respects. The 

dismissal of plaintiff’s claims for the Charmin wipes is with prejudice as to Mr. Machlan, but 

without prejudice to renewal by a new named plaintiff who did purchase the Charmin wipes. 

In light of these rulings, the Court vacates the case management deadlines previously set in 

this case and sets a case management conference for January 28, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. At that time, 

the parties should be prepared to discuss with the Court, among other things, (1) whether this 

Court should stay this action in favor of the parallel state court action, especially in light of the 

fact that the “primary form of relief available under the UCL” is an injunction, to which restitution 

is merely “ancillary,” see In re Tobacco II, 46 Cal. 4th at 319; (2) whether plaintiff intends to 

amend the complaint in this federal action to add a plaintiff who did purchase the Charmin wipes, 

among other things; and (3) any other suggestions for most efficiently resolving plaintiff’s claims 

on their merits, with the minimum amount of duplication and possibility of conflict between the 

state and federal courts.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: January 7, 2015

______________________________________

JAMES DONATO

United States District Judge

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