JOSEPH R. GOODWIN, District Judge.
Pending is Defendants' Motion to Dismiss, filed January 28, 2014. [Docket 7]. This action was referred to the Honorable Cheryl A. Eifert, United States Magistrate Judge, for submission to this court of proposed findings of fact and recommendation ("PF&R") for disposition, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B). The Magistrate Judge filed her PF&R on August 8, 2014. [Docket 24]. She recommends in the PF&R that the court
On August 25, 2014, plaintiff requested additional time to file objections. [Docket 25]. The court granted plaintiff until September 5, 2014, to file her objections. [Docket 26]. On September 5, 2014, plaintiff filed "Specific Objections" [Docket 27] and a "Memorandum of Law in Support of Specific Objections" [Docket 28]. In addition, on September 9, 2014, plaintiff filed a Motion for Joinder under FRCP 19 of Ethicon SARL, Neuchatel, Switzerland Together with all 2013 Ethicon Defendants. [Docket 29]. On September 19, 2014, defendants responded to plaintiff's objections to the PF&R. [Docket 30]. On September 23, 2014, defendants responded to plaintiff's motion for joinder. [Docket 31].
A district court Ashall make a de novo determination of those portions of the report or specified proposed findings or recommendations to which objection is made. § 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(C). This court is not, however, required to review, under a de novo or any other standard, the factual or legal conclusions of the magistrate judge as to those portions of the findings or recommendation to which no objections are addressed. Thomas v. Arn, 474 U.S. 140, 150 (1985).
Reading plaintiff's pleadings liberally, she disagrees with the PF&R for two reasons.
I have conducted a de novo review related to the issue of res judicata, including a review of the cases and argument cited by plaintiff in her memorandum in support of her objections. I find the cases cited by plaintiff inapposite and unconvincing. Plaintiff's claims are barred by res judicata, and any claim she may have related to defendants' alleged fraud must be brought in the district court and in the action in which the original judgment was entered.
Turning to plaintiff's second objection, plaintiff asserts that the defendants named in the complaint pending before the court are "necessary parties and consequently parties in the MDL." [Docket 27, at 3]. Plaintiff states that she "agrees" with the PF&R that "[a]ll 2013 Ethicon Defendants are parties in privy in [MDL 2327]" and are "governed by the laws of the State of Florida" in the instant matter. Plaintiff incorporates her Motion for Joinder under FRCP 19 of Ethicon SARL, Neuchatel, Switzerland Together with all 2013 Ethicon Defendants and asserts that "[a]ll necessary parties, the
The plaintiff filed a Short Form Complaint in this action that named Ethicon, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Gynecare Worldwide, Ethicon SARL, Ethicon Women's Health & Urology, Ethicon LTD, Medscand AB, and Johnson & Johnson Neuchatel. [Docket 1]. Plaintiff's Short Form Complaint, which added parties other than Ethicon, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson violated PTO # 15. PTO # 15 explicitly orders that plaintiffs filing directly in the Ethicon MDL after September 26, 2012, as plaintiff did, must use the Short Form Complaint and "not add parties to the Short Form . . . Complaint." [Docket 260, at 2, 6]. Indeed, the court warned that naming additional defendants other than those on the Short Form Complaint would result in the court striking the pleading. Id. at 6.
Despite the court's clear directive, plaintiff named the additional defendants on the Short Form Complaint.
[Docket 24, at 11]. I need not reach plaintiff's motion for joinder; even if Rule 19 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure required the joinder of the additional parties named by plaintiff, claims against them are barred by res judicata.
Having considered the remaining objections, the court concludes that they too are not meritorious and fail to address the deficiencies in the complaint identified by the Magistrate Judge.
Accordingly, following a de novo review and having concluded that the objections lack merit, it is
The court