Opinion ID: 205620
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Denial of Amendment

Text: The district court cited two reasons for denying Mr. Shrader leave to amend his complaint a second time following the submission of defendants' motions to dismiss: (1) Mr. Shrader had failed to comply with a local rule requiring counsel to confer and attempt to resolve any differences with respect to non-dispositive motions before filing them with the court; and (2) formal amendment of the complaint to respond to the pending motions was unnecessary in that [Mr. Shrader's] responses to the motions to dismiss (as well as Defendants' replies) w[ould] adequately inform the court of the jurisdictional posture of the case. R. vol. 1 at 275. We review this matter for an abuse of discretion, Fields v. Okla. State Penitentiary, 511 F.3d 1109, 1113 (10th Cir.2007), and, finding none, affirm the district court's ruling. Noncompliance with procedures required by local rule is a proper basis for denial of a motion to amend. See, e.g., Barrett v. Orman, 373 Fed.Appx. 823, 826 (10th Cir.2010) (following Lambertsen v. Utah Dep't of Corr., 79 F.3d 1024, 1029-30 (10th Cir.1996) (upholding denial of motion to amend based in part on failure to comply with local rules)). The operative local rule here provides in pertinent part: [T]his Court shall refuse to hear any [non-dispositive] motion or objection unless counsel for movant first advises the Court in writing that counsel personally have met and conferred in good faith and, after a sincere attempt to resolve differences, have been unable to reach an accord. No personal conference shall be required, however, where the movant's counsel represents to the Court in writing that movant's counsel has conferred with opposing counsel by telephone and ... the distance between counsel's offices renders a personal conference infeasible. E.D. Okla. LCvR 7.1. [9] The district court noted that all Mr. Shrader had done was send an email to opposing counsel and then file his motion when a prompt reply was not forthcoming. The district court did not abuse its discretion in finding that this failed to comply with the rule and in rejecting Mr. Shrader's motion for such noncompliance. [10]