Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_16-cv-01412/USCOURTS-casd-3_16-cv-01412-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 42:1983cv Civil Rights Act - Civil Action for Deprivation of Rights

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FILED 

16 DEC -8 PH ,: 3' 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

THE EST A TE OF RUBEN NUNEZ by Case No.: 3:16-cv-01412-BEN-MDD 

and through its successor-in-interest 

LYDIA NUNEZ, ALBERT NUNEZ, and ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT'S 

LYDIA NUNEZ, MOTION FOR LEAVE TO FILE A 

Plaintiff, THIRD-PARTY COMPLAINT 

v. 

COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, ct aI, 

Defendant. 

Presently before the Court is a Motion for Leave to File Third-Party Complaint 

filed by Defendant County of San Diego ("the County"). (Docket No. 29.) The Motion 

is unopposed. 

"A defending party may, as third-party plaintiff, serve a summons and complaint 

on a nonparty who is or may be liable to it for all or part ofthe claim against it." Fed. R. 

Civ. P. 14(a)(1). A defending party must seek leave it if seeks to file a third-party 

3: \6-cv-OI412-BEN-MDD 

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complaint more than 14 days after serving the original answer. (ld) District courts have 

discretion permit or deny the filing of a third-party complaint, except when the thirdparty complaint is filed within fourteen days of serving the original answer. Fed. R. Civ. 

P. 14(a)(1). 

On June 8,2016, Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the County for several claims 

arising out of the death ofRuben Nunez ("Ruben") at the County's Central Jail detention 

facility. (Docket No. 1.) On July 5, 2016, the County filed an answer. (Docket No.7.) 

After obtaining the Court's leave, Plaintiffs filed a First Amended Complaint ("FAC") on 

August 30,2016. (Docket Nos. 14-15.) The County filed an answer to the FAC on 

September 19,2016. (Docket No. 19.) On October 31,2016, the County filed this 

Motion, seeking the Court's leave to file a third-party complaint against Correctional 

Physicians Medical Group, Inc. ("CPMG"), and Jorge Naranjo and Sara Hansen, two of 

CPMG's employees and/or agents. (Docket No. 29.) The County argues that its internal 

investigation confirmed that, assuming there was any wrongdoing attributable to Ruben's 

death, such wrongdoing was committed by one or more ofCPMG's employees and/or 

agents. Further, the County represents that CPMG entered into an agreement with the 

County whereby CPMG was contractually obligated to defend and indemnify the County 

for all claims arising out ofCPMG's performance ofthe agreement. 

Additionally, the County requests that, if it is granted leave to file a third-party 

complaint, it be allowed to delay filing ofthe complaint until January 30, 2017. The 

County's request is based on a California Code of Civil Procedure requirement that a 

plaintiff give a defendant ninety days' notice ofhis or her intent to sue for actions "based 

upon" the defendant's professional negligence. (Mot. at 4, citing Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 

364(a); Preferred Risk Mut. Ins. Co. v. Reiswig, 980 P. 2d 895,897 (CaL 1999). The 

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County does not concede that its claims against CPMG are subject to this provision, but 

has nonetheless sent the requisite notice of intent to sue to each of the proposed thirdparty defendants. (Mot. at 4.) The County believes that failure to wait until January 30, 

2017 (the date ofthe expiration of the ninety days' notice), to file the third-party 

complaint may result in its attorneys being subject to professional discipline. (Mot. at 4, 

citing Cal. Civ. Code § 365 ("failure to comply with [Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 364(a)] by 

any attorney at law shall be grounds for professional discipline and the State Bar of 

California shall investigate and take appropriate action in any cases brought to its 

attention.").) 

Under California Code Civil Procedure § 364(a), "no action based upon the health 

care provider's professional negligence may be commenced unless the defendant has 

been given at least 90 days' prior notice of the intention to commence the action." Cal. 

Code Civ. Proc. § 364(a) (emphasis added). "Professional negligence" is defined as a 

"negligent act or omission by a health care provider in the rendering of professional 

services, which act or omission is the proximate cause of a personal injury or wrongful 

death." Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 364(£)(2). 

The County's third-party complaint asserts five claims for relief: 1) breach of 

contract; 2) express contractual indemnification; 3) implied contractual indemnity; 4) 

equitable indemnity; 5) declaratory relief for judicial determination ofthe respective 

rights and duties of the third-party plaintiffs and defendants. (Mot. Ex. A.) Except for 

the request for declaratory relief, it appears to the Court that each ofthe County's claims 

for relief is predicated upon a contractual duty to defend and/or indemnify. (Id.) In other 

words, the County's suit is not based upon the proposed-third party defendants' 

professional negligence per se, but is instead based upon their contractual duty to defend 

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1 and/or indemnify the County for any and all claims related to their agreement. (Id.) 

2 Therefore, the Court is not persuaded that good cause exists to permit such an extensive 

3 delay in the filing of the County's third-party complaint. 

4 Accordingly, the Motion is GRANTED. Defendant is granted leave to file a third7 

/iiON. OGER T. BENITEZ 9 
 United States District Judge 

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