Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_09-cv-02850/USCOURTS-caed-2_09-cv-02850-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 350
Nature of Suit: Motor Vehicle Personal Injury
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal- Personal Injury

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

RUBEN PEREZ, MICHAEL MOORE

and BRIGETTE MOORE,

NO. 2:09-cv-02850-MCE-KJM

Plaintiffs,

v. ORDER

VEZER INDUSTRIAL

PROFESSIONALS, INC., a

California Corporation and

DOES 1-50 inclusive,

Defendants.

----oo0oo----

On December 29, 2009, Defendant Vezer Industrial

Professionals, Inc. (“Vezer”) filed a Motion for Leave to File a

Third-Party Complaint in this matter. Plaintiffs’ Complaint,

originally filed on July 17, 2009 in the Superior Court of

California in and for the County of Solano, was subsequently

removed to this Court, on grounds of diversity of citizenship

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1441(a) and 1446, on or about

October 13, 2009. 

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Case 2:09-cv-02850-TLN-CKD Document 14 Filed 02/01/10 Page 1 of 3
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 All further references to “Rule” or “Rules” are to the 1

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure unless otherwise noted.

2

According to the Complaint, Plaintiffs sustained personal injuries

while doing work for Vezer at a gold mine in La Libertad,

Nicaragua owned by Central Sun Mining and its successor-ininterest, B2 Gold.

Through the present Motion, Vezer alleges that it contracted

with Pinpoint Holdings for Plaintiffs’ work at the Nicaraguan

mine. According to Vezer, their contract with Pinpoint contains

an indemnity clause whereby Pinpoint agrees to indemnify and hold

harmless Vezer for any personal claims resulting from the

negligence, in whole on in part, of Pinpoint or its

representatives. Vezer further contends that a similar indemnity

provision exists between Vezer and Central Sun Mining which would

extend to Central Sun’s successor, B2 Gold. The third-party

complaint now proposed by Vezer is for purposes of asserting

Vezer’s alleged indemnity rights against both Pinpoint and B2

Gold. No opposition has been filed to the instant Motion for

leave to file that complaint.

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 14 a party to bring a 1

lawsuit against, or “implead,” a third party who is not already a

party to the lawsuit in order to transfer liability being

asserted against it in the underlying lawsuit. Rule 14(a)(1)

provides in pertinent part as follows:

“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 of the claim against it. 

But the third-party plaintiff must, by motion, obtain

the court’s leave if it files the third-party complaint

more than 10 days after serving its original answer.” 

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 Because oral argument will not be of material assistance, 2

the Court ordered this matter submitted on the briefs. E.D. Cal.

Local Rule 230(g).

3

The District Court has broad discretion in determining the

propriety of a third-party claim under Rule 14. Southwest

Admin., Inc. v. Rozay’s Transfer, 791 F.2d 769, 777 (9th Cir.

1986). Rule 14 is to be construed liberally in favor of allowing

impleader. Lehman v. Revolution Portfolio L.L.C., 166 F.3d 389,

393 (1st Cir. 1999).

Given Vezer’s contention that indemnity agreements were in

place, Defendant County would presumably have grounds upon which

to file a separate lawsuit against for contribution and indemnity

against both Pinpoint Holdings and B2 Gold. Accordingly, a

third-party complaint by Vezer against those entities is proper,

and Vezer’s Motion is GRANTED. Vezer shall file and serve its 2

proposed third-party complaint forthwith.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: January 29, 2010

_____________________________

MORRISON C. ENGLAND, JR.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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