Stevenson v. Employment Security Dept. - Order of Remand

EDWA Opinions

Filed February 17th, 2026

Detected March 6th, 2026

Summary

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington issued an order remanding the case of Stevenson v. Employment Security Dept. to Spokane County Superior Court. The court found that the plaintiff, Sharon L. Stevenson, improperly removed the case from state court to federal court, as the right to remove is limited to defendants.

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What changed

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, in the case of Stevenson v. Employment Security Dept. (Docket No. 2:26-cv-00022-SAB), has issued an Order of Remand. The court granted the defendant's motion to remand and dismissed the plaintiff's motion for leave to file an amended complaint as moot. The basis for the remand is that the plaintiff, Sharon L. Stevenson, improperly removed the case from Spokane County Superior Court to federal court, citing Ninth Circuit precedent and 28 U.S.C. § 1441, which limits the right of removal to defendants.

This order signifies that the case will proceed in the state court system. For legal professionals involved in removal actions, this case reinforces the principle that only defendants can initiate removal from state to federal court. There are no immediate compliance actions required for regulated entities, as this is a specific court ruling on procedural grounds rather than a new regulatory mandate. The case was filed on February 17, 2026.

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Feb. 17, 2026 Get Citation Alerts Download PDF Add Note

Sharon L. Stevenson v. Employment Security Dept.

District Court, E.D. Washington

Citations: None known
Docket Number: 2:26-cv-00022
Precedential Status: Unknown Status
Opinion
Authorities (1)
Cited By (0)
Summaries (0)
Similar Cases (0)
PDF

Trial Court Document

1

FILED IN THE

2 U.S. DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
3 Feb 17, 2026

4 SEAN F. MCAVOY, CLERK

5 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

6 EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON

7

8 SHARON L. STEVENSON,

9 Plaintiff, No. 2:26-cv-00022-SAB

10 v.

11 EMPLOYMENT SECURITY DEPT., ORDER OF REMAND

12 Defendant.

13

14 Before the Court are Plaintiff’s Motion for Leave to File Amended

15 Complaint, ECF No. 7, and Defendant’s Motion to Remand, ECF No. 9. Plaintiff is
16 appearing pro se. Defendant is represented by Marya E. Colignon and Nicholas
17 Quijas. The Motions were considered without oral argument.

18 Plaintiff ostensibly removed this matter from Spokane County Superior
19 Court on January 15, 2026. However, the Ninth Circuit has explicitly held that the
20 right to remove a state case to federal court is limited to defendants. Am. Int'l
21 Underwriters (Philippines), Inc. v. Cont'l Ins. Co., 843 F.2d 1253, 1260 (9th Cir.
22 1988); see also 28 U.S.C. § 1441. Section 1441(a) (“any civil action brought in a
23 State court of which the district courts of the United States have original
24 jurisdiction, may be removed by the defendant or the defendants”) (emphasis
25 added).

26 Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED:

27 1. The above-captioned case is REMANDED to Spokane County

28 Superior Court.

1 2. Defendant’s Motion to Remand, ECF No. 9, is GRANTED.
3. Plaintiff's Motion for Leave to File Amended Complaint, ECF No. 7,
DISMISSED AS MOOT.
IT IS SO ORDERED. The District Court Executive is hereby directed to
5|| file this Order, provide copies to counsel, and close the file.
DATED this 17th day of February 2026.