Popoola v. Md-Individual Practice Ass'n

230 F.R.D. 424, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17047, 2005 WL 1961342
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedAugust 16, 2005
DocketNo. CIV.A. DKC 2003-3653
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 230 F.R.D. 424 (Popoola v. Md-Individual Practice Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Popoola v. Md-Individual Practice Ass'n, 230 F.R.D. 424, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17047, 2005 WL 1961342 (D. Md. 2005).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

CHASANOW, District Judge.

Presently pending and ready for resolution in this class action is the motion of Defendants M.D. Individual Practice Association (“MDIPA”) and Optimum Choice, Inc. (“OCI”) to dismiss Plaintiffs’ Fourth Amended Complaint pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) (paper no. 59). The issues are fully briefed and the court now rules pursuant to Local Rule 105.6, no hearing being deemed necessary. For the reasons that follow, the court grants the motion as to MDIPA, but denies the motion as to OCI.

I. Background

The history of this class action was recounted at length in this court’s previous Memorandum Opinion, see paper no. 54, and most of it will not be repeated here. In the Order accompanying that Opinion, the court granted in part and denied in part Plaintiffs’ motion for leave to amend, and denied without prejudice their motion for class certification. The court, reviewing the proposed third amended complaint, noted that

to the extent that the third amended complaint seeks to assert, as federal claims, the previously asserted state law claims, with Miller substituted for Popoola, the motion to amend will be granted.
It is not clear, however, whether the allegations in the motion to amend reflect simply the changes necessitated from converting the state law claims into ERISA-based claims or whether they are, as Defendants argue, expanding the original claims so greatly that they now incorporate claims not previously asserted in the earlier complaints.... It is not clear how these changes are consistent with the class claims asserted previously in state court. Nor is it clear how Plaintiffs can consider this new class to avoid the typicality and commonality problems previously cited by Judge Scriven[e]r.
Finally, the third amended complaint seeks to add Pierro as a new plaintiff, but it is unclear what relationship she has with the defendants or the proposed subclasses and whether her claims were filed too late. If Plaintiffs are seeking to add a new class representative on behalf an old class, tolling of the statute of limitations may be appropriate if the court were to find that Judge Scriven[e]r’s denial of class certification was based not on the substantive claims but on the inadequacy of the named plaintiff. See McKowan Lowe & Co., Ltd. v. Jasmine, Ltd., 295 F.3d 380, 387-88 (3rd Cir.2002) (discussing numerous cases holding the same)....

Id. at 9-10. The court concluded:

Amendment will not be permitted ... to the extent that Plaintiffs seek to expand the class definition by adding new claims or new plaintiffs not related to the former claims.... Plaintiffs will be required ... to file a fourth amended complaint that more precisely defines the class; sets forth the relationship of each Plaintiff with the defendants, with the purported class members and with the proposed subclasses; confirms Plaintiffs’ ability adequately to represent the interests of the class and act as named plaintiffs; and clarifies how the newly asserted class definition seeks to replead the state law claims as ERISA claims only and not to expand or add additional claims not previously asserted.

Id. at 11. Plaintiffs timely filed the required fourth amended complaint. Paper no. 56. Defendants now move to dismiss.

II. Standard of Review

The purpose of a motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) is to test the sufficiency of the plaintiffs complaint. See Edwards v. City of Goldsboro, 178 F.3d 231, 243 (4th Cir.1999). Accordingly, a 12(b)(6) motion ought not be granted unless “it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.” Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957). Except in certain speci[427]*427fied cases, a plaintiffs complaint need only satisfy the “simplified pleading standard” of Rule 8(a), Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N.A., 534 U.S. 506, 513, 122 S.Ct. 992, 152 L.Ed.2d 1 (2002), which requires a “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2).

In its determination, the court must consider all well-pled allegations in a complaint as true, see Albright v. Oliver, 510 U.S. 266, 268, 114 S.Ct. 807, 127 L.Ed.2d 114 (1994), and must construe all factual allegations in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. See Harrison v. Westinghouse Savannah River Co., 176 F.3d 776, 783 (4th Cir.1999) (citing Mylan Laboratories, Inc. v. Matkari, 7 F.3d 1130, 1134 (4th Cir.1993)). The court must disregard the contrary allegations of the opposing party. See AS. Abell Co. v. Chell, 412 F.2d 712, 715 (4th Cir.1969). The court need not, however, accept unsupported legal allegations, Revene v. Charles County Comm’rs, 882 F.2d 870, 873 (4th Cir.1989), legal conclusions couched as factual allegations, Papasan v. Attain, 478 U.S. 265, 286, 106 S.Ct. 2932, 92 L.Ed.2d 209 (1986), or conclusory factual allegations devoid of any reference to actual events, United Black Firefighters v. Hirst, 604 F.2d 844, 847 (4th Cir.1979).

“In deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, the court will consider the facts stated in the complaint and the documents attached to the complaint. The court may also consider documents referred to in the complaint and relied upon by plaintiff in bringing the action.” Abadian v. Lee, 117 F.Supp.2d 481, 485 (D.Md.2000) (citing Biospherics, Inc., v. Forbes, Inc., 989 F.Supp. 748, 749 (D.Md. 1997), affd, 151 F.3d 180 (4th Cir.1998)). When doing so, the court need not convert a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss to one for summary judgment so long as it does not consider matters “outside the pleading.” See Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b) (“If [on a 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss,] matters outside the pleading are presented to and not excluded by the court, the motion shall be treated as one for summary judgment and disposed of as provided in Rule 56____”); Laughlin v. Metro. Washington Airports Auth., 149 F.3d 253, 260-61 (4th Cir.1998) (citing Rule 12(b)); Luy v. Balt. Police Dep’t,

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Bluebook (online)
230 F.R.D. 424, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17047, 2005 WL 1961342, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/popoola-v-md-individual-practice-assn-mdd-2005.