Borenstein v. The Animal Foundation

CourtDistrict Court, D. Nevada
DecidedAugust 5, 2021
Docket2:19-cv-00985
StatusUnknown

This text of Borenstein v. The Animal Foundation (Borenstein v. The Animal Foundation) 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
Borenstein v. The Animal Foundation, (D. Nev. 2021).

Opinion

1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 2 DISTRICT OF NEVADA 3 BRIAN BORENSTEIN, Case No.: 2:19-cv-00985-APG-DJA

4 Plaintiff Order

5 v. [ECF Nos. 158, 170, 174, 175, 185]

6 THE ANIMAL FOUNDATION, et al.,

7 Defendants 8

9 Plaintiff Brian Borenstein sues several defendants for their roles in allowing his service 10 animal, Mana, to be adopted out to new owners while he was hospitalized. In my March 17, 11 2021 Order (Order), I determined that the Clark County Animal Ordinance (the Animal 12 Ordinance) governed Mana’s hold, which impacted several claims that I dismissed. ECF No. 143 13 at 6-9. I also dismissed all claims against defendants Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, LLC 14 and nurse Ulrike Pasternak (collectively, the hospital defendants). Id. at 9-14. Borenstein now 15 moves for reconsideration of my interpretation of the Animal Ordinance and the dismissal of the 16 claims against the hospital defendants. He argues that I misapplied the law, that I overlooked 17 facts, and that new evidence should change my analysis. ECF No. 158. 18 The hospital defendants’ response to the motion for reconsideration included 19 Borenstein’s medical records, which they had produced to Borenstein in response to a subpoena 20 duces tecum. The hospital defendants move to file a redacted version of their response, to seal 21 an unredacted version of their response, and to permit them to serve on the other defendants the 22 unredacted version under Local Rule IA 10-5(d). ECF No. 170. Borenstein separately moves to 23 strike some of those medical records because they are irrelevant or prejudicial. ECF No. 185. 1 The parties are familiar with the facts so I repeat them here only where necessary to 2 resolve the motion. I deny Borenstein’s motion for reconsideration because he has not presented 3 law or facts sufficient to cause me to change my mind.1 I strike all the medical records attached 4 to the hospital defendants’ response and the unredacted response because they are not relevant to

5 resolving the motion for reconsideration, and striking the records will prevent the docket from 6 being burdened by premature discovery and protective order disputes. I grant the motion to file a 7 redacted response, but I deny as moot the requests to file an unredacted version under seal and to 8 allow the hospital defendants to serve the other defendants with an unredacted version. 9 I. MOTIONS TO EXTEND TIME (ECF Nos. 174, 175) 10 Borenstein filed two requests for extensions of time to reply to defendants’ responses to 11 the motion for reconsideration. ECF Nos. 174, 175. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12 6(b)(1)(A), I may extend a filing deadline for good cause if the request is made “before the 13 original time or its extension expires.” The motion to extend time to respond to the hospital 14 defendants’ response (ECF No. 174) is moot because I granted a subsequent extension request.

15 ECF No. 181. I grant the motion to extend by three days the deadline to respond to Clark 16 County’s response (ECF No. 175) because good cause exists to extend the time. See Fed. R. Civ. 17 P. 6(b)(1)(A). I have thus considered all of Borenstein’s replies in deciding the motion for 18 reconsideration. 19 II. MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION (ECF No. 158) 20 A court “possesses the inherent procedural power to reconsider, rescind, or modify an 21 interlocutory order for cause seen by it to be sufficient,” so long as it has jurisdiction. City of 22 L.A., Harbor Div. v. Santa Monica Baykeeper, 254 F.3d 882, 885 (9th Cir. 2001) (quotation and 23

1 I decline the defendants’ requests for sanctions against Borenstein at this time. 1 emphasis omitted); see also LR 59-1(a). Reconsideration may be appropriate “if the district 2 court (1) is presented with newly discovered evidence, (2) committed clear error or the initial 3 decision was manifestly unjust, or (3) if there is an intervening change in controlling law.” Sch. 4 Dist. No. 1J, Multnomah Cnty., Or. v. ACandS, Inc., 5 F.3d 1255, 1263 (9th Cir. 1993). A

5 district court may also reconsider its decision if “other, highly unusual, circumstances” warrant 6 it. Id. As the movant, Borenstein “must set forth facts or law of a strongly convincing nature to 7 induce the court to reverse its prior decision.” United States v. Westlands Water Dist., 134 F. 8 Supp. 2d 1111, 1131 (E.D. Cal. 2001). A motion for reconsideration “must not repeat arguments 9 already presented unless (and only to the extent) necessary to explain controlling, intervening 10 law or to argue new facts.” LR 59-1(b); see also Backlund v. Barnhart, 778 F.2d 1386, 1388 (9th 11 Cir. 1985). 12 A. Motion for Reconsideration Based on New Evidence 13 First, Borenstein’s attempt to present new evidence in this situation is improper. New 14 evidence in a motion for reconsideration is permitted only if it is likely to change the outcome of

15 the decision. Jones v. Aero/Chem Corp., 921 F.2d 875, 878 (9th Cir. 1990). I dismissed some of 16 Borenstein’s claims because he failed to allege facts in his first amended complaint (FAC) that 17 were sufficient to state claims for which relief could be granted. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). 18 New evidence that was not part of the allegations in the FAC will not change my determination 19 that the FAC was not sufficiently pleaded. McKinnon v. Onewest Bank, FSB, No. 2:12-CV- 20 00329-JCM-VCF, 2012 WL 3860737, at *2 (D. Nev. Sept. 5, 2012) (“To the extent that 21 plaintiffs argue that newly discovered evidence warrants relief from this court’s judgment, 22 evidence is neither relevant nor admissible for a motion to dismiss.”). Borenstein was given an 23 1 opportunity to amend his complaint with this new evidence but did not.2 Although Borenstein 2 contends he proceeded in this manner because I dismissed some of his claims with prejudice, he 3 still could have sought leave to amend those claims based on the new evidence and attached the 4 proposed amended complaint. I therefore decline to consider the new evidence in assessing

5 whether I should reconsider my dismissal of some of his claims.3 6 To the extent that Borenstein relies on this new evidence in his motion, I will construe it 7 as a motion for leave to amend the dismissed claims to include this new evidence. Under Federal 8 Rule of Civil Procedure 15, leave to amend “shall be freely given when justice so requires.” 9 However a motion for leave to amend should be denied if amendment would be futile. Albrecht 10 v. Lund, 845 F.2d 193, 195 (9th Cir. 1988). 11 B. The Animal Ordinance 12 Under the Animal Ordinance, “any animal impounded, as provided in this title, shall be 13 kept a minimum term provided for by Sections 10.24.010 and 10.24.020 and, if unclaimed by the 14 owner within such term, the animal shall be released to and become the property of the

15 contracted animal shelter.” Clark Cnty. Code § 10.24.080(a). Section 10.24.010 states that every 16

17 2 Borenstein argues that the defendants withheld or misconstrued information in their motions to dismiss because they did not correct facts alleged in the FAC.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
School District No. 1j, Multnomah County, Oregon v. Acands, Inc., a Pennsylvania Corporation E.J. Bartells Company, a Washington Corporation A.P. Green Refractories Company, School District No. 1j, Multnomah County, Oregon v. Acands, Inc., a Pennsylvania Corporation, and Fibreboard Corp., a Delaware Corporation as Successor in Interest to the Paraffine Companies, Inc., Pabco Products, Inc., Fibreboard Paper Products Corporation, Plant Rubber & Asbestos Works and Plant Rubber & Asbestos Co., School District No. 1j, Multnomah County, Oregon v. Acands, Inc., a Pennsylvania Corporation Armstrong Cork Company, Inc., a Delaware Corporation Atlas Asbestos Company, Inc., a Canadian Corporation, and Keene Corporation, a New York Corporation Individually and as Successor in Interest to the Baldwin Ehret Hill Company, School District No. 1j, Multnomah County, Oregon v. Acands, Inc., a Pennsylvania Corporation Armstrong Cork Company, Inc., a Delaware Corporation Atlas Asbestos Company, Inc., a Canadian Corporation, and Us Gypsum Company, a Delaware Corporation, School District No. 1j, Multnomah County, Oregon v. Acands, Inc., a Pennsylvania Corporation Armstrong Cork Company, Inc., a Delaware Corporation Atlas Asbestos Company, Inc., a Canadian Corporation, and Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corporation, School District No. 1j, Multnomah County, Oregon v. Acands, Inc., a Pennsylvania Corporation Armstrong Cork Company, Inc., a Delaware Corporation Atlas Asbestos Company, Inc., a Canadian Corporation, and Flintkote Company, a Delaware Corporation, School District No. 1j, Multnomah County, Oregon v. Acands, Inc., a Pennsylvania Corporation Atlas Asbestos Company, Inc., a Canadian Corporation, and Armstrong Cork Company, Inc., a Delaware Corporation
5 F.3d 1255 (Ninth Circuit, 1993)
Robin Fortyune v. American Multi-Cinema, Inc.
364 F.3d 1075 (Ninth Circuit, 2004)
Saba v. U.S. Department of Agriculture
26 F. Supp. 3d 16 (District of Columbia, 2014)
Williams v. Neely
134 F. 1 (Eighth Circuit, 1904)
Backlund v. Barnhart
778 F.2d 1386 (Ninth Circuit, 1985)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Borenstein v. The Animal Foundation, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/borenstein-v-the-animal-foundation-nvd-2021.