Opinion ID: 885942
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: issues

Text: ¶ 30 Did the District Court abuse its discretion when it denied Baker's motion for leave to file a second amended complaint? ¶ 31 Baker appeals the District Court's denial of its motion for leave to file a second amended complaint. The second amended complaint which Baker sought to file included six claims. However, Baker acknowledges that the District Court properly denied its first two claims, since neither it nor owners Robert and Pamela Hickey had taxpayer standing in Fallon County. On appeal, Baker asserts that the District Court abused its discretion when it disallowed the four remaining claims. Baker's four remaining claims were that: (1) its due process rights were violated; (2) it was deprived of rights under color of state law, and therefore entitled to damages pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983, 1985; (3) the Respondents interfered with its prospective economic advantage; and (4) the Respondents deprived it of its right to fair competition. ¶ 32 Rule 15(a), M.R.Civ.P., provides, in pertinent part, that: A party may amend the party's pleading once as a matter of course ... Otherwise a party may amend the party's pleading only by leave of court or by written consent of the adverse party; and leave shall be freely given when justice so requires. Baker contends that pursuant to Rule 15(a), M.R.Civ.P., the District Court should have granted it leave to amend its complaint. ¶ 33 However, this Court has previously determined that leave to amend is properly denied when the amendment is futile or legally insufficient to support the requested relief. See Hobble-Diamond Cattle v. Triangle Irr. (1991), 249 Mont. 322, 325, 815 P.2d 1153, 1155, and Prentice Lumber Company, Inc. v. Hukill (1972), 161 Mont. 8, 17, 504 P.2d 277, 282. We further held that although the merits of a proposed amended claim are generally not to be considered by the court, the merits of a claim are to be considered if the claim is frivolous, meritless, or futile. Hobble-Diamond, 249 Mont. at 326, 815 P.2d at 1156. ¶ 34 The District Court considered the merits of Baker's second amended complaint and found that it failed to meet the requirements of Debcon. Consequently, the District Court determined that Baker's second amended complaint was futile for the following reasons: (1) Baker and its owners Robert and Pamela Hickey lacked standing as Fallon County taxpayers; (2) Baker's second amended complaint was not timely; and (3) Baker's second amended complaint, which requested special and punitive damages, did not seek relief which would benefit the taxpayers of Fallon County. We conclude that Baker's second amended complaint simply casts its damage claims prohibited by Debcon in another form, and that, therefore, the District Court did not err when it held that Baker lacked standing to bring its second amended complaint. Therefore, we hold that because the four remaining claims in Baker's second amended complaint were futile, the District Court did not abuse its discretion when it denied Baker's motion for leave to file a second amended complaint. ¶ 35 For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the District Court is affirmed.