FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P E A LS E LE V EN T HC IRC U IT DEC 27 , 2006 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 06- 14158 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o . 0 5 - 0 0 9 8 2 - CV - T- 2 3 - TBM DEBB I E DEVI NE, P l ai nt i ff -A pp el l ee , v ersu s P R I S O N H E A L T H S E R V I C E S , I N C ., D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lla n t, A M E R I C A S E R V I C E G R O U P , I N C ., e t a l., D efen d an t s.

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe M i ddl e D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( D e c e m b e r 27, 2006) B efo re B IR C H , P R Y O R an d H IL L , C i rcu i tJu d g es.2

P E R C U R I A M: D e bbi e D e vi ne s e e ks the a w a r d of a tt orne y ’ s f

e e s i nc urr e d by he rdue t o the a l l e ge d i m pr ope rr e m ova l t o f e de r a l c our tof

thi s a c t i on by de f

e nda nt , P r i s on H e a l th S e r vi c e s , I nc . T he di s tr i c tc our ta w a r de d c e r t a i n of the f e e s a nd the de f e nda ntappe a l e d. I. D e bbi e D e vi ne f

i l e d thi s a c t i on i n s t a t e c our ta ga i ns tappe l l a nta nd othe r s f or vi ol a t i ons of

the F l or i da P r i va t e W hi s t l e bl ow e r s A c t , § 448. 1 02, de f a m a t i on, w r ongf ul di s c ha r ge , pa y m e ntf ora c c rue d butunpa i d w a ge s , i nt e nt i ona l i nf l i c t i on o f em o t i o n al d i stress, an d fal se l i g h ti n v asi o n o f p ri v acy. D ev i n e’ s cl ai m s ari se u n d e rF l o r i d a s t a tu t e s a n d F l o r i d a c o m m o n l a w. I n M a y of

2005, P r i s on H e a l th S e r vi c e s , I nc . , ( “ P H S ” ) r e m ove d thi s a c t i on, a s s e r t i ng tha tD e vi ne i nvoke d f e de r a l j ur i s di c t i on by m e nt i oni ng the w or ds

“ f e de r a l ” a nd “ ove r t i m e ” i n he rc om pl a i nt . I n a ddi t i on t o f i l i ng the N ot i c e of R e m ova l , P H S f

i l e d appr oxi m a t e l y 50 pa ge s of pl e a di ngs a ga i ns tD e vi ne i n the f e de r a l c our tt o w hi c h s he w a s f or c e d t o r e s pond. In June of 20 05 , tw o d ay s a ft erre m ov al , D evi ne fi l ed an A m ended C om pl a i nti n w hi c h s he r e m ove d the w or d “ f e de r a l ” f r om he rc om pl a i nta nd r e q u e s te d th a t P H S s tip u la te to h e rc o n te m p o r a n e o u s ly f ile d m o tio n f

o rr e m a n d .3

P H S r e f us e d. O n Jul y 7, 20 05 , the di stri ctcourtgrant ed D evi ne’ s m ot i on and rem anded the ac t i on t o st at e c ou rt , ho l di ng thatP H S had fai l ed t o est abl i sh a bas i s f or fe dera l j ur i s di c t i on. T he c our tr e j e c t e d P H S ’ s c l a i m tha tf e de r a l que s t i on j ur i s di c t i on appears on the fa ce of the com pl ai nt , st at i ng that“ [m ] er el y e m pl oyi ng the w ord

‘ ov ert i m e’ i n a com pl ai ntra i se s no feder al qu es t i on un l es s the ‘ ov ert i m e’ c o m p e n s a te s w o r k in e x c e s s o f f o r ty h o u r s . . . .” T h e c o u r t a ls o h e ld th a t d iv e r s ity j uri sdi ct i on w as no tavai l abl e a s abasi s f or j uri sdi ct i on because notal l the part i es w e r e di ve r s e , P H S di d notm e e ti t s “ he a vy bur de n” t o s how f r a udul e ntj oi nde r , a nd there w as no show i ng thatthe am ou nti n con trovers y w as m et . T he courtgrant ed D e v in e ’s r e q u e s t f

o rf e e s a n d c o s ts in c u rr e d a s th e r e s u lt o f th e im p r o p e rr e m o v a l. T he di s tr i c tc our tr e f

e rr e d the m a tt e rt o the m a gi s tr a t e j udge t o de t e r m i ne the a m ountof

f e e s . O n M a r c h 10, 2006, the m a gi s tr a t e i s s ue d a R e por ta nd R e c om m e nda t i on gr a nt i ng $2, 821. 50 t o D e vi ne . P H S f i l e d no obj e c t i ons t o the R eportand R ec om m endat i on . A cc ordi ng l y, on M ar ch 29 , 20 06 , the di stri ctcourt e nt e r e d a f

i na l or de ra dopt i ng the R e por ta nd R e c om m e nda t i on a nd a w a r di ng the fe es as det erm i ned b y the m agi stra t e j ud ge. O n A pr i l 10, 2006, P H S f i l e d a m ot i on f

orr e c ons i de r a t i on of

the a w a r d of att orney’ s f

ee s, as se rt i ng as “ i nt erveni ng l aw ” aS up re m e C ou rtdeci si on thatw as4

ha nde d dow n on D e c e m be r7, 2005, a f t e rthe di s tr i c tc our tor de ra w a r di ng f e e s but ov erthree m on ths before bo th the R eportand R ec om m endat i on and t he di stri ct c our t ’ s or de rr e duc i ng i t s a w a r d t o a j udgm e nt . P H S c l a i m e d tha tthi s i nt e r ve ni ng l aw thatre qu i re d revers al of the di stri ctcourt ’ s a w ar d o f f ee s. T he di stri ctcourt de ni e d the m ot i on, hol di ng tha tthe a uthor i ty f r om the S upr e m e C our tdi d not change the re sul ti n thi s c as e. W e a gree . II . T he S upr e m e C our t ’ s de c i s i on i n M ar t i n v . Fr ankl i n C api tal C or p. , 1 2 6 S. C t. 7 0 4 ( 2 0 0 5 ) , d o e s n o t r e q u ir e th a t w e r e v e r s e th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s a w a r d o f f e e s in thi s c a s e . I n M

a r tin , the C our the l d tha tthe r e i s no pr e s um pt i on i n f a vorof the a w a r d o f f e e s a n d c o s ts u p o n th e g r a n t o f r e m a n d f

o rim p r o v id e n t r e m o v a l. I d. at 711. P H S c ont e nds tha tr e ve r s a l of the di s tr i c tc our ta w a r d i s r e qui r e d because the di stri ctcourt“ appear[ ed] t o aw ar d fee s s i m pl y bec ause the ca se w as r e m a nde d, ” w hi c h M

ar t i n proh i bi t s. W e di sa gree . In re m andi ng thi s c as e, the di stri ctcourtspec i fi ca l l y r el i ed up on and ci t ed T ran v. W ast e M an ag em ent

, Inc. , 2 9 0 F . S u p p . 2 d 1 2 8 6 ( M .D . F la . 2 0 0 3 ) . T r an perm i t s the aw ar d o f a tt orney’ s f ee s, i n the dis c r e t i on of

the di s tr i c tc our t , w he n the di s tr i c tc our tf

i nds tha tthe r e m ova l w a s “ pa t e nt l y i m pr ope r ” a nd the de f e nda nt d e m o n s tr a te d n o r e a s o n a b le b a s is f o rr e m o v a l. I

d . at12 95 . T hu s, the di stri ct5

co u rtcl earl y reco g n i zed th ati tw as ex erci si n g i t s d i scret i o n i n th e aw ard o f th ese f e e s . M ar t i n i s i napp l i cabl e. A s t o w hether the di stri ctcourtabused i t s di sc re t i on i n cho osi ng t o aw ar d th e s e f e e s , M ar t i n e xpl a i ns tha t“ the s t a nda r d f ora w a r di ng f

e e s s houl d turn on the re as on abl enes s of the re m ov al . ” 126 S . C t . at71 1. T he di stri ctcourtdet erm i ned tha tthe r e m ova l i n thi s c a s e w a s notobj e c t i ve l y r e a s ona bl e be c a us e the r e w a s no ba s i s f orf e de r a l j ur i s di c t i on on the f a c e of the c om pl a i nt . W e f

i nd no a bus e of d is c r e tio n in th is c o n c lu s io n . Fow l e rv . Saf e c o I ns . C o. , 915 F . 2d 616, 617 ( 11 th C i r . 1990) ( w e m a y r e vi e w the m e r i t s of a r e m a nd or de ri n c ons i de r i ng w he the rthe di s tr i c tc our ta bus e d i t s di s c r e t i on by a w a r di ng a tt or ne y s ’ f e e s a nd c os t s unde r28 U . S . C . § 1 44 7(c) ). P H S h a d n o o b

je c tiv e ly r e a s o n a b le b a s is f o rr e m o v in g th is a c tio n . See M a r tin , 12 6 S . C t . at71 1. T he m agi stra t e f ou nd and t he di stri ctcourtagre ed that D e v in e ’s c o m p la in t a s s e r te d n o f e d e r a l q u e s tio n o n its f

a c e a n d P H S f

a ile d to p ro v i d e a reaso n ab l e arg u m en ti n su p p o rto f d i v ersi ty j u ri sd i ct i o n . A cco rd i n g l y, th e d is tr ic t c o u r t c o n c lu d e d th a t P H S f a ile d to d e m o n s tr a te a n y o b je c tiv e ly r e a s o n a b le b a s is f

o rf e d e r a l ju r is d ic tio n in its r e m o v a l p e titio n o ra r g u m e n ts in s u p p o r tth e r e o f

. B a s e d u p o n o u rr e v i e w o f th i s r e c o r d a n d th e b r i e f s o n ap p e a l , we f i nd no a bus e of

di s c r e t i on i n thi s c onc l us i on. A c c or di ngl y , the j udgm e ntof the6

d is tr ic t c o u r t a w a r d in g f e e s is AF F I R ME D.