Rheumatology Diagnostics Laboratory, Inc et al v. Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company
Filing
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ORDER DENYING MOTIONS FOR ENTRY OF JUDGMENT by Judge William H. Orrick denying 156 and 157 Motions for Entry of Judgment under Rule 54(b). (jmdS, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 6/9/2014)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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RHEUMATOLOGY DIAGNOSTICS
LABORATORY, INC, et al.,
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Plaintiffs,
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AETNA, INC., et al.,
Re: Dkt. Nos. 156, 157
Defendants.
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
ORDER DENYING MOTIONS FOR
ENTRY OF JUDGMENT
v.
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Case No. 12-cv-05847-WHO
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BACKGROUND
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Plaintiffs Rheumatology Diagnostics Laboratory, Inc., Pacific Breast Pathology Medical
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Corporation, Hunter Laboratories, Inc., and Surgical Pathology Associates LLC brought this
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action against defendants California Physicians’ Services, Inc., d/b/a Blue Shield of California
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(“BSC”), Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (“BCBSA”), Aetna, Inc., Quest Diagnostics
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Incorporated, and Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories, Inc.,1 alleging violations of the federal
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Sherman Act and California’s Cartwright Act, Unfair Competition Law (“UCL”), and Unfair
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Practices Act (“UPA”), and intentional and negligent interference with prospective economic
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advantage. After two earlier motions to dismiss were resolved, on February 6, 2014, I dismissed
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with prejudice all of the plaintiffs’ causes of action against all the defendants except for the UPA
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cause of action and derivative claims under the “unlawful” and “unfair” prongs of the UCL against
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Quest. Dkt. No. 146.
The plaintiffs, BSC, and BCBSA move for entry of judgment under Federal Rule of Civil
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This Order collectively refers to Quest Diagnostics Incorporated and Quest Diagnostics Clinical
Laboratories, Inc., as “Quest.”
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Procedure 54(b).2 Dkt. Nos. 156, 157. Quest opposes the motion. Dkt. No. 162. Aetna also
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opposes the motion, but alternatively asks that I enter judgment in its favor as well should I decide
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that entry of judgment is proper based on the motions. Dkt. No. 160 at 1 n.1.
Pursuant to Civil Local Rule 7-1(b), I find this matter suitable for disposition without oral
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argument, VACATE the hearing currently scheduled for June 11, 2014, and DENY the motion
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because of the similarity of the facts and claims that would be presented in separate appeals and
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because the equities do not weigh in favor of separate appeals.
DISCUSSION
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Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(b) states, “When an action presents more than one
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claim for relief . . . or when multiple parties are involved, the court may direct entry of a final
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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judgment as to one or more, but fewer than all, claims or parties only if the court expressly
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determines that there is no just reason for delay.” Courts apply a “pragmatic approach focusing on
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severability and efficient judicial administration.” Cont’l Airlines, Inc. v. Goodyear Tire &
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Rubber Co., 819 F.2d 1519, 1525 (9th Cir. 1987).
In deciding whether to enter judgment, a court “must first determine that it is dealing with
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a ‘final judgment.’ It must be a ‘judgment’ in the sense that it is a decision upon a cognizable
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claim for relief, and it must be ‘final’ in the sense that it is ‘an ultimate disposition of an individual
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claim entered in the course of a multiple claims action.’” Curtiss-Wright Corp. v. Gen. Elec. Co.,
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446 U.S. 1, 7 (1980).
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The court “must go on to determine whether there is any just reason for delay,” which
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involves assessing “judicial administrative interests as well as the equities involved.” Id. at 8.
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Consideration of the former is intended to preserve the policy against piecemeal appeals. Id. A
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court should therefore ask “whether the claims under review [a]re separable from the others
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remaining to be adjudicated and whether the nature of the claims already determined [are] such
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that no appellate court would have to decide the same issues more than once even if there [a]re
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BSC and BCBSA only moved for entry of judgment on behalf of themselves. However, in their
reply brief, they suggest that I enter judgment on all dismissed claims for all defendants to avoid
piecemeal litigation.
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subsequent appeals.” Id. “Similar legal facts or issues that may require the appellate court to
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review legal or factual issues similar to those in the pending claims will weigh heavily against
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entry of judgment under Rule 54(b).” Henderson v. City & Cnty. of S.F., No. 05-cv-234-VRW,
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2009 WL 2058369, at *1 (N.D. Cal. July 13, 2009) (internal quotation marks and citation
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omitted).
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Entry of judgment on the dismissed claims is inappropriate at this juncture. Efficient
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judicial administration would not be served by separate judgments. While the elements of the
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remaining UPA and UCL claims and the dismissed antitrust claims are not identical, the
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underlying allegations are sufficiently related such that a reviewing court would have to look at
the same body of facts on two separate appeals if partial judgment were entered now. The
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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plaintiffs pleaded a conspiracy involving each of the defendants. They are likely to point to
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Quest’s alleged below-cost pricing, which is the basis for their UPA claim, as evidence of
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exclusive dealing that violates the antitrust laws and as the focal point for their damages
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contentions. For example, the plaintiffs allege that Aetna exclusively dealt with Quest “in
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exchange for steep discounts” and that BSC terminated its contracts with other laboratories for a
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10 percent discount from Quest. SAC ¶¶ 87, 99. The “factual issues ‘at the heart’ of the claims”
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are not sufficiently distinct such that severing the appeal in this case would serve judicial
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economy. See Angoss II P’ship v. Trifox, Inc., No. 98-cv-1459-SI, 2000 WL 288435, at *3 (N.D.
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Cal. Mar. 13, 2000) (citation omitted).
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Further, I am unpersuaded that the equities weigh in favor of entering partial judgment.
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Trial is scheduled 14 months from now, so the parties will not have to wait long for a final
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judgment. Quest would certainly be prejudiced by having to litigate the claims pending before me
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while handling an appeal of the same case. Aetna opposes severing the claims. While BSC and
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BCBSA assert that the “cloud” of a pending case against them “creates uncertainty” for BSC’s
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“financial analysis and/or borrowing” and for both of them “about whether they might yet have
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any legal exposure to these claims in the future,” they are unlikely to be harmed in a significant
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way by the 14-month wait until trial given their apparent financial stability and my rejection of
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plaintiffs’ claims against them. It is true that the dismissed claims related to BCBSA do not deal
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with pricing or discounts, but any inconvenience to it alone does not outweigh the interests of
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judicial efficiency. The plaintiffs argue that “by the time the remaining issues are fully litigated
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Plaintiffs will likely be insolvent,” Mot. 5, but they presented no evidence in support of that
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speculative conclusion. If anything, the equities weigh slightly in favor of denying the motion.
CONCLUSION
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There is no evidence of material harm to any party if I do not enter separate judgments at
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this time; Quest would be put at a disadvantage if I entered separate judgments; and the interests
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of judicial efficiency trump any perceived benefit from separate judgments. The motions to enter
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judgment are DENIED.
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United States District Court
Northern District of California
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated: June 9, 2014
______________________________________
WILLIAM H. ORRICK
United States District Judge
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