KATHLEEN KAY, Magistrate Judge.
Before the court is a Motion for Leave to File Complaint in Intervention filed by National Fire Insurance Company of Hartford ("National Fire."). Doc. 28. The motion is supported by plaintiff Derrick G. Gooch, individually and on behalf of Jody L. Gooch. Doc. 31. The motion is opposed by defendant Packaging Corporation of America, Inc. ("PCA."). Doc. 32. This motion has been referred to the undersigned for review, report, and recommendation in accordance with the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636.
For the reasons stated below,
This case arises from an explosion that occurred on February 8, 2017, during an annual maintenance outage at the paper mill owned by PCA in DeRidder, Louisiana, and resulted in the death of plaintiff's father, Jody L. Gooch. Doc. 1, att. 8, p. 3. According to the complaint, the decedent was a welder who had been contracted by PCA to conduct repairs, including "hot work," at the mill. Id. at 3-4. On February 2, 2018, plaintiff, a Texas resident, filed suit in the 36th Judicial District Court, Beauregard Parish, Louisiana. Id. at 3. He named as defendants PCA, a corporation with citizenship in Delaware and Illinois, Floyd J. LeBleu and Raymond Lester, both of whom are residents of Louisiana; and James Machine Works, LLC ("JMW"), "a Louisiana limited liability company with its principal place of business located in the Parish of Ouachita, State of Louisiana." Id. On March 5, 2018, PCA removed the action to this court on the basis of diversity jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1332. Doc. 1. Although plaintiff sought remand asserting that LeBleu, Lester and JMW destroyed diversity [doc. 11], we found all three to be an improperly joined parties [doc. 14] and on November 14, 2018 all claims asserted against them were dismissed without prejudice. Doc. 21.
On March 18, 2019, National Fire, an Illinois citizen
Intervention of right is governed by Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 24(a). Fed.R.Civ.P. 24. Rule 24(a)(1) permits intervention of right when a federal statute grants "an unconditional right to intervene," and Rule 24(a)(2) permits intervention when a prospective intervenor "claims an interest relating to the property or transaction that is the subject of the action, and is so situated that disposing of the action may as a practical matter impair or impede the movant's ability to protect its interest, unless existing parties adequately represent that interest." National Fire has asserted no federal statute giving it "an unconditional right to intervene," so at issue is only whether it can intervene as of right under Rule 24(a)(2).
To intervene as of right under Rule 24(a)(2) the prospective intervenor must meet each of four requirements:
Texas v. U.S., 805 F.3d 653, 657 (5th Cir. 2015) (citing New Orleans Public Service, Inc. v. United Gas Pipe Line Co., 732 F.2d 452, 463 (5th Cir. 1984)). "[F]ailure to satisfy any one element precludes the applicant's right to intervene." Ross v. Marshall, 426 F.3d 745, 753 (5th Cir. 2005).
Under the second requirement, National Fire claims it has an interest in this suit insofar as it "was called upon to pay, and did in fact pay to or on behalf of Mr. Gooch and/or his heirs the amount of $326,904.46 in indemnity death benefits," [doc. 28, att. 4, p. 2] pursuant to "a contested case hearing in the State of Texas." Doc. 28, att. 1, p. 4. However, PCA asserts that National Fire has no interest in this suit because the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers' Compensation found that Derick Gooch was not a proper legal beneficiary of Jody L. Gooch [doc. 35], PCA evidences this with a copy of the court's decision and order. Id. at att. 1. The order concludes that "Derrick Gooch [is] not [a] proper legal beneficiar[y] of Jody L. Gooch.," and orders the carrier to pay death benefits to Jody L. Gooch's biological parents. Id. at 7. As National Fire did not pay death benefits to Derrick Gooch,
For the reasons stated above,
Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(C) and Rule 72(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the parties have fourteen (14) days from receipt of this Report and Recommendation to file written objections with the Clerk of Court. Failure to file written objections to the proposed factual findings and/or the proposed legal conclusions reflected in this Report and Recommendation within fourteen (14) days of receipt shall bar an aggrieved party from attacking either the factual findings or the legal conclusions accepted by the District Court, except upon grounds of plain error. See Douglass v. United Services Automobile Ass'n, 79 F.3d 1415, 1429-30 (5th Cir.1996).