Michael Rhambo v. Thomas Alan Kerr et al.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MICHAEL RHAMBO, Case No. 2:25-cv-09173-SB-RAO

Plaintiff,

v. ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

THOMAS ALAN KERR et al.,

Defendants.

Plaintiff Michael Rhambo, who requires the use of a wheelchair, filed this suit alleging that Defendants’ musical instrument store imposes physical barriers that impede his access, in violation of, inter alia, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Unruh Act.

Because Plaintiff’s Unruh Act claim is closely related to his ADA claim, the Court has authority to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over the Unruh Act claim under 28 U.S.C. § 1367(a). However, supplemental jurisdiction “is a doctrine of discretion, not of plaintiff’s right,” and district courts “can decline to exercise jurisdiction over pendent claims for a number of valid reasons.” City of Chi. v. Int’l Coll. of Surgeons, 522 U.S. 156, 172 (1997) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). This discretion is codified in § 1367(c):

The district courts may decline to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over a claim under subsection (a) if— (1) the claim raises a novel or…