Golden v. Mgmt. & Training Corp.
Golden v. Mgmt. & Training Corp.
Opinion of the Court
I. INTRODUCTION
Plaintiff David Golden brings this suit against Management & Training Corporation ("MTC") and Chugach Government Services, Inc. ("CGSI") for discrimination and retaliation in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 ("ADEA"),
II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
Mr. Golden worked as a career and technical training manager at the Potomac Job Corps facility from his hiring in May 2009 until his termination in July 2015, when he was 63 years old. 2d Am. Compl. ¶¶ 4, 8, ECF No. 43. The Potomac facility is one of several locations around the country at which the U.S. Department of Labor administers its Job Corps program, which offers free academic and vocational training to young, formerly incarcerated individuals.
MTC hired Mr. Golden in 2009, when he was 57 years old.
Specifically, he complained about (1) disparate amount of pay he was receiving as a yearly salary from Job Corps compared to other managers significantly younger than him and less credentialed; (2) younger employees being able to attend training courses that he was not allowed to attend; (3) younger managers getting their supply purchase orders approved while the orders that he made were always being delayed; and (4) younger managers received additional compensation bonuses above their salary for work performed on projects while he *366was unable to receive the same compensation for similar work performed.
Despite what Mr. Golden characterizes as "satisfactory performance appraisals from his supervisors throughout his entire tenure at Job Corps," Mr. Golden's MTC supervisors twice placed him on PIPs-once in 2012 and once in 2015.
Two months before his termination, Mr. Golden filed a charge with the EEOC alleging discrimination based on race, age, and disability, as well as retaliation. See MTC's Mot. Ex. 1 ("1st EEOC Charge") at 2, ECF No. 45-3.
Mr. Golden never filed a suit based on his first EEOC charge. Instead, he filed a second EEOC charge against "Potomac Job Corp" on February 18, 2016. His charge included the following allegations:
On multiple occasions, from the time period of May 2009, until the time of my discharge in June of 2015 I was subject to different and unfavorable treatment than those outside my protected class. Other younger managers, in the same position title as me, received better compensation, and educational training opportunities *367from my company that were not extended to me. As a result of this treatment I filed multiple internal EEO complaints that were left unaddressed. Shortly after which, I was put on a Performance Improvement Plan, and then terminated.
MTC's Mot. Ex. 3 ("2d EEOC Charge") at 2, ECF No. 45-5. He further explained that he had "been discriminated against, and been the victim of retaliation for engaging in protected activity in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended."
After receiving his right-to-sue letter based on the second EEOC charge, see Compl. Ex. 1, ECF No. 1-2, Mr. Golden brought suit against MTC and Chugach Government Solutions, LLC ("CGS")-not CGSI-alleging that Defendants retaliated against him in violation of Title VII by "erroneously placing Plaintiff on a PIP and terminating him despite his satisfactory ratings on his yearly performance appraisals" "as a direct and proximate result of filing an internal complaint for age discrimination and hostile work environment." Compl. ¶ 17, ECF No. 1. After MTC and CGS filed their first motions to dismiss, see MTC's 1st Mot. Dismiss, ECF No. 10; CGS's 1st Mot. Dismiss, ECF No. 14, Mr. Golden moved for leave to amend his complaint to replace his claim under Title VII with a claim under the ADEA, which the Court allowed. See 1st Am. Compl.; Minute Order (Nov. 3, 2016). MTC and CGS again moved to dismiss Mr. Golden's complaint for failure to state a claim. See MTC's 2d Mot. Dismiss, ECF No. 22; CGS's 2d Mot. Dismiss, ECF No. 23. One of the grounds upon which CGS moved to dismiss the First Amended Complaint was that CGSI, not CGS, operated the Potomac Job Corps facility. See Mem. P. & A. CGS's 2d Mot. Dismiss at 3-4, ECF No. 23.
In July 2017, the Court granted MTC's and CGS's second motions to dismiss, finding that Mr. Golden had "not alleged any facts that might support an inference that he held a reasonable, good faith belief that the perceived harms he reported were violations of the ADEA." Golden v. Mgmt. & Training Corp. ,
III. LEGAL STANDARD
The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure require that a complaint contain "a short and plain statement of the claim" in order to give the defendant fair notice of the claim and the grounds upon which it rests. Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2) ; accord Erickson v. Pardus ,
IV. ANALYSIS
A. MTC's Motion to Dismiss
Mr. Golden's Second Amended Complaint contains claims of retaliation, wrongful discharge, and age discrimination against MTC. MTC has moved to dismiss on the grounds that a portion of Mr. Golden's claims are time-barred, that he did not plead a plausible inference of retaliation, that he did not state a prima facie case for age discrimination, and that he did not state a claim for wrongful discharge. See generally MTC's Mem. Mr. Golden responds that it "is simply not the case" that his Second Amended Complaint is based off of incidents that occurred before April 24, 2015, that he has pleaded a prima facie case of age discrimination, and that his Second Amended Complaint contains sufficient facts to plead a plausible inference of retaliation. See generally Pl.'s Opp'n MTC's Mot. For the reasons given below, the Court finds that Mr. Golden's claims for retaliation and discrimination based on events occurring before April 24, 2015 are time-barred, but that Mr. Golden has pleaded sufficient facts to state timely claims for discrimination and retaliation based on his termination. However, the Court finds that Mr. Golden has failed to state a claim for wrongful termination, and therefore dismisses that claim.
1. Statute of Limitations
MTC contends that all of Mr. Golden's statutory claims except those based on his termination are time-barred. See MTC's Mem. at 11-12. In particular, it first argues that any claims that were contained in both Mr. Golden's first EEOC charge and his second EEOC charge are barred because he did not file suit on those twice-alleged claims within 90 days of the issuance of the EEOC's first right-to-sue letter.
"An individual who wishes to challenge an employment practice under the ADEA must first file a charge with the EEOC." Faison v. District of Columbia ,
Mr. Golden submitted his second EEOC charge on February 18, 2016. See 2d EEOC Charge at 2. Three-hundred days before February 18, 2016, is April 24, 2015. Mr. Golden was placed on a second PIP in March 2015 and was terminated in July 2015. 2d Am. Compl. ¶¶ 15-16. Therefore, Mr. Golden's claims based on his placement on his second PIP in 2015 are undeniably untimely unless it and another timely action, such as his termination, can be found to constitute a single, coherent employment practice.
The Supreme Court has "repeatedly interpreted the term '[employment] practice' to apply to a discrete act or single 'occurrence,' even when it has a connection to other acts." Morgan ,
For example, in Delaware State College v. Ricks ,
Mr. Golden's case is distinguishable from Ricks because Mr. Golden has called into question the propriety of his termination itself, explaining that he "was terminated by Job Corps for allegedly not successfully completing the requirements of the 2015 PIP despite receiving a satisfactory rating from Mr. Stroman," his supervisor who had instituted the PIP, "during the same time period." 2d Am. Compl. ¶ 16 (emphasis added). He has, in effect, alleged two discriminatory or retaliatory acts: his placement on the PIP and his "unjustifiabl[e]" termination. Id. ¶ 18. Additionally, as MTC has also highlighted, Mr. Golden had already complained about his placement on the second PIP in his first EEOC charge and did not file suit based on that charge for 197 days, far more than the 90 days permitted under the statute. See MTC's Mem. at 11; 1st Right-to-Sue Letter, ECF No. 45-4. Accordingly, while Mr. Golden's claims based on his placement on the PIP are untimely for two reasons and are thus not actionable, his claims based on his termination are, and therefore remain.
2. Retaliation
MTC has also moves to dismiss Mr. Golden's retaliation claim on the grounds that Mr. Golden has failed to plausibly plead that he engaged in protected activity and that even if he had, he has failed to plead a causal link between his protected activity and his termination. See MTC's Mem. at 13. MTC bases this argument in part on its contention that portions of Mr. Golden's Second Amended Complaint contradict his First Amended Complaint and therefore should be disregarded. Id. MTC also argues that Mr. Golden has failed to exhaust his administrative remedies because his "new allegations of protected activity are not found in and do not correspond with those in his Charge." Id. at 16. Mr. Golden responds that the facts alleged in his First and Second Amended Complaints are not contradictory and also that the facts alleged in his Second Amended Complaint were contained within the broad language used in his second EEOC charge. See Pl.'s Opp'n MTC's Mot. at 8-10. The Court agrees with Mr. Golden that he has succeeded in stating a claim for retaliation and that he has exhausted his administrative remedies as to that claim. Therefore, the Court denies MTC's motion as to Mr. Golden's retaliation claim.
The ADEA makes it unlawful for an employer to retaliate against an employee for "oppos[ing] any practice made unlawful" by the statute. See
In its motion to dismiss Mr. Golden's First Amended Complaint, MTC argued both that Mr. Golden had failed to plead that he had engaged in any protected activity *371prior to his termination
Taking advantage of the Court's dismissal without prejudice, Mr. Golden has now clarified what other complaints he raised with MTC. In his Second Amended Complaint, he explains that he also voiced his concerns about receiving less pay than younger and less credentialed employees, not being allowed to attend trainings that younger employees were allowed to attend, delays in receiving approval for his supply purchase orders that younger managers did not experience, and not receiving bonuses for work for which younger employees received bonuses. 2d Am. Compl. ¶ 11. He explains that he first raised these concerns in April 2011 and subsequently raised them again in December 2013, July 2014, February 2015, and May 2015. Id. ¶¶ 11-12.
MTC argues that the facts alleged in Mr. Golden's Second Amended Complaint should not be accepted at face value for two reasons. First, MTC points out that "[i]instead of adding additional facts that might create a plausible inference that MTC's alleged failure to address the 13 specified administrative problems he raised in 2011 was because of his age," Mr. Golden has now raised an entirely different set of complaints than in his first EEOC charge and First Amended Complaint, and he now alleges that he raised these new complaints more than twice as many times as he previously alleged. See MTC's Mem. at 13. Additionally, MTC highlights that in his first EEOC charge, Mr. Golden alleged, in between two sentences *372regarding events that occurred during the fall of 2014, that he "discovered [that he] was paid less than other employees for the same position and similar duties." 1st EEOC Charge. Therefore, MTC argues, Mr. Golden's claim that he complained about receiving disparate pay in 2011 directly conflicts with his first EEOC charge, which implies that he learned about the disparate pay during the fall of 2014. For these reasons, MTC argues, these new "alternative facts" "seem to lack [a] good faith basis." Id. at 14.
It can be "appropriate for the court to look beyond the amended complaint to the record, which includes the original complaint," when evaluating whether a plaintiff has stated a claim upon which relief may be granted. See W. Assocs. Ltd. P'ship, ex rel. Ave. Assocs. Ltd. P'ship v. Mkt. Square Assocs. ,
The Court finds that the discrepancies MTC has highlighted are not substantive enough to warrant the striking of these factual allegations from Mr. Golden's Second Amended Complaint. First, when Mr. Golden described the concerns he raised with his supervisors in April 2011 in his First Amended Complaint, he specified that his complaints "included but were not limited to the following," 1st Am. Compl. ¶ 10, implying that he also made other complaints to his supervisors. He has now clarified what those other complaints were. See 2d Am. Compl. ¶ 11. While it is certainly suspicious that, if Mr. Golden had indeed raised concerns with his supervisor that younger employees were receiving preferential treatment, he did not include his reporting of those concerns in his original complaint, his original complaint did expressly state that he raised more concerns than the thirteen enumerated in his original complaint to his supervisors. Therefore, his Second Amended Complaint does not directly contradict his First Amended Complaint in this regard. While the incongruity of these allegations may impact the plaintiff's credibility, that is a matter to be determined by the finder of fact.
Second, MTC argues that because Mr. Golden's Second Amended Complaint claims that he first complained about his allegedly disparate pay in 2011, but his first EEOC charge implies that he did not even learn about the disparate pay until 2014, his allegation regarding when he discovered and first complained about his allegedly disparate pay should be disregarded. However, while Mr. Golden's first EEOC charge implies that he first learned about his disparate pay in 2014, it does not state that that is when he discovered it outright. But even if it did, that would not require the Court to discount the two other instances Mr. Golden alleges he complained *373to his supervisors about his disparate pay and treatment after the fall of 2014, the two instances temporally closest to his placement on the second PIP and ultimate termination. See 2d Am. Compl. ¶ 12(d).
Similarly, MTC expresses concern that Mr. Golden has more than doubled the number of instances during which he complained about his treatment to his supervisors and has included instances not found in either of his EEOC charges or his First Amended Complaint. See MTC's Mem. at 13-14. Just as enumerating what other complaints Mr. Golden made to his supervisor does not contradict the list of complaints he says he raised in his First Amended Complaint, adding instances when he is alleged to have complained to supervisors also does not contradict his contention in his First Amended Complaint that he complained in April 2011 and October 2013. Because MTC "has not identified any true contradictions to undermine the credibility of the amended complaint," the Court will accept the additional facts included in the Second Amended Complaint as true. Price v. Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya ,
Therefore, taking the facts in Mr. Golden's Second Amended Complaint as true, the Court must determine whether, given that he is alleged to have complained about disparate pay and treatment based on his age in February and May 2015, he has successfully stated a claim for retaliation.
"In order to sustain a claim for retaliation at the motion-to-dismiss stage, 'a plaintiff must show that (1) he engaged in a statutorily protected activity; (2) his employer took an adverse personnel action against him; and (3) a causal connection exists between the two.' " McNair v. District of Columbia ,
Mr. Golden has alleged that he engaged in what he believed was protected activity-complaining that he was receiving less pay and being treated less well because of his age-two months before he was terminated. See 2d Am. Compl. ¶ 12(d). Additionally, he alleges that he engaged in protected activity one month before he was placed on his second PIP, and while his placement on the PIP is not itself actionable, it can serve as background evidence demonstrating that his termination was discriminatory or retaliatory. At this stage of the proceedings, *374these alleged facts are sufficient to raise a plausible inference that MTC retaliated against Mr. Golden.
MTC has raised several additional arguments to support its contention that Mr. Golden has not properly pleaded a claim for retaliation. First, it argues that Mr. Golden has failed to exhaust his administrative remedies because he has alleged new instances of protected activity in his Second Amended Complaint that do not correspond with those found in his second EEOC charge. See MTC's Mem. at 16. To support its contention that Mr. Golden's factual allegations in his administrative charge must perfectly match the factual allegation in his complaint, MTC cites to two out-of-circuit cases. However, neither of these cases establish as strict a pleading requirement as MTC suggests. In Chacko v. Patuxent Inst. , the court held that "a plaintiff fails to exhaust his administrative remedies where, as here, his administrative charges reference different time frames, actors, and discriminatory conduct than the central factual allegations in his formal suit."
Second, MTC argues that because Mr. Golden has failed to allege that Edwin Stroman, the supervisor who erroneously placed him on his second PIP in 2015, and then erroneously fired him, knew about his EEO complaints, he has failed to plead the causation prong of retaliation. See MTC's Mem. at 17. It is true that "[t]he causal connection component of the prima facie case may be established by showing that the employer had knowledge of the employee's protected activity, and that the adverse personnel action took place shortly after that activity." Mitchell v. Baldrige ,
Here, Mr. Golden has alleged that MTC was aware of his protected activity, explaining that he hand-delivered EEO complaints to Myra DeLoatch, "an MTC employed EEO Officer at the Corps," on February 20, 2015, and May 20, 2015. 2d Am. Compl. ¶ 12. Within one month of submitting the first of those complaints, Mr. Golden was placed on his second PIP, and within two months of submitting the second, he was terminated. These events are sufficiently close in time to allow for an inference that MTC's motivations were retaliatory, and therefore, Mr. Golden's retaliation claim cannot be dismissed because he has not alleged that the MTC officials involved in his firing him knew about his EEO complaints.
MTC's final argument regarding Mr. Golden's retaliation claim is that he has "offer[ed] no facts that would tend to demonstrate that" the reason MTC has given for his termination-failing his second PIP- "was pretext and that the real reason was because he engaged in protected activity." MTC's Mem. at 18. However, "[a] plaintiff alleging retaliation faces a low hurdle at the motion to dismiss stage, and need not present evidence of pretext," Winston v. Clough ,
3. Age Discrimination
MTC has also challenged Mr. Golden's age discrimination claim on the grounds that he did not exhaust his administrative remedies regarding that claim and has failed to plead facts supporting an inference of age discrimination. See MTC's Mem. at 21. Mr. Golden responds that the broad language he used in his second EEOC charge encompassed the allegation of discriminatory treatment in his Second Amended Complaint, and therefore that he has exhausted his administrative remedies as to his age discrimination claim. See Pl.'s Opp'n MTC's Mot. at 11-12. He further responds that he has alleged sufficient facts at this stage in the litigation to state a claim of age discrimination under the ADEA. Id. at 13-14. As explained below, the Court finds that Mr. Golden exhausted his administrative remedies as to his age discrimination claim and also sufficiently pleaded the claim to survive MTC's motion to dismiss.
Under the ADEA, it is "unlawful for an employer ... to fail or refuse to hire ... or otherwise discriminate against any individual ... because of such individual's *376age."
Therefore, MTC's citations to Third Circuit and D.C. Court of Appeals case law notwithstanding, the Court must determine whether Mr. Golden's alleged facts "state a facially plausible claim." Rudder v. Williams ,
MTC also argues that Mr. Golden failed to exhaust his administrative remedies as to his age discrimination claim because his second EEOC "[c]harge does not allege that younger people received progressive discipline, or that younger people received 'the opportunity to cure their performance after lesser methods of discipline were imposed upon them.' " MTC's Mem. at 21 (quoting 2d Am. Compl.
*377¶ 19). Instead, Mr. Golden specifically mentions that younger staff members received better training and compensation than he did. See
While it is true that Mr. Golden did not mention how any of his comparators were treated when describing his termination in his second EEOC charge, as previously explained, "the fact that [plaintiff] describe[s] h[is] allegations with greater specificity in these proceedings does not establish that [ ]he failed adequately to present them at the administrative level." Williams v. Dodaro ,
4. Wrongful Discharge
Mr. Golden's Second Amended Complaint also includes a common law claim for wrongful discharge. 2d Am. Compl. ¶ 24-30. MTC has moved to dismiss this claim on the ground that Mr. Golden was an at-will employee and that he has not put forth any public policy that his termination violated. See MTC's Mem. at 23-26. Mr. Golden's opposition to MTC's motion to dismiss contains no arguments to counter MTC's contentions regarding the sufficiency of his pleadings. Indeed, Mr. Golden's opposition to MTC's motion only mentions the phrase "wrongful termination" or "wrongful discharge" twice, in the introduction, when it describes the claims contained in his Second Amended Complaint. See Pl.'s Opp'n MTC's Mot. at 1-2. MTC argues that because Mr. Golden did not counter its arguments in his opposition to its motion, he has conceded dismissal of his wrongful discharge claim. See MTC's Reply at 6, ECF No. 49 (citing Estate of Abtan v. Blackwater Lodge & Training Ctr. ,
"It has long been settled in the District of Columbia that an employer may discharge an at-will employee at any time and for any reason, or for no reason at all." Adams v. George W. Cochran & Co. ,
Mr. Golden's Second Amended Complaint mentions an employee handbook in order to demonstrate that MTC did not follow standard operating procedures when it placed him on his second PIP and then terminated him. See 2d Am. Compl. ¶¶ 26-29. While he did not submit the handbook with any of his filings, MTC has submitted relevant excerpts of the handbook as an exhibit to its motion to dismiss. See MTC's Mot. Ex. 4, ECF No. 45-6. Because Mr. Golden references the handbook in his Second Amended Complaint, the Court may properly consider its contents while adjudicating MTC's motion to dismiss. See Abhe & Svoboda, Inc. v. Chao ,
The handbook Mr. Golden references in his Second Amended Complaint specifies that it "should not be interpreted as a contract between the Company and [the employee]." MTC's Mot. Ex. 4 at 1. It continues, in bolded and italicized font:
[E]mployment with the Company is entered into voluntarily and can be terminated, with or without cause and with or without notice, at any time at the option of either the Company or [the employee]. Nothing in this handbook, or any other document, including benefit plan descriptions, creates or is intended to create a promise or representation of continued employment for [the employee].
Having determined that Mr. Golden's employment with MTC was at-will, the Court next queries whether any existing public policy exception applies to his termination. As MTC points out, Mr. Golden has failed to allege in any of his complaints that his termination violated any public policy. See MTC's Mem. at 23; see also 2d Am. Compl. ¶¶ 24-30.
"Whether a discharge violates public policy is determined on a case-by-case basis, guided by the concept that a wrongful termination cause of action must be 'firmly anchored in either the Constitution or in a statute or regulation which clearly reflects the particular 'public policy' being relied upon.' " Bowie ,
Here, Mr. Golden has not put forth any public policy, such as preventing the termination of employees when they refuse to break the law for their employers, that might entitle him to consideration under the public policy exception. See Adams v. George W. Cochran & Co., Inc. ,
B. CGSI's Motion to Dismiss
Mr. Golden's Second Amended Complaint also includes claims of retaliation, wrongful discharge, and age discrimination against CGSI. CGSI has moved to dismiss on several grounds, arguing that the Second Amended Complaint does not sufficiently allege that CGSI was Mr. Golden's employer or that it discriminated or retaliated against him; that his age discrimination claim is time-barred because he first included that claim in this suit 465 days after receiving his right-to-sue letter from the EEOC; and that the Second Amended Complaint fails to state a wrongful termination claim. See generally CGSI's Mem.
*380P. & A. Supp. CGSI's Mot. Dismiss ("CGSI's Mem."), ECF No. 46. Mr. Golden responds that he has alleged sufficient facts to demonstrate that CGSI was his employer and that his age discrimination claim is timely because his age discrimination claim is so similar to his retaliation claim that his age discrimination claim relates back to the original date he filed this suit. See Pl.'s Opp'n CGSI's Mot. at 5-11, ECF No. 47. Just as with MTC's motion, Mr. Golden does not contest CGSI's assertion that he has not stated a claim for wrongful termination. For the reasons set forth below, the Court finds that Mr. Golden has failed to state a claim for wrongful termination and did not timely file his claim for age discrimination. However, the Court finds that he succeeded in stating a timely claim for retaliation and therefore does not dismiss his retaliation claim.
1. Whether CGSI was Mr. Golden's Employer
CGSI seeks to dismiss the claims against it on the ground that it never served as Mr. Golden's employer and therefore could not have discriminated or retaliated against him in violation of the ADEA or wrongfully discharged him. In its previous Memorandum Opinion, the Court found that Mr. Golden's First Amended Complaint did not allege sufficient facts to infer that CGS (which at that point had been erroneously sued instead of CGSI) had employed Mr. Golden, because "[a]lthough Golden allege[d] that CGSI maintained a human resources director at the [Potomac Job Corps facility] ... [that] oversaw the duties and responsibilities of MTC's hired staff including [Golden], it is not tantamount to an allegation that CGSI could control and direct both the details and results of Golden's work or that it controlled the terms and conditions of his employment." Golden ,
The D.C. Circuit has "recognized two largely overlapping articulations of the test for identifying joint-employer status." Al-Saffy v. Vilsack ,
(1) the kind of occupation, with reference to whether the work usually is done under the direction of a supervisor or is done by a specialist without supervision; (2) the skill required in the particular occupation; (3) whether the "employer" or the individual in question furnishes the equipment used and the place of work; (4) the length of time during which the individual has worked; (5) the method of payment, whether by time or by the job; (6) the manner in which the work relationship is terminated; i.e., by one or both parties, with or without notice and explanation; (7) whether annual leave is afforded; (8) whether the work is an integral part of the business of the "employer"; (9) whether the worker *381accumulates retirement benefits; (10) whether the "employer" pays social security taxes; and (11) the intention of the parties.
In Mr. Golden's First Amended Complaint, which the Court warned did not plead sufficient facts to allow for an inference that CGS or CGSI jointly employed him with MTC, Mr. Golden alleged that "he was employed by Defendant Management & Training Corporation," but does not mention that he was also employed by CGS or CGSI. 1st Am. Compl. ¶ 4. Additionally, the extent of Chugach's supervision over him is articulated as follows: "With the assistance and understanding of Defendant MTC, [Chugach's] human resources director at the Corps site-Grace Jabril-oversaw the duties and responsibilities of MTC's hired staff including Plaintiff."Id. ¶ 6. While he alleged that he complained of what he believed to be unfair treatment to both Chugach and MTC, all other allegations in his complaint involved employees of MTC, but not Chugach. See generally 1st Am. Compl.
Mr. Golden has now added several factual allegations to beef up his contention that he was also employed by CGSI. First, he now alleges that "he was employed by Defendant Management & Training Corporation and Chugach Government Services, Inc." 2d Am. Compl. ¶ 4. He further explains that "CGSI's main focus is on the management and operation of Job Corps. CGSI was also responsible for the overall operations of the Job Corps facility." Id. ¶ 5. Mr. Golden alleges that "[t]ogether, CGSI and MTC (collectively 'Job Corps') operate nationally and internationally under the name 'Job Corps.' Each entity works in conjunction with one another to operate and manage the Job Corps facilities where Plaintiff worked as well as around the world. Each entity employed Plaintiff jointly. Correspondence - regardless of whether the author was an employee of CGSI or MTC- at all times contained the 'Job Corps' logo." Id. ¶ 7.
With regard to his own position, Mr. Golden explains that "[h]e was supervised on all aspects of his job by MTC and CGSI management personnel." Id. ¶ 8. He further specified that one of his "core responsibilities included ensuring that the facility was properly equipped with supplies" and that all of his purchase orders for supplies "required the approval of the CGSI finance director - Ronald Young before submission." Id. ¶ 10. When he began to fear that he was being discriminated against based on his age, he informed MTC EEO officers and CGSI's human resource director. Id. ¶ 12. While CGSI recounts Mr. Golden's Second Amended Complaint as alleging *382that MTC fired him, see CGSI's Mem. at 5, Mr. Golden merely states that he "was terminated by Job Corps." 2d Am. Compl. ¶ 16.
Courts in this District have been hesitant to dismiss claims against entities plaintiffs claim are dual employers unless it is clear from the pleadings that the entity definitively did not employ the plaintiff. See, e.g., Boire v. Greyhound Corp. ,
The Court finds the same factual ambiguity here and therefore cannot grant CGSI's motion to dismiss on this basis. While Mr. Golden alleges that it was MTC that hired him and subjected him to its own employee handbook, he has alleged that he was "supervised on all aspects of his job by MTC and CGSI management personnel." 2d Am. Compl. ¶ 8. Additionally, he explains how CGSI supervised a portion of his job: by approving or rejecting the purchase of supplies for the Job Corps site. Id. ¶ 10. Lastly, he alleges that "Job Corps," meaning both MTC and CGSI, terminated his employment. See id. ¶¶ 7, 16.
2. Timeliness of the Age Discrimination Claim
CGSI has raised a different statute of limitations concern than MTC. CGSI argues that Mr. Golden's claim for age discrimination is untimely because his claim of discriminatory firing as opposed to retaliatory firing "seeks to hold Defendants liable for conduct that is fundamentally different than the conduct identified in his original complaint," and therefore that "the Second Amended Complaint does not relate back to the filing of his original complaint," making the discriminatory firing claim untimely. CGSI's Mem. at 10-11. Mr. Golden responds that his age discrimination claim arises from the same conduct, transaction, or occurrence as his retaliation claim and therefore that the age discrimination claim in his Second Amended Complaint relates back to his original complaint, which only contained a claim for retaliation. See Pl.'s Opp'n CGSI's Mem. at 11. The Court finds that because the two claims are not sufficiently similar, Mr. Golden's age discrimination claim does not relate back to his original complaint and was therefore untimely filed.
The ADEA requires that a plaintiff file a claim of age discrimination or retaliation within 90 days of receiving a right-to-sue letter from the EEOC. See
Mr. Golden likely received his right-to-sue letter stemming from his second EEOC charge at the end of May 2016. See *384Golden ,
Mr. Golden's Second Amended Complaint contains both new facts and a new cause of action. Compare 2d Am. Compl with 1st Am. Compl. Mr. Golden now alleges that not only was he fired because he complained about disparate pay and treatment based on his age, but also that he was fired because of his age. Id. ¶¶ 20-23, 31-34. While his allegedly discriminatory termination certainly occurred at the same "time" as his allegedly retaliatory termination, see Mayle v. Felix ,
3. Wrongful Discharge and Retaliation
CGSI also challenges Mr. Golden's claims for retaliation and wrongful termination.
*385As to his retaliation claim, CGSI argues that because Mr. Golden "concedes that he was terminated 'for failure to meet the requirements of the PIP' and that is not protected activity," he has failed to state a claim for retaliation. CGSI's Mem. at 8 (quoting 2d Am. Compl. ¶ 22). And just like MTC, it argues that Mr. Golden has failed to state a claim of wrongful discharge because he was an at-will employee and he has not alleged that he was terminated in violation of any recognized public policy, as required to state a common law claim of wrongful discharge. Id. at 11-13. Mr. Golden responds that he has alleged sufficient facts to state a claim for retaliation, focusing mainly on the fact that he alleged sufficient facts to demonstrate that he suffered an adverse employment action (his termination) and that CGSI was his employer, but not addressing CGSI's arguments regarding his wrongful discharge claim. See Pl.'s Opp'n CGSI's Mot. at 5-11. CGSI in turn argues that because Mr. Golden did not directly address its arguments regarding the reason for his termination, and did not address its arguments regarding his wrongful discharge claim at all, he has conceded CGSI's motion to dismiss. See CGSI's Reply at 6-7, ECF No. 50. However, the Court finds, just as it did above with regard to MTC, that Mr. Golden has succeeded in stating a claim for retaliation and has failed to state a claim for wrongful termination.
As mentioned above, the D.C. Circuit has recently clarified that "a party may rest on its complaint in the face of a motion to dismiss if the complaint itself adequately states a plausible claim for relief" and that a court should not turn "what should be an attack on the legal sufficiency of the complaint into an attack on the legal sufficiency of the response in opposition to the motion to dismiss." Wash. All. of Tech. Workers v. U.S. Dep't of Homeland Sec. ,
In analyzing Mr. Golden's claims for wrongful discharge and retaliation against CGSI, the Court looks to the same factual allegations Mr. Golden made regarding MTC. As explained above, the facts alleged in Mr. Golden's complaint do not state that he was anything other than an at-will employee and point to no public policy Mr. Golden was furthering when he was terminated. See supra Section IV.A.4. As such, Mr. Golden has failed to state a claim for wrongful termination against CGSI, just as he did against MTC, and that claim must be dismissed.
As to Mr. Golden's claim for retaliation, the Court has already found that Mr. Golden has alleged that he engaged in protected activity and that the temporal proximity of his protected activity and his termination allow for an inference at this stage in the proceedings that he was retaliated against. See supra Section IV.A.2. Because Mr. Golden has also sufficiently alleged that CGSI was his employer while he worked at Job Corps, see supra Section IV.B.1, his retaliation claim against CGSI survives.
*386V. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, Defendant MTC's Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 45) is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART; and Defendant CGSI's Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 46) is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART. The Court dismisses Mr. Golden's claims for wrongful termination against MTC and CGSI, as well as his claim for age discrimination against CGSI. The Court further dismisses Mr. Golden's claims against MTC for age discrimination and retaliation based on actions MTC took before April 24, 2015. An order consistent with this Memorandum Opinion is separately and contemporaneously issued.
At the motion to dismiss stage, the Court accepts the plaintiff's factual allegations as true. See, e.g., United States v. Philip Morris, Inc. ,
In deciding a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, a court may consider "the facts alleged in the complaint, documents attached as exhibits or incorporated by reference in the complaint, and matters about which the court may take judicial notice." Gustave-Schmidt v. Chao ,
Mr. Golden explained in his First Amended Complaint that he submitted the following complaints to his supervisors: "(1) students were going six to eight months without a qualified instructor; (2) overcrowded classrooms; (3) lack of budget allocation for specific projects; (4) Defendants' refusal to provide proper training opportunities to Plaintiff and his staff; yet providing the same opportunity to other staff members; (5) Defendants' refusal to hire qualified staff; (6) Defendants' failure to process purchase orders requested by Plaintiff's staff (7) failure to monitor construction work performed at Potomac Job Corps by outside contractors; (8) lack of inventory control equipment at the Corps' facility; (9) Defendants' refusal to order equipment for students and staff members; (10) Defendants' failure to provide a budget; ... (11) failure to provide air-conditioning in classrooms during summer months; (12) failure to provide heat in classrooms during the winter months; (13) failure to provide working computers for students in classrooms." 1st Am. Compl. ¶ 10. He specified that his complaints were not limited to these topics, however.
Courts in this district have in the past held that Local Civil Rule 7(b), which provides that a court may treat a motion as conceded if an opposition is not timely filed, allows courts to treat arguments unaddressed in an opposition as conceded. See e.g., Estate of Abtan v. Blackwater Lodge & Training Ctr. ,
CGSI contends that this allegation-that CGSI and MTC operate multiple Job Corps facilities internationally-is incorrect. See CGSI's Mem. at 7 n.4. However, CGSI notes that "the Court need not address the issue at this stage of the proceedings."
Of course, it should be noted that in his First Amended Complaint, Mr. Golden alleged that it was MTC, not "Job Corps," that terminated his employment. 1st Am. Compl. ¶ 14. However, as explained above, adding an additional entity that terminated his employment (Job Corps, which Mr. Golden defines as a combination of MTC and CGSI) does not directly contradict the allegation in his First Amended Complaint that it was MTC that fired him. As such, the Court will accept this factual allegation as true for the purpose of this motion.
Mr. Golden's first two judicial complaints also lacked age discrimination claims against MTC. Therefore, Mr. Golden's instant age discrimination claim against MTC was not timely filed either. However, MTC did not raise CGSI's successful argument in its motion to dismiss, and the Court is not required to dismiss a claim sua sponte on a non-jurisdictional ground not raised in a motion to dismiss. See Day v. McDonough ,
CGSI did not raise, as MTC did, the argument that claims based on discriminatory or retaliatory acts occurring before April 24, 2015, 300 days before the filing of Mr. Golden's second EEOC charge, are time-barred. See CGSI's Mem. at 10-11 (CGSI's only statute of limitations argument). Just as with MTC's failure to raise the untimeliness of Mr. Golden's age discrimination claim, the Court will not confer on CGSI the benefits of an argument it did not itself raise. Therefore, the Court does not dismiss Mr. Golden's retaliation claims against CGSI based on acts occurring before April 24, 2015. However, the Court takes no position on what impact, if any, the fact that Mr. Golden pursues joint liability against MTC and CGSI as joint employers has on the incongruous statute of limitations periods to which the defendants are now subject.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- David GOLDEN v. MANAGEMENT & TRAINING CORPORATION
- Cited By
- 58 cases
- Status
- Published