S.D. Ohio Holds That When Defendant Removes a Case Pursuant to CAFA, Defendant Does Not Concede that Plaintiff has Alleged Appropriate Damages

Per Key v. DSW Inc., --- F. Supp. 2d ---, 2006 WL 2794930 (S.D. Ohio Sept. 27, 2006):

Between November 2004 and March 2005, Defendant, DSW, collected and maintained credit card, debit card, and checking account numbers and other confidential personal financial information of approximately 1.5 million consumers who purchased merchandise at DSW retail outlets. (Doc. # 14 ¶ 1.) Because of DSW's alleged improper retention and failure to secure this information, on or about March 2005 unauthorized persons obtained access to and acquired the information of approximately 96,000 customers. Id. As a result, Plaintiff's Amended Complaint alleges several tort and contract claims against DSW. (Doc. # 14 ¶¶ 47, 55, 60, 67, 78 .)

Plaintiff argues that Defendant has conceded that Plaintiff alleged cognizable damages when it removed the case to federal court pursuant to the Class Action Fairness Act, which permits removal of class actions when the aggregate matter in controversy exceeds $5,000,000. (Doc. # 10 at 13.) As mentioned earlier, by dismissing all of the Plaintiff's claims for lack of standing, by implication the Court has found that the Plaintiff has not alleged cognizable damages sufficient to state a contract, negligence, conversion, or fiduciary duty claim. Furthermore, despite Plaintiff's contentions, the fact that Defendant removed the case does not mean that Defendant concedes that Plaintiff has adequately alleged appropriate damages. See, e.g., Johnson v. Wattenbarger, 361 F.3d 991, 993-994 (7th Cir.2004); Loque v. Allstate Ins. Co., 314 F.3d 776, 783 (5th Cir.2003). This Court's exercise of subject matter jurisdiction over Plaintiff's claims does not automatically imply that Plaintiff has stated a claim upon which the Court can grant relief. See id. Thus, Plaintiff argues inaccurately when she attempts to conflate jurisdictional standards with standards of review under Rule 12(b)(6).