ARREDONDO
v.
JOHNSON'S TREE SERVICE AND STUMP GRINDING, INC.

M.D. Fla. | 2024-08-02
No. 2:16-cv-327
2024 FFL 17101 District Court, M.D. Florida (2024)

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

Arredondo v. Johnson's Tree Service is a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) employment case in which the parties filed a joint stipulation of dismissal with prejudice. The district court granted the dismissal under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(ii), holding that FLSA claims are not exempt from the standard dismissal rules applicable to other civil cases.


Holding

The court held that FLSA claims are not exempt from Rule 41 and that parties may dismiss an FLSA case by filing a stipulation of dismissal signed by all appearing parties. The dismissal is effective upon filing and requires no further court action.


Key Quotes

“The text of the FLSA does not provide, and no Eleventh Circuit decision has ever held, that FLSA claims are exempt from Rule 41.”

Establishes that FLSA claims are subject to standard Federal Rules of Civil Procedure regarding voluntary dismissal.

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Facts & Procedural History

This is a Fair Labor Standards Act case between plaintiff Arredondo and defendants Johnson's Tree Service and Stump Grinding, Inc., Johnson Farms FL, …

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Opinion of the Court

In this Fair Labor Standards Act case, the parties have filed a Joint Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice. (Doc. 99). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(ii) allows a plaintiff to dismiss an action voluntarily if a stipulation of dismissal is signed by all parties who have appeared. The dismissal is effective on filing and requires no further action by the Court. See Anago Franchising, Inc. v. Shaz, LLC, 677 F. 3d 1272, 1278 (11th Cir. 2012).

The text of the FLSA does not provide, and no Eleventh Circuit decision has ever held, that FLSA claims are exempt from Rule 41. To the contrary, the Eleventh Circuit has reasoned that the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure apply "in actions brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act no less than in any other case."

Vasconcelo v. Miami Auto Max, Inc., 981 F. 3d 934, 942 (11th Cir. 2020); see also Casso-Lopez v. Beach Time Rental Suncoast, LLC, 335 F.R.D. 458, 461-462 (M.D. Fla. 2020) (holding parties may terminate an FLSA case by filing either a Rule 41 stipulation of dismissal with prejudice or a Rule 68(a) notice of acceptance of an offer of judgment "and the district court is immediately powerless to interfere"); Dicomo v. KJIMS Dev. Co., Inc., No. 2:16-cv-327-FtM-99CM, 2016 WL 6678420, *1 (M.D. Fla. Nov. 14, 2016) ("[T]he parties may dismiss [an FLSA] case in its entirety pursuant to the Joint Stipulation for Dismissal With Prejudice without further action from the Court as it is unconditional and self-executing.").

Accordingly, this action is dismissed with prejudice. Each party shall bear their own fees and costs, unless otherwise agreed. The clerk is directed to deny all pending motions, terminate all scheduled events, and close the case.

ORDERED on August 2, 2024.

NICHOLAS P. MIZELL

United States Magistrate Judge


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