John C. Starnes v. Pennsylvania Railroad Company

Second Circuit

John C. Starnes v. Pennsylvania Railroad Company

295 F.2d 704, 5 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 422, 1961 U.S. App. LEXIS 3314

Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit·Decided October 31, 1961·No. 26932_1·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

In a reasoned opinion, D.C.E.D.N.Y., 26 F.R.D. 625, Judge Mishler held that this FELA action must fail, since the plaintiff employee died after bringing the action and his widow as administratrix failed to seek substitution as plaintiff within the two-year period required by Fed.R.Civ.P. 25(a). We sustained this rule as valid in Iovino v. Waterson, 2 Cir., 274 F.2d 41, 79 A.L.R.2d 519, certiorari denied Carlin, Adm’x v. Iovino, 362 U.S. 949, 80 S.Ct. 860, 4 L. Ed.2d 867; and although there and in Bush v. Remington Rand, Inc., 2 Cir., 213 F.2d 456, certiorari denied Remington Rand, Inc. v. Bush, 348 U.S. 861, 75 S.Ct. 85, 99 L.Ed. 679, we held that a defendant by affirmative action might estop himself from relying on the defense, there is no basis here where defendant did nothing for such a claim. Consequently we are constrained to agree with Judge Mishler’s disposition of the case. We realize that the rule is a harsh one and that several attempts have been made to effect its amelioration; indeed it is currently under study by the present Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure. But while it stands we must enforce it.

Affirmed.

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PER CURIAM.

In a reasoned opinion, D.C.E.D.N.Y., 26 F.R.D. 625, Judge Mishler held that this FELA action must fail, since the plaintiff employee died after bringing the action and his widow as administratrix failed to seek substitution as plaintiff within the two-year period required by Fed.R.Civ.P. 25(a). We sustained this rule as valid in Iovino v. Waterson, 2 Cir., 274 F.2d 41, 79 A.L.R.2d 519, certiorari denied Carlin, Adm’x v. Iovino, 362 U.S. 949, 80 S.Ct. 860, 4 L. Ed.2d 867; and although there and in Bush v. Remington Rand, Inc., 2 Cir., 213 F.2d 456, certiorari denied Remington Rand, Inc. v. Bush, 348 U.S. 861, 75 S.Ct. 85, 99 L.Ed. 679, we held that a defendant by affirmative action might estop himself from relying on the defense, there is no basis here where defendant did nothing for such a claim. Consequently we are constrained to agree with Judge Mishler’s disposition of the case. We realize that the rule is a harsh one and that several attempts have been made to effect its amelioration; indeed it is currently under study by the present Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure. But while it stands we must enforce it.

Affirmed.

John C. Starnes v. Pennsylvania Railroad Company, 295 F.2d 704, 5 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 422, 1961 U.S. App. LEXIS 3314 (2d Cir. 1961).

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