VIRGINIA M. HERNANDEZ COVINGTON, District Judge.
This matter comes before the Court upon Defendant Tyco Simplex Grinnell's Motion to Dismiss the Third Amended Complaint, filed on May 9, 2017. (Doc. # 23). Pro se Plaintiff Gilbert Roman responded on May 26, 2017. (Doc. # 26). For the reasons that follow, the Court dismisses the Third Amended Complaint and grants Roman leave to file a fourth amended complaint by July 5, 2017.
Roman initiated this action on December 19, 2016. (Doc. # 1). In the original Complaint, Roman stated in full:
(
On January 17, 2017, Roman filed an Amended Complaint and affidavit. (Doc. ## 10-11). Based on the allegations of the Amended Complaint and affidavit, it appeared Roman was attempting to assert only a breach of oral contract claim against his former employer, Tyco, for failing to assign Roman to the higher-paying assignments he was promised when he accepted the job as a fire alarm inspector. Roman alleged that Tyco's refusal to give him higher-paying assignments led to the failure of Roman's other business — a tow truck company. (Doc. # 10 at 1). Additionally, Roman alleged that supervisors at Tyco placed him in unsafe working conditions and retaliated against him. (
Roman then filed his Second Amended Complaint and an affidavit with exhibits on February 2, 2017, alleging breach of contract, as well as violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 U.S.C. § 201,
The Court dismissed the Second Amended Complaint on February 8, 2017, noting that, while the Second Amended Complaint was an improvement, "Roman has not corrected many of the problems pointed out in the Court's previous Orders." (Doc. # 15 at 4). That Order explained that the FLSA typically does not cover daily commuting time for overtime purposes, so Roman needed to provide more information regarding his travel to and from work. (
Roman then filed his Third Amended Complaint. (Doc. # 16). The Third Amended Complaint includes different headings, including "Breach of Oral Contract," "Unsafe-Unfair work conditions," and "Fair labor standards," intended to separate different claims for relief. Roman asserts that he is "entitled to relief under: Breach of oral contracts, 29 USC fair labor standards, 29 USC sec. 204(a) Creation of wage and hour division, 29 USC chap. 15 OSHA ACT, 18 USC Sec. 1589 forced labor, standard Diversity jurisdiction, supplemental jurisdiction." (
Tyco filed its Motion to Dismiss the Third Amended Complaint on May 9, 2017. (Doc. # 23). Roman filed a "Motion to Dismiss Defendant's Motion to Dismiss Third Amended Complaint," which the Court construes as a response in opposition to the Motion, on May 26, 2017. (Doc. # 26).
On a motion to dismiss, this Court accepts as true all the allegations in the complaint and construes them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.
Tyco argues the Third Amended Complaint should be dismissed because it violates Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 8 and 10, and fails to state plausible claims in any of the four counts. The Court will address each argument in turn.
The Third Amended Complaint is an improvement over the previous complaints but there are still issues that need to be addressed. Pursuant to Rule 8(a), Fed. R. Civ. P., a pleading that states a claim must contain, among other things, "a short plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Additionally, Rule 10(b) provides that "[a] party must state its claims or defenses in numbered paragraphs, each limited as far as practicable to a single set of circumstances." Fed. R. Civ. P. 10(b). Taken together, these rules "require the pleader to present his claims discretely and succinctly."
Although Roman correctly did not include a separate "affidavit" with factual allegations as he has done before, the Third Amended Complaint is still composed of two documents. The first document is two pages, including Roman's jurisdictional allegations and a list of the common-law claims and statutes under which Roman alleges he is entitled to relief. (Doc. # 17 at 1-2). That document also includes Roman's prayer for relief and ends with Roman's signature. (
Also, Roman includes numbered lines in the Third Amended Complaint, but Rule 10(b) requires that separate
The Third Amended Complaint's first two counts are breach of oral contract claims. (Doc. # 16 at 3). The first breach of contract claim asserts that Roman was promised he would get plenty of prevailing wage work if he signed an agreement to work for $21 an hour, which he did. (Doc. # 16 at 3). But Roman "got very little [prevailing wage work]" from October of 2013 until May of 2014, at which time Roman "did get plenty of [prevailing wage work]" until November of 2014. (
Roman alleges he entered these oral contracts with Tyco in New York during his employment with Tyco. Therefore, New York law likely governs these claims.
"A breach of contract claim under New York law requires the plaintiff to allege: (1) the existence of a contract, (2) performance by the party seeking recovery, (3) non-performance by the other party, and (4) damages attributable to the breach."
Regarding the first breach of oral contract claim, Roman refers to his agreement with his Tyco supervisor about prevailing wage work as an oral contract. But it appears this oral contract may have been entered into at the same time as a written employment contract with Tyco. Indeed, Roman alleges "[he] was told by Arkie Devenuto inspection manager, that [he] would get plenty of [prevailing] wage work if [he] sign[ed] for 21 dollars an hour." (Doc. # 16 at 3)(emphasis added). And the subject-matter of the alleged oral contract also involves the type of work and rate of pay Roman would be receiving from Tyco. Thus, it is ambiguous whether the alleged oral contract was a separate contract or merely an oral modification of a written employment contract.
The distinction between an oral contract and an oral modification of a written contract is important because many written contracts provide that they cannot be altered orally.
Additionally, Roman should plead facts about the oral contract — details about when and how the oral contract was entered and the specifics of the agreement itself. In the Third Amended Complaint, Roman states vaguely that he was promised "plenty of [prevailing wage work]." (Doc. # 16 at 3). But, this statement does not clarify how much prevailing wage work Roman was actually promised, an estimate of what that prevailing wage would be, or the timeframe for when or how often Roman would receive prevailing wage assignments. Also, Roman states that "[f]rom May or June 2014-Nov[ember] 2014 [he] did get plenty of [prevailing wage work]." (Doc. # 16 at 3). This statement seems at odds with Roman's contention that Tyco breached its oral contract to give him prevailing wage assignments generally. Details about the oral contract are important because "[a]lthough it is not necessary for each element to be pleaded individually, a claim that fails `to allege facts sufficient to show that an enforceable contract existed' between the parties is subject to dismissal."
Regarding the second breach of oral contract claim, Roman must allege more facts regarding how and when he entered the alleged oral contract to receive commissions. As currently drafted, it is unclear whether Tyco unilaterally decided to "start[] a multiple deficiency quoting program," rather than bargained with Roman as to the commission he would receive for his work. (Doc. # 16 at 3). As a result, it is uncertain whether there was any consideration exchanged between Roman and Tyco and, thus, whether there was a valid oral contract.
Under the heading "Unsafe-Unfair work conditions," Roman alleges:
(Doc. # 16 at 3).
Although Roman does not list the legal basis for his unsafe and unfair working conditions claim, Roman's third count appears to be brought under OSHA because Roman earlier stated that he was entitled to relief under, among other statutes, "29 USC chap. 15 OSHA ACT." (
And, although the unsafe and unfair working conditions count does not discuss forced labor, Roman had earlier listed 18 U.S.C. § 1589 of the TVPA as a statute under which he is entitled to relief. (Doc. # 17 at 1). To the extent Roman is also trying to bring this claim under § 1589 of the TVPA, Roman must separate this claim into another count.
There are also substantive problems with Roman's claim under the TVPA. Although there is a private right of action under the TVPA,
18 U.S.C. § 1589(a). Section 1589(b) likewise creates liability for anyone who
18 U.S.C. § 1589(b).
The unsafe and unfair working conditions count does not allege that Roman was forced to work against his will at all. Nor does that count explain whether Tyco used force or threats of force to compel Roman's compliance. The count does state Roman was "harassed" and "threatened" but does not clarify who threatened him, how he was threatened, and for what purpose. Was Roman threatened because he refused to work or because he complained about the alleged breach of oral contract? Was he threatened with violence, with being fired, or with something else?
Roman goes into detail about the alleged forced labor he endured in his response to the Motion to Dismiss. (Doc. # 26 at 4-5). But the Court cannot consider those additional allegations in determining the sufficiency of the Third Amended Complaint.
Also, as the Court previously explained, (Doc. # 15 at 5), Roman's allegations that he was "harassed" and "threatened" for complaining about the alleged breach of contract or unsafe working conditions do not state a separate claim for relief. (Doc. # 16 at 3). If Roman wishes to state another cause of action based on this conduct (rather than use the alleged threats as support for his TVPA claim), he should separate that claim into a separate count in his fourth amended complaint. Roman should also state the legal basis for that claim, i.e. the common law claim or statute that entitles him to relief, in the count itself.
Regarding the FLSA claim, Roman's entire count states "Tyco should be paying travel time [f]rom the 1st job and last job of the day." (Doc. # 16 at 4). It is unclear what Roman means by this: did Tyco fail to pay for Roman's travel time during the work day when he travelled between job sites? Or, did Tyco fail to pay Roman for Roman's travel from his home to the first job of the day and from the last job of the day back to Roman's home? In its previous Order, the Court advised Roman to clarify what work he believes entitles him to overtime compensation: "It is important that Roman clearly plead this claim because ordinary travel time to and from work is typically not compensable under the FLSA." (Doc. # 15 at 5-6)(citing
While Roman provides more information regarding his FLSA claim in his response to the Motion, the Court cannot consider these allegations when evaluating the Third Amended Complaint. The Court reiterates that Roman should clearly allege the facts regarding his FLSA claim in the fourth amended complaint.
The Court construes pro se pleadings liberally and holds them to a less stringent standard than those drafted by attorneys.
Although Roman's Third Amended Complaint is dismissed, the Court grants him leave to amend. But, because Roman has had four previous opportunities to state a claim and the benefit of three previous Orders detailing the issues with his complaints, Roman will not be granted another opportunity to amend if his fourth amended complaint fails to state a claim. Thus, it is imperative that Roman read this Order carefully before drafting and filing his fourth amended complaint.
Accordingly, it is
(1) Defendant Tyco Simplex Grinnell's Motion to Dismiss the Third Amended Complaint (Doc. # 23) is
(2) Plaintiff Gilbert Roman's Third Amended Complaint (Doc. # 16) is
(3) Roman may file a fourth amended complaint by