Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 1 of 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gail Lin Chung, Cal St. Bar. No. 212334 Jack A. Raisner1 René S. Roupinian2 OUTTEN & GOLDEN LLP One California Street, Suite 1250 San Francisco, California 94111 Telephone: (415) 638-8800 Facsimile: (415) 638-8810 Email: gl@outtengolden.com Email: rsr@outtengolden.com Email: jar@outtengolden.com Attorneys for Plaintiff Joshua James Eaton Philips, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated 9 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 10 11 12 13 Joshua James Eaton Philips, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, 14 15 16 Plaintiff, CASE NO. __________________ v. Munchery, Inc., 17 Defendant. 18 19 CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT FOR (1) VIOLATION OF WARN ACT 29 U.S.C. § 2101, ET SEQ. AND (2) VIOLATION OF CALIFORNIA LABOR CODE § 1400 ET. SEQ. 20 21 Plaintiff Joshua James Eaton Philips (“Plaintiff”) alleges on his own behalf and the 22 23 putative class of those similarly situated as follows: 24 25 26 27 28 1 and 2 Not admitted to the Bar of the U.S. District Court N.D. Calif. Applications for admission pro hac vice to be filed. Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 2 of 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NATURE OF THE ACTION 1. Until its sudden demise on January 21, 2019, Defendant operated an online food delivery service based in San Francisco. Plaintiff worked for Defendant until January 21, 2019, when Defendant abruptly ceased operations. Plaintiff, along with an estimated 250 other employees, were terminated without any written notice. 2. The Plaintiff brings this action on behalf of himself and the other similarly situated 8 former employees who worked for Defendant and who were terminated without cause, as part of, 9 or as the result of, the mass layoff or plant closing ordered by Defendant on or about January 21, 10 11 2019 and within thirty (30) days of that date, and who were not provided 60 days’ advance written notice of their terminations by Defendant, as required by the Worker Adjustment and 12 13 14 15 16 Retraining Notification Act (“WARN Act”), 29 U.S.C. § 2101 et seq., and the California Labor Code § 1400 et. seq. (“CAL-WARN Act”). 3. Plaintiff and all similarly situated employees seek to recover 60 days’ wages benefits, pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 2104, from Defendant. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 JURISDICTION AND VENUE 4. § 2104(a)(5). 5. Venue in this Court is proper pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 2104(a)(5). 6. The Court has jurisdiction over Defendant because they did business in this District and a substantial part of the events giving rise to Plaintiff’s claim occurred in this District. 24 25 This Court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331, 29 U.S.C. THE PARTIES Plaintiff 26 27 28 -2- COMPLAINT Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 3 of 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7. Plaintiff was employed by Defendant and worked at or reported to the Defendant’s facility located at 200 Shaw Road, South San Francisco 94080 (the “Facility”) until his termination on or about January 21, 2019. 8. Plaintiff was terminated without cause. 9. Plaintiff was terminated without 60 days’ written notice. 10. On information and belief, an estimated 250 similarly situated former employees 8 who worked at the Facility were also terminated on or about January 21, 2019 without cause and 9 without 60 days’ written notice. 10 11 Defendant 11. Upon information and belief and at all relevant times, Defendant is a corporation 12 13 14 15 16 organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware with headquarters in San Francisco. 12. Until on or about January 21, 2019, Plaintiff and all similarly situated employees were employed by Defendant and worked at or reported to the Facility. 17 18 19 20 21 WARN ACT CLASS ALLEGATIONS 13. Plaintiff brings this action individually and on behalf of all other similarly situated former employees of Defendant who worked at or reported to the Facility and were terminated without cause beginning on or about January 21, 2019 and within 30 days of that date, or as the 22 reasonably foreseeable consequence of the mass layoff or plant closing ordered by Defendant on 23 that date, pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 2104(a)(5). 24 25 26 27 28 14. The persons in the Class identified above (“Class Members”) are so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable. Although the precise number of such persons is unknown, the facts on which the calculation of that number can be based are presently within the sole control of Defendant. -3- COMPLAINT Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 4 of 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 15. On information and belief, the identity of the members of the class and the recent residence address of each of the Class Members is contained in the books and records of Defendant. 16. On information and belief, the rate of pay and benefits that were being paid by Defendant to each Class Member at the time of his/her termination is contained in the books and records of the Defendant. 17. There are questions of law and fact common to the Class Members that predominate over any questions affecting individual members. 18. There are questions of law and fact common to the Class Members that predominate over any questions solely affecting individual members of the Class, including but 12 13 not limited to: 14 15 (a) whether the Class Members were employees of the Defendant who worked at or reported to the Facility; (b) whether Defendant terminated the employment of the Class Members without cause on their part and without giving them 60 days’ advance written notice; and (c) whether Defendant paid the Class members 60 days’ wages and benefits as required by the WARN Act. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 19. Plaintiff’s claim is typical of those of the WARN Class. Plaintiff, like other WARN Class members, worked at or reported to the Facility and was terminated without cause on or about January 21, 2019, due to the mass layoff and/or plant closing ordered by Defendant. 20. Plaintiff will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the WARN Class. 24 Plaintiff has retained counsel competent and experience in complex class actions, including the 25 WARN Act and employment litigation. 26 27 21. Class certification of these claims is appropriate under Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(b)(3) because questions of law and fact common to the WARN Class predominate over any questions 28 -4- COMPLAINT Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 5 of 10 1 affecting only individual members of the WARN Class, and because a class action is superior to 2 other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of this litigation – particularly in 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 the context of WARN Act litigation, where individual plaintiffs may lack the financial resources to vigorously prosecute a lawsuit in federal court against a corporate defendant, and damages suffered by individual WARN Class members are small compared to the expense and burden of individual prosecution of this litigation. 22. Concentrating all the potential litigation concerning the WARN Act rights of the members of the Class in this Court will obviate the need for unduly duplicative litigation that might result in inconsistent judgments, will conserve the judicial resources and the resources of the parties and is the most efficient means of resolving the WARN Act rights of all the members 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 of the Class. 23. Plaintiff intends to send notice to all members of the WARN Class to the extent required by Rule 23. 24. A class action is superior to other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of this controversy – particularly in the context of WARN Act litigation, where individual plaintiffs may lack the financial resources to vigorously prosecute a lawsuit in federal court against corporate Defendant. CALIFORNIA WARN CLASS ALLEGATIONS, Cal. Labor Code § 1401 25. Plaintiff brings the Second Claim for Relief for violation of Labor Code § 1401 on 23 behalf of herself and a class of similarly situated persons pursuant to Labor Code § 1404 and 24 Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 23(a) and (b), who worked at or reported to Defendant’s 25 Facility and were terminated without cause beginning on or about January 21, 2019 (the “CAL 26 WARN Class”) 27 28 -5- COMPLAINT Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 6 of 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 26. The persons in the CAL WARN Class identified above (“CAL WARN Class Members”) are so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable. Although the precise number of such persons is unknown, the facts on which the calculation of that number can be based are presently within the sole control of Defendant. 27. On information and belief, the identity of the members of the class and the recent 7 residence address of each of the CAL WARN Class Members is contained in the books and 8 records of Defendant. 9 10 11 28. On information and belief, the rate of pay and benefits that were being paid by Defendant to each CAL WARN Class Member at the time of his/her termination is contained in the books and records of Defendant. 12 13 14 29. including, but not limited to, the following: 15 16 19 20 23 whether the members of the CAL WARN Class were employees of the (b) whether Defendant unlawfully terminated the employment of the members of the CAL WARN Class without cause on their part and without giving them 60 days advance written notice in violation of the CAL WARN Act; and (c) 21 22 (a) Defendant; 17 18 Common questions of law and fact exist as to members of the CAL WARN Class, whether Defendant unlawfully failed to pay the CAL WARN Class members 60 days wages and benefits as required by the CAL WARN Act. 30. The California Class Plaintiff’s claims are typical of those of the CAL WARN 24 Class. The California Class Plaintiff, like other WARN Class members, worked at or reported to 25 the Facility and was terminated on or about January 21, 2019, due to the terminations ordered by 26 Defendant. 27 28 -6- COMPLAINT Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 7 of 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 31. The California Class Plaintiff will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the CAL WARN Class. The California Class Plaintiff has retained counsel competent and experienced in complex class actions on behalf of employees, including the CAL WARN Act, the federal WARN Act, other similar state laws, and employment litigation. 32. Class certification of these Claims is appropriate under Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(b)(3) 7 because questions of law and fact common to the CAL WARN Class predominate over any 8 questions affecting only individual members of the CAL WARN Class, and because a class action 9 superior to other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of this litigation – 10 11 particularly in the context of CAL WARN Class Act litigation, where individual plaintiffs may lack the financial resources to vigorously prosecute a lawsuit in federal court against a corporate 12 13 14 15 defendant, and damages suffered by individual CAL WARN Class members are small compared to the expense and burden of individual prosecution of this litigation. 33. Concentrating all the potential litigation concerning the CAL WARN Act rights of 16 the members of the Class in this Court will obviate the need for unduly duplicative litigation that 17 might result in inconsistent judgments, will conserve the judicial resources and the resources of 18 19 20 21 22 the parties and is the most efficient means of resolving the CAL WARN Act rights of all the members of the Class. 34. The California Class Plaintiff intends to send notice to all members of the CAL WARN Class to the extent required by Rule 23. 23 CLAIMS FOR RELIEF 24 Federal WARN Act, U.S.C. § 2101 et seq. 25 26 35. Plaintiff realleges and incorporates by reference all allegations in all preceding paragraphs. 27 28 -7- COMPLAINT Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 8 of 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 36. At all relevant times, Defendant employed more than 100 employees who in the aggregate worked at least 4,000 hours per week, exclusive of hours of overtime, within the United States. 37. At all relevant times, Defendant was an “employer,” as that term is defined in 29 U.S.C. § 2101 (a)(1) and 20 C.F.R. § 639(a). 38. At all relevant times, Plaintiff and the other similarly situated former employees were employees of Defendant as that term is defined by 29 U.S.C. §2101. 39. On or about January 21, 2019, and within 30 days thereafter, Defendant ordered a mass layoff and/or plant closing at the Facility, as that term is defined by 29 U.S.C. § 210l(a)(2). 40. The mass layoff and/or plant closing at the Facility resulted in “employment 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 losses,” as that term is defined by 29 U.S.C. § 2101(a)(2) for at least fifty of Defendant’s employees as well as more than 33% of Defendant’s workforce at the Facility, excluding “parttime employees,” as that term is defined by 29 U.S.C. § 2l01(a)(8). 41. Plaintiff and the Class Members were terminated by Defendant without cause on their part, as part of or as the reasonably foreseeable consequence of the mass layoff or plant closing ordered by Defendant at the Facility. 42. Plaintiff and the Class Members are “affected employees” of Defendant, within the meaning of 29 U.S.C. § 210l(a)(5). 43. Defendant was required by the WARN Act to give Plaintiff and the Class Members at least 60 days’ advance written notice of their terminations. 44. Defendant failed to give Plaintiff and the Class members written notice that complied with the requirements of the WARN Act. 45. The Plaintiff is, and each of the Class Members are, “aggrieved employees” of the Defendant as that term is defined in 29 U.S.C. § 2104 (a)(7). -8- COMPLAINT Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 9 of 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 46. wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, accrued holiday pay and accrued vacation for 60 days following their respective terminations and failed to make the pension and 401(k) contributions and provide employee benefits under ERISA, other than health insurance, for 60 days from and after the dates of their respective terminations. PRAYER FOR RELIEF 7 8 9 10 Defendant failed to pay Plaintiff and each of the Class Members their respective WHEREFORE, the Plaintiff, individually and on behalf of all other similarly situated persons, prays for the following relief as against Defendant: A. 11 Certification that, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 23 (a) and (b), Plaintiff and the other similarly situated former employees constitute a single class; 12 13 14 15 B. Designation of the Plaintiff as Class Representative; C. Appointment of the undersigned attorneys as Class Counsel; D. A judgment in favor of Plaintiff and each of the “affected employees” equal to the 16 sum of: their unpaid wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, accrued holiday pay, 17 accrued vacation pay, pension and 401(k) contributions and other ERISA benefits, 18 for 60 days, that would have been covered and paid under the then-applicable 19 employee benefit plans had that coverage continued for that period, all determined 20 in accordance with the WARN Act, 29 U.S.C. § 2104(a)(1)(4) and the California 21 Labor Code § 1402(a); 22 23 E. Interest as allowed by law on the amounts owed under the preceding paragraph; 24 F. Plaintiff’s reasonable attorneys’ fees and the costs and disbursements that the 25 Plaintiff incurred in prosecuting this action, as authorized by the WARN Act, 29 26 27 28 U.S.C. § 2104(a)(6); and G. Such other and further relief as this Court may deem just and proper. -9- COMPLAINT Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 10 of 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DATED: January 25, 2019 Respectfully submitted, /s/ _Gail Lin Chung___________________ OUTTEN & GOLDEN LLP Gail Lin Chung Jack A. Raisner René S. Roupinian One California Street, Suite 1250 San Francisco, California 94111 Telephone: (415) 638-8800 Facsimile: (415) 638-8810 Email: gl@outtengolden.com Email: rsr@outtengolden.com Email: jar@outtengolden.com Attorneys for Plaintiff and the other similarly situated former employees 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 -10- COMPLAINT Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1-1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 1 of 2 JS-CAND 44 (Rev. 06/17) CIVIL COVER SHEET The JS-CAND 44 civil cover sheet and the information contained herein neither replace nor supplement the filing and service of pleadings or other papers as required by law, except as provided by local rules of court. This form, approved in its original form by the Judicial Conference of the United States in September 1974, is required for the Clerk of Court to initiate the civil docket sheet. (SEE INSTRUCTIONS ON NEXT PAGE OF THIS FORM.) I. (a) PLAINTIFFS DEFENDANTS Joshua James Eaton Philips, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, (b) County of Residence of First Listed Plaintiff (EXCEPT IN U.S. PLAINTIFF CASES) Munchery, Inc., County of Residence of First Listed Defendant Alameda County (IN U.S. PLAINTIFF CASES ONLY) NOTE: (c) IN LAND CONDEMNATION CASES, USE THE LOCATION OF THE TRACT OF LAND INVOLVED. Attorneys (If Known) Attorneys (Firm Name, Address, and Telephone Number) Gail Lin Chung, Cal St. Bar. No. 212334; Outten & Golden LLP San Francisco, California 94111; (415) 638-8800 II. BASIS OF JURISDICTION (Place an “X” in One Box Only) 1 U.S. Government Plaintiff 3 2 U.S. Government Defendant 4 IV. NATURE OF SUIT CONTRACT 110 Insurance 120 Marine 130 Miller Act 140 Negotiable Instrument 150 Recovery of Overpayment Of Veteran’s Benefits 151 Medicare Act 152 Recovery of Defaulted Student Loans (Excludes Veterans) 153 Recovery of Overpayment of Veteran’s Benefits 160 Stockholders’ Suits 190 Other Contract 195 Contract Product Liability 196 Franchise REAL PROPERTY 210 Land Condemnation 220 Foreclosure 230 Rent Lease & Ejectment 240 Torts to Land 245 Tort Product Liability 290 All Other Real Property V. 1 VI. III. CITIZENSHIP OF PRINCIPAL PARTIES (Place an “X” in One Box for Plaintiff (For Diversity Cases Only) Federal Question (U.S. Government Not a Party) PTF 1 Citizen of This State Diversity (Indicate Citizenship of Parties in Item III) DEF 1 Citizen of Another State 2 2 Citizen or Subject of a Foreign Country 3 3 and One Box for Defendant) PTF Incorporated or Principal Place 4 of Business In This State Incorporated and Principal Place 5 of Business In Another State Foreign Nation 6 DEF 4 5 6 (Place an “X” in One Box Only) TORTS PERSONAL INJURY 310 Airplane 315 Airplane Product Liability 320 Assault, Libel & Slander 330 Federal Employers’ Liability 340 Marine 345 Marine Product Liability 350 Motor Vehicle 355 Motor Vehicle Product Liability 360 Other Personal Injury 362 Personal Injury -Medical Malpractice PERSONAL INJURY 365 Personal Injury – Product Liability 367 Health Care/ Pharmaceutical Personal Injury Product Liability 368 Asbestos Personal Injury Product Liability PERSONAL PROPERTY 370 Other Fraud 371 Truth in Lending 380 Other Personal Property Damage 385 Property Damage Product Liability PRISONER PETITIONS CIVIL RIGHTS 440 Other Civil Rights 441 Voting 442 Employment 443 Housing/ Accommodations 445 Amer. w/Disabilities– Employment 446 Amer. w/Disabilities–Other 448 Education HABEAS CORPUS 463 Alien Detainee 510 Motions to Vacate Sentence 530 General 535 Death Penalty FORFEITURE/PENALTY 625 Drug Related Seizure of Property 21 USC § 881 690 Other LABOR BANKRUPTCY 422 Appeal 28 USC § 158 423 Withdrawal 28 USC § 157 PROPERTY RIGHTS 710 Fair Labor Standards Act 720 Labor/Management Relations 740 Railway Labor Act 751 Family and Medical Leave Act 790 Other Labor Litigation 791 Employee Retirement Income Security Act IMMIGRATION 462 Naturalization Application 465 Other Immigration Actions 820 Copyrights 830 Patent 835 Patent─Abbreviated New Drug Application 840 Trademark SOCIAL SECURITY 861 HIA (1395ff) 862 Black Lung (923) 863 DIWC/DIWW (405(g)) 864 SSID Title XVI 865 RSI (405(g)) FEDERAL TAX SUITS 870 Taxes (U.S. Plaintiff or Defendant) 871 IRS–Third Party 26 USC § 7609 OTHER 540 Mandamus & Other 550 Civil Rights 555 Prison Condition 560 Civil Detainee– Conditions of Confinement OTHER STATUTES 375 False Claims Act 376 Qui Tam (31 USC § 3729(a)) 400 State Reapportionment 410 Antitrust 430 Banks and Banking 450 Commerce 460 Deportation 470 Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations 480 Consumer Credit 490 Cable/Sat TV 850 Securities/Commodities/ Exchange 890 Other Statutory Actions 891 Agricultural Acts 893 Environmental Matters 895 Freedom of Information Act 896 Arbitration 899 Administrative Procedure Act/Review or Appeal of Agency Decision 950 Constitutionality of State Statutes ORIGIN (Place an “X” in One Box Only) Original Proceeding CAUSE OF ACTION 2 3 Removed from State Court Remanded from Appellate Court 4 Reinstated or Reopened 5 Transferred from Another District (specify) 6 Multidistrict Litigation–Transfer 8 Multidistrict Litigation–Direct File Cite the U.S. Civil Statute under which you are filing (Do not cite jurisdictional statutes unless diversity): Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (ʼn WARN ActŊ ), 29 U.S.C. § 2101 et seq.; and CALIFORNIA LABOR CODE § 1400 ET. SEQ. Brief description of cause: Plaintiff and all similarly situated employees seek to recover damages for terminations without 60 days notice. VII. REQUESTED IN COMPLAINT: ✔ CHECK IF THIS IS A CLASS ACTION UNDER RULE 23, Fed. R. Civ. P. VIII. RELATED CASE(S), IF ANY (See instructions): DEMAND $ JUDGE DIVISIONAL ASSIGNMENT (Civil Local Rule 3-2) (Place an “X” in One Box Only) SAN FRANCISCO/OAKLAND CHECK YES only if demanded in complaint: JURY DEMAND: Yes No DOCKET NUMBER IX. DATE 01/25/2019 SAN JOSE SIGNATURE OF ATTORNEY OF RECORD Gail Lin Chung EUREKA-MCKINLEYVILLE JS-CAND 44 (rev. 07/16) Case 3:19-cv-00469-JSC Document 1-1 Filed 01/25/19 Page 2 of 2 INSTRUCTIONS FOR ATTORNEYS COMPLETING CIVIL COVER SHEET FORM JS-CAND 44 Authority For Civil Cover Sheet. The JS-CAND 44 civil cover sheet and the information contained herein neither replaces nor supplements the filings and service of pleading or other papers as required by law, except as provided by local rules of court. This form, approved in its original form by the Judicial Conference of the United States in September 1974, is required for the Clerk of Court to initiate the civil docket sheet. Consequently, a civil cover sheet is submitted to the Clerk of Court for each civil complaint filed. The attorney filing a case should complete the form as follows: I. a) Plaintiffs-Defendants. Enter names (last, first, middle initial) of plaintiff and defendant. If the plaintiff or defendant is a government agency, use only the full name or standard abbreviations. If the plaintiff or defendant is an official within a government agency, identify first the agency and then the official, giving both name and title. b) County of Residence. For each civil case filed, except U.S. plaintiff cases, enter the name of the county where the first listed plaintiff resides at the time of filing. In U.S. plaintiff cases, enter the name of the county in which the first listed defendant resides at the time of filing. (NOTE: In land condemnation cases, the county of residence of the “defendant” is the location of the tract of land involved.) c) Attorneys. Enter the firm name, address, telephone number, and attorney of record. If there are several attorneys, list them on an attachment, noting in this section “(see attachment).” II. Jurisdiction. The basis of jurisdiction is set forth under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a), which requires that jurisdictions be shown in pleadings. Place an “X” in one of the boxes. If there is more than one basis of jurisdiction, precedence is given in the order shown below. (1) United States plaintiff. Jurisdiction based on 28 USC §§ 1345 and 1348. Suits by agencies and officers of the United States are included here. (2) United States defendant. When the plaintiff is suing the United States, its officers or agencies, place an “X” in this box. (3) Federal question. This refers to suits under 28 USC § 1331, where jurisdiction arises under the Constitution of the United States, an amendment to the Constitution, an act of Congress or a treaty of the United States. In cases where the U.S. is a party, the U.S. plaintiff or defendant code takes precedence, and box 1 or 2 should be marked. (4) Diversity of citizenship. This refers to suits under 28 USC § 1332, where parties are citizens of different states. When Box 4 is checked, the citizenship of the different parties must be checked. (See Section III below; NOTE: federal question actions take precedence over diversity cases.) III. Residence (citizenship) of Principal Parties. This section of the JS-CAND 44 is to be completed if diversity of citizenship was indicated above. Mark this section for each principal party. IV. Nature of Suit. Place an “X” in the appropriate box. If the nature of suit cannot be determined, be sure the cause of action, in Section VI below, is sufficient to enable the deputy clerk or the statistical clerk(s) in the Administrative Office to determine the nature of suit. If the cause fits more than one nature of suit, select the most definitive. V. Origin. Place an “X” in one of the six boxes. (1) Original Proceedings. Cases originating in the United States district courts. (2) Removed from State Court. Proceedings initiated in state courts may be removed to the district courts under Title 28 USC § 1441. When the petition for removal is granted, check this box. (3) Remanded from Appellate Court. Check this box for cases remanded to the district court for further action. Use the date of remand as the filing date. (4) Reinstated or Reopened. Check this box for cases reinstated or reopened in the district court. Use the reopening date as the filing date. (5) Transferred from Another District. For cases transferred under Title 28 USC § 1404(a). Do not use this for within district transfers or multidistrict litigation transfers. (6) Multidistrict Litigation Transfer. Check this box when a multidistrict case is transferred into the district under authority of Title 28 USC § 1407. When this box is checked, do not check (5) above. (8) Multidistrict Litigation Direct File. Check this box when a multidistrict litigation case is filed in the same district as the Master MDL docket. Please note that there is no Origin Code 7. Origin Code 7 was used for historical records and is no longer relevant due to changes in statute. VI. Cause of Action. Report the civil statute directly related to the cause of action and give a brief description of the cause. Do not cite jurisdictional statutes unless diversity. Example: U.S. Civil Statute: 47 USC § 553. Brief Description: Unauthorized reception of cable service. VII. Requested in Complaint. Class Action. Place an “X” in this box if you are filing a class action under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23. Demand. In this space enter the actual dollar amount being demanded or indicate other demand, such as a preliminary injunction. Jury Demand. Check the appropriate box to indicate whether or not a jury is being demanded. VIII. Related Cases. This section of the JS-CAND 44 is used to identify related pending cases, if any. If there are related pending cases, insert the docket numbers and the corresponding judge names for such cases. IX. Divisional Assignment. If the Nature of Suit is under Property Rights or Prisoner Petitions or the matter is a Securities Class Action, leave this section blank. For all other cases, identify the divisional venue according to Civil Local Rule 3-2: “the county in which a substantial part of the events or omissions which give rise to the claim occurred or in which a substantial part of the property that is the subject of the action is situated.” Date and Attorney Signature. Date and sign the civil cover sheet.