Does 1-114 v. Shalushi et al

Filing 322

ORDER denying 317 Motion to Amend/Correct. Signed by District Judge David M. Lawson. (DTof)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN
SOUTHERN DIVISION
FADHILA ABASS, AHMAD A. ABBAS, RAZAQ HUSSIN
ABID, ASAAD AHMAD, MAHMOOD AHMAD, ABRAHIM
AL ABOODY, YOUSIF AL AMEEDI, MEHSIN AL-BUSAID,
MOHAMMED AL-BUSAID-JWAD, EMAD AL-EDANI,
AHMED AL-FADAWI, HATTAB AL-FARTOUSI, FARIS
AL-GERAWY, ALAA AL-HAJAJ, HIAM AL-HAKIM,
MAJED AL-HAMADANI, MUNIM AL-HASSAN, ABDULAMIR AL-HELU, AMADA AL-HILALI, RIYADHA ALHILALI, NAJAH AL-HINDAWY, AHMED AL-HUMADI,
WALAA AL-HUSSEINE, ATEEL AL-HUSSEINY,
SAADOUN AL-HUSSEINY, SALAH AL-HUSSEINY,
ZAYNAB AL-HUSSEINY, HASSAN AL HUSSEINY,
MUNTADAR AL MOUSAWI, AHMED AL-ABOUDY,
MOHAMMED AL-ALI, AMJED AL-ATWANI, TUAMA
AL-BADERY, ALI AL-BIDERY, HASSAN AL-BIDERY,
MOHAMMED AL-BIDERY, FEAKHRYA AL-BUSAID,
ZEID AL-HUSSEINY, ALAA AL-IDANI, SALAH ALJAFER, HAIDER AL-JIBORY, IMAD AL-JIBORY, JABER
AL-KARAWI, MARVIN AL-KHAFAJI, OASSIM ALKHAFNAWIZ, RATIP AL-KHALIDI, ALI AL-KUBA, ADIL
AL-KUBBA, THABIT AL-MANSSORI, MOHAMMED ALMASIH, ALI AL-MUSAWI, MAHMOUD AL-RASHED,
SATAR AL-RUBAI, RAAD AL-SHAMKHANI, JABBAR
AL-SHIBANI, HAIDAR AL-SHIMARY, MURAD ALSHIMERY, MOLUD AL-SORIFY, SADIK AL-TAMIMI,
KARAR AL-THWEJ, IBRAHIM AL-TWAINI, ISMAEL
AL-TWAINI, JIMY AL-UBEIDI, GHAZWAN AL-WISHAH,
FAISAL AL-ZERKAN, NAJEH ALABDULRESOOL,
SAMEER ALADILI, ARKAN ABBAS ALANOON, TAHIR
ALARAGY, ALI ALAWI, TUAMA ALBADERY, KADHIM
ALBAHIESH, SABRI HADI ALDAHAN, SAHAR ALDUJAILI,
MUNAF ALEISAWY, HUSSAIN ALFATLAWY, ALI
ALGHURABI, ABDALAMIR ALHAGAR, ABDULKAREM
ALHAMDAN, HAMED NOOR ALHASHIMI, HEISMAT
ALHASSAN, NABIL ALHILFI, RAHIM ALHISNAWI,
NATHAN ALJABIRY, SAAD ALJIBOURY, ABBAS
ALKHAFAGI, TALIB ALKHEKANI, HUSSAIN ALMAHDI,
AHMED ALMALEKY, JAFER ALMOOSAWI, ABDUL
ALMUSAWI, MOHAMMED ALQASSIR, KARRAR
ALRABIAH, MAJID ALRAYES, AHMED ALRUBAIEE,
HAIDAR ALSAIDI, RAHIM ALSHAMARY, SATTAR
ALSHIBAWI, ALI ALSHIBIL, RAHIM ALZERJAWI, AQEEL

Case No: 10-11837
Honorable David M. Lawson

ORDER DENYING
PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION
TO AMEND NAME

ALZIRGANY, HOUSA ALZIRGHANI, ALI G. AWADI,
ADNAN BALLY, BRIANNA BORING, AHMAD FRADI,
ISSA J. FRADI, JOSEPH FRADI, KHADIJA FRADI,
MOHAMED FRADI, NADA FRADI, RAHEL FRADI, REDA
FRADI, BASHEER FTUNI, HASSAN HAMZA, FATIMA
HASSAN, HAIDAR HASSON, ANWAR HUSSAIN, HAMEED
HUSSAIN, NAZAR IBRAHIM, HATIF IMGOTER, NAJI
HATEM JASEM, ABDULRIDHQ JASSIAM, SAMIR HARBY
JASSIM, KAZEM JAWAD, JOE JOHNSON, WAEL KAREEM,
MALIK KHALSAN, HUSSEIN MAHDI, MAZIN MALALLEH,
FAYSAL MAZLOUM, IHSAN MIRZA, SHAKIR MOHAMAD,
HUSSEIN A. MOHAMMED, MOHAMMAD MOUSAWI,
RAED MUNAIM, FADHIL NASSIR, YUSRA RIDHA,
BATOOL SHAMIL, SAMAR SHAREIF, JOSEPH ABBOUD
SHORUTI, RIYADH ALI THRAHIM, AHMED TIMIMI,
WISSAM TIMIMI, MAZIN YOUSIF-DICKOW, SAMY
ALAMEEDI, KHALID ALJABERI, MOHAMMED ALSARRAF,
HAIDER AL-SALAMI, AWS NASER, HASAN HUMADI,
KHALDOON ALAHMEDI, THANNA AZAWI, RAID
ALZIHAIRY, SATTAR AL-MAYALI, NAJI AL-SAIDI, NABIL
AHMAD MUTLAK, AAED MUSA AL-KHAFAJI, SALIH
ALMUHANA, FAHIL ALABUDI, HUSSAIN SHAKER,
HAIDER AL-NASIR, MOHAMAD SOBOH, HABEEB ALMAYAHI, SAUHAIL ABOOD, MOHAMMED ALI AHMAD’,
ALI AL SULTANI, HUSSAIN ALAAEDI, AMIR ALMASHKUR, RASIM ALSAAID, BURHAN ABRAHAM, ALI
KAREM, AHMEN ALRUBAIEE, MAITHAM AL-JIBORY,
HAIDER ALHASHIMI, NAMEEM ALRABIA, MOSTAFA
BELKHALFIA, SADEEM ABOOD, ZUHAIR THARIS,
MOHAMMED AL-AETIAJ, IHSAN SHIEKH, ADEL BAKER,
STEVE HAKIM, SALEM ALDEJANNI, KADHUM ALABUDI,
AMJAD ABBAS AHMAD, ALAA ALABUDI, JASON
SHAREEF, AMMAR SULTAN, HASSAN HAMADEH,
ABDULLAH HAMDI, BASSIM ALHAJAR, THAYER MALEK,
MOHAMMED AL-ASADI, AHMED ALSHIMARY, KARAR
ALSHIMARY, BASIM ALI, MONTATHER ALMOSWI,
HAIDER ALSALMAN, FERAAS KARKHI, MOHAMMED
MERZA, and GADER MIRZA,
Plaintiffs,
v.
ABDZHRA SHALUSHI, AHMED ALABADI, MOHSIN
ALJEBORY, ABDULKHALIQ ALMAHANNA, HASSAN
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ZWEIN, MOHSEN ALJABIRI, FATIMA INTERNATIONAL,
INC., ADAM TRADE GROUP, FEDEK GROUP, INC.,
SAAD MISHIT, ALAA AL-YAAQUBI, and FATHEL
MOHAMMED ALJIBORI,
Defendants.
_________________________________________________/
ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO AMEND NAME
Presently before the Court is a motion filed by the plaintiffs entitled “motion to correct
name.” The plaintiffs explain that they have learned that defendant Mohsen Aljabiri also uses the
alias Mohsen Alhussain, and they seek an order adding the defendant’s alias to the caption of the
case and the docket. They assert that defendant Aljabiri has been served properly at an address
associated with both names, but has failed to answer the complaint. A default was entered against
Mohsen Aljabiri on August 20, 2011.
On July 6, 2011, the Court entered an order granting in part the plaintiffs’ motion for a
default judgment against several defendants, including defendant Mohsen Aljabiri. The Court also
scheduled a hearing on damages in accordance with Federal rule of Civil Procedure 55(b)(2)(B).
The plaintiffs’ motion to correct the defendant’s name is untimely because a default already
has been entered against that defendant and the issue of damages for the judgment is the only matter
remaining to be decided. The plaintiffs do not ask to correct a mere clerical error on the docket, as
they might do under Rule 60(a); instead, the plaintiffs’ proposed action would alter the identity of
the defendant against whom a default has been entered already. Cf. Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(c)(1)(C)
(indicating that an amendment does not relate back when it “changes the party or the naming of the
party against whom a claim is asserted” unless the intended defendant was aware of the lawsuit and
his potential involvement in it within the 120-day period established by Rule 4(m)); Moore v City

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of Harriman, 272 F.3d 769, 793 n.14 (6th Cir. 2001) (Surheinrich, J., dissenting). In order to
recaption the case and add an alias to the defendant’s name, the plaintiffs would need to give the
defendant notice that judgment would be sought against him as the person newly identified by an
alias. The change in the defendant’s identity may be a factor that the defendant would have
considered in deciding whether actively to defend the lawsuit. See Trustees of the St. Paul Elec.
Constr. Indus. Fringe Benefit Funds v. Martens Elec. Co., 485 F. Supp. 2d 1063, 1065 (D. Minn.
2007) (observing that when a defendant is served with a complaint, he is put on notice of his legal
exposure, and a defendant’s choice to default is informed by the information contained in the
pleading). “If [the] plaintiff wishes to seek relief that is not described in [its] original complaint,
then [it] must amend [its] complaint and serve that amended complaint on the defendant.” Id. at
1066. The plaintiffs would have to agree to set aside the default before any of those amendments
could take effect.
Accordingly, it is ORDERED that the plaintiffs’ motion to correct name [dkt. #317] is
DENIED.
s/David M. Lawson
DAVID M. LAWSON
United States District Judge
Dated: August 1, 2011
PROOF OF SERVICE
The undersigned certifies that a copy of the foregoing order was served
upon each attorney or party of record herein by electronic means or first
class U.S. mail on August 1, 2011.
s/Deborah R. Tofil
DEBORAH R. TOFIL

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