R and R Surgical Institute v. Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

R AND R SURGICAL INSTITUTE, Case No. 2:23-cv-06919-SB-AGR

Plaintiff,

v.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE RE:

CIGNA HEALTH AND LIFE SUBJECT MATTER

INSURANCE COMPANY et al., JURISDICTION

Defendants.

Plaintiff R and R Surgical Institute filed the complaint in this breach of contract case in the Los Angeles Superior Court on May 11, 2023. Defendant CIGNA Health and Life Insurance Company filed a notice of removal on August 22, 2023. Dkt. No. 1.

Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, having subject matter jurisdiction only over matters authorized by the Constitution and Congress. See e.g., Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins. Co., 511 U.S. 375, 377 (1994). This Court has a duty to assess whether federal subject matter jurisdiction exists and may consider the issue sua sponte at any stage of the proceedings. See Allstate Ins. Co. v. Hughes, 358 F.3d 1089, 1093 (9th Cir. 2004); see also Ruhrgas AG v. Marathon Oil Co., 526 U.S. 574, 583 (1999) (recognizing that “Article III generally requires a federal court to satisfy itself of its jurisdiction over the subject matter before it considers the merits…