LANCE M. AFRICK, District Judge.
Before the Court is a motion
The Court concludes that American Insurance has not met its burden of establishing by a preponderance of the evidence that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000. Therefore, the Court remands the case to the 21st Judicial District Court for the Parish of Tangipahoa, Louisiana. However, the Court denies Mosley's request for costs and fees.
Demontez Mosley filed the present negligence action in Louisiana state court seeking damages arising from an automobile accident.
After Mosley filed suit, American Millennium removed the case.
Jurisdictional facts supporting removal, including the amount in controversy, are judged at the time of removal. Gebbia v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 233 F.3d 880, 883 (5th Cir. 2000). To resolve disputes over the amount in controversy where a civil action has been removed from Louisiana state court, the Fifth Circuit has "established a clear analytical framework." Id. at 882. Louisiana law prohibits plaintiffs from specifying the numerical value of their damages in their petitions for damages. La. C. Civ. P. art. 893. As such, "the removing defendant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000." Gebbia, 233 F.3d at 882 (citing Luckett v. Delta Airlines, Inc., 171 F.3d 295, 298 (5th Cir. 1999)).
A removing defendant can meet this burden in two ways: "(1) by demonstrating that it was facially apparent from the allegations of the state court petition that the amount in controversy exceeded the $75,000.00 jurisdictional threshold, or (2) by offering summary-judgment type evidence of the facts in controversy, which support a finding that the requisite amount was in controversy." Bienemy v. Hertz Corp., No. 16-15413, 2016 WL 6994200, at *2 (E.D. La. Nov. 30, 2016) (Morgan, J.) (internal quotation marks omitted). "If the amount in controversy is not facially apparent from the allegations in the state court petition and, in fact, is ambiguous at the time of removal, the court may consider a post-removal affidavit or stipulation to assess the amount in controversy as of the date of removal." Id. However, if "the amount in controversy is clear from the face of the state court petition, post-removal affidavits or stipulations that purport to reduce the amount of damages a plaintiff seeks cannot deprive the court of jurisdiction." Id.
Once the defendant has established by a preponderance of the evidence that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000, the "plaintiff can defeat diversity jurisdiction only by showing to a legal certainty that the amount in controversy does not exceed $75,000." Grant v. Chevron Phillips Chem. Co., 309 F.3d 864, 869 (5th Cir. 2002) (internal quotation marks omitted). Any doubts about the jurisdictional facts supporting removal "are to be construed against removal and in favor of remand to state court." Riley v. Wal-Mart, La., No. 15-5729, 2015 WL 9268160, at *1 (E.D. La. Dec. 21, 2015) (Africk, J.).
American Millennium argues that the jurisdictional amount is "facially apparent from the allegations of the state court petition." Bienemy, 2016 WL 6994200, at *2. The Court disagrees and concludes that American Millennium has not met its burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000.
The petition for damages that Mosley filed in Louisiana state court alleges that Mosley "suffered and continues to suffer with pain in his shoulder, neck and back, as well as injuries to his entire body which will be demonstrated at trial."
"To determine whether it is facially apparent from a plaintiff's petition that the jurisdictional amount is satisfied," courts generally consider "both the type and extent of the injuries alleged, the types of damages requested, and the presence or absence of factual allegations sufficient to establish the requisite likelihood, rather than a mere possibility, that damages will exceed $75,000." Maze v. Protective Ins. Co., No. 16-15424, 2017 WL 164420, at *4 (E.D. La. Jan. 17, 2017) (Engelhardt, J.).
Here, Mosley's petition for damages "does not specify any particular injuries which [he] suffered as a result of the accident." Vaughn v. Todd, 71 F.Supp.2d 570, 572 (E.D. La. 1999) (Fallon, J.) (emphasis added). Rather, Mosley simply offers the vague allegation that he "suffered and continues to suffer with pain in his shoulder, neck and back, as well as injuries to his entire body."
Moreover, while "the types of damages alleged by Plaintiffs generally assist in establishing the amount in controversy . . ., such allegations alone, unaccompanied by pertinent factual detail, `simply provide [] the usual and customary damages set forth by personal injury plaintiffs and do[] not provide the Court with any guidance as to the actual monetary amount of damages [Plaintiffs have] or will incur.'" Maze, 2017 WL 164420, at *4 (alterations in original); see also Vaughn, 71 F. Supp. 2d at 572 ("The[] itemization of claims includes permanent disability, medical expenses, and lost wages. While the plaintiffs' list is extensive, there is no evidence as to the nature or extent of any of the claims.").
Here, Mosley's "list of damages is a typical listing of damage categories that a prudent attorney will include in his petition when medical treatment or complaints of pain are ongoing." Touchet, 2002 WL 465167, at *2. The list is completely lacking in detail from which the monetary value of the alleged damages can be estimated. For example, Mosley "does not state exactly what [physical and mental injuries] are alleged, what wages were lost or are expected to be lost, or what medical expenses were incurred." Vaughn, 71 F. Supp. 2d at 572. As such, it is not "facially apparent" from the allegations in Mosley's petition that the jurisdictional amount is satisfied. Bienemy, 2016 WL 6994200, at *2.
American Millennium points the Court toward a number of Louisiana state court opinions where awards for neck, back, and shoulder injuries exceeded $75,000.
The Court concludes that it is not "facially apparent from the allegations of the state court petition that the amount in controversy exceed[s] the $75,000.00 jurisdictional threshold." Id. Because American Millennium has not offered the Court any "summary-judgment type evidence" for its consideration, a remand is therefore warranted. Id.
Mosley also requests "just costs and attorney fees" pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1447(c).
Here, the Court concludes that American Millennium had an "objectively reasonable basis for removal." Id. Louisiana case law supported American Millennium's belief that at least some neck, back, and shoulder injuries reach or surpass the jurisdictional amount. Therefore, the Court will not conclude that American Millennium's basis for removal was objectively unreasonable. In addition, American Millennium "appears to have acted in good faith and without any intention of unnecessarily prolonging the litigation." Bammoo, LLC v. Nat'l Marine Underwriters, Inc., No. 07-5913, 2007 WL 3231547, at *2 (E.D. La. Oct. 30, 2007) (Feldman, J.).
The Court concludes that awarding costs and fees pursuant to § 1447(c) is inappropriate.
Accordingly,