Second Filing of Same Suit Precluded as Res Judicata
It Doesn’t Pay to Sue Twice
Post number 5379
Posted on June 24, 2026 by Barry Zalma
In Susan Cheung & another v. Thomas B. Puschak & another, No. 24-P-1451, Appeals Court of Massachusetts (June 12, 2026) the plaintiffs, Susan Cheung and Christopher Cheung, filed an initial complaint against Dr. Thomas Puschak and Carol Puschak in December 2022. The complaint alleged that Dr. Puschak committed malpractice, sexually assaulted the plaintiffs, attempted to poison Christopher, and engaged in insurance fraud.
The Superior Court ordered the plaintiffs to provide a more definite statement, and when they failed to comply, the first action was involuntarily dismissed in March 2023. The dismissal was with prejudice, and the plaintiffs did not appeal.
About six months later, the plaintiffs filed a second complaint asserting the same allegations against the same defendants. A second judge entered summary judgment for the defendants on res judicata grounds.
Law
Claim preclusion, or res judicata, bars relitigation of claims that were or could have been adjudicated in a prior proceeding where there has been a valid final judgment. Under Massachusetts law, claim preclusion requires three elements: identity or privity of the parties, identity of the cause of action, and a prior final judgment on the merits. A dismissal with prejudice under Mass. R. Civ. P. 41 (b) generally operates as an adjudication on the merits unless an exception applies or the judgment specifies otherwise.
Discussion / Analysis
The Appeals Court concluded that all three elements of claim preclusion were satisfied. The identity of the parties was not disputed because both actions involved the same plaintiffs and defendants. The causes of action were also identical because both complaints arose from the same alleged conduct: malpractice, sexual assault, attempted poisoning, and insurance fraud. Finally, the first action had ended in a dismissal with prejudice after the plaintiffs failed to comply with a court order requiring a more definite statement. Because Rule 41 (b) treats such a dismissal as an adjudication on the merits, and because no exception applied, the prior dismissal was a final judgment for claim preclusion purposes.
In the first matter, the plaintiffs argued, as they did in the second matter, that Dr. Puschak committed malpractice, sexually assaulted the plaintiffs, attempted to poison Christopher, and engaged in insurance fraud. The claims are identical.
Last, the Superior Court’s dismissal with prejudice of the first matter is a final judgment on the merits and satisfies the third element. Dismissal of a complaint, other than a dismissal for lack of jurisdiction, improper venue, failure to join a necessary party, or improper damages, operates as an adjudication upon the merits unless either the dismissal is pursuant to statute or the judgment of dismissal specifies otherwise. None of those exceptions applies here, and thus the prior judgment operates as a final adjudication upon the merits.
Conclusion
The Appeals Court affirmed the summary judgment for the defendants. The plaintiffs’ second lawsuit was barred by res judicata because it involved
ZALMA OPINION
Failure to provide a definite statement in a lawsuit resulting in dismissal with prejudice is a final judgement that precludes the same allegations again brings into play res judicata which defeats the new suit. If the plaintiffs were serious about their suit against Dr. Thomas Puschak they needed to comply with the original court orders. That failure caused a dismissal with prejudice to the original suit and the next try.
(c) 2026 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc.
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