Steven J. Kohr v. Uline, Inc.

I. Introduction

Stephen J. Kohr (“Plaintiff”) was employed by Uline, Inc. (“Uline”), a Delaware corporation, as a “warehouse associate/picker” under the supervision of California citizens Jason Becher and Amanda Russell (all together “Defendants”). See Dkt. 12. Plaintiff alleges that Uline has a history of discriminating against disabled employees. Id. at 2. On December 12, 2017, Plaintiff claims he injured his back while at work, and was subsequently placed on light duty for five days. Id. at 3–4. Following a worker’s compensation claim and a series of negative performance reviews, Plaintiff was fired on February 11, 2019. Id. at 4. Plaintiff claims he is the victim of a pattern of harassment and discrimination against injured or disabled employees carried out by Defendants. Id. at 5.

Plaintiff began this action in California Superior Court on April 22, 2019, alleging nine causes of action (all under California state law) against Defendants. Id. at 1. Of the Defendants, only Uline is a non-California resident, by virtue of its incorporation in Delaware. Id. On June 10, 2019, Defendants filed a notice of removal to this Court based on a theory of fraudulent joinder of…