1 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA 

TALLAHASSEE DIVISION 

DEBRA E. PATTERSON, ) 

) 

Plaintiff, ) 

) CASE NO.: 

v. ) 

) 

ASSOCIA, ) 

) 

Defendant. ) 

_______________________________/ 

NOTICE OF AND PETITION FOR REMOVAL 

Defendant, ASSOCIA1 (“Defendant” or “Associa”), by and through its 

undersigned attorneys, and in accordance with the applicable Federal Rules of Civil 

Procedure, Rule 7.2 of the Local Rules of the United States District Court for the 

Northern District of Florida, and Title 28 of the United States Code §§ 1331, 1441, 

and 1446, hereby requests that this Court remove this action from the Circuit Court 

of the Second Judicial Circuit, in and for Leon County, Florida, to the United States 

District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, and states 

as follows: 

1. Plaintiff, DEBRA E. PATTERSON (“Plaintiff”), a former employee of 

Community Management Concepts of Jacksonville, Inc., which is a wholly owned 

1

 Associa is not the proper defendant in this lawsuit. Plaintiff’s former employer was Community Management 

Concepts of Jacksonville, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of PMG Holdings, Inc., which in turn is a wholly 

owned subsidiary of Associations, Inc. d/b/a Associa. 

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subsidiary of PMG Holdings, Inc., which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of 

Associations, Inc. d/b/a Associa, brought this action in the Circuit Court of the 

Second Judicial Circuit, in and for Leon County, Florida, Case No. 2019-CA-002917 

(the “Circuit Court Case”), alleging a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act 

(“FLSA”), 29 U.S.C. § 201, et seq., and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade 

Practices Act (“FDUTPA”), Chapter 501.201, et seq., Florida Statutes. 

2. Defendant was served with Plaintiff’s Complaint on or about March 6, 

2020.

3. This action is within the original federal question jurisdiction of the 

United States District Court, pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1331, as Plaintiff’s Complaint 

contains claims alleging violations of a federal statute under the FLSA. The United 

States District Court has supplemental jurisdiction over Plaintiff’s FDUTPA claim 

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367. 

4. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, 

Tallahassee Division, includes the judicial circuit in which Plaintiff filed her 

Complaint. Thus, removal is proper to this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1446(a).

5. This Notice of and Petition for Removal has been filed within 30 days 

of service upon Defendant on March 6, 2020. A copy of the Complaint in the Circuit 

Court Case is attached hereto. Thus, this Notice of and Petition for Removal is 

timely filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1446(b). 

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6. Copies of all processes, pleadings, orders and other papers or exhibits 

of every kind currently on file within the Circuit Court Case are attached to this 

Notice of and Petition for Removal as composite Exhibit “A,” as required by 28 

U.S.C. § 1446(a). 

7. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1446(d), Defendant has provided the Notice of 

and Petition for Removal to Plaintiff and has filed a copy of this Notice of and 

Petition for Removal in the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit, in and for 

Leon County, Florida. 

WHEREFORE, Defendant, ASSOCIA, respectfully requests that the 

United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee 

Division, accept the removal of this action and direct that the Circuit Court of the 

Second Judicial Circuit, in and for Leon County, Florida, have no further jurisdiction 

of this action unless and until this action is remanded. 

DATED this 6th day of April 2020. 

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Respectfully submitted, 

JACKSON LEWIS PC 

501 Riverside Avenue, Suite 902 

Jacksonville, FL 32202 

Telephone: (904) 638-2655 

Facsimile: (904) 638-2656 

By: /s/ Benjamin D. Sharkey 

Benjamin D. Sharkey 

Florida Bar No. 389160 

Benjamin.Sharkey@jacksonlewis.com 

Brian L. Hayden 

Florida Bar No. 58987 

Brian.Hayden@jacksonlewis.com 

Attorneys for Defendant 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 

This is to certify that on this 6th day of April 2020, a true and correct copy of 

the foregoing pleading has been filed via CM/ECF and served via electronic mail to 

the following counsel of record: 

Marie A. Mattox, Esq. 

James Garrity, Esq. 

MARIE A. MATTOX, P.A. 

203 North Gadsden Street 

Tallahassee, FL 32303 

(850) 383-4800 Telephone 

(850) 383-4801 Facsimile 

marie@mattoxlaw.com 

marlene@mattoxlaw.com 

michelle@mattoxlaw.com 

jim@jimgarritylaw.com 

wanda@mattoxlaw.com 

/s/Benjamin D. Sharkey 

Attorney 

Case 4:20-cv-00171-AW-MAF Document 1 Filed 04/06/20 Page 4 of 22
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EXHIBIT “A”

4847-7617-7337, v. 1

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