Basu v. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company

CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedFebruary 3, 2023
Docket2:20-cv-01432
StatusUnknown

This text of Basu v. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (Basu v. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nevada primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Basu v. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, (D. Nev. 2023).

Opinion

5 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 6 DISTRICT OF NEVADA 7

8 * * *

9 SANGHAMITRA BASU , Case No.: 2:20-cv-01432-JCM-BNW 10 Plaintiff,

11 v. ORDER

12 MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY , 13 Defendant. 14 15 Presently before the court is plaintiff Sanghamitra Basu (“plaintiff”)’s motion to 16 reconsider (ECF No. 84) this court’s amended order granting partial summary judgment to 17 defendant. (ECF No. 83). Defendant Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company (“defendant”) filed 18 a response (ECF No. 86), to which plaintiff replied (ECF No. 88). 19 Also before the court is plaintiff’s motion to reconsider the amended order insofar as it 20 strikes expert Terry Van Noy’s expert report. (ECF No. 85). Defendant filed a response (ECF 21 No. 87), to which plaintiff replied (ECF No. 89). 22 I. Background1 23

24 1 Plaintiff’s motion for reconsideration makes much of the fact that, in the original order granting partial summary judgment, the court cited to the complaint as it recounted the case’s facts. Setting aside the fact that plaintiff’s 25 complaint is admissible evidence in the Ninth Circuit, see Schroeder v. McDonald, 55 F.3d 454, 460 (9th Cir. 1995); Allen v. U.S., No. 03-cv-01358, 2012 WL 1242167, at *5, n.3 (D. Nev. Apr. 24, 2012), this court fails to understand 26 how it committed clear error or was manifestly unjust to the plaintiff when it used the complaint she submitted to recount the factual basis for the decision. Likewise, it is unclear to the court why plaintiff argues that on summary 27 judgment every allegation in the complaint must be taken as true as it would be at the motion to dismiss stage. Regardless, the statement of undisputed facts, while largely unchanged, now cites to other items in the record to 28 support the factual propositions contained within. 2 Mile Shops in Las Vegas. The following facts are undisputed. Plaintiff, a pain management 3 physician, slipped and fell at the shops on or about August 25, 2012. (ECF No. 54-3 at 2). At 4 the time of her fall, she had an insurance policy with defendant. See (ECF No. 54-1). That 5 policy required defendant to pay total disability benefits if the insured could not perform the 6 primary duties of her occupation due to injury. (Id.) The policy also limited payments to 24 7 months for any disability “caused or contributed to by a Mental Disorder.” (Id. at 16). 8 Following her fall, plaintiff was diagnosed with several spinal injuries, which allegedly 9 have caused her continuing pain and cognitive impairment. (ECF No. 60-2 at 7). In early 2016, 10 plaintiff filed a disability claim with defendant. (ECF No. 54-3). Plaintiff provided medical 11 records that purported to show that she was “totally disabled” under the policy due to a physical 12 disability. (ECF No. 60-15; 60-16). Defendant disagreed with that characterization and 13 conducted its own investigation of her alleged disability, but conditionally approved the claim on 14 October 27, 2016. (ECF No. 54-18). Throughout its investigation, defendant paid benefits to 15 plaintiff under a “reservation of rights.” (Id.; ECF Nos. 54-28; 54-29; 54-38; 54-55). 16 Based on its review of plaintiff’s medical records and consultation with its retained 17 medical professionals, defendant eventually determined that plaintiff’s disability was the result 18 of a mental disorder under the policy. (ECF No. 54-55). Thus, on December 14, 2019, 19 defendant informed plaintiff that it would be discontinuing payment of benefits under the mental 20 disorder limitation. (Id.) 21 Plaintiff now brings this action for compensatory and punitive damages asserting that 22 defendant breached its insurance contract, contravened the implied covenant of good faith and 23 fair dealing, and violated Nevada Revised Statute § 686A.310. See (ECF No. 1-1 at 13–15). 24 Defendant moved for summary judgment on the claims for violation of the implied covenant of 25 good faith and fair dealing and NRS § 686A.310, punitive damages, and as to the burden of 26 proof on the plaintiff’s breach of contract claim. (ECF No. 54). Defendant also moved to strike 27 the expert report of plaintiff’s expert Terry Van Noy. (ECF No. 63). 28 / / / 2 grounds except the breach of contract claim on September 15, 2022. (ECF No. 82). The court 3 issued an amended order the following week to correct a typographical error. (ECF No. 83). 4 Plaintiff now moves to reconsider those orders, arguing that the court should reconsider its 5 decision to strike Mr. Van Noy’s report (ECF No. 85), as well as its decision on granting partial 6 summary judgment (ECF No. 84). 7 II. Legal Standard 8 Rule 59(e) “permits a district court to reconsider and amend a previous order[;]” 9 however, “the rule offers an extraordinary remedy, to be used sparingly in the interests of finality 10 and conservation of judicial resources.” Carroll v. Nakatani, 342 F.3d 934, 945 (9th Cir. 2003) 11 (internal quotations omitted). A motion for reconsideration “should not be granted, absent 12 highly unusual circumstances.” Kona Enters., Inc. v. Estate of Bishop, 229 F.3d 877, 890 (9th 13 Cir. 2000). 14 On one hand, a motion for reconsideration “may not be used to raise arguments or present 15 evidence for the first time when they could reasonably have been raised earlier in the litigation.” 16 Kona Enters., Inc., 229 F.3d at 890. On the other hand, “[a] movant must not repeat arguments 17 already presented unless (and only to the extent) necessary to explain controlling, intervening 18 law or to argue new facts. A movant who repeats arguments will be subject to appropriate 19 sanctions.” LR 59-1(b). 20 Thus, the Ninth Circuit has provided that “[r]econsideration is appropriate if the district 21 court (1) is presented with newly discovered evidence, (2) committed clear error or the initial 22 decision was manifestly unjust, or (3) if there is an intervening change in controlling law.” 23 School Dist. No. 1J v. ACandS, Inc., 5 F.3d 1255, 1263 (9th Cir. 1993); Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b). 24 “A motion to alter or amend a judgment must be filed no later than 28 days after the entry of the 25 judgment.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 59(e). 26 III. Discussion 27 a. Motion to Reconsider Striking the Expert Report 28 2 report. (ECF No. 85). In its previous order, this court determined that Mr. Van Noy was 3 qualified as an expert, but his report was inadmissible because it embraced several ultimate 4 conclusions of law. (ECF No. 83 at 9). Curiously, plaintiff reads the order to exclude Mr. Van 5 Noy as a witness entirely. It does not. It strikes only his expert report. (Id. at 9) (“Because the 6 opinions expressed in Van Noy’s expert report are nearly all legal conclusions, defendant’s 7 motion to strike that report is granted.” (emphasis added)) 8 Regardless, plaintiff presents nothing necessitating reconsideration of this court’s order. 9 There is no evidence presented that the court did not consider when it adjudicated the motion, 10 and there has been no intervening change in controlling law. So, to reconsider its order, this 11 court must find that it committed clear error or there was some manifest injustice in its decision. 12 It finds none. 13 An insurance bad faith claim is predicated on “the absence of a reasonable basis for 14 denying benefits and the defendant’s knowledge or reckless disregard of the lack of a reasonable 15 basis for denying the claim.” Falline v. GNLV Corp., 823 P.2d 888

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Basu v. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/basu-v-massachusetts-mutual-life-insurance-company-nvd-2023.