Jardin De Las Catalinas Ltd. Partnership v. Joyner

861 F. Supp. 2d 12, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70655, 2012 WL 1836367
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedMay 21, 2012
DocketCivil No. 11-1374 (FAB)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 861 F. Supp. 2d 12 (Jardin De Las Catalinas Ltd. Partnership v. Joyner) 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.

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Jardin De Las Catalinas Ltd. Partnership v. Joyner, 861 F. Supp. 2d 12, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70655, 2012 WL 1836367 (prd 2012).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

BESOSA, District Judge.

Before the Court is the Report and Recommendation (“R & R”) (Docket No. 27), regarding defendant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c) (Rule 12(c)) (Docket No. 22), which plaintiffs did not oppose. Having considered the magistrate judge’s recommendations, and the parties’ objections and responses, the Court ADOPTS the R & R.

DISCUSSION

I. Procedural History

On April 19, 2011, Jardín de las Catalinas Limited Partnership (“Catalinas”) and Jardín de Santa Maria Limited Partnership (“Santa Maria”) (together, “plaintiffs”) filed a complaint against George Joyner, in his official capacity as executive director of the Puerto Rico Housing Finance Authority (“PRHFA”) (hereafter “defendant”), alleging a seizure of proper[15]*15ty constituted by tax credits known as the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (“LIHTC”) and amended by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (“HERA”). (Docket No. 1.) On December 19, 2011, defendant filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings, alleging that plaintiffs lack a property interest in the credits and thus fail to state a violation of a constitutional right. In the alternative, defendant argues that plaintiffs’ section 1983 claim is time-barred under the applicable statute of limitations. (Docket No. 22.) Plaintiffs moved the magistrate judge for an extension of time to respond to defendant’s motion on December 21, 2011, and were granted an extension until January 20, 2012. (Docket Nos. 25 & 26.) Even after being granted the extension requested, plaintiff failed to oppose defendant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings, and on January 26, 2012, the magistrate judge issued an R & R recommending that defendant’s unopposed motion be granted. (Docket No. 27.)

After their prolonged absence, plaintiffs swiftly entered the scene and filed a motion asking the magistrate judge to reconsider the R & R. (Docket No. 28.) The magistrate judge denied plaintiffs’ motion, and noted that “[t]he content of the reconsideration may be filed by plaintiffs as an objection to the Report and Recommendation.” (Docket No. 29.) Plaintiffs filed their objections to the R & R, defendant filed an opposition to plaintiffs’ objections, plaintiffs filed a reply, and defendant filed its surreply. (Docket Nos. 30, 33, 38, 43.) The Court now considers the applicable legal standards and the parties’ arguments.

II. Legal Standards

A. Standard under 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)

A district court may refer, inter alia, “a motion ... for judgment on the pleadings” to a magistrate judge for a report and recommendation. See 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(l)(A)-(B); Fed.R.Civ.P. 72(b); Loc. Rule 72(a). Any party adversely affected by the report and recommendation may file written objections within fourteen days of being served with the magistrate judge’s report. See 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). A party that files a timely objection is entitled to a de novo determination of “those portions of the report or specified proposed findings or recommendations to which specific objection is made.” Sylva v. Culebra Dive Shop, 389 F.Supp.2d 189, 191-92 (D.P.R. 2005) (citing United States v. Raddatz, 447 U.S. 667, 673, 100 S.Ct. 2406, 65 L.Ed.2d 424 (1980)). Failure to comply with this rule precludes further review. See Davet v. Maccarone, 973 F.2d 22, 30-31 (1st Cir. 1992). In conducting its review, the Court is free to “accept, reject, or modify, in whole or in part, the findings or recommendations made by the magistrate judge.” 28 U.S.C. § 636(a)(b)(l). Templeman v. Chris Craft Corp., 770 F.2d 245, 247 (1st Cir.1985); Alamo Rodriguez v. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 286 F.Supp.2d 144, 146 (D.P.R.2003). Furthermore, the Court may accept those parts of the report and recommendation to which the parties do not object. See Hernandez-Mejias v. General Elec., 428 F.Supp.2d 4, 6 (D.P.R.2005) (citing LaCedra v. Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, 334 F.Supp.2d 114, 125-126 (D.R.I.2004)).

B. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c) Standard

“A motion for judgment on the pleadings is treated much like a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss.” Perez-Acevedo v. Rivero-Cubano, 520 F.3d 26, 29 (1st Cir.2008) (citing Curran v. Cousins, 509 F.3d 36, 43-44 (1st Cir.2007)). When considering a motion under Rule 12(c), a “ ‘court must view the [16]*16facts contained in the pleadings in the light most favorable to the nonmovant and draw all reasonable inferences therefrom....’” Id. (quoting R.G. Fin. Corp. v. Vergara-Nuñez, 446 F.3d 178, 182 (1st Cir.2006)). “[A]n adequate complaint must provide fair notice to the defendants and state a facially plausible legal claim.” Ocasio-Hernandez v. Fortuño-Burset, 640 F.3d 1, 12 (1st Cir.2011).

When faced with a motion for judgment on the pleadings, “[a] plaintiff is not entitled to ‘proceed perforce’ by virtue of allegations that merely parrot the elements of the cause of action.” Id. at 12 (quoting Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1950, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009)). Any “[n]on-eonclusory factual allegations in the complaint [, however,] must ... be treated as true, even if seemingly incredible.” Id. (citing Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1951). Where those factual allegations “allow[ ] the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged,” the claim has facial plausibility. Id. (citing Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949).

C. Plaintiffs’ Waiver of any Objection to the Report and Recommendation

Plaintiffs failed to oppose defendant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings. They moved for an extension of time to respond to defendant’s motion, were granted the extension, and still failed to file a timely opposition to defendant’s motion. (See Docket Nos. 25 & 26.) They presented their arguments on the merits of that motion in their objection to the report and recommendation. (See Docket No. 30.) After the magistrate judge granted defendant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings, plaintiffs filed a motion for reconsideration of the R & R. (Docket No. 28.) The magistrate judge appropriately denied the plaintiffs’ motion to reconsider, but noted that plaintiffs could make their arguments in an objection to the R & R. (Docket No. 29.)

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861 F. Supp. 2d 12, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70655, 2012 WL 1836367, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jardin-de-las-catalinas-ltd-partnership-v-joyner-prd-2012.