Opinion ID: 573091
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Preserving Rights to Appeal: Objections to Magistrate's Report

Text: 11 Plaintiffs urge this Court to treat defendants' failure to timely object to the magistrate's order as a waiver of defendants' right to appeal. Plaintiffs' theory stems from the Supreme Court's recent ratification of the waiver rule, previously adopted by this Court in United States v. Lewis, 621 F.2d 1382 (5th Cir.1980), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 935, 101 S.Ct. 1400, 67 L.Ed.2d 370 (1981), whereby failure to object to a magistrate's report issued under section 636(b)(1) acts as a waiver of appellate rights. Thomas v. Arn, 474 U.S. 140, 106 S.Ct. 466, 473, 88 L.Ed.2d 435 (1985). In Lewis, one defendant's appeal was dismissed on the ground that his failure to object to the recommendations contained in the magistrate's report waived his right to appeal. Lewis, 621 F.2d at 1386. However, the Lewis rule was modified by this Court in Nettles v. Wainwright, 677 F.2d 404, 410 (5th Cir.1982) (en banc), which held that no limitation of the right to appeal shall result unless the magistrate informs the parties of the objection deadline. 12 Plaintiffs conceded at oral argument that the magistrate's report did not contain a Nettles notice. However, plaintiffs argue that defendants were on notice of the deadline because the local rules of the Western District of Texas mimic the provisions of the Federal Magistrates Act. See Local Rules, App. C, Rule 4, W.D. Texas. Even if defendants were clearly on notice of the deadline via the local rules, we are seemingly bound by Nettles to hold that defendants' tardy filing placed no limitation on their right to appeal because the magistrate did not inform the parties of the filing deadline for objections. See Nettles, supra, 677 F.2d at 410. Moreover, we do not believe that tardy, as opposed to absent, objections should waive the right to appeal, at least under the circumstances in this case. The rationale behind this Court's opinion in Lewis was distaste for the sandbagging practice in which defendants circumvent district judges and raise objections for the first time on appeal. Nettles, 677 F.2d at 410. Here, defendants missed the deadline by one business day; more importantly, the district court considered and rejected defendants' objections on their merits under a de novo review. There was no possible prejudice to plaintiffs. Accordingly, the lack of Nettles notice and the fact that the purpose behind the waiver rule would not be served by imposing it here combine in leading us to reject plaintiffs' contention that defendants have waived their appellate rights. We turn now to the merits. 13