Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-alnd-3_15-cv-01863/USCOURTS-alnd-3_15-cv-01863-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 365
Nature of Suit: Personal Injury - Product Liability
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Personal Injury

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA

NORTHWESTERN DIVISION

SHAWNA STEWART,

Plaintiff,

vs.

C.G. BRETTING

MANUFACTURING COMPANY,

INC., et al.,

Defendants.

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Civil Action No. 3:15-cv-01863-CLS

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

Plaintiff, Shawna Stewart, commenced this action against defendants, C.G.

Bretting Manufacturing Company, Inc., Echo Industrial, Inc., Fabio Perini North

America, Inc., Keenline, Inc., Pack Air, Inc., and Rockwell Automation, Inc., in the

Circuit Court of Colbert County, Alabama, on September 18, 2015.

1 The action was

removed to this court on October 23, 2015, on the basis of complete diversity of

citizenship and satisfaction of the requisite amount in controversy.

2

See 28 U.S.C. §§

1

See doc. no. 1-1 (Complaint), at ECF 1. “ECF is the acronym for Electronic Case Filing,

a filing system that allows parties to file and serve documents electronically.” Atterbury v. Foulk,

No. C-07-6256 MHP, 2009 WL 4723547, *6 n.6 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 8, 2009). Bluebook Rule 7.1.4

allows citation to “page numbers generated by the ECF header.” Wilson v. Fullwood, 772 F. Supp.

2d 246, 257 n.5 (D.D.C. 2011) (citing The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation R. B. 7.1.4, at

21 (Columbia Law Review Ass’n et al. Eds., 19th ed. 2010)). Even so, the Bluebook recommends

“against citation to ECF pagination in lieu of original pagination.” Wilson, 772 F. Supp. 2d at 257

n.5. Thus, unless stated otherwise, this court will cite to the original pagination in the parties’

pleadings. When the court cites to pagination generated by the ECF header, it will, as here, precede

the page number with the letters “ECF.” 

2

See doc. no. 1 (Notice of Removal), at 2.

FILED

 2016 Mar-07 AM 10:09

U.S. DISTRICT COURT

N.D. OF ALABAMA

Case 3:15-cv-01863-CLS Document 40 Filed 03/07/16 Page 1 of 5
1332(a)(1), (c)(1); 28 U.S.C. § 1441(b). Plaintiff sustained injuries when a machine

at the factory at which she worked “suddenly started,” and her hand became trapped

inside the machine.3 As a result of her injuries, plaintiff was paid workers’

compensation benefits by her employer.4

 

The case currently is before the court on the “Petition for Intervention” filed

by SCA Tissue North America, L.L.C. (“SCA”), plaintiff’s employer, and The

Phoenix Insurance Company (“Phoenix”), the workers’ compensation fund for

plaintiff’s employer.5 Upon consideration, the court finds that the Petition for

Intervention should be granted.

On the date that plaintiff sustained her injuries, she was employed by SCA. 

Following her injury, plaintiff filed a workers’ compensation claim, which was paid

by Phoenix. SCA and Phoenix seek intervention in this action in order to pursue

reimbursement for the workers’ compensation payments made to plaintiff. No party

filed a response in opposition to the Petition for Intervention within the 10-day period

allotted by the court.

6

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 24 provides as follows:

(a) Intervention of Right. On timely motion, the court must permit

anyone to intervene who:

3

Id. at ECF 11.

4

See doc. no. 33 (Petition for Intervention), at ECF 2.

5

See id.

6

See doc. no. 34 (Feb. 2, 2016 Order Setting Motion Deadline for Petition for Intervention).

2

Case 3:15-cv-01863-CLS Document 40 Filed 03/07/16 Page 2 of 5
(1) is given an unconditional right to intervene by a federal

statute; or

(2) claims an interest relating to the property or transaction

that is the subject of the action, and is so situated that

disposing of the action may as a practical matter impair or

impede the movant’s ability to protect its interest, unless

existing parties adequately represent that interest.

Fed. R. Civ. P. 24(a)(1)-(2).

A party may seek permissive intervention where it either: “(A) is given a

conditional right to intervene by a federal statute; or (B) has a claim or defense that

shares with the main action a common question of law or fact.” Fed. R. Civ. P.

24(b)(1)(A)-(B). 

SCA and Phoenix request conditional intervention,for the purpose of allowing

their counsel “to actively participate in the third-party action to prevent common fund

fees being paid to counsel for the plaintiff,”7but they do not specify whether they

seek intervention as a matter of right under Rule 24(a), or permissive intervention

under Rule 24(b). As there is no apparent basis for permissive intervention under

Rule 24(b), the court will assess the petition under Rule 24(a).

It is not contended that a federal statute gives SCA or Phoenix the right to

intervene. Section 25-5-11 of the Code of Alabama, however, discusses the right of

such entities to assert a subrogation lien for workers’ compensation benefits paid to

7

 Doc. no. 33 (Petition for Intervention), at ECF 2.

3

Case 3:15-cv-01863-CLS Document 40 Filed 03/07/16 Page 3 of 5
an employee:

If the injured employee, or in case of death, his or her dependents,

recovers damages against the other party, the amount of the damages

recovered and collected shall be credited upon the liability of the

employer for compensation. If the damagesrecovered and collected are

in excess of the compensation payable under this chapter, there shall be

no further liability on the employer to pay compensation on account of

injury or death. To the extent of the recovery of damages against the

other party, the employer shall be entitled to reimbursement for the

amount of compensation theretofore paid on account of injury or death. 

If the employee who recovers damagesisreceiving or entitled to receive

compensation for permanent total disability, then the employer shall be

entitled to reimbursement for the amount of compensation theretofore

paid . . . .

Ala. Code § 25-5-11(a) (1975) (ellipsis supplied). 

The Eleventh Circuit has stated that,

[a]bsent an express statutory grant of right to intervene, intervention as

of right is appropriate whenever a “timely” applicant, having a direct,

substantial and legally protectible interest in the subject matter of the

suit, demonstrates that his ability to protect that interest may “as a

practical matter” be affected by the litigation and that his interest may

not be represented adequately by existing parties.

Meek v. Metropolitan Dade County, 985 F.2d 1471, 1477 (11th Cir. 1993) (citing

Fed. R. Civ. P. 24(a); Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corp. v. Falls Chase

Special Taxing District, 983 F.2d 211, 215 (11th Cir. 1993); ManaSota-88, Inc. v.

Tidwell, 896 F.2d 1318, 1321 (11th Cir. 1990); and Chiles v. Thornburgh, 865 F.2d

1197, 1213 (11th Cir. 1989)) (alteration supplied).

The Petition for Intervention is timely, asit wasfiled lessthan six months after

4

Case 3:15-cv-01863-CLS Document 40 Filed 03/07/16 Page 4 of 5
the filing of plaintiff’s complaint, and six months before the close of discovery.

8

See

Chiles, 865 F.2d at 1213 (“We believe that the . . . motion to intervene was timely. 

It was filed only seven months after [the filing of the] original complaint, . . . and

before any discovery had begun.”) (ellipses and alteration supplied). Moreover, the

financial interests of SCA and Phoenix are heavily implicated in this litigation; and,

if the Petition for Intervention was denied, they would be impeded from protecting

such interests. Finally, no party currently named in the action would adequately

represent their interests. Accordingly, this court finds that SCA Tissue North

America, L.L.C., and The Phoenix Insurance Company, may intervene as a matter of

right under Rule 24(a), and the Petition for Intervention is GRANTED. This

conditional intervention does not include the right to participate in motions for

summary judgment or trial on the merits.

DONE and ORDERED this 7th day of March, 2016.

______________________________

United States District Judge

8

See doc. no. 27 (Scheduling Order).

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