Glapion v. CastroGlapion v. Castro
ORDER ON MOTION TO DISMISS
Before the Court is Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Whistleblowing, Harmful-Procedural-Error, and Constitutional Claims Pursuant to
BACKGROUND
Plaintiff, proceeding pro se, initiated this action on June 18, 2014. (Docket #1.) Plaintiff’s claims arise from her employment as a Management Analyst for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) and her removal from that position on March 30, 2012. She alleges that her supervisors disciplined her on the basis of her race, color, and sex, and in retaliation for making whistleblowing disclosures. Prior to filing the present action, Plaintiff challenged her removal and discipline through the Merit System Protection Board (“MSPB”) and Equal Employment Opportunity (“EEO”) procedures.
The operative pleading — Plaintiffs Third Amended Title VII Complaint — asserts eight claims for relief: (1) Title VII discrimination based on race, sex, and col- or; (2) Title VII hostile work environment; (3) Title VII retaliation; (4) retaliation for whistleblowing; (5) harmful procedural error; (6) constitutional rights violations; (7) Fair Labor Standards Act violation; and (8) Freedom of Information Act violation.
LEGAL STANDARDS
I. Dismissal under
Generally,
First, a facial attack on the complaint’s allegations as to subject matter jurisdiction questions the sufficiency of the complaint. In reviewing a facial attack on the complaint, a district coúrt must accept the allegations in the complaint as true.
Second, a party may go beyond allegations contained in the complaint and challenge the facts upon which subject matter jurisdiction depends. When reviewing a factual attack on subject matter jurisdiction, a district court may not presume the truthfulness of the complaint’s factual allegations. A court has wide discretion to allow affidavits, other documents, and a limited evidentiary hearing to resolve disputed jurisdictional facts underRule 12(b)(1) . In such instances, a court’s reference to evidence outside the pleadings does not convert the motion to a Rule 56 motion.
Id. at 1002-03 (citations omitted). The present motion launches a facial attack on this Court’s subject matter jurisdiction; therefore, the Court will accept the truthfulness of the Complaint’s factual allegations.
II. Dismissal Pursuant to
“To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Ashcroft v. Iqbal,
Plausibility refers “to the scope of the allegations in a complaint: if they are so general that they encompass a wide swath of conduct, much of it innocent, then the plaintiffs ‘have not nudged their claims • across the line from conceivable to plausible.’ ” Khalik v. United Air Lines,
III. Treatment of a Pro Se Plaintiffs Complaint
A federal court must construe a pro se plaintiffs “pleadings liberally, applying a less stringent standard than is applicable to pleadings filed by lawyers. • [The] court, however, will not supply additional factual allegations to round out a plaintiffs complaint or construct a legal theory on plaintiffs behalf.” Whitney v. New Mexico,
ANALYSIS
“When a defendant seeks dismissal under
I.
HUD contends that the Court lacks jurisdiction over Plaintiffs harmful-procedural-error claim and due process constitutional claim because of the doctrine of sovereign immunity. “The United States, a sovereign, is immune from suit save as it consents to be sued.” United States v. Sherwood,
A. Harmful Procedural Error Claim
Plaintiffs fifth claim for relief alleges that HUD committed harmful procedural error by failing to comply with certain provisions of its collective bargaining agreement and policy handbook. She argues that the Court has jurisdiction over this claim pursuant to
In certain circumstances, appeals from a final decision of the MSPB are reviewable by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which has “exclusive jurisdiction” over such appeals.
Plaintiff argues that sovereign immunity is not a valid defense because the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”) waives government immunity for her claims. The APA provides that, “[a]n action in a court of the United States seeking relief other than money damage ... shall not be dismissed nor relief therein be denied on the ground that it is against the United States.”
The Court concludes that Plaintiff has not established a waiver of sovereign immunity for a harmful-procedural-error claim against HUD, and, therefore, the Court lacks jurisdiction over the claim.
B. Due Process Constitutional Claim
Plaintiffs sixth claim for relief is directed at both HUD and MSPB. Plaintiff alleges that HUD violated her due process rights by (1) placing her on involuntary administrative leave during her right to reply period which impeded her ability to challenge her removal; (2) removing her without providing her an opportunity to reply; (3) failing to provide her with information that was reviewed and considered
First, to the extent Plaintiff asserts constitutional tort claims, the United States has not waived its sovereign immunity for such claims asserted against federal agencies or the directors of those agencies in their official capacity. See FDIC v. Meyer,
Absent a clear waiver of sovereign immunity, the Court concludes that Plaintiff has not established the Court has jurisdiction over the constitutional due process claim.
II.
Defendant contends that Plaintiffs whistleblowing and constitutional claims should be dismissed for failure to state plausible claims for relief under
A. Whistleblowing Claim
Plaintiffs fourth claim alleges that Defendant retaliated against her for making protected disclosures under the Whistle Blower Protection Act,
i. January 24, 2011 Disclosure
On January 24, 2011, Plaintiff alleges she made “whistle blower disclosures of Defendant not complying with HUD/ AFGE Agreement Articles and HUD Handbook 625.1 as it pertains to the HUD Telework Program^.]” (Docket # 40, ¶ 112.) Plaintiff alleges that, as retaliation for making the January 24, 2011 disclosures, Deputy Regional Administrator Daniel Gomez issued a “Notice of Proposal to Suspend for Seven (7) Calendar Days Without Pay” on February 9, 2011. (Id.) An employee may demonstrate that the disclosure was a contributing factor in the personnel action through circumstantial evidence, such as evidence that the official
ii. July 19, 2011 Disclosure
Plaintiff also alleges that she made protected disclosures on July 19, 2011 by emailing Labor Employee Specialist Donald Gerrish, Local Union 3972 President Mongelli, and Deputy Ethics Official Ellen Dole about conduct by Public Affairs Officer Goin. (Docket # 40, ¶ 104.) Specifically, she informed Mr. Gerrish, President Mongelli, and Ms. Dole that Ms. Goin left a “libelous performance review atop a public printer while [Plaintiff] was out on medical leave[.]” (Id.) Plaintiff alleges she was disciplined on August 10, 2011 for “going against chain of command,” in retaliation for sending the July 19, 2011 email. (Id. ¶ 105.) Plaintiff states only that “Defendant” disciplined her, but does not specify which HUD employee took action. Again, without any allegation that the official who disciplined her knew about the disclosure — or, even who that official was — the Court cannot find a causal connection between the two events. See
Moreover, it is not entirely clear that Plaintiffs July 19, 2011 email was a protected disclosure under
(A) any disclosure of information by an employee or applicant which the employee or applicant reasonably believes evidences—
(i) any violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or
(ii) gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, if such disclosure is not specifically prohibited by law and if such information is not specifically required by Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs; or
(B) any disclosure to the Special Counsel, or to the Inspector General of an agency or another employee designated by the head of the agency to receive such disclosures, of information which the employee or applicant reasonably believes evidences—
(i) any violation (other than a violation of this section) of any law, rule, or regulation, or
(ii) gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety[.]
Plaintiff alleges that her disclosure stated that the “matter seems analogous to one or part of 5 C.F.R. Ethical Standards for Government Employees.” (Docket # 40 at ¶ 104.) It would be a stretch to construe Plaintiffs belief that the action “seemed analogous” to the entire Code of Ethical Standards as a “reasonable belief’ that an employee violated a specific law, rule, or regulation under
iii. July 20, 2011 Disclosure
Plaintiff next alleges she made protected disclosures on July 20, 2011 by emailing former HUD Deputy Secretary Sims and raising the following concerns about HUD: conspiracy, abuse of authority, hiring practices, nepotism, discrimination, unnecessary expenditures, and retaliation. (Docket # 40, ¶ 106.) Plaintiff alleges that in retaliation for sending the July 20, 2011 email, Ms. Goin retaliated against her “the very next day.” (Id. at ¶ 107.) Plaintiff does not specify the adverse action Ms. Goin took on July 21, 2011, but she does allege “matters were so severe she had to seek medical attention^]” (Id.) She also alleges that . Ms. Goin retaliated against her for the July 20, 2011 email by bringing four adverse action charges against her on August 15, 2011. Plaintiff alleges that Ms. Goin testified at the MSPB hearing on August 8-9, 2012: “I do recall that [Plaintiff] wrote emails to people in Headquarters, and we asked [her] not to do that. And [she] continued to write emails and have communications with people that were levels above my pay grade, the Regional Administrator’s pay grade. And we firmly requested that [she] stop, and [she] didn’t[.]” (Id. at ¶ 109.) Though the testimony does not specifically refer to the July 20, 2011 email, it suggests that Ms. Gion knew about Plaintiffs disclosures, and, considered with the close timing of the alleged August 15, 2011 charges against Plaintiff, the Court concludes that Plaintiff has plausibly alleged a causal connection between the alleged July 20, 2011 disclosures and the adverse employment action.
It is a closer question, however, as to whether the email to Mr. Sims constitutes a protected disclosure, which requires that the employee reasonably and objectively believes “that the disclosed information evidences a violation of law, rule, regulation,- gross mismanagement, gross waste of funds, abuse of authority, or substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.” Madewell v. Dep’t of Veterans Affairs,
The proper test is this: could a disinterested observer with knowledge of the essential facts known to and readily ascertainable by the employee reasonably conclude that the actions of the government .evidence [a violation of law, rule, regulation, gross mismanagement, gross waste of funds, abuse of authority, or substantial and specific danger to public health or safety]? A purely subjective perspective of an employee is not sufficient even if shared by other employees.
Lachance v. White,
Plaintiffs email to Mr. Sims points out that HUD could save money by cutting back on travel expenditures or conducting meetings by webcast, but such concerns do not rise to the level of a “gross waste of funds.” See Wen Chiann Yeh v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd.,
Thus, the Court concludes that the alleged July 20, 2011 email does not state a plausible claim for relief.
iv.December 21, 2011 and January 12, 2012 Disclosures
Plaintiff further alleges that she made protected disclosures on December 21, 2011 and January 12, 2012 to Diana Degette’s Congressional Office, “the Office of Presidential Correspondence,” and former HUD Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernment Relations, Peter Kovar. (Docket # 40, ¶ 103.) Plaintiffs allegations do not clarify what she disclosed, and appear only to address that Plaintiffs writing the letter would prompt immediate attention “because of the possibility of publicity or adverse political ramifications,” and that any written responses “were merely attempts to cover/conceal the truth[.]” (Id.) Plaintiff also alleges that her disclosures included a scanned a copy of HUD’s December 12, 2011 “aggravating/harmful response.” (Id.) Reading these allegations together, and considering the complaint as a whole, the content of Plaintiffs alleged disclosure remains unclear, and the Court is unable to conclude that Plaintiff plausibly alleged the first element of WCA claim with regard to paragraph 103 in ■ her Third Amended Complaint.
v. January 23, 2012 Disclosure
Plaintiff also alleges she disclosed on January 23, 2012 that Defendant was not complying with the Federal Medical Leave Act “which was a date in proximity of proposed removal.” (Docket # 40, ¶ 114.) This allegation does not specify to whom Plaintiff disclosed the information, or, aside from the temporal proximity, how it is connected to her removal. Without any allegations about who knew about the alleged disclosure and how that person was responsible for her “proposed removal,” Plaintiff has failed to state a plausible claim for relief with regard to the January 23, 2012 disclosure. See Dowe v. Total Action Against Poverty in Roanoke Valley,
vi.February 6, 2012 Disclosure
Plaintiff alleges she made an “Amendment of Records Request” on February 6, 2012 to HUD’s Privacy Office disclosing that HUD was not complying with personnel data standards. (Docket # 40, ¶ 110.) Because Plaintiff does not indicate that an adverse personnel action against her was in any way connected to this disclosure, she has failed to state a WCA claim for relief based on this alleged communication.
vi. Other alleged disclosures
The Court also notes that Plaintiff generally alleges she “made whistle blower
Plaintiff also alleges generally that she made “whistle blower disclosures of Defendant committing Fair Labor and Standards Act (FLSA) violations.” (Id. at ¶ 113.) To the extent Plaintiff intends to allege a separate whistleblowing incident based on the above statement, it fails to plausibly state a claim for relief because it does not indicate to whom the information was disclosed, what specific violations she disclosed, when the disclosure occurred, or how she was retaliated against for making the disclosure.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons set forth above, Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Whistleblowing, Harmful-Procedural-Error, and Constitutional Claims Pursuant to