Bulfin v. Rainwater

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedJuly 12, 2021
Docket4:20-cv-00689
StatusUnknown

This text of Bulfin v. Rainwater (Bulfin v. Rainwater) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bulfin v. Rainwater, (E.D. Mo. 2021).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION ERIN BULFIN, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) vs. ) Case No. 4:20 CV 689 JMB ) BECKY RAINWATER, et al., ) ) Defendants/Third-Party ) Plaintiffs, ) ) vs. ) ) EDWARD NEA, ) ) Third-Party Defendant. )

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER This matter is before the Court on Edward Nea’s motion to dismiss the third-party complaint, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), Fed.R.Civ.P. The issues are fully briefed.1 The parties have consented to the jurisdiction of the undersigned United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c). Plaintiff Erin Bulfin alleges that she made arrangements with St. Louis County’s Animal Care and Control (ACC) to quarantine her dog Daisy for ten days after Daisy allegedly bit someone. Her husband Edward Nea took Daisy to ACC and completed paperwork. Instead of quarantining Daisy, however, defendants euthanized her. Plaintiff filed suit against St. Louis County; ACC’s director Vanessa Duris; ACC employees Becky Rainwater, Renita Hawkins, and

1 In the interest of simplicity, the Court will refer to the third-party plaintiffs as “defendants” and the third- party defendant as “Nea” or “Mr. Nea.” Maryanne Willis; and contract veterinarian Philip Wagenknecht. Defendants claim that plaintiff’s husband Edward Nea approved euthanizing Daisy and bring third-party claims for contribution and fraud against him. In the event that their claims are dismissed, defendants alternatively seek joinder of Mr. Nea pursuant to Rules 19, 20, or 21, Fed.R.Civ.P. Nea moves to dismiss, arguing that contribution is not available for plaintiff’s claims and that the defendants’ fraud claim is not

pleaded with particularity as required by Rule 9, Fed.R.Civ.P. I. Background According to allegations in plaintiff’s complaint, her dog Daisy allegedly bit someone on December 26, 2019. The next day, plaintiff called ACC to get information regarding mandatory quarantine. She spoke with someone2 who confirmed that Daisy had to be quarantined for 10 days. Plaintiff was told she could quarantine Daisy at ACC, a veterinarian, or a boarding facility. Plaintiff was not told that she also had the option of quarantining Daisy at home. She sought and received assurances that Daisy would not be euthanized during the 10-day quarantine. A few hours after plaintiff called the ACC, Nea took Daisy to the ACC shelter to be quarantined. When he arrived, Nea spoke with defendant Hawkins.3 He expressly stated that

Daisy was to be quarantined and that he did not want Daisy euthanized. Ms. Hawkins assured Nea that Daisy would not be euthanized and that he and plaintiff could visit Daisy during the quarantine. Defendant Willis scanned Daisy’s microchip, which disclosed that “Erin Nea” was Daisy’s registered owner and provided the owner’s phone number.4 No one asked Mr. Nea any questions regarding his relationship to Erin Nea or Daisy. No one contacted Erin Nea at the registered phone number.

2 Plaintiff alleges, on information and belief, that she spoke with defendant Rainwater. Complaint at ¶ 27 [Doc. # 1]. Defendants deny that plaintiff spoke with Rainwater. Answer at ¶ 27 [Doc. # 10]. 3 Defendants admit that Nea spoke with Hawkins. Answer at ¶ 36 [Doc. # 10]. 4 Defendants deny that Willis scanned the microchip. Answer at ¶ 43 Defendant Hawkins completed a form entitled “Animal Bite/Injury Reporting Form.” She entered January 6, 2020, as the conclusion of the 10-day quarantine period. She also completed a form entitled “St. Louis County Department of Public Health – Animal Care & Control.” The form included provisions that inaccurately stated that the animal had not bitten anyone within the last ten days and that the person relinquishing the animal was its owner or custodian. Defendant

Hawkins checked a box marked “(ORE) OWNER REQUESTS EUTHANASIA” (the “ORE box”). She did not discuss the significance of this checkmark with Mr. Nea before asking him to sign in three places and he did not read the form before he signed it. Plaintiff alleges, on information and belief, that defendant Rainwater was in an adjacent office where she could see and hear the interaction between Nea and Hawkins. Plaintiff also alleges that defendant Rainwater reviewed the documents Hawkins completed. Defendant Rainwater told defendants Wagenknecht and Duris that Daisy had been surrendered as a “bite case.” Defendant Wagenknecht euthanized Daisy shortly after Nea left her at the ACC facility.

Late on December 27, 2019, plaintiff learned that she had the option of quarantining Daisy at home. The next morning, she went to the ACC shelter to pick her up. When she arrived, defendant Rainwater told plaintiff that Daisy had been euthanized the day before and that a specimen had been sent to the State veterinarian for analysis. No one notified the microchip identification company that Daisy had been euthanized and, as a result, plaintiff received multiple emails telling her that her dog had been found and could be picked up at ACC. Plaintiff alleges that, in July 2019, defendant St. Louis County released the results of an audit of ACC. The audit was highly critical of ACC’s policies and practices regarding owner requested euthanasia, and recommended that St. Louis County immediately stop having owners of surrendered animals check and initial the ORE box. The audit made other recommendations regarding surrendered animals that plaintiff alleges were not followed in this instance.5 On May 26, 2020, plaintiff filed suit, asserting against the individual defendants claims for unlawful seizure pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1988,6 malicious trespass to personalty pursuant to Mo.Rev.Stat. § 537.330,7 conversion,8 intentional infliction of emotional distress,9 and

negligent infliction of emotional distress.10 She additionally asserts claims for veterinary malpractice pursuant to Mo.Rev.Stat. §340.285 against defendants Duris and Wagenknecht11 and a claim for failure to intervene pursuant to §§ 1983 and 1988 against director Duris.12 Finally, she asserts § 1983 claims against St. Louis County for unlawful pattern, practice or custom; and failure to train, supervise, or discipline.13 On March 23, 2021, defendants filed a third-party complaint against Edward Nea, seeking contribution under a theory of common-law negligence (Count I) and bringing a separate claim for fraud (Count II). They allege the existence of Ms. Bulfin’s lawsuit against them, that Nea held himself out as Daisy’s owner when he surrendered her, and that he demanded that she be

euthanized. Nea moves to dismiss the third-party complaint. II. Legal Standards The purpose of a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim is to test the legal sufficiency of the complaint. To survive a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), “a complaint must

5 Plaintiff attached an excerpt of the audit to her complaint. [Doc. # 1-1]. 6 Counts I, VI, XI, XVI, and XXIII. 7 Counts II, VII, XII, XVIII, and XXIV. 8 Counts III, VIII, XIII, XX, and XXV. 9 Counts IV, IX, XIV, XXI, and XXVII. 10 Counts V, X, XV, XXII, and XXVIII. 11 Counts XIX and XXVI. 12 Count XVII. 13 Counts XXIX and XXX. contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)).

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

Related

Moor v. County of Alameda
411 U.S. 693 (Supreme Court, 1973)
Robertson v. Wegmann
436 U.S. 584 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Texas Industries, Inc. v. Radcliff Materials, Inc.
451 U.S. 630 (Supreme Court, 1981)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Gramex Corp. v. Green Supply, Inc.
89 S.W.3d 432 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 2002)
TCI Cablevision, Inc. v. City of Jefferson, Mo.
604 F. Supp. 845 (W.D. Missouri, 1984)
Mason v. City of New York
949 F. Supp. 1068 (S.D. New York, 1996)
Schaaf v. Residential Funding Corp.
517 F.3d 544 (Eighth Circuit, 2008)
Sweet v. Herman Bros., Inc.
688 S.W.2d 31 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1985)
Missouri Pacific Railroad v. Whitehead & Kales Co.
566 S.W.2d 466 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1978)
Verni v. Cleveland Chiropractic College
212 S.W.3d 150 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 2007)
Bohac v. Walsh
223 S.W.3d 858 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2007)
Renaissance Leasing, LLC v. Vermeer Manufacturing Co.
322 S.W.3d 112 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 2010)
Hepburn Ex Rel. Hepburn v. Athelas Institute, Inc.
324 F. Supp. 2d 752 (D. Maryland, 2004)
Miles Ex Rel. Miles v. Rich
347 S.W.3d 477 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2011)
Katka v. Mills
422 F. Supp. 2d 1304 (N.D. Georgia, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Bulfin v. Rainwater, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bulfin-v-rainwater-moed-2021.