Hector A. Avila v. Northwood Hospitality LLC

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

HECTOR A. AVILA, Case No. 2:23-cv-09598-SB-AS

Plaintiff,

v. ORDER DENYING MOTION TO

REMAND [DKT. NO. 14]

NORTHWOOD HOSPITALITY LLC,

Defendant.

Plaintiff Hector Avila filed this putative class action against his employer, Defendant Northwood Hospitality, LLC, for various wage and hour violations. The alleged violations are based in substantial part on Defendant’s policy requiring all employees to keep their employer-issued walkie talkies on at all times during their shifts, including during meal and rest breaks. Defendant removed the case under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA), contending that the amount in controversy exceeded $5 million. Plaintiff now moves to remand, arguing that Defendant’s calculations are based on unreasonable assumptions. Because the allegations in the complaint allege universal violations for which the amount in controversy exceeds the jurisdictional threshold, the Court DENIES the motion to remand. I. Plaintiff is a current employee of Defendant, where he has worked for almost 14 years. Dkt. No. 1-1 ¶ 4. Plaintiff brought this class…