Free Motion to Consolidate Cases - District Court of Federal Claims - federal

Case 1:99-cv-00447-CFL

Document 224-2

Filed 04/11/2005

Page 1 of 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE BACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 DISCUSSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 I. CONSOLIDATION IS APPROPRIATE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES BECAUSE BOTH CASES INVOLVE MULTIPLE COMMON FACTUAL AND LEGAL ISSUES, AND, IN THE ABSENCE OF CONSOLIDATION, THERE IS A SUBSTANTIAL RISK OF INCONSISTENT JUDGMENTS BETWEEN THE CASES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A. B. Standards For Consolidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 BECO And ENGC's Cases Satisfy The Criteria For Consolidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1. 2. 3. II. BECO And ENGC's Cases Share Common Issues Of Fact And Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Neither BECO Nor ENGC Would Be Prejudiced By Consolidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Government Will Be Heavily Prejudiced If The Two Cases Are Not Consolidated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

IF THE COURT DECLINES TO CONSOLIDATE THESE CASES, THE COURT SHOULD ISSUE A SUMMONS TO JOIN ENGC AS A THIRD-PARTY DEFENDANT IN BECO'S CASE AND, FURTHER, SHOULD ISSUE RCFC 14(b) NOTICES TO ENGC AND BECO . . . . . . . . . . 12

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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Case 1:99-cv-00447-CFL

Document 224-2

Filed 04/11/2005

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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES CASES PAGE(S)

Allfirst Bank v. Progress Rail Serv. Corp., 178 F. Supp. 2d 513 (D. Md. 2001) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Bank of Montreal v. Eagle Associates, 117 F.R.D. 530 (S.D.N.Y. 1987) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Cable Belt Conveyors, Inc. v. Alumina Partners of Jamaica, 669 F. Supp. 577 (S.D.N.Y. 1987) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Del-Rio Drillings Programs, Inc. v. United States, 17 Cl. Ct. 844 (1989) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Entergy Nuclear Indian Point 2, LLC v. United States, 62 Fed. Cl. 798 (2004) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 11 Farrell v. American Flyers Airline Corp., 42 F.R.D. 341 (S.D.N.Y. 1967) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Harris v. L&L Wings, Inc., 132 F.3d 978 (4th Cir. 1997) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Karuk Tribe of California v. United States, 27 Fed. Cl. 429 (1993) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 5, 7 Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. v. Henney, 94 F. Supp. 2d 36 (D.D.C. 2000), rev'd on other grounds sub nom. Pharmachenie B.V. v. Barr Laboratories, Inc., 276 F.3d 627 (D.C. Cir. 2002) . . . . . . . . . 7 Philadelphia Suburban Corp. v. United States, 211 Ct. Cl. 354 (1976) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 St. Bernard General Hospital, Inc. v. Hospital Serv. Assoc., 712 F.2d 978 (5th Cir. 1983) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Uram v. United States, 216 Ct. Cl. 418 (1978) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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Case 1:99-cv-00447-CFL

Document 224-2

Filed 04/11/2005

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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES (cont'd) STATUTES AND REGULATIONS PAGE(S)

31 U.S.C. § 3727 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 41 U.S.C. § 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 41 U.S.C. § 114 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 42 U.S.C. § 10222 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 10 C.F.R. § 961.11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 10

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