RUDOLPH CONTRERAS, United States District Judge.
Plaintiffs move to amend their complaint a second time to clarify the factual circumstances surrounding their previous claims and add a new claim for negligence against Individual Defendant Diane Schulz. See Mot. Leave File Second Am. Compl. ("Pls.' Mot. Amend.").
The Court rejects Ms. Schulz's argument that the claim was added in bad faith. Under Rule 15(a)(2), leave to amend should be freely given when justice so requires. "In the absence of any apparent or declared reason—such as undue delay, bad faith or dilatory motive on the part of the movant, repeated failure to cure deficiencies by amendments previously allowed, undue prejudice to the opposing party by virtue of allowance of the amendment,
Ms. Schulz does not show that Plaintiffs move to amend their complaint in bad faith. She has merely, in conclusory terms, asserted that the Sherrods amended their complaint based on the information they learned about Ms. Schulz's insurance coverage. She cites to no authority supporting her assumption that such a motivation constitutes "bad faith," nor does Ms. Schulz argue that the amendment would make discovery or litigation more complicated moving forward. See generally Def.'s Opp'n. But even if amending one's complaint based on the likelihood of recovery could be considered questionable (as opposed to strategic), Ms. Schulz has not factually supported her argument with more than conclusory assertions, let alone extrinsic evidence. See generally Def.'s Opp'n. And, the proposed claim is not duplicative or patently unlikely to succeed; as shown below, Plaintiffs state a cognizable negligence claim. The Court thus rejects Ms. Schulz's argument that the motion to amend the complaint was brought in bad faith.
Ms. Schulz's second argument—that amending the complaint would be futile because the negligence count contradicts the intentional tort claim—fares no better than her first. "A party may state as many separate claims or defenses as it has, regardless of consistency." Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(d)(3). As noted in the Court's previous memorandum opinion, plaintiffs are generally entitled to allege both intentional torts and negligence based on the same factual transaction. Sherrod v. McHugh, No. 16-cv-0816, 2017 WL 627377, at *7 (D.D.C. Feb. 15, 2017). A "plaintiff may continue to allege ... inconsistent theories so long as she does not recover damages on both claims." Dingle v. District of Columbia, 571 F.Supp.2d 87, 99 (D.D.C. 2008); see also Harvey v. Kasco, 109 F.Supp.3d 173, 179 (D.D.C. 2015). To add a negligence count to a complaint alleging intentional torts, the negligence cause of action must be "distinctly pled" and "`based upon at least one factual scenario that presents an aspect of negligence' distinct from the [intentional tort] itself." Id. at *7 (quoting Dormu v. District of Columbia, 795 F.Supp.2d 7, 30 (D.D.C. 2011)). Plaintiffs' amended complaint distinctly pleads the negligence count and the intentional torts counts. See Proposed Am. Compl. ¶¶ 84-89; 118-23;
Ms. Schulz's final argument—that the negligence claim does not specifically describe the duty Ms. Schulz owed to Plaintiffs—also comes up short. "A uniform standard of care applies in actions for negligence [in the District of Columbia]: reasonable care under the circumstances." Sherrod, 2017 WL 627377 at *6 (quoting O'Neil v. Bergan, 452 A.2d 337, 341 (D.C. 1982)). A plaintiff need not further describe the applicable standard of care. See id.; see also Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a) ("[A] claim for relief must contain ... a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief."). The Court squarely addressed this issue in its previous memorandum opinion. See Sherrod, 2017 WL 627377 at *6. In fact, there the Court found Plaintiffs' claims plausible even though they did not explicitly state that the defendants owed District Defendants a duty of reasonable care under the circumstances. See id. There is no basis for Ms. Schulz's cursory argument that Plaintiffs are required to plead a more specific duty than the default "reasonable care under the circumstances." Accordingly, is hereby: