Sierra Pacific Resources v. El Paso Corp.
Sierra Pacific Resources v. El Paso Corp.
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM
1. Filed Rate Doctrine
The district court granted the defendants-appellees’ (“the Gas Companies”) motion to dismiss on the ground that the filed rate doctrine barred all of plaintiff Nevada Power’s claims.
2. Federal and State RICO
In an alternative holding, the district court dismissed the RICO claims from the Second Amended Complaint on the ground that Nevada Power had failed to plead an enterprise distinct from the alleged predicate acts of racketeering activity. Since the date of the district court’s order, we have revisited our requirements for pleading an associated-in-fact enterprise under RICO, and have overruled the line of cases on which the district court order depended that required the pleading of an enterprise separate from the pattern of racketeering activity. Odom v. Microsoft Corp., 486 F.3d 541, 551 (9th Cir. 2007) (en banc). Therefore, we reverse the district court’s alternative holding.
3. Alternative arguments
Defendants-appellees request that we affirm on one of several alternative grounds deemed moot by the district court in light of its dismissal. We decline to do so because our judicial system “generally assumes that consideration of an issue at both the trial court and appellate court level is more likely to yield the correct result, because the issue will be more fully aired and analyzed by the parties, because more judges will consider it, and because trial judges often bring a perspective to an issue different from that of appellate judges.” Ecological Rights Found, v. Pac. Lumber Co., 230 F.3d 1141, 1154 (9th Cir. 2000).
REVERSED and REMANDED.
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3.
. The district court also granted defendantsappellees’ motion to dismiss with prejudice all claims of plaintiff Sierra Pacific Resources on the ground of lack of standing. Sierra Pacific did not appeal that ruling and that part of the order is untouched by this appeal.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- SIERRA PACIFIC RESOURCES Nevada Power Company, Plaintiffs—Appellants v. EL PASO CORPORATION El Paso Natural Gas Company El Paso Merchant Energy L.P. El Paso Merchant Energy Company El Paso Tennessee Pipeline Company El Paso Merchant Energy-Gas Company Dynegy Marketing and Trade Sempra Energy Trading Sempra Energy Southern California Gas Company San Diego Gas & Electric Company, Defendants—Appellees
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published