Jennifer J. Walter v. Sterling Jewelers Inc.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff commenced this putative class action in Los Angeles County Superior Court on April 17, 2024. (Complaint (Docket No. 1-1)). Although later clarified in the FAC, the Complaint provided only vague allegations regarding Plaintiff’s relationship to Defendant. At most, the Complaint alleged that Plaintiff was employed by Defendant sometime between the March 2, 2023, and the time the Complaint was filed. (Id. ⁋ 10, 20-21). Even though Plaintiff later filed the FAC, the Court examines the Complaint for purposes of removal because the appropriate analysis is whether there was a basis for removal at the time of the Notice for Removal. See, e.g., Pullman Co. v. Jenkins, 305 U.S. 534, 537 (1939) (“The second amended complaint should not have been considered in determining the right to remove, which in a case like the present one was to be determined according to the plaintiffs' pleading at the time of the petition for removal.”). In any case, Plaintiff’s allegations in the FAC do not differ from those described here in any relevant way.

Plaintiff alleges that Defendant “engaged in a systematic pattern of wage and hour violations.” (Id. ⁋ 3). Plaintiff…