Opinion ID: 186977
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Post-Remand Motion to Amend and Draft Complaint

Text: Invoking the policy of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a) that leave to amend is liberally to be granted, the plaintiffs argue that the district court abused its discretion (1) in denying their post-remand motion for leave to amend their complaint and (2) in determining whether to dismiss their claims with prejudice by looking solely to the Pre-Appeal Draft Complaint, rather than evaluating their Post-Remand Draft Complaint. CIBC and Radin argue the district court correctly denied the plaintiffs' post-remand motion to amend and ignored the allegations in the Post-Remand Draft Complaint because the district court has no power or authority to deviate from [this court's] mandate, Indep. Petroleum Ass'n of Am. v. Babbitt, 235 F.3d 588, 596 (D.C.Cir. 2001), which instructed the district court to enter a new order either dismissing without prejudice or explaining its dismissal with prejudice in a manner consistent with [our] opinion, Belizan II, 434 F.3d at 584. In our view, it would not have been inconsistent with our mandate for the district court to have considered the Post-Remand Draft Complaint in order to determine whether the plaintiffs could cure the deficiencies of their previous efforts, nor would the court have erred in granting the plaintiffs' post-remand motion to amend. Nothing in the mandate required the court to do so, however, and the court certainly did not abuse its discretion by looking solely at the record as it stood before the first appeal or by denying the post-remand motion to amend. Cf. Doe v. McMillan, 566 F.2d 713, 720 (D.C.Cir. 1977) (When a plaintiff seeks to file an amended complaint this tardily [on remand to district court], it is within the sound discretion of the district court, in consideration of the potential prejudice to the other party and the interest in eventual resolution of litigation, to deny leave to amend).