González-Ríos v. Hewlett Packard P.R. Co.

899 F. Supp. 2d 155, 2012 WL 4962413
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedSeptember 30, 2012
DocketNo. 11-1418 (DRD)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 899 F. Supp. 2d 155 (González-Ríos v. Hewlett Packard P.R. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
González-Ríos v. Hewlett Packard P.R. Co., 899 F. Supp. 2d 155, 2012 WL 4962413 (prd 2012).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

DANIEL R. DOMINGUEZ, District Judge.

On December 30, 2010, Plaintiff filed the instant complaint in the Puerto Rico Court of First Instance, Aguadilla Part, alleging that defendants had wrongfully denied payment of certain disability benefits under a disability benefits plan covering Plaintiff as a participant. After some procedural incidents, including the removal of Plaintiffs complaint to this Court, Plaintiffs filing of a motion for partial summary judgment, and the Court’s dismissal of the [158]*158same, eo-defendant Life Insurance Company of North America’s (“LINA”) filed a Motion for Judgment on the Administrative Record for Judicial Review (Docket No. 51) and co-defendant Hewlett Packard Caribe B.V., Co.’s (“HP Caribe”) filed a Motion to Dismiss Under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) and/or for Summary Judgment and Memorandum in Support Thereof both of which were referred to Magistrate Judge Sylvia Carreño-Coll for a report and recommendation (“R & R”) (Docket Nos. 67 and 73).1

LINA is the named fiduciary for adjudicating claims for benefits under the Hewlett Packard B.V.’s Insurance Plan (the “Plan”), the short-term disability benefit plan covering Plaintiffs claim (Docket No. 51-2, page 43). In the Motion for Judgment on the Administrative Record for Judicial Review, LINA requests that this Court conclude that LINA’s coverage determination was supported by the administrative record and that the Court affirms LINA’s decision to deny benefits. (Docket No. 51).

HP Caribe is Plaintiffs former employer. In the hybrid motion to dismiss and/or motion for summary judgment, HP Caribe alleges that the complaint is factually insufficient to substantiate a claim against HP Caribe, requesting dismissal of Plaintiffs claim. (Docket No. 52).

Magistrate Judge Carreño-Coll issued her R & R on September 19, 2012, recommending that the Court grant both motions and that Plaintiffs claim be dismissed with prejudice. (Docket No. 73). Plaintiff opposed the R & R’s conclusions as to the applicable standard of review and that Plaintiff was afforded full, fair and complete administrative claims procedure. (Docket No. 75).

Upon review of Magistrate Judge’s R & R, the Court hereby ADOPTS the R & R, as supplemented herein, and GRANTS LINA’s Motion for Judgment on the Administrative Record for Judicial Review and HP Caribe’s Motion to Dismiss Under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) and/or for Summary Judgment and Memorandum in Support Thereof, DISMISSING WITH PREJUDICE Plaintiffs claims.

I. MAGISTRATE’S REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

The Court may refer dispositive motions to a United States Magistrate Judge for a Report and Recommendation pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B). See also Fed. R.Civ.P. 72(b); D.P.R. Civ. R. 72(a); and Mathews v. Weber, 423 U.S. 261, 96 S.Ct. 549, 46 L.Ed.2d 483 (1976). Nonetheless, an adversely affected party may contest the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation by filing its objections to the recommendations made. Fed.R.Civ.P. 72(b). In such respect, 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1), in pertinent part, provides that

any party may serve and file written objections to such proposed findings and recommendations as provided by rules of court. A judge of the court shall make a de novo determination of those portions of the report or specified proposed findings or recommendations to which objection is made. A judge of the court may accept, reject, or modify, in [159]*159whole or in part, the findings .or recommendations made by the magistrate judge.

“Absent objection, ... [a] district court ha[s] a right to assume that [the affected party] agree[s] to the magistrate’s recommendation.” Templeman v. Chris Craft Corp., 770 F.2d 245, 247 (1st Cir. 1985), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 1021, 106 S.Ct. 571, 88 L.Ed.2d 556 (1985). Additionally, “failure to raise objections to the Report and Recommendation waives that party’s right to review in the district court and those claims not preserved .by such objections are precluded upon appeal.” Davet v. Maccarone, 973 F.2d 22, 30-31 (1st Cir.1992); see also Henley Drilling Co. v. McGee, 36 F.3d 143, 150-51 (1st Cir. 1994) (holding that objections are required when challenging findings actually set out in a magistrate’s recommendation, as well as the magistrate’s failure to make additional findings); Lewry v. Town of Standish, 984 F.2d 25, 27 (1st Cir.1993) (stating that “[o]bjection to a magistrate’s report preserves only those objections that are specified”); Borden v. Sec. of H.H.S., 836 F.2d 4, 6 (1st Cir.1987) (holding that appellant was entitled to a de novo review, “however he was not entitled to a de novo review of an argument never raised”).

The Court, in order to accept unopposed portions of the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation, needs only satisfy itself that there is no “plain error” on the face of the record. See Douglass v. United Servs. Auto, Ass’n, 79 F.3d 1415, 1419 (5th Cir.1996) (en banc) (extending the deferential “plain error” standard of review to the un-objected to legal conclusions of a magistrate judge); see also Nettles v. Wainwright, 677 F.2d 404, 410 (5th Cir.1982) (en banc) (appeal from district court’s acceptance of un-objected to findings of magistrate judge reviewed for “plain error”); Nogueras-Cartagena v. United States, 172 F.Supp.2d 296, 305 (D.P.R.2001) (finding that the “Court reviews [unopposed] Magistrate’s Report and Recommendation to ascertain whether or not the Magistrate’s recommendation was clearly erroneous”) (adopting the Advisory Committee note regarding FED. R.CIV. P. 72(b)); Garcia v. I.N.S., 733 F.Supp. 1554, 1555 (M.D.Pa.1990) (finding that “when no objections are filed, the district court need only review the record for plain error”).

An adversely affected party may “contest the [m]agistrate [j]udge’s report and recommendation by filing objections ‘within ten2 days of being served’ with a copy of the order.” United States v. Mercado Pagan, 286 F.Supp.2d 231, 233 (D.P.R.2003) (citing 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)). If objections are timely filed, the district judge shall make a de novo determination of those portions of the report or specified findings or recommendation to which an objection is made. See Bonefont-Igaravidez v. International Shipping Corp., 659 F.3d 120 (1st Cir.2011); and Iverson v. City of Boston, 452 F.3d 94, 98 (1st Cir. 2006).

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Bluebook (online)
899 F. Supp. 2d 155, 2012 WL 4962413, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gonzalez-rios-v-hewlett-packard-pr-co-prd-2012.