Arjon

Arjon v. Pacific Coast Petroleum, Inc.

Good Law
United States District Court, Northern District of CaliforniaDecember 8, 20203:20-cv-04822California284 words

Opinion

Trial Court Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

CARLOS ARJON, Case No. 20-cv-04822-VC

Plaintiff,

ORDER REMANDING CASE FOR

v. LACK OF SUBJECT MATTER

JURISDICTION

PACIFIC COAST PETROLEUM, INC.,

Re: Dkt. No. 20 Defendant.

The Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over this case. The only possible basis for jurisdiction in the Complaint is the allegation that Arjon “was subjected to work conditions that violated public policy, specifically Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Section 395.3(a)(3) and California Labor Section 6400.” However, Arjon chose to use this alleged violation of a federal statute as the basis for a state law claim for wrongful termination in violation of public policy, not as the basis for a federal claim. The reference to the federal statute under the state law cause of action does not convert it into a federal claim. “Rather, the complaint merely incorporates [the federal statute] as one of several similar sources of public policy supporting [the] state law claims.” Rains v. Criterion Systems, Inc., 80 F.3d 339, 344 (9th Cir. 1996). And where, as here, “a claim can be supported by…

Sign in to read the full opinion

Create a free account to read the complete opinion text, citation history, and good-law status for this case.