Court Opinion

ID: 9841271
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-21 19:00:33.944409+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:49:28.380503
License: Public Domain

NOT FOR PUBLICATION                           FILED
                    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                        SEP 21 2023
                                                                      MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
                                                                       U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
                           FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

FELIPE N. GOMEZ, personally, and as             No. 22-55833
Former non-attorney Custodian for Arthur
Gomez,                                          D.C. No. 8:21-cv-02039-JLS-JDE

                Plaintiff-Appellant,
                                                MEMORANDUM*
 v.

LARRY WEISENTHAL; CONNIE
WEISENTHAL, as former Trustee and
personally; RICK FENELLI, Atty No.
68879; FENELLI AND ASSOCIATES
FENELLI LAW,

                Defendants-Appellees.

                   Appeal from the United States District Court
                       for the Central District of California
                   Josephine L. Staton, District Judge, Presiding

                          Submitted September 12, 2023**

Before:      CANBY, CALLAHAN, and OWENS, Circuit Judges.

      Felipe N. Gomez appeals pro se from the district court’s judgment

      *
             This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
      **
             The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2). Gomez’s request for oral
argument, set forth in the opening brief, is denied.
dismissing his action alleging claims under the Racketeering Influenced and

Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) and state law. We have jurisdiction under 28

U.S.C. § 1291. We review de novo a dismissal under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6).

Puri v. Khalsa, 844 F.3d 1152, 1157 (9th Cir. 2017). We affirm.

      The district court properly dismissed Gomez’s claims against defendants

Larry Weisenthal and Connie Weisenthal because Gomez failed to allege facts

sufficient to establish constitutional standing for his state law claim or statutory

standing for his RICO claim. See Lujan v. Defs. of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555, 560-61

(1992) (setting forth requirements for constitutional standing, including an “injury

in fact”); Canyon County v. Syngenta Seeds, Inc., 519 F.3d 969, 972 (9th Cir.

2008) (explaining that to establish standing under § 1964(c), a civil RICO plaintiff

must establish that the “alleged harm qualifies as injury to his business or

property”).

      In his opening brief, Gomez fails to address the district court’s dismissal of

Gomez’s claims against defendants Rick Fenelli and Fenelli & Associates/Fenelli

Law and has therefore waived any challenge to the district court’s dismissal of

these claims. See Indep. Towers of Wash. v. Washington, 350 F.3d 925, 929 (9th

Cir. 2003) (“[W]e will not consider any claims that were not actually argued in

appellant’s opening brief.”); Acosta-Huerta v. Estelle, 7 F.3d 139, 144 (9th Cir.

1993) (issues not supported by argument in pro se appellant’s opening brief are

                                           2                                     22-55833
waived).

      The district court did not abuse its discretion in dismissing Gomez’s

complaint without leave to amend because amendment would have been futile.

See Cervantes v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., 656 F.3d 1034, 1041 (9th Cir.

2011) (setting forth standard of review and stating that leave to amend may be

denied where amendment would be futile).

      All pending motions are denied.

      AFFIRMED.

                                         3                                    22-55833