Briggs
Briggs v. City of Palmer
Opinion
Lead Opinion
MEMORANDUM **
Ray T. Briggs appeals pro se the district court’s judgment following a bench trial in his action alleging that the City of Palmer (the “City”) violated the Solid Waste Disposal Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 6901 -6992k. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 , and we affirm.
The district court committed harmless error, if any, by denying Briggs’s request for a jury trial, because no reasonable jury could have found in his favor based upon the evidence he presented at trial. See Kulas v. Flores, 255 F.3d 780, 784 (9th Cir.2001).
The district court’s finding that Briggs failed to establish that the City caused the contamination of his groundwater is not clearly erroneous. See Jones v. United States, 127 F.3d 1154, 1156 (9th Cir.1997).
The district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion of Gilbert Shea, Briggs’s domestic partner, to join as a co-plaintiff and add numerous new causes of action because granting the motion would have caused the City prejudice. Cf. Lockheed Martin Corp. v. Network Solutions, Inc., 194 F.3d 980, 986 (9th Cir. 1999) (affirming denial of plaintiffs motion to amend complaint to add new causes of action because of delay,…