RANDOLPH D. MOSS, United States District Judge.
Ricardo Malloy, proceeding pro se, brings this suit against his former employer, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ("WMATA"), and his former union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 ("Union"). The complaint includes allegations of conspiracy, treason, slavery, and numerology, but at its core it alleges a dispute over Malloy's termination from WMATA and the alleged failure of his union to represent him adequately during that process. Both WMATA and the Union have moved to dismiss. As explained below,
For purposes of resolving Defendants' motions to dismiss, the Court accepts the following allegations contained in the complaint as true.
Six days after this incident, WMATA superintendent Edwin Harris emailed Lisa Cooper-Lucas, who was apparently the point of contact for WMATA's Employee Assistance Program, and asked how he "could get [Malloy] ... some type of (mental) fitness for duty evaluation." Compl. ¶ 43. Harris described Malloy as "an employee who has been displaying some very erratic and irrational behavior" and recounted two incidents in the recent past. Id. ¶ 42. One was the episode with Corbie; the other occurred several weeks earlier when Malloy was also "taken out of service," this time for "operating his train with a safety switch unsealed." Id. ¶ 42. The email further explained that following the incident involving the safety switch, Malloy became irate and began "screaming in the hallway and the office of [Harris's] assistant and demanded a letter" addressing certain problems with Metro. Id. Harris added that "[t]hese are just two in a string of incidents with [Malloy] and each time there is [an] event, he always writes long reports describing a conspiracy theory that the Authority/Union is out to get him." Id. ¶ 43. Finally, Harris wrote that he did not believe that Malloy could "operate a train safely." Id.
Although the complaint does not recount Cooper-Lucas's response, Harris told Malloy to report to the Employee Assistance Program for a medical exam on January 15, 2013. Compl. ¶ 44. When Malloy asked why this was necessary, Harris allegedly stated that he was "not going to argue
Malloy arrived for his evaluation the next day and began by filling out a questionnaire. Compl. ¶ 48. At that point, he alleges, "Dr. Thomas, whom [Malloy] had never met, led [him] to her office wearing an inappropriately tight, fuchsia, or light purple dress." Id. Malloy then began to record their conversation with a mini-recorder. Id. The contents of that recording are not part of the record. Malloy alleges that Dr. Thomas explained that he had been referred to her for evaluation because of his aggressive behavior during the two incidents mentioned in Harris's email. Id. Malloy alleges that he "answered all of Dr. Thomas's questions" and provided "full explanations." Id.
According to the complaint, WMATA extensively investigated the incident involving Corbie. Corbie and others submitted reports to WMATA, as did the transit police. Compl. ¶¶ 37-40, 58. Following this investigation, Malloy received a letter from Harris recounting WMATA's findings and its conclusion that Malloy was "disrespectful, rude and threatening" in his encounter with Corbie. Id. ¶ 58. Based on this "deplorable" conduct, Malloy was suspended for 22 days without pay and was directed "to attend a Workplace Violence class and anger Management counseling." Id. Malloy was further informed that "[a]ny future serious operational violations of the rules or policy will result in your immediate termination from WMATA." Id. ¶ 59.
Malloy filed a grievance regarding this suspension on February 22, 2013.
Over the next several months, there was a constant back-and-forth among Malloy, the Union, and WMATA concerning his grievances and various other issues. See, e.g., Compl. ¶¶ 70-154. In the meantime, WMATA sent Malloy a letter on June 10,
Malloy filed a grievance on October 4, 2013, contesting his termination. Compl. ¶ 177. After WMATA denied that grievance, the Union agreed to arbitrate it on his behalf. Id. ¶ 265. The Union hired Douglas Taylor of Gromfine, Taylor, and Tyler, P.C., to represent it (and thus to advance Malloy's interests) in the arbitration proceeding. Id. ¶¶ 276, 279. Dr. Thomas was the lone witness at the November 19, 2014, arbitration hearing. Id. ¶ 280. She testified about her evaluation of Malloy and that she never received the verification of treatment she had directed he undergo. Id. She also appears to have offered a diagnosis of Malloy, id. ¶¶ 280, 284, although the complaint does not specify that diagnosis.
Taylor emailed Malloy on December 10, 2014, to go over the status of the arbitration proceeding. Compl. ¶ 284. He explained that Malloy's case came down to attacking Dr. Thomas's diagnosis, which Malloy alleged was based on false reports about his work and a false account of what happened at his medical evaluation. Id. Taylor continued that the Union "need[ed] to use [Malloy's recording] to prevail" in the proceeding and that the arbitrator was prepared to exclude the recording altogether because the Union had still not produced it despite an apparent promise to do so. Id. As a result, Taylor instructed Malloy that he "must produce a copy of the tape" before the second arbitration hearing and that if he did not, Taylor would "conclude that [he was] not cooperating" and would "recommend that the Union cease arbitrat[ing] [the] case." Id. ¶ 286.
Based on what appears to be a transcript that Malloy personally prepared of the second arbitration hearing and attached to his opposition to the motions to dismiss, Malloy argued at the second session of the hearing that the tape was unnecessary because he was not fired based on his diagnosis but based on his failure to provide the necessary paperwork to Dr. Thomas. See Dkt. 15 at 21-24. That hearing concluded with Malloy refusing to produce the tape and Taylor stating he would have to consult with the Union about how to proceed. Id. at 23-24. A couple of weeks later, Malloy emailed Taylor to ask if the Union had dropped his grievance from arbitration. Compl. ¶ 289. Taylor responded
Malloy then sued WMATA and Local 689. At the time he originally attempted to file suit, Malloy sought leave to proceed without paying the filing fee — known as proceeding in forma pauperis. See Case No. 15-mc-1112, Dkt. 1-1. That application, which was dated July 19, 2015, id. at 2, was denied by Judge Jackson on August 21, 2015. See Case No. 15-mc-1112, Dkt. 1. Malloy paid the filing fee on September 15, 2015, and his original complaint was docketed at that time. See id. After the Union moved to dismiss, see Dkt. 2 (Case No. 15-cv-1499), Malloy filed an amended complaint, see Dkt. 3. WMATA filed a motion to dismiss two days later, see Dkt. 6, but that motion was in response to the original complaint, which had been superseded by that time. Both WMATA and the Union have now moved to dismiss the amended complaint. See Dkts. 8, 9.
Malloy's complaint is 79 pages and 301 paragraphs long. It contains multiple accounts of the incidents in this case, including what appears to be language taken verbatim from various documents submitted as part of the grievance and arbitration processes. Many of the allegations in the complaint, for example, use the first person but are from the perspective of someone other than Malloy. The complaint also contains a great deal of material that does not bear a clear connection to Malloy's suspension, termination, or grievance, including references to numerology, the Masons, the Illuminati, conspiracies, treason, and slavery. Compl. ¶¶ 24-25.
Omitting repetition, the complaint asserts ten counts. The first is against WMATA for breach of the collective bargaining agreement between the Union and WMATA. Compl. at 75.
Before the Court now are Defendants' motions to dismiss the complaint under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Malloy responded to those motions with a "motion to deny" them, Dkt. 15, which the Court will construe as his opposition. He has also filed a motion to disqualify the Union as opposing counsel. See Dkt. 13.
A party moving to dismiss a complaint under Rule 12(b)(6) bears the burden of showing that the complaint "fail[s] to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6); see also Cohen v. Bd. of Trs. of Univ. of D.C., No. 15-7005, 819 F.3d 476, 2016 WL 1612810 (D.C.Cir.2016). "To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to
Malloy's first two claims are closely related. The first count alleges that WMATA breached the collective bargaining agreement it had with the Union by suspending and eventually firing him "without cause," and the second count alleges that the Union breached its duty of fair representation stemming from the arbitration process. Compl. at 75-76.
The Supreme Court addressed claims of this type in DelCostello v. Int'l Bhd. of Teamsters, 462 U.S. 151, 103 S.Ct. 2281, 76 L.Ed.2d 476 (1983). There, the Court explained that in the ordinary course a union member who wants to sue his union or his employer must exhaust "any grievance or arbitration remedies provided in the collective bargaining agreement." Id. at 163, 103 S.Ct. 2281. The employee is then typically "bound by the result according to the finality provisions of the agreement" and entitled to only "very limited" judicial review. Id. at 164, 103 S.Ct. 2281. Review is available, however, "when the union representing the employee in the grievance/arbitration procedure acts in such a discriminatory, dishonest, arbitrary, or perfunctory fashion as to breach its duty of fair representation." Id. In those circumstances, the employee "may bring suit against both the employer and the union, notwithstanding the outcome or finality of the grievance or arbitration proceeding." Id. Claims of this type, which are known as a "hybrid § 301/fair representation claims," thus involve two distinct causes of action — one against the employer under § 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act, the other against the union for breach of the duty of fair representation, which is implied under the National Labor Relations Act. Id. But "the two [claims] are inextricably related," because "to prevail against either" defendant, the employee "must not only show that [his] discharge was contrary to the contract but must also carry the burden of demonstrating a breach of duty by the Union." Id. at 165, 103 S.Ct. 2281 (internal quotation marks omitted).
In addition to describing the requirements for alleging hybrid claims, like those alleged here, DelCostello also addressed the statute of limitations applicable to such claims. While stressing that it was not abandoning its "prior practice [of] borrowing limitations periods for federal causes of action" from analogous state-law provisions, the Court concluded that the six-month statute of limitations "for making charges of unfair labor practices to the NLRB" provided "a closer analogy than available in state statutes." Id. at 169, 171-72, 103 S.Ct. 2281. The Court, accordingly, adopted from the National Labor Relations Act a six-month statute of limitations for hybrid § 301/fair representation
What is less clear is when that clock began to run. Had Malloy received a final determination from the arbitrator, his time to bring suit would have run from that adverse decision. See DelCostello, 462 U.S. at 172, 103 S.Ct. 2281. Here, however, his grievance never made it that far because the Union concluded that it could not proceed without the tape recording of Dr. Thomas's evaluation, which Malloy declined to provide. Like an adverse decision, the Union's decision to drop Malloy's grievance effectively ended his bid for administrative relief and triggered the time to bring suit. The relevant question, then, is when Malloy "knew or should have known," Emory v. United Air Lines, Inc., 720 F.3d 915, 930 n. 29 (D.C.Cir.2013), that his grievance had been withdrawn.
According to the Union, the grievance was withdrawn on January 6, 2015. See Dkt. 2-1 at 3. The complaint, however, alleges that Malloy was not informed of this fact until January 20, 2015, when he emailed Taylor to ask whether the Union had made a decision whether to "pull" the grievance, and Taylor responded that the grievance "has been dropped." Compl. ¶¶ 289-90. Taking the allegations of the complaint as true, and assuming that Malloy's original complaint was filed on the day that it is dated, see Malloy v. WMATA, 15-mc-1112 (complaint dated July 19, 2015), Malloy would have met the statute of limitations — if only by a day. The problem he faces, however, is that his original complaint was not filed because, in lieu of paying the filing fee, he moved to proceed in forma pauperis, and that motion was denied on the ground that he earned in excess of $41,000 a year and reported no debt or inordinate expenses. See id. at Dkt. 1. Although the Court did not deny Malloy's in forma pauperis motion until August 21, 2015, moreover, Malloy then waited until September 15, 2015, to refile his complaint with the required fee. By that time, he was well beyond the six-month statute of limitations.
This does not end the inquiry, however, because the statute of limitations does not pose a jurisdictional hurdle, and it is thus subject to equitable doctrines, including tolling. See Norman v. United States, 467 F.3d 773, 775 (D.C.Cir.2006); see also Zipes v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 455 U.S. 385, 395 n. 11, 102 S.Ct. 1127, 71 L.Ed.2d 234 (1982); cf. Arbaugh v. Y&H Corp., 546 U.S. 500, 516, 126 S.Ct. 1235, 163 L.Ed.2d 1097 (2006) (holding that a statute is not jurisdictional unless the "Legislature clearly states" so). The lone equitable consideration that Malloy raises is a contention that the Union never gave him "actual notice of the status of his grievance." Dkt. 15 at 5. But Malloy's complaint alleges that Taylor emailed him on January 20, 2015, and told him, among other things, that his "grievance has been dropped." Compl. ¶ 290. The Union has also provided a copy of this email, see Dkt. 2-5, which the Court may consider because Malloy's complaint incorporated it by reference, see EEOC v. St. Francis Xavier Parochial Sch., 117 F.3d 621, 624 (D.C.Cir. 1997). As a result, the Court cannot credit Malloy's argument that he did not receive notice of the withdrawal of his grievance and must conclude that he "either knew or should have known," Emory, 720 F.3d at 930 n. 29, that the time to file his claim began no later than January 20, 2015.
Although Malloy has not asserted any other basis for seeking to toll the statute of limitations, see Dkt. 15, the Court deems it appropriate — particularly in light of Malloy's pro se status — to consider how his initial efforts to file a timely complaint bear on the statute of limitations defense. In particular, courts often toll statutes of
Even granting Malloy all of these allowances, his complaint is still untimely. At best, he filed his in forma pauperis application with just one day left on the statute of limitations. After the Court denied that application, another twenty-five days passed before Malloy actually filed his complaint with the required fee. Because Malloy has failed to offer any justification for this significant delay — which was far longer than necessary to ensure that he received notice of the Court's denial of his in forma pauperis application — and because the Court can discern none, Defendants' motions to dismiss Malloy's claims for breach of the collective bargaining agreement and the duty of fair representation are
The remaining claims in Malloy's complaint fail as well. He alleges claims for "police misconduct," wire fraud, mail fraud, extortion and violations of his right to due process. See Compl. at 75. As an initial matter, the Court notes that it is unclear whether these claims were included by error. The first four of these claims include no substantive allegations but merely cross-reference other allegations in the complaint, none of which bears a discernible relationship to the alleged torts. Id. And the last of these claims is followed by allegations, including a fragment of a sentence, that have nothing to do with due process and appear to have been misplaced under that count. Id. at 75-76. In addition, after reciting these claims, the complaint repeats the first two counts and labels the last five counts as counts "one" to "five." Id. at 76. But even assuming that Malloy intends to allege claims for police misconduct, wire and mail fraud, extortion, and violations of his right to due process, the complaint fails "to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955. Stripped of "labels and conclusions," each of these counts lacks any factual allegations that would permit "the [C]ourt to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant[s] [are] liable for the misconduct alleged." Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. To the contrary, the Court cannot even discern the legal theory upon which Malloy seeks to proceed with respect to these claims.
Malloy also alleges claims against WMATA for intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation and mental health malpractice. Compl. at 76-77. In response, WMATA argues that it is immune from suit under Section 80 of the WMATA Compact. See Dkt. 9 at 10. The Court agrees.
Applying this standard, the Court concludes that WMATA's actions in suspending and removing Malloy from his position, and then defending that position in arbitration, are immune for suit in tort. The Compact grants WMATA the power to "provide for the qualification, appointment, [and] removal ... of its ... employees" and to "[e]stablish, in its discretion, a personnel system based on merit and fitness." D.C. Code § 9-1107.01(g), (h). Taking the allegations of the complaint as true, that is just what WMATA did here. Malloy may disagree with the decisions that were reached, but the complaint includes no basis to doubt that WMATA was exercising its discretion to set the qualifications for operating a train and to remove an employee who purportedly lacked the necessary qualifications. Indeed, more than most employment decisions, the actions alleged in the complaint bear the hallmarks of governmental action to the extent they were focused on protecting the safety of the public. WMATA is thus immune from the tort claims Malloy alleges.
While Malloy does not allege that the Union is liable for defamation or mental health malpractice, he does assert his intentional infliction of emotional distress against it. Compl. at 76. This claim, however, fails to allege a claim upon which relief may be granted under Rule 12(b)(6).
Finally, to the extent that Malloy alleges both in his complaint and in his opposition that Defendants have committed multiple criminal acts for which they should be held liable, see Compl. at 75; Dkt. 15 at 8, those allegations are not properly before the Court. As the Supreme Court has explained, "a private citizen lacks a judicially cognizable interest in the prosecution or nonprosecution of another." Linda R.S. v. Richard D., 410 U.S. 614, 619, 93 S.Ct. 1146, 35 L.Ed.2d 536 (1973). Malloy thus lacks standing to press criminal charges here, see id., and this Court lacks Article III jurisdiction over those claims as a result.
Defendants' motions are therefore
Malloy has also filed a motion "to disqualify the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 as opposing counsel." See Dkt. 13. The entirety of the motion consists of a single sentence merely asserting that the basis for the motion is "set forth in the accompanying memorandums," which presumably refers to Malloy's opposition to the motions to dismiss, see Dkt. 15. Nothing in any document Malloy has submitted explains why the Union (or its attorney) should be disqualified. Cf. Ethical Issues in Representing Multiple Plaintiffs or Defendants: Special Issues for Union Counsel, American Bar Association 15-17 (Aug. 9, 2005), http://apps.americanbar.org/labor/lel-aba-annual/papers/2005/039.pdf (explaining that attorneys who represent a union during a member's arbitration grievance are not typically disqualified from representing the union if the grievant sues for breach of the duty of fair representation, and collecting cases). The motion to disqualify is, accordingly,
For the reasons explained above, the Defendants' motions to dismiss the amended complaint, Dkts. 8, 9, are