Opinion ID: 737564
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Denial of the Motion to Amend

Text: 17 We review a district court's denial of a motion to amend a complaint for abuse of discretion. John Hancock Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. Amerford Int'l Corp., 22 F.3d 458, 462 (2d Cir.1994). The district court has discretion to deny leave to amend where the motion is made after an inordinate delay, no satisfactory explanation is offered for the delay, and the amendment would prejudice the defendant. Cresswell v. Sullivan & Cromwell, 922 F.2d 60, 72 (2d Cir.1990). 18 There was no abuse of discretion here. Smith waited over three years after the stipulation was entered, until the eve of trial, to move to amend his complaint. This was an inordinate delay, as the district court found, particularly because Smith's only explanation for the delay was that the Supreme Court had denied certiorari in an airbag preemption case. That event could not satisfactorily account for the delay, because denial of certiorari has no precedential weight whatsoever, and marks no change in the law. See Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288, 296 (1989). Finally, Smith's attempt to amend the complaint immediately before the trial would have prejudiced GM and NUMMI substantially, requiring more preparation and discovery on a case that had already been delayed for more than two years. 19 Moreover, Smith's airbag claims were precluded by the stipulation, which indicated Smith's withdrawal with prejudice of all prior allegations, including allegations of ... design defect concerning ... safety devices. This withdrawal precluded trial of the issues Smith was seeking to plead. 20