Coleman v. Bank of New York Mellon et al
Filing
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ORDER Granting Defendants' 17 Motion to Stay Discovery. The stay of discovery will automatically lift upon the Court's denial of Defendants' 8 Motion to Dismiss in whole or in part. Signed by Magistrate Judge George Foley, Jr on 12/13/2016. (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’ Motion to Stay (ECF No. 17), filed on
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November 7, 2016. To date, Plaintiff has not filed an opposition to this motion and the time for
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response has now expired.
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On June 15, 2016, Plaintiff filed his Complaint (ECF No. 1) alleging claims including
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declaratory relief, fraud and deceit, promissory estoppel, violation of New York Deceptive Practices
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Act, violation of Nevada business and professional code, violation of 15 U.S.C. § 1692(e), violation
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of 15 U.S.C. § 1641(g), and statutorily defective foreclosure. On September 26, 2016, Defendants
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filed their Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 8) alleging that Plaintiff failed to state a claim upon which
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relief can be granted, that Plaintiff’s claims are barred by the statute of limitations and the doctrine
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of judicial estoppel. Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss seeks dismissal of Plaintiff’s Complaint with
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prejudice and is currently pending before the District Court. Defendants requests that the Court
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impose a stay of discovery pending a resolution on Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss.
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The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure do not provide for automatic or blanket stays of
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discoverywhen a potentially dispositive motion is pending. See Skellerup Indus. Ltd. V. City of L.A.,
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163 F.R.D. 598, 600-1 (C.D. Cal. 1995). Ordinarily, a dispositive motion does not warrant a stay of
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discovery. See Twin City Fire Insurance v. Employers of Wausau, 124 F.R.D. 652, 653 (D. Nev.
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1989). See also Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Tracinda Corp., 175 F.R.D. 554, 556 (D. Nev.
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1997). The moving party carries the heavy burden of making a strong showing of why discovery
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should be denied. Kor Media Group, LLC v. Green, 294 F .R.D. 579, 581 (D. Nev. 2013).
Courts have broad discretionary power to control discovery. See Little v. City of Seattle, 863
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F.2d 681, 685 (9th Cir.1988). When deciding whether to grant a stay of discovery, the Court is
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guided by the objectives of Fed. R. Civ. P. 1 that ensures a “just, speedy, and inexpensive
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determination of every action.” Kor Media Group, 294 F.R.D. at 581. It is well known that the
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purpose of Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) is to enable defendants to challenge the legal sufficiency of a
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complaint without subjecting themselves to discovery. Tradebay, LLC v. eBay, Inc., 278 F.R.D.
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597, 601 (D. Nev. 2011). To establish good cause for a stay, the moving party must show more
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than an apparently meritorious Rule 12(b)(6) motion. Turner Broadcasting System, 175 F.R.D. at
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556.
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The Court may grant a motion to stay discovery when “(1) the pending motion is potentially
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dispositive; (2) the potentially dispositive motion can be decided without additional discovery; and
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(3) the Court has taken a “preliminary peek” at the merits of the potentially dispositive motion and
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is convinced that the plaintiff will be unable to state a claim for relief.” Kor Media Group, 294
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F.R.D. at 581. Common examples of when a stay is warranted are cases involving jurisdiction,
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venue, or immunity as preliminary issues. Twin City Fire Ins. Co., 124 F.R.D. at 653.
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Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) requires only that the Court determine whether the pleadings are
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sufficient to establish a claim, and does not require the Court to determine if the plaintiff could find
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evidence to support the pleadings. Tracy v. United States, 243 F.R.D. 662, 664 (D. Nev. 2007).
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Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) requires a plaintiff “to provide grounds of his entitlement for relief” which
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“requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of the cause
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of action will not do.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007).
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After conducting its “preliminary peek” of Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss, the Court finds
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that a stay of discovery is warranted. First, the pending motion to dismiss, if granted, may resolve
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all of the issues raised in Plaintiff’s Complaint. Second, the Court finds that Defendants’ Motion to
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Dismiss can be decided without additional discovery. Finally, the Court is convinced that a stay of
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discovery is warranted based upon the merits of Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss.
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In addition, Local Rule 7-2(d) provides that “The failure of an opposing party to file points
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and authorities in response to any motion shall constitute a consent to the granting of the motion.”
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Plaintiff did not file points and authorities in response to Defendant’s instant motion to stay.
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Therefore, Plaintiff is considered to have consented to the granting of Defendant’s motion under LR
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7-2(d). Accordingly,
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IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Defendants’ Motion to Stay (ECF No. 17) is granted.
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IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the stay of discovery will automatically lift upon the
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Court’s denial of Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 8) in whole or in part. The parties shall
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have fourteen (14) days from the entry of an order denying Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss to file a
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proposed discovery plan and scheduling order.
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DATED this 13th day of December, 2016.
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______________________________________
GEORGE FOLEY, JR.
United States Magistrate Judge
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