2009 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Third C ir c uit 10-19-2009 

# D a vid W ebb v . W arne r Midd le S cho ol P re c e de nt i al or N on-P re c e de nt i al : N on-P re c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 09-3209

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al works at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thirdc irc uit_2009

Thi s de c i sion i s brou ght t o you for f re e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Third C irc uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2009 D e c i sion s by an authori z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or more inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " D a vid W eb b v . W arne r Middle S choo l " (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 422. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thirdc irc uit_2009/422CL D- 0 0 8 NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

___________ N o. 09- 3209

___________ DAV I D W EBB , A ppel l ant v . W AR NER M I DD LE SCHO OL; RED CLA Y C ON SOLI DA TED SCH OO L DI STRI CT; LI LLI AN LOW ERY , Se c r e t a ryo f Ed u c a t i o n ; J AN E DO ES; J OH N D OES

____________________________________ O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt

forthe D i s tr i ctof D el aw ar e ( D . C . C i vi l N o. 1: 09- cv- 00432) D istri ct Ju d g e: H o n o rab le H arv eyB artl e, II I

____________________________________ S u b mi t t e d f

o rP o s s i b l e Di s mi s s a l P u r s u a n tt o 2 8 U. S . C. § 1 9 1 5 ( e ) ( 2 ) ( B) o r S u m m a ry A c tio n P u rs u a n t to T h ir d C ir c u it L A R 2 7 .4 a n d I.O .P . 1 0 .6 O ct ober9, 2009 B efor e: B A R R Y , FI SH E R and C O W E N , C i r cui tJ udges

( O pi ni on fi l ed O ct ober19, 2009 )

_________ OP I NI ON

_________ P E R C UR I AM D avi d W ebb, pr ocee di ng pr o s e, appea l s the or derof the U ni t ed St at es D i s tr i ct C o u r tf o rth e D i s tr i c to f

D e l a w a r e d i s m i s s i n g h i s p e r s o n a l i n j u rya c t i o n a s f

r i v o l o u s . We w il l dism iss th e a p p ea l pu rsua n t t o 2 8 U . S . C . § 1 9 1 5 (e)(2)(B ).2

In Ju n e 2 0 0 9 , W e b b in iti a ted th is d iv e rsitya c tio n a g a in st W a rn e r M id d le S c h o o l, R ed C l ayC ons ol i dat ed School D i s tr i ct , and Li l l i an Low ery , D el aw ar e’ s Secr et aryof E d u ca ti o n , b yfil ing a c o m p lai n t and m o ti o n fo r l ea v e to p roc ee d b ef o re the d istri ct co u rt i n form a paupe r i s . W ebb, a r es i dentof South D akot a, al l eged that , dur i ng the 1974- 75 sc h o o l y e a r, w h ile a stu d e n t at W a rn e r M id d le S c h o o l, he w a s re p e a ted lyp h y sic a lly a ss a u lted b ya n o th e r stu d e n t. In o n e v io len t as sa u lt, th e stu d e n t alle g e d lyp u n c h e d h im in the fa ce, br eaki ng hi s nos e s uch thathe r equi r ed i m m edi at e r econs truct i ve s ur gery . W ebb al l eged thatthe W arnerM i ddl e School empl oy ees neverr eport ed the i nci dentt o the p o lice o r to h is le g a l g u a rd ian . O n Ju ly2 , 2 0 0 9 , the d istric t co u rt g ra n ted W e b b lea v e to pr ocee d i n form a paupe r i s butdi s m i s s ed the compl ai ntpur s uantt o 28 U . S. C . § 1915( e) o n sta tu te o f

lim itatio n s g ro u n d s. W e b b tim e lya p p e a led th e ru lin g to th is C o u rt. W e hav e j uri sdi ct i on ov er this app eal pu rs uan tt o 2 8 U . S . C . § 1 29 1, and exerci se pl enaryvi ew overthe di s tr i ctcourt ’ s s ua s pont e di s m i s s al . See A l l ah v. Sei ver l i ng, 229 F. 3d 220, 223 ( 3d C i r . 2000) . B eca us e w e have gr ant ed W ebb i n form a paupe r i s s t atus pur s uantt o 28 U . S. C . § 1915, w e r evi ew thi s appea l forpos s i bl e di s m i s s al pur s uantt o 28 U .S .C . § 1 9 1 5 (e )(2 )(B ). W e w ill d ism iss a n a p p e a l u n d e r § 1 9 1 5 (e ) if it l a c k s a n a rg u a b le b a s is in f a c t o r l a w . N e itz k e v . W illia m s , 4 9 0 U .S . 3 1 9 , 3 2 5 (1 9 8 9 ). T h e d istric t co u rt c o rre c tlyd ism iss e d W e b b ’s c laim u n d e r § 1 9 1 5 (e )(2 )(B ), as h is c laim lac k e d a n a rg u a b le b a sis in law . T h e sta tu te o f lim itatio n s f

o r W e b b ’s a c tio n is g o v e rn e d b yth e p e rso n a l in ju rysta tu te o f

lim itatio n s in D e law a re , the sta te in w h ich h is3

c a u se o f a c tio n a c c ru e d . T h e sta tu te o f lim itatio n s f

o r p e rso n a l in

ju rie s in D e law a re is tw o y ear s . See 10 D el . C ode A nn. § 8119; s ee a l s o M cD ow el l v. D el . St at e Pol i ce, 88 F. 3d 188, 190 ( 3d C i r . 1996) . A l though the s t atut e of l i m i t at i ons i s an af fi r m at i ve defe ns e, a di s tr i ctcourtm ays ua s pont e di s m i s s a compl ai ntunder§ 1915( e) w her e the d e f e n se is o b v io u s f

ro m th e c o m p lain t an d n o d e v e lo p m e n t o f th e f a c tu a l re c o rd is r equi r ed. See Fogl e v. Pi er s on, 435 F. 3d 1252, 1258 ( 10th C i r . 2006) ; E r i l i ne C o. S. A . v. J ohns on, 440 F. 3d 648, 656- 57 ( 4th C i r . 2006) ; D el l i s v. C orr . C orp. of A m . , 257 F. 3d 5 0 8 , 5 1 1 (6 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ); P in o v . R y a n , 4 9 F .3 d 5 1 , 5 3 (2 d C ir . 1 9 9 5 ). H er e, the i nci dent s under l y i ng W ebb’ s compl ai ntoccurr ed i n 1974 and 1975, m aki ng i tappar entfr om the fa ce of the compl ai ntthatthe tw o- y ears t atut e of l i m i t at i ons expi r ed w el l befor e he f i l ed s ui ti n 2009. I n hi s ar gum enti n s uppor tof hi s appea l , W ebb a ss e rts th a t th e sta tu te o f lim itatio n s s h o u ld b e e q u itab lyto lled b e c a u se th e d e f e n d a n ts fr audul ent l yconce al ed the as s aul t s byfai l i ng t o not i fythe l ocal pol i ce a nd hi s l egal g u a rd ian . H o w e v e r, eq u itab le to lli n g o c c u rs w h e re th e d e f e n d a n ts h a v e in ten tio n a lly mi s i n f o r me d o rc o n c e a l e d i n f

o r ma t i o n f

r o m th e p la in tif

f , and the l i m i t at i ons per i od begi ns w hen the pl ai nt i ff know s orhad r eas on t o know of the i nj uryform i ng the bas i s forthe a c tio n . S e e S a m e ric C o rp . v . C ityo f P h ila., 1 4 2 F .3 d 5 8 2 , 5 9 9 (3 d C ir. 1 9 9 8 ). In h is compl ai nt , W ebb al l eges det ai l s of the as s aul t s , i ncl udi ng bei ng rus hed t o the hos pi t al for e m e rg e n c ysu rg e ry . H e a lleg e s th a t h e h a d in f o rm e d th e sc h o o l o f

th e b u lly in g d u rin g h is att endanc e atthe s chool . H e furtheral l eges thathe has s us t ai ned manyy ear s of pai n ands uffe r i ng and thathe has neverr egai ned the natur al l ook of hi s nos e s i nce one of the

a ttac k s. In o th e r w o rd s, W e b b e x p re ss lya d m its in h is c o m p lain t th a t h e lea rn e d o f h is in ju ri e s m o re th a n tw o y e a rs b e f o re h e f ile d th is la w s u it in J u n e 2 0 0 9 . A ccor di ngl y , W ebb’ s cl ai m s w er e fi l ed w el l bey ond the expi r at i on of the appl i cabl e s t atut e of l i m i t at i ons and ar e now t i m e barr ed. W e fi nd thatther e w as no need to p ro v id e W e b b a n o p p o rtu n ityto a m e n d h is c o m p lain t b e c a u se a n ya m e n d m e n t w o u ld have be en fut i l e. See G r ay s on v. M ayvi ew St at e H os p. , 293 F. 3d 103, 108 ( 3d C i r . 2002) (n o tin g th a t a m e n d m e n t “ m u s t b e p e rm itte d . . . u n le s s it w o u ld b e in e q u ita b le o r f u tile ” ). B e c a u se w e c o n c lu d e th a t W e b b ’s a p p e a l lac k s a n a rg u a b le b a sis in law , w e d ism iss it p u rs u a n t to 2 8 U .S .C . § 1 9 1 5 (e )( 2 )( B ).

. 4 .