SALOOJAS, INC. v. Aetna Health of California, Inc.
- Jacquelyn Corley
- 3:22-cv-01696
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In SALOOJAS v. Aetna, Judge Corley ordered the corporation to obtain counsel, stayed dismissal-motion briefing, and warned of possible dismissal.
SALOOJAS, INC., which was required to obtain representation by a lawyer; AETNA HEALTH OF CALIFORNIA, INC., whose motion-to-dismiss briefing and hearing were paused.
What happened
SALOOJAS, INC. v. AETNA HEALTH OF CALIFORNIA, INC. was removed to federal court by Aetna on March 16, 2022. The plaintiff, a corporation, was proceeding without a lawyer, and Aetna had filed a motion to dismiss.
The court told Saloojas that a corporation must be represented by a licensed lawyer in federal court. It ordered a lawyer to appear for Saloojas by May 5, 2022, and said the complaint may be dismissed without prejudice if no lawyer appeared.
Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley also paused briefing on Aetna’s motion to dismiss and canceled the April 28 hearing. The court said it would set new briefing deadlines after May 5.
The detailed version
- SALOOJAS, INC. v. Aetna Health of California, Inc. · No. 3:22-cv-01696
- Jacquelyn Corley
- Apr. 4, 2022
Background
Aetna removed the case to federal court on March 16, 2022. Aetna then filed a motion to dismiss. Saloojas, a corporation, was proceeding without a lawyer, and the order states that it appeared to have filed its state-court complaint without a lawyer.
Representation Requirement
The court advised Saloojas that a corporation must be represented by a licensed lawyer in federal court. The court ordered that a lawyer appear for Saloojas on or before May 5, 2022. The order also identified the Northern District’s Legal Help Center as a possible source of free assistance.
Effect on the Case
The court warned that it may dismiss Saloojas’s complaint without prejudice if no lawyer appeared by May 5. The order did not dismiss the complaint. It stayed, or paused, briefing on Aetna’s motion to dismiss and canceled the April 28 hearing. The court stated that it would reset the deadlines for Saloojas to oppose the motion and for Aetna to reply after May 5.
Disposition
Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley issued an order requiring counsel to appear for Saloojas, staying briefing on the motion to dismiss, and vacating the scheduled hearing. The opinion does not decide the merits of the underlying claims or the motion to dismiss.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.