Securities and Exchange Commission v Behrens, et al

Filing 396

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER denying 394 Motion for Leave to Amend Pleading. The Clerk of the Court is directed to send a copy of this order to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ordered by Judge John M. Gerrard. (Copy mailed to pro se party and as directed) (JSF)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEBRASKA
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION,
8:08-CV-13
Plaintiff,
vs.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

BRYAN S. BEHRENS, et al.,
Defendants.
The Court has received two filings from pro se defendant Bryan S.
Behrens: a notice of appeal (filing 393) and a "Motion for leave to Amend
Pleading" (filing 394).
The Court understands the defendant's notice of appeal (filing 393) to
be an attempt to amend his previously filed notice of appeal (filing 380), to
provide a page that was apparently inadvertently omitted. The Court does
not understand the defendant to have been trying to initiate a second appeal
from the same order.1 Therefore, the Court has directed the Clerk of the
Court to file filing 393 as a supplement to the Court of Appeals' record in the
defendant's existing appeal, rather than processing it as a new appeal. To be
clear, however: nothing about filing 393 changes the Court's previous
Memorandum and Order (filing 384) finding, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §
1915(a)(3), that the defendant's appeal is not taken in good faith and that he
may not appeal in forma pauperis.
The defendant's motion for leave to amend pleading seems to be
directed at his Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b)(4) motion (filing 373). The Court already
disposed of that motion. Filing 374. That denial is, in fact, the subject of the
defendant's attempt to appeal. See filing 380. The Court will, therefore, deny
the motion for leave to amend (filing 394). The motion at issue has already
been disposed of, and nothing about the defendant's proposed amendment

The defendant also asked whether he needed to provide his notice of appeal to the other
parties to this case. Filing 393 at 7. The defendant is advised that when documents are filed
with the Clerk of the Court, the other parties receive electronic notice of the filing, as the
other parties in this case are registered to receive electronic service. See NECivR 5.2.
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has any bearing on the Court's basis for rejecting the motion.2 The
defendant's attempt to rearrange the Titanic's deck chairs would be futile
even if the boat hadn't already sunk.
In order to make sure that the record is clear, the Court will direct the
Clerk of the Court to provide a copy of this memorandum and order to the
Court of Appeals.
IT IS ORDERED:
1.

The defendant's motion for leave to amend pleading (filing
394) is denied.

2.

The Clerk of the Court is directed to send a copy of this
order to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Dated this 30th day of December, 2013.
BY THE COURT:

John M. Gerrard
United States District Judge

The defendant may have been confused by a reference to a "1983 prisoner civil rights case"
in the in forma pauperis memo prepared for the Court by the Clerk of the Court. Filing 381.
The defendant is advised that filing 381 (and the similar filing 395) are simply memoranda
from the Clerk's Office to judge's chambers; they have no legal effect
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