Burch v. Bellagio Hotel and Casino
Filing
36
ORDER that 30 and 33 Motions to Strike are GRANTED. The clerk shall strike 29 and 31 Amended Complaints. FURTHER ORDERED that Burch shall not file any additional amended complaints without first obtaining written consent or leave of court a s required by Rule 15. FURTHER ORDERED that defendants have until October 16, 2014, to answer or otherwise respond to the September 22, 2014, Amended Complaint 32 . Signed by Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey on 10/3/14. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - MMM)
1
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
2
DISTRICT OF NEVADA
3
4
Adrienne A. Burch,
Case No.: 2:14-cv-1141-JAD-PAL
5
Plaintiff,
6
v.
7
Order Striking Amended
Complaints [Docs. 29 & 31]
Bellagio Hotel and Casino,
8
Defendant.
9
10
Plaintiff Adrienne Burch alleges that her employer, the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, has
11
discriminated against her in violation of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil
12
Rights Act of 1964. Doc. 1 at 3-4. On September 9, I granted Bellagio’s Rule 12(b)(6)
13
motion to dismiss and gave Burch leave to file a single amended complaint to more
14
specifically allege her Equal Pay Act claim and any properly exhausted Title VII claim other
15
than one based on her now-expired April 2013 EEOC charge. Doc. 25. Burch filed an
16
amended complaint on September 12, 2014. Doc. 29. Then she filed two more. Docs. 31,
17
32. With each, she filed what purport in their titles to be requests to strike the previously
18
filed amended complaints. See Docs. 30, 31, 32, 33. The Bellagio does not oppose Burch’s
19
requests to strike her amended complaints. Docs. 34, 35. I now grant1 Burch’s requests and
20
strike all but her latest amended complaint filed September 22, 2014. Doc. 32.
21
My order granting limited leave to amend permitted Burch to file a single amended
22
complaint. Once that amended complaint was filed—as Burch accomplished on September
23
12, 2014—additional consent or permission should have been requested and granted before
24
filing any more versions of the amended complaint. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a)(2) (“a party
25
may amend its pleading only with the opposing party’s written consent or the court’s
26
leave.”). Burch did not have Bellagio’s consent or this court’s additional permission to file
27
28
1
Nothing in this order is intended, nor shall it be construed, as any indication of the
sufficiency of the amended complaint.
1
1
her numerous amended complaints after the September 12th version at document #29. She
2
has now moved the court to strike both that September 12th version and the one she filed
3
three days later, in favor of allowing the September 22nd version to stand as her operative
4
amended complaint. The procedure that Burch employs is flawed because the proper method
5
for accomplishing her goal is to move again to amend the September 12th pleading.
6
However, because Bellagio does not oppose the requests, in the interest of expediting this
7
process, I grant them. Docs. 31, 33. Both the September 12th amended complaint (#29) and
8
the September 15th amended complaint (#31) will be stricken. The September 22nd version
9
will be the operative amended complaint. Doc. 32.
I also caution Burch that she must not file another amended complaint without
10
11
first obtaining written consent of Bellagio or seeking leave of court in the method
12
prescribed by Local Rule 15-1 and having that request granted. If Burch files another
13
amended complaint without consent or leave, the court will strike it without prior
14
notice. To avoid docket confusion, Burch is further instructed that she should separate
15
out her various requests and motions into distinct, independent documents in future
16
filings (for example: an amended complaint would be in one document; a motion to
17
strike in another, and each shall be separately filed with its own docket number).
Conclusion
18
Accordingly, it is HEREBY ORDERED that Adrienne Burch’s Motions to Strike
19
20
[##30, 33] are GRANTED;
The Clerk of Court is instructed to STRIKE the amended complaints found at
21
22
documents 29 and 31.
23
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Burch shall not file any additional amended
24
complaints without first obtaining written consent or leave of court as required by Rule 15.
25
...
26
27
28
2
1
2
3
4
5
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that defendants have until October 16, 2014, to answer
or otherwise respond to the September 22, 2014, Amended Complaint (#32).
DATED: October 3, 2014.
_________________________________
JENNIFER A. DORSEY
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
3
Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.
Why Is My Information Online?