Bertsch v. Discover Financial Services et al
Filing
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ORDER. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Plaintiff's claims are DISMISSED with prejudice. The Clerk of Court shall enter judgment accordingly and close the case. Signed by Judge Gloria M. Navarro on 4/7/2020. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - MR)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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MICHELLE BERTSCH,
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Plaintiff,
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vs.
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DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES, et al., )
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Defendants.
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Case No.: 2:18-cv-00290-GMN-EJY
ORDER
Pending before the Court is the case of Michelle Bertsch v. Discover Financial Services,
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et al. (2:18-cv-00290-GMN-EJY). On March 11, 2020, the Court issued an Order dismissing
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Plaintiff Michelle Bertsch’s (“Plaintiff”) Amended Complaint. (Order, ECF No. 79). In that
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Order, the Court granted leave for Plaintiff to file a second amended complaint on or before
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April 1, 2020, to correct deficiencies in her claims. (See id. at 10–11). However, Plaintiff has
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since failed to file a second amended complaint or request an extension of time to do so. For
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the reasons set forth below, the Court will dismiss Plaintiff’s claims with prejudice.
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I.
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DISCUSSION
In its March 11, 2020 Order, the Court ruled that Plaintiff failed to state a claim upon
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which relief could be granted as to each of Plaintiff’s eight claims. (See id. at 49). Despite the
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Court granting leave for Plaintiff to support seven of her claims with additional factual
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allegations in order to establish valid causes of action, Plaintiff has failed to take any action
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whatsoever in this case.
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The Court is at a loss in cases, such as this one, in which a plaintiff fails to participate in
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the judicial process and does not pursue her claims or even request an extension. However, the
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Court has an obligation to promote justice by allocating judicial resources to cases with
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ongoing disputes and active parties.
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Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b) allows for the dismissal of an action based on a
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party’s failure to obey an order of the Court. 1 The Ninth Circuit has specifically held that this
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rule may be applied when a plaintiff fails to file an amended complaint pursuant to a court-
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ordered deadline. See, e.g., Ferdik v. Bonzelet, 963 F.2d 1258, 1260 (9th Cir. 1992). “In
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determining whether to dismiss a case for failure to comply with a court order the district court
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must weigh five factors including: (1) the public’s interest in expeditious resolution of
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litigation; (2) the court’s need to manage its docket; (3) the risk of prejudice to the defendants;
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(4) the public policy favoring disposition of cases on their merits; and (5) the availability of less
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drastic alternatives.” Id. at 1260–61; see also Thompson v. Housing Auth. of City of Los
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Angeles, 782 F.2d 829, 831 (9th Cir. 1986); Henderson v. Duncan, 779 F.2d 1421, 1423 (9th
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Cir. 1986). The Court will consider each of these factors in turn.
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1.
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The Ninth Circuit has consistently held that “the public’s interest in expeditious
Public Interest
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resolution of litigation always favors dismissal.” Pagtalunan v. Galaza, 291 F.3d 639, 642 (9th
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Cir. 2002) (quoting Yourish v. California Amplifier, 191 F.3d 983, 990 (9th Cir. 1999). In this
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case, Plaintiff has not only failed to file a second amended complaint pursuant to the Court’s
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explicit deadline, but has also failed to request an extension or explain her failure to the Court.
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Therefore, this factor weighs in favor of dismissal.
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2.
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The delays caused by Plaintiff’s failure to amend her claims have already consumed
The Court’s Need to Manage its Docket
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time and resources that the Court could have devoted to other cases. The Court’s resources are
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best allocated to actions with active parties seeking to resolve their claims under the law. Thus,
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this factor also weighs in favor of dismissal.
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Although Rule 41(b) refers to a defendant’s motion for dismissal, the U.S. Supreme Court has long held that
district courts have the power to dismiss actions sua sponte based on a plaintiff’s failure to comply with a court
order. See, e.g., Link v. Wabash R. Co., 370 U.S. 626, 630–31 (1962).
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3.
Risk of Prejudice to Defendant
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The Ninth Circuit recognizes that the risk of prejudice must be considered with reference
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to “the plaintiff’s reason for defaulting.” Pagtalunan, 291 F.3d at 642. However, in this matter,
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Plaintiff has not offered any explanation for her failure to comply with the Court’s Order.
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In its prior Order, the Court clearly identified numerous deficiencies in Plaintiff’s claims
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that she could attempt to correct in a second amended complaint. Rather than simply revise her
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Amended Complaint to correct these deficiencies, Plaintiff has taken no action in this case
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whatsoever.
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“Unnecessary delay inherently increases the risk that witnesses’ memories will fade and
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evidence will become stale.” Pagtalunan, 291 F.3d at 643. Considering Plaintiff’s ongoing
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failure to file a second amended complaint without offering an explanation, the Court finds that
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the delay in this matter is unreasonable, and therefore this factor weighs in favor of dismissal.
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4.
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Public policy and the preferences of this Court hold that legal claims should be resolved
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Public Policy Favoring Disposition on the Merits
on their merits whenever possible. This factor weighs against dismissal.
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5.
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In an attempt to avoid dismissal with prejudice, the Court granted Plaintiff twenty-one
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(21) days in which to file a second amended complaint, but warned that failure to file prior to
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this deadline would result in dismissal of Plaintiff’s claims with prejudice. (Order at 11, ECF
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No. 79). Additionally, in the time that elapsed since the Court issued its Order, Plaintiff could
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have requested an extension or otherwise clarified her position with the Court. Despite the
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Court’s admonishment, Plaintiff has not filed a second amended complaint or taken any other
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action in this matter. Therefore, the Court has exercised less drastic alternatives without
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success, and this factor weighs in favor of dismissal.
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Availability of Less Drastic Alternatives
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Accordingly, as four of the Ferdik factors weigh in favor of dismissal, the Court will
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dismiss Plaintiff’s claims with prejudice.
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II.
CONCLUSION
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IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Plaintiff’s claims are DISMISSED with prejudice.
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The Clerk of Court shall enter judgment accordingly and close the case.
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DATED this _____ day of April, 2020.
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__________________________________
Gloria M. Navarro, District Judge
United States District Court
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