Opinion ID: 1451642
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The district court correctly struck Winget's amended complaint.

Text: Winget argues that the district court erred in striking Winget's amended complaint, which Winget filed after the dismissal of the Complaint, without first seeking and obtaining leave of the court. Winget points to Fed.R.Civ.P. 15(a) for the proposition that it had a right to file an amended complaint without leave of court because, as of the Dismissal Order, the Defendants had not yet answered the Complaint. Winget also argues that the Dismissal Order was not a final order dismissing the Complaint; rather, Winget contends that the final order was not entered until the March 12, 2007 judgment. Winget also quotes our language in Network Communications v. Michigan Bell Co., 906 F.2d 237, 238 (6th Cir.1990), that an order dismissing a complaint is not a final order when it is possible for a plaintiff to file an amended complaint resurrecting the lawsuit. However, Winget's citation here, as above, is misguided. In Network Communications, we held that while the plaintiff's original complaint was dismissed by summary judgment, the district court expressed specific intent to adjudicate a pending motion to amend the complaint. Such an expression by a district court would make it possible for a plaintiff to resurrect an otherwise expired lawsuit. There was no such expression on the part of the district court here; rather, the district court made it clear that Winget's claims cannot be brought, as they were either barred by res judicata or were premature, and an amended complaint could not remedy these problems. Winget does indeed correctly interpret Rule 15(a) to allow a plaintiff to file an amended complaint without leave of court when the defendant has not filed a responsive pleading. A motion to dismiss is not considered a responsive pleading under Rule 15(a). See Ohio Cas. Ins. Co. v. Farmers Bank of Clay, 178 F.2d 570, 573 (6th Cir.1949). Therefore, to the extent that the Defendants had not responded to the Complaint, Winget was free to file an amended complaint without leave of court. However, Winget's dilemma is not that the Defendants answered the Complaint, but that the district court entered a final judgment prior to Winget's filing its amended complaint. We have interpreted Rule 15(a) to require a party to seek leave of court to amend its complaint once the district court has entered a final judgment. Belle v. FBI, 46 Fed.Appx. 326, 327 (6th Cir.2002) (After judgment has been entered, a complaint may not be amended without leave of court.) (unpublished decision). Winget argues that the Dismissal Order was not a final order, and that the final order was entered on March 12, 2007, with the entry of the Judgment. As Winget did not file its amended complaint until the morning of March 12, 2007, before the entry of the judgment, the distinction is critical to its argument. Unfortunately, however, Winget draws a distinction without a difference. With the Dismissal Order the district court clearly intended to dispose of the Complaint and Winget's case in their entirety. Even though the district court waited until March 12, 2007, to enter judgment in this case, the intention and effect of the Dismissal Order were a final judgment. As such, Winget was required to seek leave of court before filing an amended complaint. Because Winget did not do so, the district court did not err in dismissing Winget's amended complaint.