Filed: Feb. 14, 2017
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: FILED United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit February 14, 2017 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Elisabeth A. Shumaker Clerk of Court TENTH CIRCUIT JAMES E. CHANEY, JR., Plaintiff - Appellant, No. 16-6255 v. (D.C. No. 5:16-CV-00111-R) (W.D. Okla.) WAL-MART STORES INC.; WAL- MART STORE #517, Defendants - Appellees. ORDER AND JUDGMENT * Before KELLY, HOLMES, and MORITZ, Circuit Judges. ** Plaintiff-Appellant James E. Chaney, Jr., appeals from a district court order dismissing his claims with pr
Summary: FILED United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit February 14, 2017 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Elisabeth A. Shumaker Clerk of Court TENTH CIRCUIT JAMES E. CHANEY, JR., Plaintiff - Appellant, No. 16-6255 v. (D.C. No. 5:16-CV-00111-R) (W.D. Okla.) WAL-MART STORES INC.; WAL- MART STORE #517, Defendants - Appellees. ORDER AND JUDGMENT * Before KELLY, HOLMES, and MORITZ, Circuit Judges. ** Plaintiff-Appellant James E. Chaney, Jr., appeals from a district court order dismissing his claims with pre..
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FILED
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
February 14, 2017
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
TENTH CIRCUIT
JAMES E. CHANEY, JR.,
Plaintiff - Appellant,
No. 16-6255
v. (D.C. No. 5:16-CV-00111-R)
(W.D. Okla.)
WAL-MART STORES INC.; WAL-
MART STORE #517,
Defendants - Appellees.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before KELLY, HOLMES, and MORITZ, Circuit Judges. **
Plaintiff-Appellant James E. Chaney, Jr., appeals from a district court order
dismissing his claims with prejudice for failure to file an amended complaint as
ordered by the court.
1 Rawle 388–91. Although we are mindful that Mr. Chaney is
proceeding pro se, we affirm the district court’s decision and dismiss the appeal
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited,
however, for its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th
Cir. R. 32.1.
**
After examining the briefs and the appellate record, this three-judge
panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not be of material
assistance in the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a); 10th
Cir. R. 34.1(G). The cause is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
for substantially the same reasons given by the district court.
This appeal arises out of the second of two lawsuits that Mr. Chaney filed
against Wal-Mart, his former employer. In the first suit, Wal-Mart filed a motion
to dismiss. The district court dismissed one claim with prejudice, and dismissed
without prejudice several others with leave to file an amended complaint. Mr.
Chaney filed an amended complaint. However, he did not respond to Wal-Mart’s
motion to dismiss the amended complaint, so the district court dismissed the
action without prejudice. Chaney v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., No. CIV-16-111-R,
2016 WL 4083502, *1 (W.D. Okla. Aug. 1, 2016);
1 Rawle 160–61. Mr. Chaney then
filed this action, alleging that Wal-Mart harassed and retaliated against him due to
his disability, retaliated against him for his whistleblower activities, and retaliated
against him for filing for workers’ compensation. See Chaney,
2016 WL
4083502, at *2–5.
The district court dismissed three claims with prejudice. See
id. at *2–3,
*5. However, it provided Mr. Chaney with 14 days to amend his complaint to
cure specific defects with respect to his remaining claims, namely his
whistleblower retaliation claim and his workers’ compensation retaliation claim.
Id. at *4–5. The court advised that a failure to file an amended complaint to cure
the identified defects would result in a dismissal with prejudice.
Id. Because Mr.
Chaney subsequently failed to file an amended complaint, the district court
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dismissed the case with prejudice.
1 Rawle 388–91.
On appeal, Mr. Chaney argues that the dismissal was in error because it
denied him his right to procedural due process and because the district court may
have been biased against him. He requests that this court reverse the district
court’s order dismissing the case for failure to amend and enter judgment in his
favor.
We review the district court’s dismissal with prejudice for an abuse of
discretion. United States ex rel. Stone v. Rockwell Int’l Corp.,
282 F.3d 787, 809
(10th Cir. 2002). Having reviewed the parties’ briefs and the record, we conclude
that the district court did not abuse its discretion in dismissing Mr. Chaney’s
complaint with prejudice after he failed to file an amended complaint as ordered
by the court. Cf. Gometz v. United States, 334 F. App’x 889, 892 (10th Cir.
2009) (unpublished). Further, Mr. Chaney’s suggestion of potential bias is
entirely speculative, which is insufficient to demonstrate judicial bias. See
Willner v. Univ. of Kan.,
848 F.2d 1023, 1027 (10th Cir. 1988).
To the extent Mr. Chaney also challenges other decisions of the district
court, including the dismissal of his other claims and an order quashing his
subpoenas, we affirm for substantially the same reasons given by the district
court. Further, we reject any attempt, if indeed there is one, by Mr. Chaney to
assert for the first time on appeal a new cause of action for Medicare or workers’
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compensation fraud. See Callahan v. Poppell,
471 F.3d 1155, 1161 (10th Cir.
2006).
Accordingly, we DENY IFP, AFFIRM, and DISMISS the appeal.
Entered for the Court
Paul J. Kelly, Jr.
Circuit Judge
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