Case: 11-13835 Date Filed: 11/29/2012 Page: 1 of 18
[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
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No. 11-13835 _____________
D.C. Docket No. 6:08-cv-00096-BAE-GRS
DAVID OJEDA!SANCHEZ, FLORENCIO CORTES!GONZALEZ, ALFONSO GUERRERO!HERNANDEZ, ARTURO MORALES!MORALES, RAUL MORALES!MORALES, OSCAR ANTONIO MORALES!RAMIREZ, JUAN PABLO ORTIZ!ROCHA, JAVIER GUERRERO!CARRILLO, Plaintiffs-Appellants,
BERNABE ARCADIO!RUBIO, SAUL HERNANDEZ!ANDABLO, SAMUEL ROJO!ANDABLO, BONIFCIAO SANCHEZ!COBARRUBIAS, RICARDO SANTOS!HERNANDEZ, CRESCENCIO HERNANDEZ!MARTINEZ, JOEL RUBIO!MORALES, GUADALUPE HERNANDEZ!MARTINEZ, ZEFERINO HERNANDEZ!MARTINEZ, PEDRO HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, DOMINGO HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, SAMUEL HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, LUIS HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, ANGEL HERNANDEZ!MARTINEZ, GERONIMO MARTINEZ!HERNANDEZ, PROCORO DEMETRIO MEDINA!HERNANDEZ, Case: 11-13835 Date Filed: 11/29/2012 Page: 2 of 18
JUAN HERNANDEZ!CRUZ, PEDRO VICTOR!HERNANDEZ, ISRAEL VICTOR!SERNA, MANUEL SANTILLAN!ALANIS, LUIS RIVER!PADILLA, JULIO RIVERA!VALDES, REYNO ANTONIO!HERNANDEZ, SANTOS MARCELO DAMASO!HERNANDEZ, ANASTACIO HERNANDEZ!HERNADEZ, BENITO FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, BENJAMIN HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, MARCELINO FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, NASARIO HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, OSCAR ANTONIO HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, RUBEN HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, SANTOS HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, ESAU HERNANDEZ!MARTINEZ, FIDEL MARTINEZ!HERNANDEZ, JOSE ANTONIO HERNANDEZ!MARTINEZ, HORACIO HERNANDEZ!MEJIA, FIDEL MARTINEZ!MARTINEZ, CRESCENCIO MEDINA!MARTINEZ, PATRICIO MEDINA!HERNANDEZ, HILARIO LORENZO RAMIREZ!HERNANDEZ, PRIMITIVO RAMIREZ!HERNANDEZ, SANTOS CAMILO TORRES-HERNANDEZ, LORENZO GUERRERO!CHAVEZ, SANTOS ESTEBAN HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, SANTOS MARTINEZ!RUBIO, BULMARO ELIZALDE!NERI, JAVIER ELIZALDE!NERI, ROSALIO ELIZALDE!NERI, ELODIO RIOS!CHAVEZ, MISAEL TREJO_RUIZ, PATRICIO RIOS CHAVEZ, ODILON ANTONIO!CAMARGO, RAMON PALACIOS!PAREDES,
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AGUSTIN COVARRUBIAS!HERNANDEZ, ESTEBAN HERNANDEZ!MARTINEZ, HUGO OLVERA!GONZALEZ, VICTORIANO MANUEL CAMPOS!QUEZADA, VICTORIANO MANUEL SALGUERO!GONZALEZ, REYES CARLIN!VIDAL, HORACIO RUIA!RANGEL, OBISPO CRUZ!TREJO, SERAFIN FERNANDEZ!VITE, JUAN OLVERA!RUIZ, AANDRES HERNANDEZ!HERNANDEZ, MARDONIO MARTINEZ DE LA CRUZ, FILIMON SOLIS!VELAZQUEZ, OMAR SANCHEZ!COVARRUBIAS, IGNACIO FERNANDEZ!CRUZ, ABEL CIRIACO HERNANDEZ!BAUTISTA, EFREN MAGANA!BANALES, FELIX MEJIA!HERNANDEZ, HECTOR PEREZ!CARRETO, Opt!In Plaintiffs ! Appellants,
CARMELO HERNANDEZ!RUBIO, JUAN JOSE HERNANDEZ DE LA CRUZ, Movants ! Appellants,
versus BLAND FARMS, LLC, MICHAEL HIVELY, individually, DELBERT BLAND, individually, Defendants ! Appellees,
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Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia ____________ (November 29, 2012)
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Before JORDAN and HILL, Circuit Judges, and HOOD,* District Judge.
HILL, Circuit Judge:
Plaintiffs/Appellants are Mexican seasonal farmworkers. They sued Bland
Farms, LLC, asserting violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and breach of
contract. Following an eight day bench trial, the district court found a violation
but in an amount less than claimed. Additionally, the district court rejected the
workers' claim for liquidated damages, refused to enlarge the limitations period
and denied the workers leave to amend to add twenty-one additional workers. The
workers appeal these adverse rulings.
I.
The appellants are Mexican seasonal farmworkers (the "Farmworkers") who
work for Bland Farms, LLC ("Bland") as guest workers pursuant to the H-2A
program. Bland employed the workers during the 2004-2008 seasons to plant and
harvest onions. Bland employs field supervisors who record the time and amount
of onions planted or harvested by the Farmworkers. Bland also employs "field
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*Honorable Joseph M. Hood, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky, sitting by designation.
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walkers" who help supervise the Farmworkers and otherwise assist the
supervisors. Some of the field walkers are also paid to drive a crew bus to and
from the fields. The employment relationships between the workers and Bland are
governed by the Fair