Free Response to Motion - District Court of Colorado - Colorado

Case 1:04-cv-00051-REB-CBS

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Filed 06/23/2005

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO

Civil Action No. 04-cv-0051-REB-CBS SCOTT A. CUNNINGHAM, Plaintiff, v. BHP BILLITON PETROLEUM GREAT BRITAIN LIMITED, a United Kingdom private limited company, BHP PETROLEUM GREAT BRITAIN PLC, a United Kingdom public limited company, BHP PETROLEUM (U.K.) CORPORATION, a Delaware Corporation, and HAMILTON BROTHERS PETROLEUM CORPORATION, a Delaware Corporation, Defendants.

D F N A T ' E P N ET P A N IFSMO I NT A N E E D N S R S O S O L I TF ' T O O ME D

Defendants BHP Billiton Petroleum Great Britain Limited, formerly known as BHP Petroleum Great Britain PLC, BHP Petroleum (U.K.) Corporation and Hamilton Brothers Pt l mC roao,epn tPa tf Mo o t A ed o p i , dated June 3, 2005 e o u opr i r odo ln fs t n o m n C m ln re tn s i i' i at (Docket No. 66) as follows: 1. Recognizing that leave to amend shall be freely given under the federal rules,

defendants do not oppose plaintiff'Motion to Amend. The Motion to Amend does not seek to s add parties or causes of action to the lawsuit. Many of the factual allegations of the proposed amended pleading are similar to the allegations of the operative complaint (Docket No. 52), although close reading of the proposed pleading reveals some potentially material differences. 2. For example, the proposed amended pleading would allege that defendants have

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Case 1:04-cv-00051-REB-CBS

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P 26 t og a e e o sl el gr scos i t ia ia d o pn s 1 The .7 " ruh sr s fe -dan t nat n wt h rflt cm ai . h i f i a i h e fie e" pleading does not specifically indentify the "e -dealing transactions." sl f 3. The new allegations in the proposed amended complaint may require

supplementation of or amendment to the parties' Rule 26(a)(1) disclosures and additional discovery pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 30, 33, 34 and 36. While the present pre-trial schedule may permit time for any such disclosures and/or discovery, no one can be certain at this stage, as the "e -dan"r scos ae obe identified. Thus, while defendants do not oppose sl el g t nat n hv nten f i a i pln fs t n Amend, they do so without prejudice to the right to seek amendment to the a tf Mo o to i i' i pre-trial schedule if such amendments become warranted, and reserve all such rights. 4. D f dn a o o t t ln fcn ns"usato .. o . R7 ( ) e nat l nt h p i i ot d:P r n tDC C l L . A , e s s e a a tf e u o 1

counsel for Plaintiff conferred with counsel for Defendants regarding the relief sought in this Mo o. Pa tf Motion to Amend, ¶ 1. While technically true, explanation is required. At t n ln fs i " i i' the time of such conference, June 1, 2005, plaintiff had not provided defendants with the proposed amended pleading. Plaintiff did not provide defendants with a copy of the proposed

See, e.g., Pa tf Mo o tA ed o p i , xi t [ln fs m ne C m ln ln f ' t no m n C m ln E h iA Pa tf A edd o p i i is i at b i i' at and Jury Demand], ¶¶ 52, 67.
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amended pleading before service of his Motion to Amend. Of course, defendants could not agree not to oppose a Motion to Amend, when the proposed amendments were not disclosed. DATED: June 23, 2005 Respectfully submitted,

s/ Frank C. Porada Bruce A. Featherstone Frank C. Porada FEATHERSTONE DESISTO LLP 600 17th Street, Suite 2400 Denver, Colorado 80202 Telephone: 303 626-7100 Facsimile: 303 626-7101 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] ATTORNEYS FOR DEFENDANTS

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that on June 23, 2005, I electronically filed the foregoing with the Clerk of Court using the CM/ECF system, which will send notification of such filing to the following e-mail addresses: Stuart N. Bennett Lindquist & Vennum, P.L.L.P. [email protected] Charles F. Brega Lindquist & Vennum, P.L.L.P. [email protected] Eric B. Liebman Lindquist & Vennum, P.L.L.P. [email protected]

s/ Frank C. Porada Bruce A. Featherstone Frank C. Porada FEATHERSTONE DESISTO LLP 600 17th Street, Suite 2400 Denver, Colorado 80202 Telephone: 303 626-7100 Facsimile: 303 626-7101 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] ATTORNEYS FOR DEFENDANTS