Rodriguez v. Ford Motor Company et al

Filing 13

ORDER Denying as Moot #11 Defendants' Motion to Strike Punitive Damages Prayer. Signed by Judge Thomas J. Whelan on 11/13/2017. (jao)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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FELIX RODRIGUEZ,

Case No.: 17-CV-1768 W (KSC)
Plaintiff,

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v.

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ORDER DENYING AS MOOT
DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO
STRIKE PUNITIVE DAMAGES
PRAYER [DOC. 11]

FORD MOTOR COMPANY, et al.,
Defendants.

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Pending before the Court is Defendants’ motion to strike the punitive damages

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prayer from Plaintiff’s Complaint. [Doc. 11.] The Court decides the matter on the papers

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submitted and without oral argument pursuant to Civil Local Rule 7.1(d)(1). For the

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reasons that follow, the Court denies Defendants’ motion as moot.

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17-CV-1768 W (KSC)

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“A party may amend its pleading once as a matter of course within . . . 21 days

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after service of a responsive pleading or 21 days after service of a motion under Rule

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12(b), (e), or (f), whichever is earlier.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a). “[A]n amended pleading

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supersedes the original pleading.” Ferdik v. Bonzelet, 963 F.2d 1258, 1262 (9th Cir.

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1992), as amended (May 22, 1992). “[A]fter amendment the original pleading no longer

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performs any function and is “ ‘treated thereafter as non-existent[.]’ ” Id. (quoting Loux

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v. Rhay, 375 F.2d 55, 57 (9th Cir. 1967), overruled in part not relevant here by Lacey v.

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Maricopa Cty., 693 F.3d 896, 928 (9th Cir. 2012)).

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Defendants’ motion is based on Plaintiff’s original Complaint, filed on September

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1, 2017. (See Defs.’ Mot. [Doc. 11].) Plaintiff filed a First Amended Complaint (“FAC”)

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on October 31, 2017—one day after Defendants’ motion and within the 21 days allowed

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for amending as a matter of course. (FAC [Doc. 12].) See Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a).

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Because the original Complaint no longer performs any function, see Ferdik, 963 F.2d at

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1262, Defendants’ motion to strike a punitive damages prayer from it is denied as moot.

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[Doc. 11.]

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IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated: November 13, 2017

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17-CV-1768 W (KSC)