Felix v. Lucent Technologies, Inc.
| Decision Date | 26 October 2004 |
| Docket Number | No. 03-6112.,03-6112. |
| Citation | 387 F.3d 1146 |
| Parties | Aaron FELIX, Sr.; Abilene Fletcher; Ada Stump; Adeline Hathorn; Albert Shuler; Alfred Whitlow; Alice M. Nealey; Alice Wood; Allen Threatt, III; Alzetia Bruner; Amelia Warrior; Ana M. Lashley; Anetta Wickware; Angela Jones; Ann Fink; Anna Redd; Anna Smith; Annie Printers; Armandina Sanderson; Arthur Flynn; B.K. Immenshuh; Barbara E. Hall; Barbara Manuel; Barbara Rust; Becky Post; Benneth Braswell; Bertha Reeves; Betty Belcher; Betty Bridges; Betty Chapman; Betty D. Priest; Betty Jackson; Betty Jones; Betty Schuneman; Betty Tootle; Bill W. Moore; Billy Summers; Bobbie Jean Allen; Bobby Gillespie; Bond W. Lee; Bong Chu Chong; Bonnie Irving; Brenda Anderson; Brenda King; Burlene Munro; C. Wayne Faucett; Calvin Prater; Calvin W. Minnick, Sr.; Can T. Phan; Carol Dettman; Carol Dill; Caroll Darnall; Carolyn Buckner; Carolyn Fox; Carolyn J. Williams; Carolyn Lawrence; Carolyn Yvonne Larsen; Carrie J. Roberson; Carroll L. Hunter; Cecil Blake; Cecil Brown; Charles H. Beck; Charles O. Sestak; Charles W. Merrill, Jr.; C.C.K. Bradshaw; Clara Willis; Clarence Yahola; Connie Dunn; Corina Hapke; Cornelious Anderson; Crystal Long; Cynthia A. Wiley; Dale Robinson; Darlene Colbert; Darlene Williams; Daryl Kinnett; David Burbee; David Deerinwater; David Lynch; Deborah Coffey; Deborah McCool; Deborah Reeves; Deidra Kubat; Deloris Richardson; Delvin Reece; Diana Pepperman; Diane Traylor; Diana Dewey; Diane Insogna; Don Crabtree; Don McKenzie; Donald E. Dyer; Donald R. McNeil; Donald Wanzer; Doris Lesley; Dorothy Bowens; Dorothy Bush; Dorothy Freeman; Dorothy Nichols; Doris Daniels Voorhies; Douglas R. Allen; Doyle D. McEntire; Du Pham; Duane Yeck; Duc Tran; Dung Lam; Duoung Hoang; Earl Millius; Earl Taylor; Eiko Rendon; Eli Warrior, Sr.; Elise N. Cecil; Elizabeth A. Whelan; Elvonda Presley; Emma H. Olds; Emma L. Thomas; Erlinda C. Wishon; Erra Todd; Esther B. Lampkin; Esther Ballard; Etta Forshee; Eunice F. Berry; Evelyn Nickels; Fayona B. Wilson; Flora Thomas; Florence Harris; Floyd T. Hyden; Fran Harker, Sr.; Frank Wilson; Fred Tinsely; G.E. Hettel; Gail K. Kitchens; Gail V. Hill; Gary Jordan; Gary Winter; Georgia Lee Jones; Georgia Mae Bruno; Gerald R. Oliver; Gertrude Kroutil; Geyrl Force; Gladys M. Fredrick; Glen Eads; Glenda Rosales; Glenna Winter; Gloria Hicks; Gloria High; Grace E. Hill; Han O.K. Park; Hanelore Myers; Harold Kennedy; Harold L. Brewster; Hazel Marsh; Helen Smith; Herbert Ward; Herman Holland; Howard L. Jennings; Hue Vu; Hung Vietvu; Hyan Anthony; Ida P. Hubbard; Imogene Harriss; Inella J. Cooper; Itty V. Eyadiel; Jack Nowlin; James L. Robinson; James E. Harris; James E. Hubbard; James E. Roberson; James Fairless; James G. Henagar; James Taylor; Jane Williams; Jane Woodard; Janice Felix; Jaqueline Ponder-Lewis; Jayne Ware; Jean Elzey; Jean M. Kay; Jeannie Hicks; Jerryl M. Ashley; Jerry Carl Bryant; Jerry L. Crawford; Jerry Ennis; Jerry Glenn Miller; Jerry Shropshire; Jerry W. Hamilton; Jewel Boyles; Jim Corbin; Jimmie Flenner; Jo Homan; Joann Chandler; Joan Hill; Joan Sawyer; John A. Stewart; John B. Stewart; John E. Miller; John Hildebrand; John Jones; John M. Page; John Varughese; John B. Seilas; Josephine Wyatt; Joyce Ann Miller; Joyce J. Payne; Joyce Palmer; Joyce Wilson; Juanita Harris; Juanita Knapp; Judith Burnham; Judy Rucker; Jullia L. Tedder; Cliff Wheeler; K. Suk Lee; K.C. George; K.T. Lam; Karen C. Wilkins; Katherine Bellis; Katherine Kilby; Katherine Nichols; Kay C. Rowland; Kaye Russell; Kenneth Kortemieier; Ladonna Peterson; Larue Richardson; Lavonda Waldron; Larry Base; Larry Jordan; Larry R. Fox; Laura Scott-Keefer; Lawana K. Weeks; Le Huu Le; Lee Ann Wittenberg; Lee Gorrell; Lena Mitchell; Leo Steel, Jr.; Leona Chicoraske; Leonard Humphries; Leroy Gillespie; Letricia Higgs; Linda Albers; Linda Allen; Linda Cantrell; Linda Klofkorn; Linda L. Stewart; Linda Maestas; Linda R. Zachary; Linda Strauss; Linda Thatch; Linda Warden; Linnie Phillips; Lois Johnson; Lonnie R. Ledford; Loretta Battle; Loretta Hilton; Loretta Ridings; Louis A. Schuneman; Louise Hamman; Louise Hampton; Lynda C. Currin; Lynn Stewart; Mac Winkler; Margaret Crawford; Margaret Darnall; Margaret Groce; Margaret L. Curtis; Margaret L. Johnson; Mary McElyea; Margaret Tayor; Maria Tidwell; Miriam R. Edwards; Marilyn M. Kornmaier; Mark Williams; Marlena Dennis; Marsha W. Cartledge; Marthalene Dunlap; Martina Page; Marva Akins; Marvin G. Gilliland; Marianne B. Ponder; Mary C. Johnson; Mary Davis; Mary Dick; Mary Hobby; Mary Housner; Mary Keller; Mary L. Curtis; Mary Lou McCall; Mary Meehan; Mary Roy; Mary Smiley; Mary Wanzer; Mat Thi Cao; Mattie Kinnett; McHyl L. Summers; Everett Conley; Melba Moore; Michael Marlow; Michael Robertson; Milded Drew; Molly Harrell; Mona Straughn; Morris Scobey, Jr.; Nancy Holmes; Nancy Staten; Naomi Chapman; Nazim Abdul-Latif; Nelda Bohn; Nhan Tran; Nhi Thi Truong; Nhung Nguyen; Numer Norris; Omer G. Floyd, Jr.; Oralee Kemp; Pamela Henagar; John Jones; Pat Lytal; Patricia Rodgers; Pat Wallace; Patricia Barber; Patricia Ewing; Patricia Harrell; Patricia Woods; Patrick Forsee; Patrick Peterson; Paula Sagal; Pearlie McKissic; Pearl Wilson; Peggy Anderson; Peggy Broom; Phan Nguyen; Phyllis Nutt; Rachael Eyadiel; Rachel Tobey; Raymond Mitchell; Rena Benoit; Rhelda Nye; Jackie Cantrell; Richard Benoit; Richard L. Hall; Rita J. Foster; Robert C. Shue; Robert Holmes; J. Robert Munro; Robert Wyatt; Roger D. Craft; Ronald Avants; Ronald O. Stafford; Ronald Jagosh; Ronald Norris; Ronald Wanzer; Ronnie Traylor; Rosetta Warrior; Roy Klepper; Ruby Belshe; Ruby Tidmore; Russell Galloway; Russell Owens; Ruth Boyer; Ruth Lynch; Ruthie O. King; Samarion Jackson; Sandra East; Sandra Humphrey; Santhosh Punnose; Seung Moon; Sherry M. Russell; Shirley Allen; Shirley Conrad; Shirley Glover; Shirley Green; Shirley Griffis; Shirley Hines; Shirley Ness; Shirley Prince; Stanley E. Gooch; Stella Zaragosa; Susan Kouts; Susan Pannell; Susan Wilson; Sylvia Bartemy; Thau Dinh Tran; Thelma Logan; Thurlow Tripp; Tom Anderson; Tommy Green; Tuyen Q. Nguyen; Uyen Nguyen; Valerie H. Wood; Vera Clark; Vinh Van Cao; Virginia Ledford; Virgina Rodriguez; W. Teresa Childs; Walter Eisenman; Walter Gilpen; Wanda Aultman; Wanda Carson; Wanda F. Smith; Wanda Gallant; Wanda Jordan; Wanda Lowry; Wanda Mack; Warren C. Fisher; Willa Prince; William Hostetler; William J. Walton; William D. Roy; Willis Jones; Wilma Long; Wilsie Kozak; Young W. Kang; Yvonne White; Regina Allensworth; Emerald Ness; Judith Irene Williams; Jerry M. Garton; J. Guadalupe Sanchez; Raymond Mack; Evelyn B. Ware; Linda Marchant; Richard Setzer; Ann Nalley; Arvilla Bissell; John D. Cannedy; Rhea Collier; Jo Ann Chandler; Huong N. Do; Robert Gibbs; Roy T. Johnson; Kiet Tuan Lam; Mary J. Lambert; Ron F. McNiell; Melba W. Merrill; Joyce J. Payne; Can Than Phan; Ladonna Peterson; Elvonda Presley; Sherrine Randall; Sandra Reeves; H. Carolyn Richardson; Linda B. Richardson; Virginia Louise Reece; Marsha Shanks; Tony Soliz; Genine Stewart; Mona L. Straughan; Kenneth Tootle; Peter T. Vu; Pearline D. White; Ethel Jackson; Linda Birkes; Randy Brooks; Charlotte Brooks; Jerry W. Buser; Catherine A. Bellis; Sun Ki Lee; Myrtle L. Henson; Bill Eisenman; Tuan Vinh; Carroll Leon Hunter; Sharon L. Stewart; Susan Pak; Du V. Pham; Samuel J. Buckner; Joseph Kunnath; Alice Willis, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC., a Delaware Corporation, Defendant-Appellee. |
| Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Tenth Circuit |
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, Tim Leonard, J.
COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED
James A. Ikard, Oklahoma City, OK, for Plaintiffs-Appellants.
Allegra R. Rich, (Charles C. Jackson, Sari M. Alamuddin, Deborah S. Davidson, with her on the brief) Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Chicago, IL, for Defendant-Appellee.
Before EBEL, ANDERSON, and McCONNELL, Circuit Judges.
Plaintiffs, a group of former employees of Defendant Lucent Technologies, Inc. ("Defendant"), sued Defendant in state court for fraud arising out of alleged misrepresentations made in encouraging Plaintiffs to take an early retirement benefits package. Defendant removed the case to federal court on the basis of complete preemption under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA") and the Labor Management Relations Act ("LMRA"), and then moved to dismiss. Plaintiffs filed a motion to remand, which was denied by the district court on the basis of ERISA complete preemption. Plaintiffs appealed this order, and Defendant now asserts the same grounds for removal jurisdiction as it did below, in addition to arguing for complete preemption under §§ 7-8 of the National Labor Relations Act ("NLRA").
Exercising jurisdiction over the district court's order under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, we conclude that Plaintiffs' state law fraud claims are not completely preempted by ERISA, the LMRA, or the NLRA. Accordingly, we REVERSE and REMAND with instructions to remand to state court.
Plaintiffs, a group of former employees of Defendant Lucent Technologies, Inc., worked at a manufacturing facility in Oklahoma City known as the Oklahoma City Works ("OKCW"). In their Fourth Amended Petition ("FAP"), Plaintiffs alleged the following1:
Because of a series of substantial financial reversals Lucent determined to sell off its manufacturing facilities including OKCW. It communicated to its workforce at OKCW its intent to restructure and engaged in a series of highly-publicized attempts to sell its manufacturing plants or merge with other similar companies. In an effort to make it more attractive to purchasers/merging companies Lucent determined to reduce the number of long-term senior employees at the OKCW.
On February 19, 2001, Lucent entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ("IBEW") System Council EM-3 whereby OKCW employees that were retirement-eligible would retire in...
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...of a collective-bargaining agreement, although it does not contain an explicit preemption provision." Felix v. Lucent Techs., Inc., 387 F.3d 1146, 1163-64 (10th Cir. 2004) (footnote omitted)(citation omitted)(internal quotation marks omitted).1. General Preemption Principles Under the LMRA.......
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..."[w]e review de novo the question of whether Plaintiffs' state law claims are completely preempted." Felix v. Lucent Techs., Inc., 387 F.3d 1146, 1153 (10th Cir.2004). II. Because this case began in state court, our jurisdiction depends on the propriety of removal, which in turn depends on ......
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...7 and 8 do not work to completely preempt the kind of state law claims that plaintiffs are pressing."); Felix v. Lucent Techs., Inc., 387 F.3d 1146, 1165-66 (10th Cir.2004) (holding that "Garmon preemption provides no basis for removal jurisdiction in federal court" and observing that "the ......
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Chapter 20 - § 20.4 • EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT
...preemption defense, a case is not removable unless encompassed within ERISA's civil enforcement scheme. Felix v. Lucent Techs. Inc., 387 F.3d 1146, 1153 (10th Cir. 2004). And complete preemption cannot exist for removal purposes if the plaintiff does not have standing as a participant of an......
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Chapter 20 - § 20.4 • EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT
...preemption defense, a case is not removable unless encompassed within ERISA's civil enforcement scheme. Felix v. Lucent Techs. Inc., 387 F.3d 1146, 1153 (10th Cir. 2004). And complete preemption cannot exist for removal purposes if the plaintiff does not have standing as a participant of an......
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Establishing the Amount in Controversy in Removed Actions Under 28 Usc Section 1332
...if federal subject-matter jurisdiction would exist over the claim."), quoting 28 USC § 1441(a). 2. Felix v. Lucent Technologies, Inc., 387 F.3d 1146, 1154 (10th Cir. 2004) ("Only state court actions that originally could have been filed in federal court may be removed to federal court by th......
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.... . [H]e therefore seek[s] a damage award, not vested benefits improperly withheld. Id. at 1124-25 (quoting Felix v. Lucent Techs., Inc., 387 F.3d 1146, 1160 (10th Cir. 2004) (citations omitted)). Based on Tenth Circuit precedent, the district court determined the allegations of the plainti......