Julio Cruz v. Yum! Brands, Inc.

Summary

The United States District Court for the Central District of California ordered Plaintiff Julio Cruz to show cause why the Court should not decline supplemental jurisdiction over his California-law claims. The Court noted Plaintiff’s apparent status as a high-frequency litigant and the potential for federal jurisdiction to circumvent California pleading and fee requirements for construction-related accessibility claims. Plaintiff was ordered to identify the statutory damages sought and provide a declaration addressing his high-frequency-litigant status by March 4, 2025.

Holdings

1. Supplemental jurisdiction over related state-law claims is discretionary rather than a right of the plaintiff, and the court must consider judicial economy, convenience, fairness, and comity at every stage of the litigation.
2. The court ordered plaintiff to show cause why it should not decline supplemental jurisdiction over the state-law claims, but deferred the final jurisdictional decision pending the parties' responses.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the district court should decline to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over the state-law accessibility claims under 28 U.S.C. § 1367(c).
2. Whether the plaintiff should be required to provide information and evidence concerning the amount of statutory damages sought and whether plaintiff qualifies as a high-frequency litigant under California law.

Disposition

other