Opinion ID: 2387279
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Amendment to Complaint FBM Breach

Text: Lee filed a second amended complaint on April 13, 1995, which was after class certification by the trial judge. There, he alleged a claim for breach of contract based upon the auto carriers' refusal to recognize class members as mutual company policyholders with attendant rights and benefits and prayed for an accounting of profits and premiums and a declaration of breach and damages. The trial judge granted the carriers' motion to strike Lee's second amended complaint. The judge specifically found that the additional claim of breach of contract relating to mutual company membership was not among the issues certified by the trial judge or affirmed by this court on appeal. Lee argues that the trial judge was wrong in finding that a plaintiff must state all causes of action prior to class certification. He points out that the same facts are present that initially warranted class certification, the amendment to the complaint does not add new parties, the class notice informed all class members of both claims set out in the second amended complaint, and because of the time between the amendment and the trial, the amendment did not prejudice the auto carriers. He concludes that where it is clear that a post-certification claim does not disturb the integrity of the court's certification, the new claim should be allowed. In making his ruling on this issue, the trial judge referred to the potential for a multiplicity of suits on the mutual-company issue but also to the lateness of the amendment to the complaint raising the new issue. What bothered the trial judge concerns us also, and that is whether amending a complaint after class certification would lead to a successive appeal to this court. We can easily see how permitting a new issue to be raised after class certification might well lead the auto carriers to file a second interlocutory appeal contesting the new issue. From the language of the trial judge's order, it is clear that he allowed Lee to present evidence of breach of contract relating to the mutual policy, but he would reserve ruling on whether the complaint could in fact be amended. The judge's ultimate order disallowing consideration of the issue appears to be well reasoned, and we affirm his ruling that the issues to be tried must be limited to those raised before class certification. We hold that the trial judge did not err in ruling as he did.