Court Opinion

ID: 9642527
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 18:01:31.809661+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:52:48.068926
License: Public Domain

NOT FOR PUBLICATION                           FILED
                    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                       AUG 22 2023
                                                                      MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
                                                                       U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
                           FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

PAUL M. LUCORE,                                 No. 22-56117

                Plaintiff-Appellant,            D.C. No. 3:22-cv-00220-TWR-MDD

 v.
                                                MEMORANDUM*
BANK OF AMERICA, NA; WELLS
FARGO BANK, N.A., as Trustee for the
Certificate Holders of the LMT 2006-9 Trust;
CATAMOUNT PROPERTIES 2018, LLC;
DOES, 1 through 50, inclusive,

                Defendants-Appellees.

                   Appeal from the United States District Court
                      for the Southern District of California
                   Todd W. Robinson, District Judge, Presiding

                           Submitted August 15, 2023**

Before:      TASHIMA, S.R. THOMAS, and FORREST, Circuit Judges.

      Paul M. Lucore appeals pro se from the district court’s judgment dismissing

his diversity action arising out of foreclosure proceedings. We have jurisdiction

      *
             This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
      **
             The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).
under 28 U.S.C. § 1291.1 We review de novo a district court’s dismissal under

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) based on claim preclusion. Holcombe v.

Hosmer, 477 F.3d 1094, 1097 (9th Cir. 2007). We affirm.

      The district court properly dismissed Lucore’s action as barred by the

doctrine of claim preclusion because Lucore brought or could have brought his

claims in his prior federal court action, which involved the same parties or their

privies and resulted in a final judgment on the merits. See Owens v. Kaiser Found.

Health Plan, Inc., 244 F.3d 708, 713-14 (9th Cir. 2001) (setting forth elements of

federal claim preclusion); see also Tahoe-Sierra Pres. Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Reg’l

Planning Agency, 322 F.3d 1064, 1078 (9th Cir. 2003) (“It is immaterial whether

the claims asserted [in the subsequent action] were actually pursued in the

[previous] action . . . ; rather, the relevant inquiry is whether they could have been

brought.” (citation omitted)).

      The district court did not abuse its discretion by dismissing without leave to

amend because amendment would be futile. See Cervantes v. Countrywide Home

Loans, Inc., 656 F.3d 1034, 1041 (9th Cir. 2011) (setting forth standard of review

and explaining that dismissal without leave to amend is proper if amendment

1
 Contrary to appellees’ contention, Lucore’s notice of appeal was timely filed.
See Fed. R. App. P. 26(a)(1)(C); Yepremyan v. Holder, 614 F.3d 1042, 1044 (9th
Cir. 2010) (as a judicial holiday under California state law, the day after
Thanksgiving qualifies as a legal holiday under Federal Rule of Appellate
Procedure 26(a)).

                                           2                                    22-56117
would be futile).

      The district court did not abuse its discretion by denying Lucore’s motion

for relief from judgment because Lucore failed to demonstrate any basis for relief.

See Sch. Dist. No. 1J, Multnomah County, Or. v. ACandS, Inc., 5 F.3d 1255, 1262-

63 (9th Cir. 1993) (setting forth standard of review and grounds for relief under

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 59(e) or 60(b)).

      We do not consider matters not specifically and distinctly raised and argued

in the opening brief. See Padgett v. Wright, 587 F.3d 983, 985 n.2 (9th Cir. 2009).

      AFFIRMED.

                                         3                                    22-56117