Court Opinion

ID: 9396893
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-05-23 21:00:45.087986+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:19:20.350987
License: Public Domain

USCA4 Appeal: 22-2061      Doc: 17        Filed: 05/22/2023   Pg: 1 of 3

                                           UNPUBLISHED

                              UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                  FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

                                              No. 22-2061

        NATIONWIDE GENERAL INSURANCE                     COMPANY;          NATIONWIDE
        MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY,

                            Plaintiffs - Appellees,

                     v.

        BRIAN A. STAPLES,

                            Defendant - Appellant,

                     and

        NORMAN C. STEVENS,

                            Defendant.

        Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at
        Norfolk. Arenda L. Wright Allen, District Judge. (2:21-cv-00401-AWA-RJK)

        Submitted: May 18, 2023                                        Decided: May 22, 2023

        Before NIEMEYER, RICHARDSON, and RUSHING, Circuit Judges.

        Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

        ON BRIEF: Brian N. Casey, CLARKE, DOLPH, HULL & BRUNICK, PLC, Virginia
        Beach, Virginia, for Appellant. Shawn A. Voyles, MCKENRY, DANCIGERS,
USCA4 Appeal: 22-2061      Doc: 17         Filed: 05/22/2023    Pg: 2 of 3

        DAWSON, PC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, for Appellees.

        Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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USCA4 Appeal: 22-2061      Doc: 17         Filed: 05/22/2023      Pg: 3 of 3

        PER CURIAM:

               Brian Staples seeks to appeal the district court’s order granting Nationwide General

        Insurance Company’s motion for judgment on the pleadings and declaring that Nationwide

        General had no coverage obligations to Staples in a state court proceeding. However, the

        court’s order also declined to grant judgment on the pleadings for a second plaintiff

        insurance company, and the case remains pending in the district court. This court may

        exercise jurisdiction only over final orders, 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and certain interlocutory and

        collateral orders, 28 U.S.C. § 1292; Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(b); Cohen v. Beneficial Indus. Loan

        Corp., 337 U.S. 541, 545-46 (1949). The order Staples seeks to appeal is neither a final

        order nor an appealable interlocutory or collateral order. Accordingly, we dismiss the

        appeal for lack of jurisdiction. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal

        contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would

        not aid the decisional process.

                                                                                       DISMISSED

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