Short v. Hyundai Motor America Inc

1 The Honorable James L. Robart UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 8 WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON AT SEATTLE LINDA SHORT, OLIVIA PARKER, ELIZABETH SNIDER, JENNIFER DIPARDO, ANTHONY DIPARDO, SEANE No. 2:19-cv-318-JLR RONFELDT, JAMES TWIGGER, GABRIELLE ALEXANDER, TAVISH CARDUFF, BRIAN FRAZIER, CHAD STIPULATED MOTION TO TRANSFER CASE TO THE U.S. PERRY, WILLIAM PRESSLEY, JEANETT SMITH, AND JANELL WIGHT on behalf of DISTRICT COURT FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF themselves and all others similarly situated, 14 CALIFORNIA 15 Plaintiffs, 16 v. NOTE ON MOTION CALENDAR: MAY 23, 2022 HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA, INC., HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA AMERICA, INC., and KIA CORPORATION, Defendants.

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a), the parties submit this stipulated motion to transfer this case to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Section 1404(a) grants this Court discretion to transfer a case to another district. See Jones v. GNC Franchising, Inc., 211 F.3d 495, 498 (9th Cir. 2000). It says: “For the convenience of parties and witnesses, in the interest of justice, a district court may transfer any civil action to JOINT MOTION TO TRANSFER CASE 1 KELLER ROHRBACK L.L.P. any other district or division where it might have been brought or to any district or division to which all parties have consented.” 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a). “Litigation of related claims in the same tribunal is strongly favored.” Cray, Inc. v. Raytheon Co., No. C15-1127JLR, 2016 WL 3254997, at *4 (W.D. Wash. June 13, 2016) (quoting Amazon.com v. Cendant Corp., 404 F. Supp. 2d 5 1256, 1261 (W.D. Wash. 2005)).

The parties previously sought, and the Court granted, a stay of all deadlines pending resolution of the Class Settlement in In re: Hyundai and Kia Engine Litig. II, No. 8:18-cv-02223, which is proceeding in the Central District of California. See Dkt. 107, 108. At that time, the parties in Engine II believed they were nearing a nationwide class settlement in principle and anticipated moving for preliminary approval. Dkt. 107 at 1. The Short parties believed that a classwide settlement in Engine II could resolve the Short plaintiffs’ claims. Id. To facilitate that resolution, transfer is now appropriate. As indicated in a May 17, 2022 stipulation filed in Engine II, the parties there have “reached a resolution in principle and are in the final stages of memorializing a comprehensive settlement agreement.” Engine II, Dkt. 64 at 1 (May 17, 2022). To incorporate the Short plaintiffs into the ultimate proposed settlement, the parties in Engine II stipulated that counsel would “promptly move for transfer of Short, et al. v. Hyundai Motor Company, et al., No. 2:19-cv-00318-JLR (currently pending in the Western District of Washington) to this Court for consolidation and resolution under the proposed class settlement.” Id. 23 The requirements of Section 1404(a) are met. Because transfer would facilitate the proposed settlement, it would serve the convenience of the parties and the interest of justice. The parties in this action consent to the transfer of this case to the Central District of California, and Defendants have not objected to personal jurisdiction there. The parties respectfully request that JOINT MOTION TO TRANSFER CASE 2 KELLER ROHRBACK L.L.P. the Court grant this stipulated motion to transfer this case to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

DATED this 23rd day of May, 2022.

KELLER ROHRBACK L.L.P. QUINN EMANUEL URQUHART & 5 SULLIVAN, LLP By s/ Gretchen Freeman Cappio By s/ Alicia Cobb 7 Lynn Lincoln Sarko #16569 Alicia Cobb, #48685 Gretchen Freeman Cappio #29576 1109 First Avenue, Suite 210 8 Ryan McDevitt #43305 Seattle, WA 98101 Adele A. Daniel # 53315 Phone (206) 905-7000 9 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 3200 Fax (206) 905-7100 Seattle, WA 98101-3052 [email protected] 10 (206) 623-1900 Fax (206) 623-3384 Shon Morgan (pro hac vice) 11 [email protected] 865 S. Figueroa St [email protected] Los Angeles, CA 90017 12 [email protected] Phone (213) 443-3252 [email protected] Fax (213) 443-3100 13 [email protected] Benjamin L. Bailey, pro hac vice 14 Jonathan D. Boggs, pro hac vice Kari Wohlschlegel (pro hac vice) BAILEY GLASSER LLP Christine W. Chen (pro hac vice) 15 209 Capitol Street 50 California Street, 22nd Floor Charleston, WV 25301 San Francisco, CA 94111 16 Tel.: (304) 345-6555 Telephone: (415) 875-6600 Fax: (304) 342-1110 Facsimile: (415) 875-6700 17 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] W. Daniel “Dee” Miles, III (pro Cristina A. Henriquez (pro hac vice) 19 hac vice forthcoming) 555 Twin Dolphin Drive, 5th Floor H. Clay Barnett, III, pro hac vice Redwood Shores, CA 94065 20 J. Mitch Williams, pro hac vice Telephone: (650) 801-5000 BEASLEY, ALLEN, CROW, Facsimile: (650) 801-5100 21 METHVIN, PORTIS & MILES, [email protected] P.C.

22 272 Commerce Street Attorneys for Defendants Montgomery, AL 36104 23 Tel.: (334) 269-2343 [email protected] 24 [email protected] [email protected] Attorneys for Plaintiffs

JOINT MOTION TO TRANSFER CASE 3 KELLER ROHRBACK L.L.P. ORDER Upon the stipulation of the parties, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that this case is transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated this 23rd day of May, 2022.

A JAMES L. ROBART United States District Judge

JOINT MOTION TO TRANSFER CASE 4 KELLER ROHRBACK L.L.P. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I, Gretchen Freeman Cappio, hereby certify that on May 23, 2022, I electronically filed the foregoing with the Clerk of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington using the CM/ECF system, which shall send electronic notification to all counsel of record. s/ Gretchen Freeman Cappio 8 Gretchen Freeman Cappio

4881-7530-9089, v. 1 JOINT MOTION TO TRANSFER CASE 5 KELLER ROHRBACK L.L.P.