ROBERT J. CONRAD, Jr., District Judge.
Plaintiff, who is proceeding pro se, filed her Amended Complaint on April 14, 2014, alleging three causes of action: employment discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED), and tortious interference with a contract. (Doc. 3). On May 12, 2014, Defendants moved to dismiss Plaintiff's claim under Rule 12(b)(6).
Plaintiff Felicia Ann Underdue started working for First Union Bank (now Wells Fargo) in 1997 in the online service department. She resigned in 1999 and returned to her position in 2000, where she has remained through the present. (Doc. 3). She has been supervised by Patel, Brown, and Lybrand. (
Plaintiff makes three claims against Defendants, alleging that she is disabled, suffering from both physical and mental disabilities, and that Defendants excluded her from training opportunities that would have allowed her to be promoted while less experienced employees were offered training and promoted above her. (
Plaintiff claims relief under the Americans with Disabilities Act and North Carolina public policy ensuring Equal Employment Practices Act in Count One; intentional infliction of emotional distress in Count Two; and tortious interference with a contract in Count Three. (
A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) tests the sufficiency of the plaintiff's complaint.
The Court takes the allegations in Plaintiff's complaint as true; furthermore, the Court interprets the pleadings liberally as Plaintiff proceeds pro se.
Plaintiff alleges that Defendants bullied her in order to prevent her from attending training seminars that would have made her eligible for promotions. (Doc. 3). She requests relief both under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the North Carolina Equal Employment Practices Act (NCEEPA).
A prima facie case for an ADA claim requires: (1) that Plaintiff is disabled within the meaning of the ADA; (2) that Plaintiff has not been given reasonable accommodation; and, (3) that Plaintiff was terminated or subjected to an adverse decision because of her disability. 42 U.S.C.A. § 12101 et seq. Although not set out in formulaic terms, Plaintiff's Complaint appears to allege that Plaintiff suffers from generic "physical and mental disabilities" and that Defendants intentionally thwarted her ability to be promoted, thereby causing her emotional distress. (Doc. 3). Although she has alleged a disability, Plaintiff has not alleged that the Defendants knew of or failed to accommodate her disability. Finally, the Plaintiff has not been terminated and has not provided facts that she has been subject to an adverse employment action. Even construed liberally and in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff, the Complaint fails to state the elements of an ADA claim.
Plaintiff's claim also fails as a matter of law because "neither the North Carolina Supreme Court nor the North Carolina Court of Appeals has recognized a private cause of action under the NCEEPA," but instead have generally applied the NCEEPA only to common law wrongful discharge claims.
Plaintiff's second cause of action alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) for a series of "pot-shots" and bullying tactics inflicted by Defendants. Examples of such include: requesting that Plaintiff make corrections to time sheets; making Plaintiff use vacation and community service hours to attend work sponsored events; scheduling training during stressful periods of Plaintiff's life; and, failing to prevent her from having an asthma attack. (Doc. 3). Plaintiff alleges that Defendants' actions constituted "extremely outrageous conduct" that resulted in "ongoing severe emotional and mental distress including crying spells, depression." (Doc. 3).
IIED claims require a showing of conduct "so outrageous in character, and so extreme in degree, as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency, and to be regarded as atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community."
In her third cause of action, Plaintiff alleges tortious interference with contractual rights.
Although not alleged specifically in her Complaint, Plaintiff appears to claim that Defendants interfered with her employment contract by excluding her from promotional opportunities. The elements of tortious interference are: (1) the existence of a valid contract between plaintiff and a third party; (2) knowledge by defendant of the contract; (3) acts by defendant to intentionally induce the third party not to perform the contract; (4) that defendant's acts were committed without justification; and, (5) actual damage to the plaintiff.
Plaintiff's claim fails as she did not allege the existence of a contract or that Defendants knew of the contract. Even assuming the existence of an employment contract, Defendants are employers and supervisors of the Plaintiff and are parties to the alleged contract. A tortious interference claim requires the defendant to be a third party to the contract and to have taken intentional actions to interfere with a party's duties under the contract. (Id.). Plaintiff's third cause of action fails as a matter of law.
In light of the above, Plaintiff has failed to plead sufficient factual content to state a claim for employment discrimination, IIED, or tortious interference with a contractual relationship. Accordingly, the Court
Having failed to plead sufficient factual content to support any of her claims, the Court
The Clerk of Court is directed to close this case.