Alliance of Nonprofits for Insurance, Risk Retention Group v. Brett J. Barratt, Commissioner of Insurance of the State of Nevada et al
Filing
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ORDER Denying 90 Plaintiff's Motion for Necessary and Proper Relief. Signed by Judge James C. Mahan on 06/24/2013. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - AC)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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ALLIANCE OF NONPROFITS FOR
INSURANCE, RISK RETENTION
GROUP,
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2:10-CV-1749 JCM (RJJ)
Plaintiff,
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v.
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BRETT J. BARRATT, et al.,
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Defendants.
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ORDER
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Presently before the court is plaintiff Alliance of Nonprofits for Insurance, Risk Retention
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Group’s motion for necessary and proper relief pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2202. (Doc. # 90).
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Defendants Brett H. Barratt, Commissioner of Insurance for the State of Nevada (“commissioner”);
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Department of Business and Industry, Division of Insurance (“division of insurance”); and the State
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of Nevada filed a response. (Doc. # 95). Plaintiff replied. (Doc. # 96).
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I.
Factual Background
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In 2001, plaintiff, a risk retention group (“RRG”), registered with the division of insurance
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to transact libiality insruance in Nevada. By registering with the department, plaintiff obtained a
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certificate of registration; however, the department did not issue plainitff a certificate of authority.
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Because of this classification, in April 2010, the Nevada Department of Motor Vechicles (“DMV”)
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began denying vehicle registrations to vehicle owners who obtained their first dollar poicies from
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plaintiff.
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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In May 2010, plaintiff then sought a hearing before the commissioner. Following the hearing,
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the commissioner issued an order prohibiting plainitff from writing first dollar liability policies in
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Nevada.
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On October 8, 2010, plaintiff filed this action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 seeking declaratory
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and injunctive relief from this administrative order. (Doc. # 1). On July 22, 2011, the court entered
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a declaratory judgment that the commissioner’s cease and desist order violated the LRRA and was
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therefore preempted. (Doc. # 52). Defendants timely appealed this court’s order. (Doc. # 55).
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On August 5, 2011, plaintiff filed a motion for attorneys’ fees and costs. (Doc. # 60). This
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court awarded plaintiff $88,215.91 in attorneys’ fees and costs and judgment was entered. (Docs. #
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69, 70). Defendants timely appealed this court’s award of attorneys’ fees. (Doc. # 72).
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On April 8, 2013, the Ninth Circuit filed its opinion affirming in part and vacating in part this
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court’s order. (Doc. # 89; see also Alliance of Nonprofits for Ins., Risk Retention Grp. v. Kipper, 712
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F.3d 1316 (9th Cir. 2013)). The Ninth Circuit affirmed this court’s entry of declaratory and
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injunctive relief, holding that the anti-discrimination provisions of the Liability Risk Retention Act
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(“LRRA”), 15 U.S.C. § 3901, et seq., preempted defendants’ administrative order. The Ninth Circuit
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vacated this court’s award of attorneys’ fees on the basis that plaintiffs lacked an enforceable right
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under 42 U.S.C § 1983, and therefore were not entitled to attorneys’ fees as a prevailing party under
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42 U.S.C. § 1988. The Ninth Circuit remanded the case for further proceedings consistent with the
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opinion.
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Upon remand, this court issued an order on mandate (doc. # 93) and exonerated a bond filed
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by defendants for security of the attorneys’ fee award (doc. # 98). Plaintiff subsequently filed the
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instant motion seeking damages, including lost profits, loss of good will/business reputation, lost
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business opportunities, and attorneys’ fees pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2202. (Doc. # 90).
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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II.
Legal Standard
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The Declaratory Judgment Act provides:
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Further necessary or proper relief based on a declaratory judgment or degree may be
granted, after reasonable notice and hearing, against any adverse party whose rights
have been determined by such judgment.
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28 U.S.C. § 2202.
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III.
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Discussion
Plaintiff specifically requests attorneys’ fees in the amount of $87,392.00 and damages in the
amount of $473,154.00; totaling $560,546.00.1
A.
Attorneys’ fees
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As an initial matter, the Ninth Circuit vacated this court’s previous award of attorneys’ fees,
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holding that the LRRA did not “unambiguously confer a right to be free from state law that can be
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enforced under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.” Alliance of Nonprofits for Ins., 712 F.3d 1316. And “[a]s a result,
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the instant litigation ceases to be an ‘action . . . to enforce a provision of [§ 1983],’ eliminating the
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statutory basis for an award of attorneys’ fees.” Id. (citing 42 U.S.C. § 1988) (edit in original). Thus,
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as to attorneys’ fees award, the Ninth Circuit held that the statutory basis of the fees award, § 1988,
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was not proper. The court of appeals did not, however, foreclose plaintiff’s ability to seek an award
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of attorneys’ fees under other authority. Therefore, the court has jurisdiction to consider the present
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request.
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Plaintiff’s request for attorneys’ fees is based on the court’s inherent power.
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1.
Legal standard
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Federal courts have the inherent power to punish conduct which abuses the judicial process,
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including accessing attorneys’ fees when a party has “acted in bad faith, vexatiously, wantonly, or
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for oppressive reasons.” Chambers v. NSDCO, Inc., 501 U.S. 32, 45-46 (1991) (citation omitted).
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When imposing sanctions under its inherent authority, a court must make an explicit finding of bad
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faith or willful misconduct. In re Dyer, 322 F.3d 1178, 1196 (9th Cir. 2003). In addition, “[b]ecause
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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The court acknowledges that a hearing would be needed to afford any of the relief requested in the instant
motion pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2202. Thus, analysis as to the amount of monetary damages and attorneys’ fees stated
is not addressed herein.
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of their very potency, inherent powers must be exercised with restraint and discretion.” Chambers,
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501 U.S. at 44.
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An award of attorneys’ fees pursuant to the court’s inherent power is appropriate when
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plaintiff has acted in bad faith, has willfully abused the judicial process or has willfully disobeyed
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a court order. See Fink v. Gomez, 239 F.3d 989, 991-92 (9th Cir. 2001). These sanctions are further
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“permissible when an attorney has acted recklessly if there is something more–such as an improper
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purpose.” Id. at 993; see, e.g., Primus Auto. Fin. Servs., Inc. v. Batarse, 115 F.3d 644, 648 (9th Cir.
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1997) (“a finding of bad faith is warranted where an attorney ‘knowingly or recklessly raises a
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frivolous argument, or argues a meritorious claim for the purpose of harassing an opponent’”)
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(citation omitted).
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“A finding of bad faith ‘does not require that the legal and factual basis for the action prove
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totally frivolous; where a litigant is substantially motivated by vindictiveness, obduracy, or mala
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fides, the assertions of a colorable claim will not bar the assessment of attorney’s fees.’” Fink, 239
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F.3d at 992 (quoting Lipsig v. National Student Mktg. Corp., 663 F.2d 178, 182 (D.C. Cir. 1980) (per
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curiam)).
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2.
Analysis
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Plaintiff argues that defendants’ actions were vexatious and have forced plaintiff to expend
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significant resources vindicating its rights. Plaintiff contends that this instant action arises from
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defendants’ hostility toward non-domiciled RRGs and its erroneous interpretation and application
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of the LRRA and Nevada’s statutory scheme relative to oversight and regulation of RRGs.
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Plaintiff also argues that defendants’ arguments in the underlying litigation were not
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meritorious and ignored controlling law set forth in Nat’l Warranty Ins. Co. RRG v. Greenfield, 214
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F.3d 1074 (9th Cir. 2000), cert. denied 121 S. Ct. 844 (2001). Plaintiff specifically characterizes
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defendants’ arguments as follows: (1) that the state of Nevada was not bound by the commissioner’s
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cease and desist order that limited RRGs’ ability to write lines of insurance in Nevada; and (2) that
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a provision of the LRRA gave the commissioner authority to preclude plaintiff from issuing first
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dollar automobile liability in Nevada. Plaintiff contends that defendants’ vexatious nature is
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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demonstrated by the futility of their defense as these arguments were summarily dismissed by the
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Ninth Circuit.
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Defendants retort that they were in fact successful on appeal as to the attorneys’ fees award
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under § 1988 and that the novelty of this issue counters any allegation of frivolousness or bad faith
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of the appeal. Further, defendants contend that their preemption argument was broader than just the
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commissioner’s order, and extended to Nevada’s insurance statutory scheme to counter plaintiff’s
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allegations. Defendants also point to factual differences between Nat’l Warranty Ins. Co. and the
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instant matter identified by the Ninth Circuit, see Alliance of Nonprofits for Ins., 712 F.3d at 1323,
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to establish that there was not clearly controlling law on the exception to LRRA preemption.
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Here, the court does not find that defendants acted in bad faith or with a vexatious intent.
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There is no evidence that the commissioner sought to enforce these laws or defend this litigation
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based on frivolous arguments or in an effort to harass plaintiff.2 Further, sanctions in the form of
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attorneys’ fees are not outcome dependant. The fact that plaintiff expended significant resources to
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vindicate itself does not establish bad faith on part of defendants which would warrant an award of
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attorneys’ fees under this court’s inherent power.
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Accordingly, this request under 28 U.S.C. § 2202 is DENIED.
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B.
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Plaintiff also requests an award of damages. Plaintiff’s damages are comprised of net profit
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loss, reputation, and salary. Plaintiff represents that it saw an immediate and noticeable decline in
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its membership when its members could not register their vehicles because plaintiff was not
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authorized to do business in Nevada and their members were forced to obtain alternative insurance
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coverage between March 2010, and July 2011. Even after plaintiff prevailed on the merits of its case
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in July 2011, plaintiff contends that the previous negative publicity branded plaintiff as an
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inadequate insurance company. Plaintiff argues that these losses were a direct result of defendants’
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actions.
Damages
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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Plaintiff argues that the commissioner failed to utilize the only recourse available to him under the LRRA and
instead unilaterally decided to preclude plaintiff from selling insurance in Nevada; the court does not find, without more,
that this conduct establishes bad faith on behalf of defendants.
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The grant of power pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2202 “is broad enough to vest the court with
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jurisdiction to award damages where it is necessary or proper to effectuate relief based upon the
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declaratory judgment rendered in the proceeding.” Security Ins. Co. v. White, 236 F.2d 215, 220
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(10th Cir. 1957). While it is “well settled that ‘further relief’ may include an award for damages,”
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Beacon Const. Co., Inc. v. Matco Elec. Co., Inc., 521 F.2d 392, 400–01 (2d Cir. 1975) (citation
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omitted), it is not the primary function of a district court in a declaratory judgment proceeding.
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The court reads this grant of power narrowly. That is, the court is inclined to award damages
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in an equitable action, such as this one, only where it is “necessary or proper to effectuate relief.”
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Security Ins. Co., 236 F.2d at 220. Here, plaintiff has likely sustained monetary losses due to
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defendants’ actions. However, the court does not find that awarding damages to compensate plaintiff
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for these losses to be “necessary” to effectuate the relief rendered in this court’s July 22, 2011, order.
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Further, in its complaint, plaintiff did not seek damages–instead requesting a declaratory
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judgment and an award of costs and attorneys’ fees associated with this action. While the court is
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not blind to the damages plaintiff represents it incurred as a result of defendants’ conduct, the court
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simply does not find that awarding damages under 28 U.S.C. § 2202 as necessary to effectuate the
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relief this court has already accorded.
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III.
Conclusion
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Accordingly,
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IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that plaintiff Alliance of
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Nonprofits for Insurance, Risk Retention Group’s motion for necessary and proper relief pursuant
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to 28 U.S.C. § 2202 (doc. # 90) be, and the same hereby is, DENIED.
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DATED June 24, 2013.
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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