Coleman v. Bank of New York Mellon et al
Filing
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ORDER Granting Defendants' 16 Motion to Strike Plaintiff's 13 Amended Complaint. Signed by Magistrate Judge George Foley, Jr on 12/12/2016. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - SLD)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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Plaintiff,
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vs.
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THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON FKA
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BANK OF NEW YORK AS TRUSTEE FOR
AMERICAN HOME MORTGAGE
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INVESTMENT TRUST 2004-4 MORTGAGEBACKED NOTES, SERIES 2004-4; et al.,
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Defendants.
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__________________________________________)
ANTHONY COLEMAN,
Case No. 2:16-cv-01339-RFB-GWF
ORDER
This matter is before the Court on Defendants Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems,
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Inc., Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC, and the Bank of New York Mellon’s Motion to Strike Plaintiff’s
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Verified First Amended Complaint (ECF No. 16), filed on November 7, 2016. Plaintiff filed his
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Opposition (ECF No. 18) on November 21, 2016.
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Plaintiff filed his Complaint (ECF No. 1) on June 15, 2016. Defendants filed their Motion
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to Dismiss (ECF No. 8) on September 26, 2016. Plaintiff filed his Verified First Amended
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Complaint (ECF No. 13) on October 18, 2016. Defendants request that the Court strike Plaintiff’s
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Verified First Amended Complaint as untimely pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 15 and as
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impermissible and redundant pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 12(f).
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Under Rule 12(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Court may strike from a
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pleading an insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter.
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Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(f). The essential function of a Rule 12(f) motion is to avoid the expenditure of
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time and money that must arise from litigating spurious issues by dispensing with those issues prior
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to trial. Fantasy, Inc. v. Fogerty, 984 F.2d 1524, 1527 (9th cir. 1993), rev’d on other grounds, 510
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U.S. 517, 114 S. Ct. 1023. Striking material pursuant to Rule 12(f) is considered a “drastic remedy”
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that is “generally disfavored.” Nevada Fair Housing Center, Inc. V. Clark County, 565 F. Supp.2d
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1178 (D. Nev. 2008). Whether to grant a motion to strike lies within the sound discretion of the
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district court. Id.
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Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 15(a)(1) states:
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A party may amend its pleading once as a matter of course within:
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(A) 21 days after serving it, or
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(B) if the pleading is one to which a responsive pleading is required, 21 days after
service of a responsive pleading or 21 days after service of a motion under Rule
12(b), (e), or (f), whichever is earlier.
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In all other cases, a party may amend his pleading only with the opposing party’s written
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consent or the court’s leave. Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 15(a)(2). Plaintiff did not comply with this
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procedure when he filed his First Amended Complaint because Plaintiff did not file his amended
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pleading within 21 days of service of Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss. Defendants filed their
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Motion to Dismiss on September 26, 2016, which gave Plaintiff until October 17, 2016 to amend
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his Complaint once as a matter of course under Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 15(a)(1)(B). Albeit Plaintiff filed
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his First Amended Complaint on October 18, 2016, one day after the deadline expired, Plaintiff did
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not obtain written consent from Defendants or leave of Court before he filed it.
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Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint alleges the same causes of action as Plaintiff’s
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Complaint. Upon review of the two pleadings, the Court finds that Plaintiff’s First Amended
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Complaint and Complaint are substantially similar. The Court therefore grants Defendants’ Motion
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to Strike Plaintiff’s Verified First Amended Complaint as redundant. Accordingly,
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IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Defendants’ Motion to Strike Plaintiff’s Verified First
Amended Complaint (ECF No. 16) is granted.
DATED this 12th day of December, 2016
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______________________________________
GEORGE FOLEY, JR.
United States Magistrate Judge
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