Swan v. Physician Health Partners, Inc.

212 F. Supp. 3d 1000, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 186434, 2016 WL 8234671
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedSeptember 8, 2016
DocketCivil Action No. 15-cv-0103-WJM-NYW
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 212 F. Supp. 3d 1000 (Swan v. Physician Health Partners, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Swan v. Physician Health Partners, Inc., 212 F. Supp. 3d 1000, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 186434, 2016 WL 8234671 (D. Colo. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER ADOPTING IN PART AND REJECTING IN PART JULY 7, 2016 RECOMMENDATION OF MAGISTRATE JUDGE DENYING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR LEAVE TO FILE AMENDED COMPLAINT

William J. Martinez, United States District Judge

This matter is before the Court on United States Magistrate Judge Nina Y. [1003]*1003Wang’s Recommendation dated July 7, 2016 (“Recommendation,” ECF No. 64), which recommended denying Plaintiffs Motion for Leave to File Amended Complaint (“Motion,” ECF No. 53). Plaintiff filed a timely Objection to the Recommendation. (ECF No. 65.) Physician Health Partners d/b/a Correctional Health Partners (“CHP”) and Dr. Stephen Krebs (jointly, “CHP Defendants”) filed a response to Plaintiffs Objection. (ECF No. 67.) For the reasons set forth below, Plaintiffs Objection is sustained, the Recommendation is adopted in part and rejected in part, and Plaintiffs Motion is granted.

I. STANDARD OF REVIEW

When a magistrate judge issues a recommendation on a dispositive matter, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72(b)(3) requires that the district judge “determine de novo any part of the magistrate judge’s [recommendation] that has been properly objected to.” Whether motions to amend are dispositive is an unsettled issue. Chavez v. Hatterman, 2009 WL 82496, at *1 (D. Colo. Jan. 13, 2009) (collecting cases). When an order on a motion to amend removes or precludes a defense of claim from the case, it may be dispositive. Cuenca v. Univ. of Kan., 205 F.Supp.2d 1226, 1228 (D. Kan. 2002). A de6nial of Plaintiffs Motion in the case at hand would prevent him from resurrecting his case against the CHP Defendants, after it was dismissed on December 2, 2015. Therefore, the Court finds that the matter at hand is dispositive and de novo review applies to all portions of the Recommendation properly objected to.

An objection to a recommendation is properly made if it is both timely and specific. United States v. One Parcel of Real Property Known as 2121 East 30th St., 73 F.3d 1057, 1059 (10th Cir. 1996). An objection is sufficiently specific if it “enables the district judge to focus attention on those issues—factual and legal—that are at the heart of the parties’ dispute.” Id. In conducting its review, “[t]he district court judge may accept, reject, or modify the recommendation; receive further evidence; or return the matter to the magistrate judge with instructions.” Id. In the absence of a timely and specific objection, “the district court may review a magistrate ... [judge’s] report under any standard it deems appropriate.” Summers v. Utah, 927 F.2d 1165, 1167 (10th Cir. 1991) (citing Thomas v. Arn, 474 U.S. 140, 150, 106 S.Ct. 466, 88 L.Ed.2d 435 (1985)); see also Fed. R. Civ. P. 72 Advisory Committee’s Note (“When no timely objection is filed, the court need only satisfy itself that there is no clear error on the face of the record.”).

Because Plaintiff is proceeding pro se, the Court must liberally construe his pleadings. Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520-21, 92 S.Ct. 594, 30 L.Ed.2d 652 (1972); Trackwell v. United States Gov’t, 472 F.3d 1242, 1243 (10th Cir. 2007). The Court, however, cannot act as an advocate for Plaintiff, who must still comply with the fundamental requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. See Hall v. Bellmon, 935 F.2d 1106, 1110 (10th Cir. 1991).

Under Rule 15(a), a court should allow a party to amend its pleadings “when justice so requires.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a). “[T]he grant or denial of an opportunity to amend is within the discretion” of the Court, but an “outright refusal to grant the leave without any justifying reason” is an abuse of discretion. Foman v. Davis, 371 U.S. 178, 182, 83 S.Ct. 227, 9 L.Ed.2d 222 (1962). “Refusing leave to amend is generally only justified upon a showing of undue delay, undue prejudice to the opposing party, bad faith or dilatory motive, failure to cure deficiencies by amendments previously allowed, or futility of amendment.” Frank v. U.S. West, Inc., 3 F.3d [1004]*10041357, 1365 (10th Cir. 1993) (emphasis added). Proposed amendments are futile when the amended complaint “would be subject to dismissal for any reason.” Watson ex rel. Watson v. Beckel, 242 F.3d 1237, 1239-40 (10th Cir. 2001). “The futility question is functionally equivalent to the question whether a complaint may be dismissed for failure to state a claim.” Gohier v. Enright, 186 F.3d 1216, 1218 (10th Cir. 1999).

The purpose of a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) is to test “the sufficiency of the allegations within the four corners of the complaint after taking those allegations as true.” Mobley v. McCormick, 40 F.3d 337, 340 (10th Cir. 1994). To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, “[t]he complaint must plead sufficient facts, taken as true, to provide ‘plausible grounds’ that discovery will reveal evidence to support the plaintiffs allegations.” Shew v. City of Grove, Okla., 510 F.3d 1196, 1200 (10th Cir. 2007) (citing Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). “The court’s function on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion is not to weigh potential evidence that the parties might present at trial, but to assess whether the plaintiffs complaint alone is legally sufficient to state a claim for which relief may be granted.” Sutton v. Utah State Sch. for the Deaf & Blind, 173 F.3d 1226, 1236 (10th Cir. 1999) (citation omitted).

II. BACKGROUND

The following allegations—aside from those facts pertaining to the procedural history—are gathered from Plaintiffs Proposed Amended Complaint. (ECF No. 53-1.) The Court assumes these allegations to be true for purposes of this Order.

At all times relevant to his Proposed Amended Complaint, Plaintiff was incarcerated at the Sterling Correctional Facility (“SCF”) of the Colorado Department of Corrections (“CDOC”). (ECF No. 53-1 ¶ 16.) On February 2, 2013, Plaintiff suffered an injury to his left knee as he attempted to pick up a basketball in a SCF gymnasium. (Id. ¶ 18.) Plaintiff submitted a medical kite (ie., a written request) for treatment of his visibly swollen knee. (Id.

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212 F. Supp. 3d 1000, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 186434, 2016 WL 8234671, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/swan-v-physician-health-partners-inc-cod-2016.