De Los Reyes v. De Mesa Linayao

MEMORANDUM **

Defendants Pleasant Care of Northern California, Inc. (“PCNC”), a nursing care *808 corporation, and Olivia De Mesa Linayao (“Linayao”), an employee of PCNC, appeal from a jury verdict for breach of contract, fraud and violations of California Business and Professions Code. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 , and affirm.

Defendants argue that several of the district court’s trial management decisions—to allow plaintiffs to amend their complaint to state a new cause of action on the eve of trial, to allow trial exhibits and one witness that were not listed on a pretrial order and to deny defendants’ request for a continuance—were in error. We review such decisions for abuse of discretion. See Muckleshoot Tribe v. Lummi Indian Tribe, 141 F.3d 1355, 1358 (9th Cir.1998). Plaintiffs’ last minute production of disorganized documents and late disclosure of a witness are troublesome in light of Rule 16 and the court’s pretrial order. Nevertheless, given the broad deference we afford district courts in managing their cases, we are satisfied that the court’s decisions did not constitute an abuse of discretion.

Defendants argue that the district court’s…