Angelika De Lara v. Zoetis Inc.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

ANGELIKA DE LARA et al., CV 23-3167 DSF (PDx) Plaintiffs, Order REMANDING Case v.

ZOETIS, INC., et al., Defendants.

Defendants removed this class action employment case from state court on the basis of traditional diversity jurisdiction. There is no allegation that the Class Action Fairness Act applies. Nevertheless, Defendants have attempted to plead the amount in controversy by aggregating the claims of all potential class members. “The traditional rule is that multiple plaintiffs who assert separate and distinct claims are precluded from aggregating them to satisfy the amount in controversy requirement.” Urbino v. Orkin Servs. of California, Inc., 726 F.3d 1118, 1122 (9th Cir. 2013). This rule applies to class actions not removed under CAFA. Id.; 28 U.S.C. § 1332(d)(6) (allowing aggregation of claims where other CAFA requirements are satisfied). Defendants make no attempt to show that any individual Plaintiff’s potential recovery could exceed $75,000. In addition, the information provided in the notice of removal suggests that it is unlikely that such a showing could be met. Defendants estimate that…