ARTHUR D. SPATT, District Judge.
On October 7, 2014, the Plaintiff Joyce Wilson ("Wilson" or the "Plaintiff") commenced this action against her former employer, the Defendant Southampton Hospital (the "Hospital' or the "Defendant").
On December 4, 2014, the Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint, alleging as follows: (i) the Hospital discriminated against her on the basis of a disability in violation of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. § 794 et seq. (the "Rehabilitation Act"), the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. ("ADA"), and the New York State Human Rights Law, N.Y. Exec. L. § 290 et seq. ("NYSHRL"); (ii) the Hospital discriminated against her on the basis of her gender and sexual orientation in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. ("Title VII"), and the NYSHRL; (iii) the Hospital retaliated against her for lodging complaints of unfair treatment in violation of the Rehabilitation Act, the ADA, and the NYSHRL; and (iv) the Hospital breached an enforceable contract with the Plaintiff, in violation of New York common law.
On December 17, 2014, the Hospital moved pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure ("Fed. R. Civ. P.") 12(b)(6) to dismiss the Amended Complaint.
The Plaintiff opposed the motion to dismiss, and in doing so, withdrew her gender and sexual orientation claims under Title VII and the NYSHRL. Also, the Plaintiff cross-moved for leave to file a Second Amended Complaint that asserts causes of action only for (i) discrimination on the basis of a disability and retaliation in violation of the Rehabilitation Act, the ADA, and the NYSHRL; and (ii) breach of contract.
For the reasons set forth in this opinion, the Hospital's motion to dismiss is granted in part and denied in part. In addition, the Plaintiff's cross-motion to amend is granted to the limited extent set forth below.
Except as otherwise noted, the following facts are drawn from the Amended Complaint and are construed in the Plaintiff's favor.
From approximately 1992 to July 1, 2013, Wilson was employed as a registered nurse by the Defendant. Until October 2012, she had been assigned to the Emergency Department. In May 2013, she was reassigned to the Admitting and Discharge Department.
The Defendant is a 125-bed private hospital located at 240 Meeting House Lane in Southampton, New York. The Hospital employs more than 400 people. The Plaintiff alleges that the Hospital is a Medicaid and Medicare provider, and receives other federal financial assistance to provide services to the public.
On or about October 5, 2012, the Plaintiff began a disability leave from the Hospital. She alleges that she had developed a dependency on prescription drugs and a substance abuse disorder, which caused her to enter a rehabilitation program administered by the New York State Education Department's Professional Assistance Program ("NYSPAP").
The Plaintiff alleges that, while in the rehabilitation program, she also participated in the New York State Nurses Association Statewide Peer Assistance Program, which provides support and advocacy for nurses with substance abuse problems.
In connection with her rehabilitation, the Plaintiff surrendered her nursing license. However, she alleges that, while participating in the program, she was able to preserve her nursing license for future reinstatement.
Wilson alleges that she successfully completed her rehabilitation program and tested negative on all random drug tests administered to her while she was out on leave.
On January 28, 2013, the Plaintiff's nursing license was conditionally reinstated by the NYSPAP. In this regard, she alleges that she was "cleared to return to work as a registered nurse." Apparently, Wilson's credentials to practice nursing were restored, but the Hospital had not yet approved her return to work.
Certain conditions were attached to the conditional reinstatement of Wilson's nursing license. Allegedly, these included "continued counseling, monitoring and random drug testing." She was also required to work a set schedule with no access to narcotics.
The Plaintiff alleges that, at the time that her license was conditionally reinstated, there existed vacancies for the registered nursing staff in the Hospital. Wilson alleges that she could have filled one of these vacancies while complying with the applicable conditions of her reinstatement.
However, the Hospital's "employee health nurse" John Dyer, acting under the direction of Chief Nursing Officer ("CNO") Patricia Darcy, allegedly made repeated requests to Wilson's treating physician to extend her period of disability, thus delaying her return to work.
According to the Plaintiff, CNO Darcy acknowledged making these requests to her physician, but claimed that they were meant to extend the Plaintiff's benefits until such time as the Hospital could find a position for her. Wilson disputes this rationale, contending that there were a number of suitable positions available for which the Hospital hired per diem nurses, rather than allow the Plaintiff to return to work.
At an unspecified date after January 28, 2013, CNO Darcy allegedly confided to Wilson that she would not advocate for Wilson's return to work for fear she would lose her own job if she did. The Plaintiff does not discuss this conversation further, other than to allege that a committee had been formed by the Hospital's upper management to coordinate the Plaintiff's potential return to work. Allegedly, the Chair of the Hospital's Emergency Department, Darin Wiggins, M.D., was a member of this committee.
Wilson alleges that her period of disability leave was set to expire on April 6, 2013.
On or about March 7, 2013, the Hospital, through its Human Resources Director Vivian Lee, notified the Plaintiff that she could not be returned to her previous position in the Emergency Department before April 6, 2013 because of her inability to access narcotics. In addition, the Hospital notified Wilson that no other appropriate nursing positions would become available by that date.
As noted above, the Plaintiff alleges that these statements were false, as various suitable nursing positions were vacant at that time.
In or about April 2013, Wilson attended a meeting with CNO Darcy and Vivian Lee, at which Wilson was offered a temporary summer position — from May 13, 2013 to September 15, 2013 — as a registered nurse performing admissions and discharges. The Plaintiff accepted this temporary position.
Allegedly, as a precondition of her temporary employment, the Plaintiff was required to execute a return to work agreement (the "Agreement"). In relevant part, the Agreement provided as follows:
On April 11, 2013, Wilson, the Hospital, and a representative of NYSPAP executed the Agreement.
The Plaintiff alleges that she complained to the Hospital that she was being treated unfairly and coordinated with her union representative to obtain reinstatement to a full-time position. She does not specify when such complaints were made or to whom they were directed.
Nevertheless, on May 13, 2013, she commenced her temporary employment.
On June 17, 2013, the Plaintiff tested positively for opiates. She alleges that the positive test results were attributable to her having ingested tea that was purchased for her in China by a relative. Allegedly, this tea contained an ingredient that created a false positive for opiates.
Wilson alleges that she determined this fact by submitting the tea for testing by an independent laboratory. She did this at her own expense and under the direction of her treating physician. The results of the laboratory's testing allegedly revealed an ingredient that could create false positives for opiates.
According to the Plaintiff, the Hospital refused to consider her explanation; the results of the laboratory's testing; or the results of other negative drug tests administered both before and after June 17, 2013.
On an unspecified date, the Plaintiff allegedly was terminated, "effective July 1, 2013." The Court finds this somewhat unclear, as it appears that the Plaintiff continued working past this date.
In fact, Wilson alleges that the Hospital "continued to insist" that she submit a voluntary resignation. In this regard, the Plaintiff alleges that she experienced treatment that she felt was intimidating and designed to pressure her to resign.
On one occasion, while Wilson was discussing her situation with a union representative, Dr. Wiggins, the Chair of the Hospital's Emergency Department, allegedly made a gesture with his hand that simulated shooting a gun at the Plaintiff. She alleges that she took this gesture to mean that Dr. Wiggins "wanted her gone" from the Hospital. The Plaintiff does not allege when this incident allegedly occurred or whether any other Hospital employees or supervisors became aware of it.
In addition, the Plaintiff was allegedly threatened that if she did not resign and waive her legal rights, she would be reported to the State for drug use. Again, the Plaintiff alleges no supporting details regarding these alleged threats.
Allegedly, under the pressure described above, Wilson voluntarily resigned on October 1, 2013. However, on October 4, 2012, she then rescinded her resignation.
Based on these conflicting allegations, it is unclear when the Plaintiff's employment actually ended or what the circumstances surrounding her termination were.
In this regard, the Court cannot clearly discern whether the Plaintiff was terminated or whether she resigned. Similarly, the Court cannot determine whether the Plaintiff's employment ended on July 1, 2013, when she alleges she was terminated; on October 1, 2013, when she voluntarily resigned; or at some point thereafter, because she allegedly rescinded her resignation. In addition, there is no clear indication as to whether, after she rescinded her resignation, some action was taken by the Hospital to terminate her employment.
Allegedly, at some unspecified time thereafter, the Hospital contested the Plaintiff's application for unemployment benefits, contending that she had been terminated for misconduct.
As noted above, in support of her cross-motion for leave to further amend her Amended Complaint, Wilson submitted a proposed Second Amended Complaint (the "PSAC"). The PSAC adds the following relevant facts.
In the Amended Complaint, the Plaintiff alleged that, at some unspecified date after January 28, 2013, CNO Darcy stated that she would not advocate for Wilson's return to work for fear she would lose her own job if she did so. The Plaintiff's version of these events changes in the PSAC. In particular, Wilson now alleges that it was the Hospital's "employee health nurse" John Dyer, and not CNO Darcy, who made these remarks to her. According to the PSAC, Dyer expressed to Wilson that "he was afraid of losing his job if he made any effort to get [Wilson] back to work and that he had never dealt with a nurse, like plaintiff, who wanted to return to work after a disability leave for rehabilitation for substance abuse." PSAC ¶ 26.
Further, in the PSAC, the Plaintiff alleges that, in her capacity as a temporary admitting and discharge nurse, she was not assigned to a single department, but was instead required to "float" between departments, as needed, to admit or discharge patients. According to the Plaintiff, this took place irrespective of whether such departments contained narcotics. In this regard, Wilson alleges that her temporary position violated the restrictions placed upon the conditional reinstatement of her nursing license.
Finally, in the PSAC, the Plaintiff emphasizes that her ingestion of the Chinese tea, which allegedly caused her to test positively for opiates, was inadvertent. In this regard, she alleges that the tea was packaged in a metal tin with writing in Chinese, a language Wilson cannot read.
On or about March 19, 2014, Wilson allegedly filed a charge of discrimination with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the "EEOC Charge").
Although Wilson did not provide the Court with a copy of the EEOC Charge, the Hospital attaches a copy to a declaration in support of the instant motion by Mary Ellen Donnelly, Esq. (the "Donnelly Decl."). Later in this opinion, the Court will analyze the propriety of considering the EEOC Charge in adjudicating the instant motion. However, without expressing an opinion at this time as to that issue, the Court briefly summarizes certain relevant facts drawn from the EEOC Charge.
In the EEOC Charge, the Plaintiff identified the alleged causes of her discrimination as her age; her gender; and her sexual orientation. In this regard, Wilson stated that she "was discriminated against based upon age, gender and sexual preference . . . in that other employees, including male employees have tested positive for various controlled substances and have not been terminated or suffered negative employment action."
In addition, the Court notes that the EEOC Charge contains various boxes that a complainant may "check" to indicate the alleged cause of their discrimination. One of those boxes states "retaliation." The Plaintiff checked the boxes for "sex"; "age"; and "other", which was later identified by Wilson as sexual orientation. However, Wilson did not check the box for "retaliation."
Of note, in the Plaintiff's EEOC Charge, she failed to raise allegations of discrimination on the basis of a disability, or any allegations of discriminatory retaliation, despite those claims forming a primary basis for the instant action. Also, in the EEOC Charge, the Plaintiff contended that the Hospital's allegedly discriminatory treatment of her was based on her age, in violation of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act ("ADEA"). This allegation as to age is not made in this case.
On July 8, 2014, the EEOC issued to Wilson a Dismissal and Notice of Rights letter (the "Right to Sue Letter"). According to the Right to Sue Letter, the EEOC conducted an investigation and was unable to conclude that the information Wilson provided established violations of the relevant federal employment discrimination statutes. Accordingly, the EEOC notified the Plaintiff that it was closing its file. The Right to Sue Letter advised Wilson that she had the right to commence a lawsuit in connection with her allegations within 90 days of her receipt of the letter.
The Plaintiff alleges that she received the Right to Sue Letter on July 15, 2014, one week after it was issued. She timely commenced this action 84 days later, on October 7, 2014,
On December 17, 2014, the Hospital filed this motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint in its entirety, contending that Wilson's allegations fail to state claims upon which relief can be granted.
Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6), a party may move to dismiss a cause of action that "fail[s] to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." "To survive a motion to dismiss, the complaint must plead `enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face,'
Generally, a party requires leave of the Court in order to amend his or her pleading.
However, where, as here, the Plaintiff seeks to amend her pleading while a motion to dismiss is pending, the Court "`has a variety of ways in which it may deal with the pending motion to dismiss, [including] denying the motion as moot [or] considering the merits of the motion in light of the'" PSAC.
Here, the Court finds that the Hospital had an adequate opportunity to respond to the PSAC, and did, in fact, advance arguments in its reply papers addressing the merits of Wilson's motion to amend. Accordingly, the merits of the Hospital's motion to dismiss will be considered in light of the PSAC.
If the PSAC cannot survive the motion to dismiss, then Wilson's cross-motion to amend will be denied as futile.
In this case, the Hospital submitted certain documentary evidence, namely, the Agreement, the EEOC Charge, and the Right to Sue Letter, in support of its motion to dismiss. As a threshold issue, the Court must consider whether it may consider this extrinsic evidence in adjudicating the motion under Rule 12(b)(6).
It is well-settled that "[t]he materials a court may consider when deciding a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) are limited."
"`Federal courts have complete discretion to determine whether or not to accept the submission of any material beyond the pleadings offered in conjunction with a Rule 12(b)(6) motion.'"
Here, the Plaintiff does not contest the Hospital's submission of the documentary evidence outlined above. Nor does she contend that the Court should refrain from considering it. Further, the Court has little difficulty concluding that the Agreement, the EEOC Charge, and the Right to Sue Letter clearly fall within recognized categories of documents that are appropriate to consider on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion.
Initially, the Plaintiff explicitly references each of these documents in the PSAC. Indeed, as discussed more fully below, the EEOC Charge and the Right to Sue Letter form an essential precondition to the Plaintiff's ability to maintain certain claims asserted in this lawsuit.
Therefore, it is clear that these documents are integral to, and incorporated by reference in, the PSAC.
Accordingly, the Agreement, the EEOC Charge, and the Right to Sue Letter may properly be considered by the Court in resolving the instant motions.
However, the Court notes that the Plaintiff submitted a 59-paragraph affidavit in connection with her response to the Hospital's motion. The affidavit sets forth extensive factual matter, much of which mirrors the allegations in the PSAC. Some of the allegations do not. The Court finds that this affidavit does not fall within the recognized categories of documents that are appropriate to consider on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, and declines to consider it.
As noted above, the Plaintiff has withdrawn her claims that the Hospital discriminated against her based on her gender and sexual orientation in violation of Title VII and the NYSHRL. Accordingly, "`it is appropriate for the Court to dismiss the abandoned claims with prejudice.'"
The Plaintiff contends that the Hospital discriminated against her on the basis of a disability and retaliated against her in violation of the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and the NYSHRL. Before turning to the merits of these contentions, the Court must address a threshold issue raised by the Hospital, namely, whether Wilson sufficiently exhausted administrative remedies relative to these claims prior to asserting them in this lawsuit.
At the outset, the Court notes that Wilson was not required to exhaust administrative remedies prior to bringing her claims against the Hospital under the Rehabilitation Act. This is because the Rehabilitation Act establishes two distinct remedial schemes: one for bringing claims against federal employers; and another, implicated here, for bringing claims against private employers alleged to receive federal funding.
Similarly, there are no administrative perquisites to filing a claim under the NYSHRL.
However, as the Hospital correctly points out, exhaustion of administrative remedies and the timely filing of a complaint with the EEOC are preconditions to filing a claim in federal court under the ADA.
In fact, a district court only has jurisdiction to hear claims brought pursuant to the ADA that are either: (i) contained in the EEOC charge; or (ii) "reasonably related" to the claims in the EEOC charge.
The Second Circuit has clarified this "reasonably related" standard. As explained in
The parties do not contend that the second or third situations are relevant here. Rather, they limit their dispute to the first situation, namely, whether an investigation into the allegations of age, gender, and sexual orientation discrimination contained in Wilson's EEOC Charge could reasonably be expected to lead to an investigation of disability discrimination and discriminatory retaliation.
The Hospital thinks not. It contends that, because Wilson failed to allege disability discrimination or retaliation in her EEOC Charge, those claims are precluded here.
Wilson disagrees, contending that an investigation into the allegations contained in her EEOC Charge naturally would lead to an investigation of disability discrimination and retaliation.
In the Court's view, the weight of authority favors the Hospital's position. For instance, in the case of
This analysis is applicable here. In the Court's view, discrimination based on age, gender, and sexual orientation is conceptually distinct from discrimination based on a disability. It is also materially different from a claim based on discriminatory retaliation.
Similar to the factual situation in
Additional decisional law in this Circuit is in accord. In
Applying these principles, the court in
The Court finds this reasoning persuasive and similarly concludes that the Plaintiff's claims in this case based on disability discrimination and discriminatory retaliation are not reasonably related to the allegations of age, gender, and sexual orientation discrimination that she presented to the EEOC.
In reaching its conclusion, the Court also takes note of
The discussion in
In the EEOC Charge, the Plaintiff explicitly complained to the EEOC that she is a female; over the age of 40; and a lesbian. She did not allege that she is disabled. In the EEOC Charge, she recounted the circumstances surrounding her termination, and specifically stated that she experienced discrimination due to her of age, gender, and sexual orientation. In fact, she elaborated on this allegation by asserting that similarly situated male employees had not been terminated under comparable circumstances. In the Court's view, these allegations do not set forth a claim of disability discrimination. Nor do they suggest that the Plaintiff was retaliated against for engaging in any protected activity. Accordingly, they cannot reasonably be expected to have led to an investigation of such conduct based on the EEOC Charge.
Based on the foregoing, the Court finds that the Plaintiff's ADA claims "do not qualify for the exception to the exhaustion requirement that permits claims `reasonably related' to those contained in an administrative charge to be raised for the first time at the district court level."
The PSAC appears to allege three theories of relief under the Rehabilitation Act: intentional discrimination on the basis of a disability; failure to reasonably accommodate; and discriminatory retaliation. The Hospital contends that Wilson has failed to state a plausible claim for relief under any of these theories.
The Court will consider each of the parties' contentions more fully below.
In this Circuit, in order to state a prima facie claim based on discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act, the Plaintiff must plausibly allege that: (i) she is disabled within the meaning of the Rehabilitation Act; (ii) she was otherwise qualified for her position; (iii) she was excluded solely because of her disability; and (iv) the Hospital receives federal funding.
Initially, in the Court's view, the Plaintiff's filings do not explicitly identify an alleged disability that would form the basis of a claim for discrimination. However, for present purposes, the Hospital appears not to contest that Wilson is, in fact, disabled within the meaning of the statute. Thus, the Court assumes that her history of substance abuse and prescription drug addiction qualifies as a covered disability.
Only the third and fourth elements of this claim are in dispute here. In particular, the Hospital contends: (i) that the Plaintiff has not sufficiently alleged that her termination was attributable solely to her disability, as is required under the Act; and (ii) that the Plaintiff has not sufficiently alleged a federally-funded benefit or program from which she was denied participation due to her disability.
As to the first of these contentions, the PSAC alleges sufficient factual matter to survive a Rule 12(b)(6) challenge. In reaching this conclusion, the Court recognizes that the Rehabilitation Act "is limited to denials of benefits `solely by reason of . . . disability."
In this regard, the Hospital appears to contend that the Plaintiff's claim should be dismissed because she failed to specifically plead that her disability was the "sole" cause of the alleged discriminatory treatment. However, the Court is aware of no precedent for such an inflexible pleading standard, and the Hospital does not provide any. In fact, in support of its position regarding the appropriate pleading standard, the Hospital cites
In the Court's view, despite Wilson's failure to use the word "solely," the PSAC identifies no possible cause for the complained of discrimination other than her history of substance abuse and addiction.
The PSAC therefore survives that aspect of the Hospital's challenge.
As to the second contention, the Court notes that Wilson's only allegation with respect to the Hospital's receipt of federal monies is that it "is a Medicaid and Medicare provider and, upon information and belief, receives other federal financial assistance to provide services to the public." PSAC ¶ 14.
In
Of importance in this case, the Hospital does not deny that it receives federal funding in the form of Medicare and Medicaid payments. Instead, it again seeks to hold Wilson to a heightened pleading standard under which she would be required to specifically identify a federally funded benefit or program from which she was denied participation. However, such an approach has been rejected by other courts.
For instance, in
The Court finds this reasoning persuasive and finds Wilson's allegations concerning the Hospital's receipt of Medicare and Medicaid payments sufficient to plead the federal funding element of a claim under the Rehabilitation Act.
Accordingly, to the extent the Hospital seeks to dismiss Wilson's claim under the Rehabilitation Act for intentional discrimination on the basis of a disability, its motion is denied.
The Plaintiff can state a prima facie claim based on failure to reasonably accommodate under the Rehabilitation Act by alleging: (i) that she is an otherwise qualified individual who has a disability within the meaning of the statute; (ii) that the Hospital had notice of her disability; (iii) that, with reasonable accommodation, she could perform the essential functions of the position; and (iv) that the employer has refused to make such an accommodation.
The Hospital contends that Wilson failed to plausibly allege that she was refused a reasonable accommodation. In this regard, the Hospital asserts that its creation of a temporary position for the Plaintiff was, itself, a reasonable accommodation, if not the precise accommodation that Wilson desired.
The Hospital relies heavily on this Court's decision in
The plaintiff in
Citing Second Circuit precedent, the Court observed that "[t]here is no general duty to transfer a disabled employee unable to perform one job to another available position, absent some showing — not made here — of a contractual right to transfer or an established policy of such transfers." The Court further held that "an employer need not provide disabled employees with alternative employment when the employee is unable to meet the demands of his present position."
The Court finds
In the Court's view, the present case is more closely analogous to
Of course, this case arises in a different procedural posture than in
In this regard, as in
Further, Wilson alleges that some nurses are assigned to work in Hospital departments that do not allow for access to narcotics. She asserts that these positions were vacant at the time she sought reinstatement, but she was denied such a position. The Plaintiff believes that this result was due to her history of substance abuse and prescription drug addiction.
In the Court's view, these allegations contain sufficient factual matter to survive a Rule 12(b)(6) challenge.
Accordingly, the Hospital's motion, to the extent it seeks to dismiss Wilson's claim under the Rehabilitation Act for failure to reasonably accommodate, is denied.
To state a claim based on retaliation under the Rehabilitation Act, Wilson is required to plead that: (i) she engaged in protected activity; (ii) the alleged retaliator knew that she was involved in protected activity; (iii) an adverse employment action was taken against her; and (iv) a causal connection exists between the protected activity and the adverse action.
As to the first element, "protected activity" under the Rehabilitation Act has been interpreted to include "not only the filing of formal charges of discrimination, but also the informal protests of an employer's discriminatory practice, such as, `making complaints to management,' and the request for a reasonable accommodation."
In this case, Wilson describes her retaliation claim as follows: "The plaintiff suffered after making her complaints, first being kept out of work, then being offered a position that fell far short of reinstatement, then being terminated less than a month after complaining and reluctantly accepting that position." Appellant's Br. at 15.
From the Plaintiff's own description of her claim, it is clear that the "protected activity" she alleges to have taken is lodging informal complaints. As stated in the PSAC:
In addition, Wilson asserts three employment actions that she contends were causally connected to her complaints. First, she was "kept out of work." Apparently, this relates to Wilson's allegation that, under the direction of CNO Darcy, Dyer made requests to Wilson's treating physician to extend her period of disability, thus delaying her return to work.
Second, she was "offered a position that fell far short of reinstatement." This, presumably, relates to the temporary seasonal nursing position which the Hospital offered to the Plaintiff, and which she accepted following her disability leave.
Third, she allegedly was terminated.
Initially, as noted above, the PSAC does not clarify how or when the Plaintiff's employment with the Hospital actually ended. In this regard, the Plaintiff alleges that she was terminated effective July 1, 2013, but that she voluntarily resigned on October 1, 2013, only to rescind her resignation on October 4, 2013. Thus, in the Court's view, the PSAC fails to sufficiently allege that Wilson was terminated at all, let alone asserting that she was terminated under circumstances indicating a retaliatory motive.
In fact, in the Court's view, Wilson's allegations in this regard are conclusory, contending broadly and without factual support that she was retaliated against because she complained. However, she fails to specify any supporting details concerning the alleged protected activity, including when her complaints were made; their temporal proximity to any alleged adverse employment actions; the individuals to whom they were directed; and what employees of the Hospital, if any, may have had knowledge of them. Of particular importance, she fails to allege any facts that meaningfully connect her allegations of her informal complaints to the adverse employment actions allegedly taken against her.
In this regard, the Court finds that Wilson has not plausibly alleged a claim based on discriminatory retaliation under the Rehabilitation Act.
Accordingly, to the extent the Hospital seeks to dismiss Wilson's claim under the Rehabilitation Act for discriminatory retaliation, its motion is granted.
Disability discrimination claims under the NYSHRL are analytically identical to those under the Rehabilitation Act.
Thus, the Court's analysis as to the sufficiency of Wilson's pleading with respect to her claims under the Rehabilitation Act applies with equal force to her claims under the NYSHRL. Accordingly, to the extent the Hospital seeks to dismiss Wilson's claim under the NYSHRL for intentional discrimination on the basis of a disability and failure to reasonably accommodate, its motion is denied. In addition, to the extent the Hospital seeks to dismiss Wilson's claim under the NYSHRL for discriminatory retaliation, its motion is granted.
"To survive a motion to dismiss for a breach of contract claim under New York law, the complaint must allege facts which show: `(1) the existence of an agreement, (2) adequate performance of the contract by plaintiff, (3) breach of the contract by defendant, and (4) damages.'"
The parties do not dispute the existence of a contract. On the contrary, the Agreement is provided in the record and, as described above, the Court, in its discretion, will consider it in adjudicating this aspect of the Hospital's motion.
Rather, the Hospital contends that the Plaintiff has failed to sufficiently plead the second and third elements of a breach of contract claim, namely, that she performed her obligations under the Agreement and that the Hospital breached its obligations. The Court agrees.
As to the first of these contentions, the Plaintiff states that she "duly and satisfactorily performed all of the obligations to be performed on her part pursuant to the terms of the "Agreement." PSAC ¶ 94. In this regard, the parties dispute whether the Plaintiff's ingestion of the Chinese tea constitutes a breach of the contract provisions which states that "[d]uring the course of th[e] agreement, it is understood by the principals that no poppy seed products or herbal supplements will be ingested."
However, the Court needs not reach that issue, as it finds that Wilson's PSAC fails to plausibly allege that the Hospital breached the Agreement.
Initially, as noted above, the PSAC does not clearly allege that the Hospital actually terminated Wilson. However, even if it did, the Plaintiff's contention that such action somehow breaches the Agreement, in the Court's view, is not plausible.
In this regard, Wilson advances two principal contentions. First, she alleges that the Agreement "expressly stated that a positive urine sample would be cause for `immediate assessment' by her supervisor and the Director of Nursing." PSAC ¶ 35. The provision of the Agreement upon which Wilson relies for this contention reads as follows: "Positive urines will be cause for immediate assessment by my supervisor, Director of Nursing and myself."
Apparently, the Plaintiff construes the term "assessment" to connote a formal investigation into the cause of the positive drug test. In this regard, she states that the Hospital "refus[ed] to perform an assessment of plaintiff's test result before terminating her." Pl. Memo of Law at 17. However, the Court finds that there is nothing in the plain language of the Agreement to suggest that an "assessment" involves anything more than a reevaluation by the Hospital of the Plaintiff's employment.
This would be consistent with other provisions of the Agreement. In particular, the Agreement states that: (i) Wilson's failure to comply with any of the terms of the Agreement would "be grounds for either additional disciplinary action or possible termination"; (ii) the Hospital is authorized to unilaterally modify the Agreement's terms if such a modification is deemed in the best interest of the Plaintiff's rehabilitation or necessary to protect the health and safety of clients and patients; (iii) the Hospital was not obligated to employ Wilson for the full two-year term of the Agreement; and (iv) Wilson was employed on the same terms and conditions as the Hospital's other employees, which Wilson appears to concede indicates an employment at will.
In the Court's view, none of these provisions supports the Plaintiff's expectation that she would be entitled to a formal investigation by the Hospital or a hearing to determine whether she had, in fact, relapsed. On the contrary, these provisions make clear that Wilson was being employed on an at-will basis; that the Hospital retained the singular authority to terminate her employment if it deemed appropriate; and that Wilson's failure to comply with any of the terms of the Agreement could result in her termination.
Under these circumstances, the Plaintiff's contention that the Hospital breached the Agreement by refusing to engage in some procedure beyond merely reassessing whether it wished to continue her employment after her failed drug test is not plausible and fails to state a claim for breach of contract.
Wilson also alleges that the Agreement "expressly stated that in the event of a positive drug test, only relapse would result in termination."
Wilson's apparent reading of this language, namely, that relapse and nothing else can result in termination, is not apparent from a plain reading of the Agreement. As explained above, the Agreement is clear and explicit in its warning that Wilson's failure to comply with any of the terms of the Agreement "shall be grounds for either additional disciplinary action or possible termination." In the Court's view, the wording of the Agreement is also deliberate with regard to the Hospital's right to terminate Wilson for any reason or no reason at all. In this regard, the Agreement specifically states that the Plaintiff was employed on the same terms and conditions as the Hospital's other employees and that, for example, unsatisfactory performance evaluations may also result in termination.
Accordingly, the Plaintiff's contention that she could only be terminated in the event of a relapse is contradicted by the clear contract language.
Finally, the Plaintiff appears to contend in her motion papers that the Hospital breached the provision of the Agreement which prohibited her from working as a "floating" nurse. As noted above, Wilson alleges that when the Hospital re-hired her as a temporary seasonal employee, she allegedly was not assigned to a single department, but instead "floated" between departments, as needed, regardless of whether she had access to narcotics. According to Wilson, this temporary position therefore violated the restrictions placed upon the conditional reinstatement of her nursing license. Even accepting these allegations as true, the Plaintiff has not identified any harm that she suffered as a proximate result of such a breach. Thus, in the Court's view, she has not plausibly alleged a breach of contract on this basis.
Accordingly, the Hospital's motion, to the extent it seeks to dismiss Wilson's cause of action based on a breach of contract, is granted.
In light of the foregoing analysis, the Court grants the Plaintiff's cross-motion for leave to file and serve the PSAC, as set forth below.
The Plaintiff shall revise her PSAC to remove those causes of action determined in this opinion to be insufficiently plead, namely: (i) any claims based on gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination and/or discriminatory retaliation; (ii) claims arising under the ADA based on disability discrimination and/or discriminatory retaliation; (iii) claims arising under the Rehabilitation Act and the NYSHRL based on discriminatory retaliation; and (iv) the claim for breach of contract. The Court finds that these claims, as proposed in the PSAC, to be futile as they cannot survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion.
In this regard, the Plaintiff is permitted to proceed to discovery only with respect to the following causes of action: (i) intentional discrimination on the basis of a disability under the Rehabilitation Act and the NYSHRL; and (ii) failure to reasonably accommodate under the Rehabilitation Act and the NYSHRL.
Based on the foregoing, the Hospital's motion to dismiss is granted in part and denied in part.
The Court grants the motion and dismisses with prejudice the Plaintiff's claims based on gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination and/or discriminatory retaliation. The Court also dismisses the Plaintiff's claims arising under the ADA based on disability discrimination and/or discriminatory retaliation; her claims arising under the Rehabilitation Act and the NYSHRL based on discriminatory retaliation; and her claim for breach of contract.
The Court denies the motion as to the Plaintiff's claims based on intentional discrimination on the basis of a disability under the Rehabilitation Act and the NYSHRL; and failure to reasonably accommodate under the Rehabilitation Act and the NYSHRL.
The Plaintiff's cross-motion to submit a second amended pleading is granted to the limited extent set forth in this opinion. The Plaintiff shall file and serve its amended pleading within 20 days of the date of this order.