Opinion ID: 479187
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Sufficiency of the Pleadings

Text: 29 The second question to be considered is whether Lynn sufficiently alleged exhaustion of union remedies for the second cause of action in his complaint. Appellees contend that while Lynn alleged that he had exhausted his internal union remedies in his complaint on his first cause of action, the removal from his position of business representative, he did not allege that he had exhausted union remedies with regard to his second cause of action, the failure to dispatch him for work. 30 Paragraph 12 of Lynn's complaint on his first cause of action states that [p]laintiff has spent over four (4) months exhausting internal hearing procedures to correct this unlawful discipline and removal from office to no avail as required by 29 U.S.C. Sec. 411(a)(8) thus conferring jurisdiction on this Court under 29 U.S.C. Sec. 412. On the second cause of action, paragraph 16 states that [p]laintiff incorporates herein the allegations contained in paragraphs 1 through 15 by this reference as though fully set forth. In their answers, both the International and the Local raised, as an affirmative defense to the second cause of action, the fact that Lynn had failed to exhaust internal union remedies. The question of whether Lynn had failed to allege exhaustion was first raised, albeit obliquely, in the Local's motion for summary judgment, and surfaced as a full-blown issue in Lynn's opposition to the motion for summary judgment. Here, Lynn stated that exhaustion of remedies was alleged on the second cause of action, because paragraph 16 incorporated paragraph 12's statement of exhaustion. He also attached a declaration stating that he had tried to file a grievance with both the trustee and the business representative, but that each had refused to accept the grievance, saying that it should be filed with the other; presumably Lynn was attempting to demonstrate the futility of pursuing union remedies. The trial court made no findings of fact or law on the failure to allege issue, but ruled instead on the substantive exhaustion issue. 31 A pleading must contain a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief. Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2). Accordingly, a pleading must 'give[ ] fair notice and state[ ] the elements of the claim plainly and succinctly.'  Jones v. Community Redevelopment Agency, 733 F.2d 646, 649 (9th Cir.1984) (quoting 2A J. Moore & J. Lucas, Moore's Federal Practice p 8.13 at 8-111 (2d Ed.1983)). Under a strict reading of Lynn's complaint, it would appear that he failed to allege exhaustion of union remedies for the failure to dispatch for work claim, because paragraph 12 only refers to exhaustion of remedies for the job removal claim. 32 However, under the liberal Federal approach, the purpose of the pleadings is to provide the opposing party with fair notice of the claim against it. See, e.g., Shelter Mutual Ins. Co. v. Public Water Supply Dist. No. 7, 747 F.2d 1195, 1197 (8th Cir.1984); Senter v. General Motors Corp., 532 F.2d 511, 522 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 870, 97 S.Ct. 182, 50 L.Ed.2d 150 (1976). The Federal Rules reject the approach that pleading is a game of skill in which one misstep by counsel may be decisive to the outcome and accept the principle that the purpose of pleading is to facilitate a proper decision on the merits. Usery v. Marquette Cement Mfg. Co., 568 F.2d 902, 906 (2d Cir.1977) (quoting United States v. Hougham, 364 U.S. 310, 317, 81 S.Ct. 13, 18, 5 L.Ed.2d 8 (1960)). Courts should construe pleadings liberally so as to do substantial justice, see, e.g., Scherping v. Commissioner, 747 F.2d 478, 480 (8th Cir.1984); Planned Parenthood Ass'n of Utah v. Schweiker, 700 F.2d 710, 720, 226 U.S.App.D.C. 139 (D.C.Cir.1983), and should do so, if possible, in favor of the plaintiff. Sennett v. Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., 502 F.Supp. 939, 942 (N.D.Ill.1980); see also Herceg v. Hustler Magazine, Inc., 583 F.Supp. 1566, 1567 (S.D.Tex.1984). 33 Here, a review of the record shows that both the International and the Local had fair notice of the nature of Lynn's claim of failure to dispatch him for work, and were able to litigate fully the exhaustion issue. Further, although Lynn did not move to amend his complaint, he did provide information in his opposition to the motion for summary judgment to support his claim that attempting to exhaust union remedies was futile, and the district court apparently considered this information in ruling on the merits of the exhaustion issue. 10 Thus, because the International and the Local suffered no prejudice from Lynn's failure to allege more explicitly the exhaustion of union remedies in his second cause of action, we will construe the pleadings in Lynn's favor, and consider the issue on the merits.