Netflix customer watches his complaint go dark in court

Everybody gets to have his day in court, even an aggrieved Netflix Inc. customer who says the company failed to follow his directions to cancel his subscription, although he was unsuccessful, in a case that was ultimately decided by a federal appeals court.

The plaintiff in the case was seeking $75,020.16 in damages, $50,000 for pain and suffering and $25,000 in punitive damages, as well as a $20.16 subscription fee, says a federal appeals court.

The plaintiff said in his handwritten complaint that he cancelled his subscription in January 2017 but continued to be billed even after he thought he had straightened the issue out and at one point received a refund.

He charged Los Gatos, California-based Netflix with violating various provisions of the United States Constitution and the United States Code, according to the June 7 ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.

A three-judge appeals court panel unanimously affirmed a ruling by the U.S. District Court in New Haven, Connecticut, in a brief opinion. “Upon review, we conclude that (the plaintiff) failed to plead facts sufficient to establish either federal question or diversity jurisdiction, and therefore affirm the District Court’s ruling.”