Opinion ID: 784247
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Pelella's Inconsistent Characterizations Of His Counterclaim

Text: 52 After Local 38 initiated this lawsuit to recover a $4,418 fine, Pelella responded by asserting a counterclaim in which he alleged, among other things, that the union had violated his due process rights when it disciplined him without following certain procedures. When Pelella answered Local 38's complaint, he did not specify the source of those due process rights. 53 Local 38 eventually moved for partial summary judgment, arguing that his counterclaim was barred by section 101(a)(4) of the LMRDA. Pelella opposed the union's motion on several grounds. One in particular stands out. 54 In the opposition brief he filed with the district court, Pelella argued that section 101(a)(4) did not apply to his claim for relief because the counterclaim was premised on violations of the Due Process Clause, not the LMRDA. He apparently took that position in an effort to escape the reach of section 101(a)(4). Although we have never decided the issue, various courts have held that section 101(a)(4) of the LMRDA does not preclude union members from pursuing claims financed by interested employers where those claims were properly brought under statutes other than the LMRDA. See, e.g., Simo v. Union of Needletrades, Industrial & Textile Employees, Southwest District Council, 322 F.3d 602, 612 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 124 S.Ct. 224, ___ L.Ed.2d ___ (2003); Adamszewski, 496 F.2d at 784-85. 7 55 Despite his earlier statements denying that the LMRDA served as a basis for his counterclaim, Pelella later submitted jury instructions premised on a surprising theory of relief: violations of his due process rights under the LMRDA. A trial soon followed and the jury returned a verdict in Pelella's favor. The jury found that Local 38 had breached a contract and violated Pelella's rights under the LMRDA. It awarded Pelella $1 in nominal damages and $25,000 in punitive damages. However, the latter award rested solely on Local 38's violation of the LMRDA. 56 We need not decide what effect, if any, Pelella's inconsistent characterizations of his counterclaim had on the trial and verdict. First, the meager record before us does not suggest that Local 38 objected to Pelella's jury instructions. A party that fails to object to a jury instruction at trial waives the right to make that instruction the basis for an appeal. Fogarty v. Near North Insurance Brokerage, 162 F.3d 74, 79 (2d Cir.1998). 57 Moreover, Local 38 did not provide us with a transcript of the trial, including those portions that relate to the jury instructions. As the appellant, Local 38 bore the burden of ordering the trial transcripts which were necessary for this appeal. See Wrighten v. Glowski, 232 F.3d 119, 120 (2d Cir.2000) (citing Fed. R.App. P. 10(b)(2)); see also Meroney v. Delta International Machinery Corp., 18 F.3d 1436, 1437 (8th Cir.1994). Local 38's failure to append the transcript prevents meaningful appellate review of the jury instructions. Cf. Wrighten, 232 F.3d at 120. We therefore decline to consider whether the LMRDA jury instructions were proper. See Harris Market Research v. Marshall Marketing and Communications, 948 F.2d 1518, 1528 (10th Cir.1991); see also King v. Unocal Corp., 58 F.3d 586, 588 (10th Cir.1995). 58 Finally, Local 38 does not contend, on appeal, that Pelella's initial allegations regarding the nature of the due process violations in his counterclaim warrant reversal or vacatur. By failing to raise the issue on appeal, the argument is deemed waived. ABB Industrial Systems v. Prime Technology, 120 F.3d 351, 360 n. 5 (2d Cir.1997).