E. & J. Gallo Winery v. Pestmaster Services, Inc.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA ----oo0oo---- 11 E. & J. GALLO WINERY, a No. 2:19-cv-02120 WBS KJN California corporation, 13 Plaintiff, ORDER RE: MOTION TO DISMISS v. 15 PESTMASTER SERVICES, INC., a California corporation, JEFFERY

M. VAN DIEPEN, and UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA, Defendants. 19 ----oo0oo---- Plaintiff E. & J. Gallo Winery (“Gallo”) brought this action against Pestmaster Services, Inc. (“Pestmaster”), its president and owner, Jeffery Van Diepen (“Van Diepen”), and the United States of America (“United States”) alleging violations of state tort law after Pestmaster’s application of an herbicide destroyed Gallo’s grape vines. (First Am. Compl. (“FAC”) (Docket No. 8).) Before the court is the United States’ motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1). (Docket No. 13.) I. Background The United States, through its Bureau of…