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Best Supp - Appellants' Reply Brief - Best Supplement
Best Supp - Appellants' Reply Brief - Best Supplement
No. 20-17362
__________________________________________________________________
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
v.
Defendants-Appellees.
Attorneys for Appellants Best Supplement Guide LLC and Sean Covell
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 17
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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Page(s)
Cases
Allied Structural Steel Co. v. Spannaus (1978)
438 U.S. 234 ......................................................................................................16
Baldwin v. Montana Fish and Game Comm'n,
supra, at 387 ......................................................................................................11
Fikre v. FBI (9th Cir. 2018)
904 F.3d 1033 ......................................................................................................6
Hicklin v. Orbeck (1978)
437 U.S. 518 ......................................................................................................11
Int'l Franchise Ass'n v. City of Seattle (9th Cir. 2015)
803 F.3d 389 ......................................................................................................13
Karuk Tribe of Cal. v. U.S. Forest Serv. (9th Cir. 2012)
681 F.3d 1006 ..................................................................................................7, 8
Manigault v. Springs (1905)
199 U.S. 473 ......................................................................................................16
Marilley v. Bonham (9th Cir. 2016)
844 F.3d 841 ......................................................................................................10
McBurney v. Young (2013)
569 U.S. 221 ......................................................................................................11
Sackett v. EPA (9th Cir. 2021)
No. 19-35469, slip op. .........................................................................................6
Shell Offshore, Inc. v. Greenpeace, Inc. (9th Cir. 2013)
709 F.3d 1281 ......................................................................................................7
Slidewaters LLC v. Wash. State Dep’t of Labor (9th Cir. July 8, 2021)
___ F.4th ____, No. 20-35634, slip op. ...................................................... 10, 12
Supreme Court of New Hampshire v. Piper (1985)
470 U.S. 274 ......................................................................................................11
United Building & Construction Trades Council of Camden County and Vicinity v.
Mayor and Council of the City of Camden (1984)
465 U.S. 208 ............................................................................................... 10, 11
United States Trust Co. v. New Jersey (1977)
431 U.S. 1 ..........................................................................................................17
United States v. Tanoue (9th Cir. 1996)
94 F.3d 1342 ........................................................................................................6
Wildwest Inst. v. Kurth (9th Cir. 2017)
855 F.3d 995 ...........................................................................................................7
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Rules
Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure Rule 32(f)....................................................18
Ninth Circuit Rule 32-1 ...........................................................................................18
Constitutions
U.S. Constitution, Article III, § 1, Clause 1...............................................................9
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further support of their appeal of the final judgment and decision in the instant
matter.
REPLY ARGUMENT
1. Fitness System's Takings Clauses Claims for just compensation under
the Constitutions of the United States and California have not been mooted by
asserted claims arising from the regulatory taking of its property and business
under the guise of the complained of Public Health Orders. See TAC ¶¶ 277-287
(Count Nine--The Takings Clause of the California Constitution). Those claims for
just compensation, as well as each of Fitness Systems' claims for money damages,
are not rendered moot by the voluntary cessation of the Local Defendants'-
Appellees' Public Health Orders. And, because those claims certainly remain a live
have this Court credit their voluntary cessation of the complained of Public Health
Br."). Yet the State Defendants-Appellees omit any concession regarding their
Fikre v. FBI, 904 F.3d 1033, 1037 (9th Cir. 2018) (explaining that, when asserting
mootness due to voluntary cessation, the government must "demonstrate that the
EPA, No. 19-35469, slip op. (9th Cir. 2021)). As this Court recently observed in
Sackett, "the core of this dispute is alive and well." And, as in Sackett, "nothing
Health Orders]," "issuing" "new one[s], or possibly even pursuing another avenue
Public Health] order[s]," does not afford to Fitness Systems any relief, let alone
full relief. Id. (citing United States v. Tanoue, 94 F.3d 1342, 1344 (9th Cir. 1996)).
repetition yet evading review." Arguing that this case is moot, the State
Appellees incorrectly focus on the undisputed fact that they have voluntarily
withdrawn the complained of Public Health Orders. See State Br. at 1, 19-20, 21-
this case is not moot because it falls within the exception to the mootness doctrine
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for disputes “capable of repetition, yet evading review.” Wildwest Inst. v. Kurth,
855 F.3d 995, 1002 (9th Cir. 2017); Shell Offshore, Inc. v. Greenpeace, Inc., 709
F.3d 1281, 1287 (9th Cir. 2013). Cases such as this one are capable of repetition,
yet evade review because “the duration of the challenged action is too short to
expectation that the plaintiffs will be subjected to the challenged action again.”
Wildwest Inst. 855 F.3d at 1003-04 (quoting Karuk Tribe of Cal. v. U.S. Forest
fact, did not permit full judicial review. Moreover, the proven record of the
resort to the issuance of executive actions as a first line of defense in any further
to this Court that they would not resort to the complained of Public Health Orders
or others of their sort when, in their mercurial judgments, they decide to do so.
Court.” Shell Offshore, 709 F.3d at 1287 (internal quotations omitted). The period
between issuance and abrogation of the complained of Public Health Orders has
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been too brief to allow for full review. Such short timeframes as evidenced here are
well within the periods this Court has held insufficient to assure full review. See,
e.g., Karuk Tribe, 681 F.3d at 1018 (“We have repeatedly held that similar actions
answer to any further blooming of the morbidity and mortality numbers associated
scribbled over with iterations and permutations of Public Health Orders, initial,
amended, revoked, and re-imposed, each of which issued without resort to normal
Appellees have not stated that, even if they conclude that such orders become
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none of the Defendants-Appellees argue that the District Court should have
decision to dismiss the Third Amended Complaint ("TAC"). See generally State
Br.; Local Br. They only dispute whether the District Court, in fact, employed such
a prohibited heightened pleading standard. State Br. at 19-20; Local Br. at 15.
Fitness Systems demonstrated that the District Court did, in fact, apply an
43. This Court, of course, can, and should, determine for itself whether the
decision below is the product of the District Court's error in subjecting the TAC to
such heightened scrutiny. When it concludes that the District Court did so, it
should vacate the judgment and remand the matter for further proceedings.
Dep't Of Labor And Industry is inapt as that decision of an inferior court of the
United States could not overrule the United States Supreme Court decisions
otherwise is to cast aspersions on, and reject the teaching of, Article III, Section 1,
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binding rules and principles. One of those rules makes the decisions of the
decision in Slidewaters LLC v. Wash. State Dep’t of Labor, ___ F.4th ____, No.
20-35634, slip op. (9th Cir. July 8, 2021), which affirmed dismissal of claims
asserted by a Washington state business that had complained of the impact of that
State's Covid-19 public health orders. See, e.g., State Br. at 20; Local Br. at 21-22.
For reasons left unexplained by the panel, the Slidewaters LLC decision effectively
rejected sub silentio an unbroken line precedent of the United States Supreme
calling. Slidewaters LLC, slip op. at 17 ("The right to pursue a common calling is
not considered a fundamental right. Marilley v. Bonham, 844 F.3d 841, 854 (9th
Cir. 2016) (en banc) (collecting cases)"). In fact, the panel holding in Slidewaters
LLC must give way to the superior judgment of the Supreme Court of the United
States in:
Vicinity v. Mayor and Council of the City of Camden, 465 U.S. 208 (1984)
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those privileges protected by the Clause. Baldwin v. Montana Fish and Game
Comm'n, supra, at 387. Many, if not most, of our cases expounding the Privileges
and Immunities Clause have dealt with this basic and essential activity'") (citation
their trade, practice their occupation, or pursue a common calling within the
State");
• Supreme Court of New Hampshire v. Piper, 470 U.S. 274, 280 n.9 (1985)
("In United Building & Construction Trades Council v. Mayor & Council of
Camden, 465 U.S. 208 (1984), we stated that 'the pursuit of a common calling is
one of the most fundamental of those privileges protected by the Clause.' Id., at
219. We noted that '[m]any, if not most, of our cases expounding the Privileges and
Immunities Clause have dealt with this basic and essential activity." Ibid");
• McBurney v. Young, 569 U.S. 221, 227 (2013) ("the Privileges and
Immunities Clause protects the right of citizens to "ply their trade, practice their
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Defendants-Appellees would prefer that this Court take its lead from
precedents of the Supreme Court that declare without cabin or limit that the right to
fundamental right is at stake, it was an abuse of discretion for the district court to
apply anything other than strict scrutiny in assaying the complained of Public
Health Orders.
6. The TAC states claims for relief under governing analysis. Fitness
Systems did, in fact, plead adequate facts to establish their claims as against a
complained of Public Health Orders required the district court, at the urging
of just such rights in the context of this dispute. The State Defendants-
Appellees, see State Br. at 35-41, and the Local Defendants-Appellees, see Local
Br. at 23-27, contend that did not allege the exercise of First Amendment rights of
freedom of speech and association. This assertion is patently false. See TAC, ¶¶
40-47. As these allegations satisfy the requirements of notice pleading under the
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Federal Rules, it was an abuse of discretion for the District Court to conclude
803 F.3d 389 (9th Cir. 2015). Merely citing to that case, however, does not explain
away the exercises of First Amendment speech and association rights, which the
TAC alleges were abridged by the complained of Public Health Orders. See TAC
urging) concluded that certain speech and associational activities -- because they
relate "merely" to an interest in, instruction in, and training in physical health,
fitness, conditioning, and emotional and social well-being -- are without recourse
not preserve for appellate review the question of whether a federal right to
intrastate travel is protected under the United States Constitution. See Local
Br. at 32 n.6. The claim that a federal right to intrastate travel exists and was
power does not answer whether -- by its effect -- such a Public Health Order
Appellants could or did properly plead a regulatory takings claim in the alternative,
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their claims for just compensation are still infirm because the Public Health Orders
law and logic, namely that incidents triggering the just compensation requirement
of the Takings Clauses of the United States and California Constitutions cannot per
force also constitute legitimate exercises of the police power. Confusion might be
difference between the eminent domain power, the exercise of which triggers the
obligation of just compensation and the police power of the government, which,
when properly exercised does not trigger any just compensation obligation. As the
vacated and the case remanded for further proceedings on Fitness System's federal
Appellees assert that Fitness Systemsdid not adequately plead a Contracts Clause
claim. See Local Br. at 37 ("Here, Appellants failed to state a claim under the
Contracts Clause for the simple reason that the allegations of the Third Amended
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added). Yet, there it is, the Sixth Cause of Action, TAC ¶¶ 340-356, asserting that,
contract obligor (in providing facilities, equipment, and instruction to its contracted
clients). Moreover, the TAC expressly alleges that complete abrogation worked by
the Public Health Orders and that abrogation was a substantial impairment. Id. In
concluding to the contrary, that no Contracts Clause claim was stated, the district
court abused its discretion. This Court should vacate the judgment and remand for
further proceedings.
complained of constitute an exercise of police powers does not end the inquiry
claim arises under the Contracts Clause. See Local Br. at 38 ("even assuming
Appellants’ contracts with their clients, such does not suffice to state a claim under
the Contracts Clause as the County (and State) had a significant and legitimate
public purpose behind the enactment of these measures, namely to protect their
communities from the COVID-19 pandemic"). But the Court described in the
Constitution as "Supreme" has taken a position at odds with the Local Defendants'-
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Appellees' assertion. The Local Defendants-Appellees, see Local Br. at 38, invoke
Clause does not operate to obliterate the police power of the States." Allied
Structural Steel Co. v. Spannaus, 438 U.S. 234, 241 (1978); see also Manigault v.
Allied Structural Steel Co., 438 U.S. at 242. In such circumstances, and in the case
at bar, what was required only was to plead sufficient facts to establish the
elements of the claim. This, as the Opening Brief demonstrates, Opening Br. at 56-
58, Fitness Systems has done. The judgment should be vacated and the matter
remanded for further proceedings. Then, after issue is joined, if the Local
Defendants believe that they are entitled to judgment (at trial or summary), they
can seek from the trial court a decision that does as the Supreme Court has
commanded: apply a balancing test in which the challenged exercise of the police
power, on one side, are balanced against the rights protected by the contract
clauses, on the other, to determine whether the complained of Public Health Orders
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CONCLUSION
Brief, this Court should reverse the judgment below and remand the case for
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This brief contains 2882 words, excluding the items exempted by Fed. R.
App. P. 32(f).
The brief’s type size and typeface comply with Fed. R. App. P. 32(a)(5) and
(6).
I certify that this brief complies with the word limit of Cir. R. 32-1.
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
All parties to this appeal are registered electronic filers with this Court.
I hereby certify that I electronically filed the foregoing with the Clerk of the
Court for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by using the
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