George JnLouis et al v. Pueblo Int'l, SX-1981-CV-1542 (V.I. 1983) [unpublished]

Collection: Courts
Sub-shelf: superior.vicourts.org
Kind: Court Record
Island: St. Croix
Date: 1983-07-06
Pages: 5
Text: Native Text
Identifiers: 1981-CV-1542

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, - GEORGE --.JnLOUIS and LEAH JnLDUIS 1 )-, , j ) ACT:!:tJ:J FDR'DAHAGES EUEBLO D1TERNATIONAL', INC., d/b/a SUPERFOODS SUP.EPJ,lARKET r De£e.ndarrt. ) l' . ) ) - \ ') . ------------~--------~---- ALBERT A. SHEEN, ESQUIP~ 45:"47 -Company Sb:-eet .Christiq.ns.ted-, St. Croi:;~ U.S.- 'Ti:rg.in Islanc.s 00820 (B09) 773-3115 (Attorney for Plaintiff) :' . DOUGLAS A_ TIFADY, ESQUIRE *6 Company Street . Christiansted, st. Croix u.s. Virgin Islands 00820 (B09) 773-2155 (Attorney for Defendatl.t) . PETERSEN, Judge . HENOFANDUH June 1 OPINION ·1983 , . • At issue· here are th8 guidelines to be followed when this COllrt is asked to q.:.:.ercise its discretion, pursuant to ~'?ul"J - 39 (b), Fed.' 11. civ. Pro. " und grant ,a ·jury trial "to ,~ F~d. ~. eiv. Pro.- '1.u.b 38 (b) , rIcmand a jur? tri-al at ,3..p-y 'tine up uti-til ,ten flO) (1ays att£3r , ~:lj_·J::TS '_"".. :?USTlLC _ P:'_Sf;~·;AT_!C:';\L: '2I~,.rIL :ro. 1642./10:31 .;\CTI:'J!·l FOR DZ'if'li"\G8S- Paqa 2 .::'ul:; 3Bid) a party fa.ila to comply with Rule 38 (b) .. the court r Zlotion of th2 par1:y that has failed "to comply l"vi'ch Eule 33 OJ) ... ' ~he courts . -, nnra...I-Y shou.!.d be s;·:erClS9.Q .. 138 {3th ci::. 1°:1(0) r::,greemen1:. a.s to' 'hO'il this c1iscr:= cion _::~!-iP Tubosccne 1 ,..., - . ' ... unnlnqna3 .. 7.2d 150 (10-'::h Cir. 1965) (should grant jury trial i;, ",bse!l.ce. of strong :J.nd compel'ling reasons to ·t-.J1e contrar'l) .. • C.: .. GeneJ:'ill Tire 'ft Rubber Co .. -v. 1-1atkins, 331 F.1d 192 {,l:th Cir.) t ,':ert. denied 377 U.S.' 952 '(1964); Add-A,..Bi!l. Co. v. C·1.S.'J. Hot Nix Surqe & Storage EauiD. Corn., 54 F.R.D. 1 (S.D.li.Y. 1971) (no discretion to ·grant without special ,. citcumstanccs) . It has been stated that those· cou.rts \vhich have taken the restrictive view when interpreting the l1i::;crction crranted by· Rule 39 (b) are, in e££ect, penalizinQ a part:y for its technical sh,ortcominqs by denyin~r a jury trial, ~hich flies in the f~ce of the spirit llf the'rul(~s. P,?1',,,laK tJ. 759 (lJG'2) • On t:he Rule:; 381b) liar}: v. 7rancl.· ~ , 7· _,_I _~,.l. ,~?1L:-:-I!:.T~l ',". :'EE!3LtJ =?i'=?E:::';i\'-~':C~:1Z\r .. ! T:rc. err:!.! ~ja. 1342/1931 ACTIon ?QR !JA1L~GE!J Page '3 V .. I. --, '- ;::; '-. T. .3'. , 1 q -:"'! ~ - -;:~ - j fai::est.H ZIark '7 .. ?rancis: 2UDr2., at 280. The court ought to approach each ~pplication under Rule 39 (:::) \'li th an open 'wind 'and an eye -to the £s.ctu2.l sit.uat.ion i.n "Chat particule.r case, ratl1er than with a £i.;:'2:=: pol:'::y 'against '0r?..nting the 2.unlicaticn or ,e~,len a,-, pr2ccn- r:ai V2C( noticrt that ::i;Jpl{cations' 0:: 9 c. :'lright & A. t"liller, Feder~d. Practice a..l1d Prcceotu:'2: Ci'tlil, S_ect'ion 2334 at 115 (1971). Furthermore, ·the £ollcwing state.ment nnol.l1d be 1:ept in mind: " 'Haintenance of the jury RS 1. 'fact-finding body -is Df such_ impor,-t.ance ,and .. occupias so . . '. . , firn a place in our history and jurisprudence that any ,seeming . .curtailment of the right to a jury trial should be scrl1tin~zed t·,ith the utmost care. '" Collins v. Government 0 E the' Virqin Islands, 5 V.I. 622,632, 366 F.2d 279, 284 (3d Cir. 1966) (q~otinq Dencon Theatres, Inc.v. Westover, 359: U.S. SOD, 501 (1959)). [n '.>HTll1Q.l ? .. Civil ;;0 .. . : 2/1 'J7 8 (D. If: I. S ,m t. 1 ~, 197!J) tho ~is~rict ~ourt :~£ the arlot:)tcrl libcrul /ipproach to thr; CIVIL ~~O. ;:"542(13Bl ';\CTTC':'J, FQR Di\IL'\GE-S Paq~ ~1 Internai:ional~ : Inc. ~ C'~-r - r·larch q - , 1983) ?t1~blQ Civil cro. 536/~.J82 "t..t.;'e Court; ~'al th~ugh it -'granted the bpinion il"l Samue 1 ~ supra r . ata-t2a -that ~ des:;Ji .. t3 tht:: ruli:lCI i.n Samuel it ~·vas ac.cpting -the r82trictive apprD2.ch to the !?xercise :=utu!:'e, "::1:8 Court -::rill rtot- consider w,.~re i!"'.:.2..dvertence, of diligence or bare oversight by counsel as cons·tituting the snec,i3.1" circumstances that tifould \'larrant a sus;::ensian • • of the .requirements of Fed. P ... Civ .. P. 38 (b) " F'r;"Jncis 1 supr;:t, at 6 .. ApplyL'g e the foregoing to the factualsi~llc\tion at." bench, it is this Court j s determination that. no furthe~ance of the letl:er· or· the spirit of the "law ',lil1: be e£fes::ted by. donying the P.ule 39 (b) Hotion for iJ. jury trial. Thi~ Court ~i:lnnot, i:1 fairness to th-e Plain tiff 1 completely' iqnore the circunstLlncr.!sprior +:0 and after thE'! filinq of the complLlint 'Jil ich jury trial dGmand. '~he P-lrrin tit f Ilperma'rk(~ t i!!-vol verI in thiJ ,Yction;. This :;ubj '!ct ::upern:lr::et !liJ.d ceen sold to . . , · ... \C?I'.)::I Z?2q-e :5 .. ""t ... _~-~4, . __ contain a jury -::rial .. 4 _ < • ,\-:nlcn ~dn s £ir.st; Cour"t' s conclusion that -::he Plaifltiff has complied ~-n __ '.:!: ~he 'spirit, of abu~e of di3creti;:)n to direct F.l trial by jury • • -, c.. r~orjbQr,- Cvclo;ied; a of F8dGr8.1 Pro.cedur~, Sect-,i::n ~~:.. 23 (3d 8d. 1~67) Plaintiffs' motion will be granted. "