Vasquez v. Gruma Corporation
- 3:26-cv-08447
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In Alonso Vasquez v. Gruma Corporation, the court ordered Gruma Corporation to explain the basis for diversity jurisdiction.
Gruma Corporation must respond to the court’s jurisdiction order by September 18, 2026. The federal court’s authority to continue handling the case is at issue, affecting Vasquez, Gruma Corporation, Winco Foods, LLC, and the other named or unknown defendants.
What happened
In Alonso Vasquez v. Gruma Corporation, Vasquez brought state tort claims against Gruma Corporation, Winco Foods, LLC, and unknown defendants after Gruma removed the case from state court based on diversity jurisdiction.
The court said Gruma did not properly allege Winco Foods, LLC’s citizenship. For an LLC, citizenship depends on the citizenship of its owners or members, not simply where the company was incorporated or has its principal place of business.
The court ordered Gruma Corporation to explain in writing how federal diversity jurisdiction exists and set September 18, 2026, as the response deadline. The order was issued by the court; the judge’s name is not fully readable in the provided text.
The detailed version
- Vasquez v. Gruma Corporation · No. 3:26-cv-08447
- Sept. 8, 2026
Background
Alonso Vasquez brought various state tort claims against Gruma Corporation, Winco Foods, LLC, and unknown defendants identified as Does 1–10. Vasquez originally filed the complaint in Humboldt County Superior Court. Gruma Corporation removed the case to federal court, asserting that the federal court had diversity jurisdiction.
Jurisdiction issue
Federal diversity jurisdiction generally requires complete diversity of citizenship between the parties. The court explained that an LLC is a citizen of every state in which its owners or members are citizens. In its notice of removal, Gruma alleged that Winco Foods, LLC was incorporated under Delaware law and had its principal place of business in Delaware. The court concluded that these allegations did not properly establish Winco’s citizenship because Gruma did not identify the citizenship of Winco’s owners or members.
Order
The court ordered Gruma Corporation to show cause—in other words, to explain in writing—how the federal court has diversity subject-matter jurisdiction over the action. Gruma’s written response must be filed by Friday, September 18, 2026. The order addresses the basis for federal jurisdiction and does not decide the underlying tort claims.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.