Stonebarger et al v. Union Pacific Corporation

Filing 168

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER granting 132 Motion to Amend Complaint, which the Court construes as a motion for leave to amend Pretrial Order. The Pretrial Order is hereby amended to include Ruth Turner as a plaintiff in her individual capacity to assert a wrongful death claim as the surviving spouse of Therman Turner, Jr. See Order for further details and deadlines. Signed by District Judge Julie A. Robinson on 2/3/15. (kao)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS

MELISSA STONEBARGER,
KIATONA TURNER, AND
THERMAN TURNER, JR.,
Plaintiffs,
vs.
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD
COMPANY,
Defendant.
_______________________________________

)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)

Case No. 13-2137-JAR-TJJ

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
Plaintiffs Kiatona Turner and Therman Turner, Jr. bring this wrongful death and survival
action to recover damages arising from the collision between a Union Pacific train and a pickup
truck operated by their father, Therman Turner. Melissa Stonebarger brings this action
individually and as the Representative of the Estate of Veronica Hogle, to recover for the
wrongful death and survival of her daughter, who was a passenger in Mr. Turner’s vehicle. The
accident underlying this case occurred on October 29, 2012, at a railroad grade crossing in
Brown County, near Hiawatha, Kansas. This matter is presently before the Court upon Plaintiffs’
Motion for Leave to Amend Complaint (Doc. 132) to add Ruth Turner in her individual capacity
as the surviving spouse of decedent, Therman Turner. Defendant Union Pacific Railroad
Company objects. For the reasons explained in detail below, the Court grants Plaintiffs’ motion.

I.

Background
The original named Plaintiff in this wrongful death and survival action was Ruth Turner,

as Next Friend of K.T., a minor. Kiatona Turner was substituted as the real party in interest after
she turned eighteen years of age.1 Ruth Turner is the mother of Kiatona Turner and was married
to decedent Therman Turner, Sr. The Turners divorced in January 2010. Plaintiffs contend that
the Turners reconciled fifteen months before Mr. Turner’s death, that Ruth Turner was living
with Mr. Turner as a spouse at the time of the accident, and both were holding themselves out to
others as married. Plaintiffs request leave to name Ruth Turner as a plaintiff in her individual
capacity as the surviving spouse of Therman Turner, Sr.
The original Scheduling Order in this case set the deadline for any motion for leave to
join additional parties or otherwise amend the pleadings for September 20, 2013.2 An Amended
Scheduling Order was entered on December 23, 2013, but did not change the original deadline
for amendments or to add or join parties.3 A pretrial conference was conducted on September
25, 2014, and the Pretrial Order was entered October 14, 2014.4 As reflected in the Pretrial
Order, at the time of the pretrial conference, the only amendment to the pleadings requested by
Plaintiffs was the substitution of Kiatona Turner as the real party in interest because she had
reached the age of majority.5 Defendants did not oppose this substitution, which the Court

1

Doc. 128.

2

Doc. 11 at 9.

3

Doc. 31.

4

Doc. 120.

5

Id. at 14, ¶ 6.

2

construed as a motion to amend Pretrial Order and granted.6 Two weeks after the entry of the
Pretrial Order, Plaintiffs filed the instant motion seeking leave to amend their complaint for the
third time to add Ruth Turner in her individual capacity. Plaintiffs subsequently stipulated that
they are dropping their survival claims, and summary judgment was entered on that issue.7 Trial
is currently set for April 27, 2015.
II.

Discussion
The Pretrial Order in this matter was entered on October 14, 2014, and supersedes all

pleadings and controls the subsequent course of the case.8 “When an issue is set forth in the
pretrial order, it is not necessary to amend the previously filed pleadings” because “the pretrial
order is the controlling document for trial.”9 The court may modify a final pretrial order “only to
prevent manifest injustice.”10 The party moving to modify the pretrial order bears the burden of
demonstrating the applicability of manifest injustice.11 Courts look to the following factors to
determine whether to amend or modify a pretrial order: “(1) prejudice or surprise to the party
opposing trial of the issue; (2) the ability of that party to cure any prejudice; (3) disruption to the
orderly and efficient trial of the case by inclusion of the new issue; (4) bad faith by the party

6

Doc. 128.

7

Doc. 156.

8

See Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(e); D. Kan. Rule 16.2(b).

9

Minter v. Prime Equip. Co., 451 F.3d 1196, 1204 (10th Cir. 2006); Wilson v. Muckala, 303 F.3d 1207,
1215 (10th Cir. 2002) (quoting Expertise Inc. v. Aetna Fin. Co., 810 F.2d 968, 973 (10th Cir. 1987); Fed. R. Civ. P.
16(e)).
10

Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(e); accord D. Kan. Rule 16.2(b) (recognizing that the final pretrial order “will control
the subsequent course of the action unless modified by consent of the parties and court, or by an order of the court to
prevent manifest injustice.”).
11

Koch v. Koch Indus., Inc., 203 F.3d 1202, 1222 (10th Cir. 2000).

3

seeking to modify the order.”12
The Court reluctantly finds that the application of these factors favors allowing the
proposed amendment in order to avoid manifest injustice. As Plaintiffs note, the statute of
limitations on Ruth Turner’s claim expired October 28, 2014. With respect to the first factor,
Plaintiffs argue that Union Pacific cannot argue prejudice or surprise when she emphatically
expressed at her deposition that she was the wife of Therman Turner, Sr. Plaintiffs do not
explain, however, why they waited eight months to seek leave to add Mrs. Turner individually,
as her deposition was held in February 2014. Nevertheless, any bad faith suggested by Union
Pacific is negated by Plaintiffs’ explanation that counsel was uncomfortable with filing a claim
on Ruth Turner’s behalf until he had interviewed friends and family members who could
adequately speak to the existence of a common law relationship. In addition, the Pretrial Order
includes claims for damages suffered by Ruth Turner, including wrongful death damages and
Wentling damages, despite her being named only as a Next Friend.13
Moreover, any prejudice to Union Pacific if the amendment is allowed may be cured by
briefly reopening discovery to Union Pacific on the sole issue of the basis of Ruth Turner’s claim
and the nature of her relationship with Mr. Turner. Ruth Turner’s spousal status does not affect
the dominant issue in this case, which is the alleged negligence of Union Pacific with respect to
the fatal accident and the resulting damages to decedents’ family members. As noted, Ruth
Turner’s claim is limited to an action for wrongful death, as the other Plaintiffs have stipulated to

12

Id.

13

Doc. 120 at 13.

4

dismissing any survival action on behalf of the estate of Mr. Turner or Ms. Hogle.14 Trial
remains nearly three months away, and the parties continue to engage in agreed-upon extended
limited discovery.15 The Court will also grant Union Pacific additional time to contest Ruth
Turner’s standing via a dispositive motion prior to trial.
For the foregoing reasons, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs leave to amend the Pretrial
Order to add Ruth Turner as a plaintiff in her individual capacity. The Pretrial Order is hereby
amended to include Ruth Turner as a plaintiff in her individual capacity to assert a wrongful
death claim as the surviving spouse of Therman Turner, Jr. No later than February 13, 2015,
Plaintiff shall serve Union Pacific with relevant disclosures for Ruth Turner’s claim, as required
by Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(1)(A). The Court also grants Union Pacific until March 13, 2015, to
complete any further discovery solely on the added issue of Ruth Turner’s wrongful death claim
and the nature of her relationship to Therman Turner, Jr. The Court directs Plaintiffs to
cooperate with Union Pacific to facilitate and complete such additional discovery, which may
include reconvening the deposition of Ruth Turner for discovery on this issue. Union Pacific’s
deadline to file a dispositive motion with respect to Ruth Turner’s claim is extended until March
27, 2015; Plaintiffs shall file an expedited response on or before fourteen (14) days after any
such motion; Union Pacific’s expedited reply, if any, shall be filed on or before seven (7) days
after the response.

14

Doc. 156 at 14. The Court also granted Union Pacific summary judgment on Plaintiffs’ claims for
punitive damages. Id. at 33–34, which also applies to Ruth Turner’s wrongful death claim.
15
Union Pacific has noticed the deposition of Therman Turner, Jr. for February 17, 2015. Doc. 164.
Plaintiffs’ deadline to depose Union Pacific’s experts is February 13, 2015. Doc. 159.

5

IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated: February 3, 2015
S/ Julie A. Robinson
JULIE A. ROBINSON
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

6