Matthew Lester v. Minnesota Life Insurance Co., No. 16-1454 (8th Cir. 2016)
Annotate this CaseCourt Description: Per Curiam - Before Riley, Chief Judge, and Bowman and Beam, Circuit Judges] Civil case. The district court did not err in dismissing this action on res judicata grounds. [ July 25, 2016
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United States Court of Appeals For the Eighth Circuit ___________________________ No. 16-1454 ___________________________ Matthew Thomas Lester lllllllllllllllllllll Plaintiff - Appellant v. Minnesota Life Insurance Company, A Securian Company lllllllllllllllllllll Defendant - Appellee ____________ Appeal from United States District Court for the District of Minnesota - Minneapolis ____________ Submitted: July 21, 2016 Filed: July 26, 2016 [Unpublished] ____________ Before, RILEY, Chief Judge, BOWMAN and BEAM, Circuit Judges. ____________ PER CURIAM. Matthew Lester appeals the district court's1 grant of the defendant's motion to dismiss, the denial of Lester's pending motions, and the dismissal of the action with 1 The Honorable Patrick J. Schiltz, United States District Judge for the District of Minnesota, adopting the Report and Recommendation of the Honorable Becky R. Thorson, United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Minnesota. prejudice. After de novo review of the record, Schaefer v. Putnam, No. 15-2333, 2016 WL 3568064 at *2 (8th Cir. July 1, 2016) (standard of review), including a thorough review of the two previous Oklahoma federal district court actions brought by Lester and referenced in the district court's analysis in this matter,2 Lester's arguments on appeal, as well as the district court's careful analysis, we find no basis for reversal. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co. v. Compaq Comput. Corp., 539 F.3d 809, 821 (8th Cir. 2008) ("The law of the forum that rendered the first judgment controls the res judicata analysis."); Hillary v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 123 F.3d 1041, 1043 (8th Cir. 1997) ("This Court has consistently looked to state law to determine the effect of the judgment of another federal court in a case where state law supplied the rule of decision. This rule applies when the original judgment is that of another federal court sitting in diversity." (quoting Follette v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 41 F.3d 1234, 1237 (8th Cir. 1994))). Res judicata "is a bedrock principle of our legal system," and "is central to the purpose for which civil courts have been established." Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, 136 S. Ct. 2292, 2331 (2016) (Alito, J., dissenting) (second passage quoting Montana v. United States, 440 U.S. 147, 153 (1979)). By precluding parties from contesting matters that have already been fully and fairly litigated, the doctrine of res judicata "protects their adversaries from the expense and vexation attending multiple lawsuits, conserves judicial resources, and fosters reliance on judicial action by minimizing the possibility of inconsistent decisions." Id. (quoting Montana, 440 U.S. at 153-54). Accordingly, for the reasons stated in the report and recommendation adopted by the district court, we affirm the district court's dismissal of Lester's claims with prejudice, and its denial of all pending motions. See 8th Cir. Rule 47B. ______________________________ 2 Matthew Thomas Lester v. Minn. Life Ins. Co., No. 13-CV-443-JED-PJC (N.D. Okla. Jan. 14, 2014); Matthew Thomas Lester v. Minn. Life Ins. Co., No. 14CV-0522-CVE-FHM (N.D. Okla. Nov. 3, 2014). -2-
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