Opinion ID: 6944922
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Cohen-Strong’s Status on Remand

Text: The district court erred by treating Cohen-Strong as a substituted party rather than as an intervening party. In California Mobile Home I, we noted that the district court’s acceptance of Cohen-Strong’s notice of appeal, and its failure to rule on Cohen-Strong’s motion to intervene, “effectively constituted a denial of that motion.” 29 F.3d at 1416. We then reversed the district court’s denial, holding that “[ujnder the Fair Housing Act, a plaintiff is entitled to intervene as of right and to substitute herself for the United States on appeal.” Id. The district court interpreted this language to mean that Cohen-Strong was to be substituted for the United States on remand. This interpretation is-contrary to the express language of our opinion, which held that she was entitled to substitute herself for the United States on appeal. In other words, this court decided that she would be substituted for the United States for purposes of the appeal (because the United States had chosen not to participate in the appeal), but that the FHA entitled her to intervene in the case on remand. As we often do, we concluded California Mobile Home I by stating: “we reverse and remand to the district court for proceedings consistent with this opinion.” Id. at 1418. In light of our reversal of the district court’s denial of Cohen-Strong’s motion to intervene, the.district court was clearly required to grant Cohen-Strong’s motion to intervene on remand. Its failure to do so was error. Further indicating the district court’s error in denying Cohen-Strong’s motion to intervene is the fact that this court’s ruling in California Mobile Home I was based on the FHA, which provides: “Any aggrieved person with respect to the issues to be determined in a civil action under this subsection may intervene as of right in that civil action.” 42 U.S.C. § 3612(o)(2). Thus, the plain language of the statute relied upon by this court indicates that Cohen-Strong’s right was to intervene, not to be substituted for the United States. Finally, Cohen-Strong has never filed a motion to be substituted for the United States. Rule 25 1 allows for “Substitution of Parties” only upon death, incompetence, or transfer of interest. None of these circumstances applies to Cohen-Strong’S claim, and thus, she is not qualified for substitution under Rule 25. For the reasons stated above, Cohen-Strong is properly an intervenor-plaintiff in the action, and we now turn to the question whether, as an intervenor-plaintiff, Cohen-Strong was entitled to demand a jury trial three years after the action was commenced by the United States.