Opinion ID: 488008
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Claims of Judicial Error

Text: 55
56 Appellant sought to amend his complaint after discovery was complete, and on the same day the parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment. The amended complaint added five new counts alleging slander and defamation, abuse of process or malicious prosecution, and negligent or fraudulent misrepresentation. It also deleted one count not here relevant. The district court acknowledged that leave to amend pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 15 is ordinarily liberally granted, but held that here the prejudice and expense would inure to defendant without a significant offsetting benefit. Anderson, 619 F.Supp. at 1198. We agree. 57 The discovery schedule had been agreed to by the parties and completed as planned to insure an expeditious resolution of the case. In addition, the slander, defamation, prosecution, and process counts were based on facts known prior to the completion of discovery. The one claim based on new facts--Anderson's allegation that USAir misrepresented its seating policy in a May 14, 1984 letter to a member of the National Federation of the Blind--was properly held to bear only tangential relation to the underlying incident. Under these circumstances, the district court cannot be found to have abused its discretion in denying plaintiff's motion. See, e.g., Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc., 401 U.S. 321, 330, 91 S.Ct. 795, 802, 28 L.Ed.2d 77 (1971); Foman v. Davis, 371 U.S. 178, 182, 83 S.Ct. 227, 230, 9 L.Ed.2d 222 (1962) (factors supporting denial of motion to amend include undue delay and undue prejudice to the opposing party) (dicta). 58 Furthermore, appellant, in attempting to assert a cause of action for false arrest, was not harmed by the denial. He remained free to file an independent action against the FAA police on that ground. 59
60 Appellant alleges the district court erred in referring to 1985 as the worst year for air fatalities, arguing this is a fact not raised in the record, irrelevant to a correct decision, and without basis for a case filed in February 1985 and decided by September 1985. Brief for Appellant at 17-19. We find no error. The remark was prefatory to the decision, unessential to the court's findings, and arguably subject to judicial notice pursuant to Rule 201(b), (c), and (f) of the Federal Rules of Evidence.