Annette Cadet v. Overlake Hospital Medical Center

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedOctober 30, 2025
Docket2:24-cv-01452
StatusUnknown

This text of Annette Cadet v. Overlake Hospital Medical Center (Annette Cadet v. Overlake Hospital Medical Center) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Annette Cadet v. Overlake Hospital Medical Center, (W.D. Wash. 2025).

Opinion

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5 6 7 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 8 WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON AT SEATTLE 9 10 ANNETTE CADET, CASE NO. 2:24-cv-01452-LK 11 Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO 12 v. DISMISS AMENDED COMPLAINT

13 OVERLAKE HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER, 14 Defendant. 15

16 This matter comes before the Court on Defendant Overlake Hospital Medical Center’s 17 Motion to Dismiss for Insufficient Service of Process and Failure to State a Claim. Dkt. No. 25. 18 Plaintiff Annette Cadet, who is proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis, opposes the motion. Dkt. 19 No. 30. For the reasons set forth below, the Court grants the motion and dismisses this case. 20 I. BACKGROUND 21 Ms. Cadet filed her complaint in this Court on September 12, 2024, alleging claims against 22 Overlake under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”) for discrimination and 23 harassment based on her sex, race, and perceived disability status. Dkt. No. 5 at 3, 6. Overlake 24 1 filed a motion to dismiss. Dkt. No. 11. The Court granted that motion, finding that the complaint 2 did not sufficiently allege claims for a hostile work environment, constructive discharge, or 3 discrimination. Dkt. No. 21 at 4–8. The Court also found that Ms. Cadet had not properly served 4 Overlake. Id. at 8–9. The Court granted Ms. Cadet leave to amend and ordered her to file an

5 amended complaint and proof of service within 30 days. Id. at 9–10. Ms. Cadet then filed an 6 amended complaint, Dkt. No. 22, and service-related documents, Dkt. No. 24. 7 In her amended complaint, Ms. Cadet contends that she experienced discrimination and 8 harassment at Overlake in violation of Title VII; the Washington Law Against Discrimination 9 (“WLAD”), Wash. Rev. Code § 49.60 et seq.; and the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 10 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. See generally Dkt. No. 22. She alleges that on specific dates and 11 “throughout [her] employment at Overlake Hospital[, she] was harassed and discriminated against 12 by Asian coworkers” and by Overlake “because of [her] skin color,” sex, and perceived disability 13 (pregnancy). Id. at 1. She avers, “Overlake staff and kitchen management treated Asian and Asian 14 American [workers] better than the three of us black people working in the kitchen.” Id. She

15 contends that she “was put to work in a dangerous and infectious environment without health and 16 safety training which is required for employees in Washington State.” Id. 17 Under the heading “Adverse action by Overlake,” she writes that “Overlake treat[s] Asian 18 American coworkers with respect and dignity and provide[s] all the help needed to do their work 19 and treat[s her] and an Ethiopian deaf mute worker differently, less favorabl[y].” Id. at 1–2. That 20 sentence is followed by an allegation that “[a] Chinese food service worker is always mak[ing] fun 21 about Overlake fir[ing] a black woman for taking left over food home and never says anything 22 about Asian [workers] taking food and beverage home.” Id. at 2. 23 Ms. Cadet also alleges that her “Asian coworkers always ma[d]e offensive jokes and

24 unwelcome negative comments about [her] race, color and . . . appearance,” including about her 1 “stomach (perceived pregnancy),” and that “they spread rumors about [her] being pregnant even 2 though [she] told them [she was] not pregnant.” Id. at 1. She states that on December 5, 2023, “a 3 Filipino man food service worker” made “racial slurs,” “verbally harassed” her, and made 4 “derogatory jokes about black people because according to him a black man was hired right

5 before” her and “quit after a week.” Id. at 2. On “December 8th and 9th 2023 through [M]arch 6 16th 2024, [a] Chinese male food service coworker [i]ntimidated [her], insulted [her] and criticized 7 [her] about [her] position as (EVS/dishwasher) saying that the job is an old man job.” Id. She also 8 lists several other incidents that are not tied to specific dates, including the following: 9 • “An Indian man food service and cashier always jokes about marital status and [her] African hair. Every weekend he would come standing behind or in front of [her] table to 10 say inappropriate jokes[.]” Id. 11 • “Multiple Asian workers in the kitchen make jokes about [her] working in men (sic) position” and “being malnourished, skinny legs, skinny arms black lady with big belly.” 12 Id. 13 • “Asian Filipino housekeepers continually follow[ed her] throughout the hospital buildings making fun of African people because less black people are hired by Overlake.” 14 Id. She concludes her amended complaint by alleging that “Overlake is liable for the discrimination 15 and harassment that cause[d her] to quit [her] job because of unequal treatment and negligence”; 16 that “Overlake management is a big violator of federal, State and OSHA regulations, according to 17 an ER nurse and a dialysis worker”; and that she worked at Overlake “from December 5, 2023 18 until March 22, 2024 without diversity training,” “health and fire safety training,” staff meetings, 19 or “chemical or infection control education[.]” Id. 20 On June 16, 2025, Overlake filed this motion to dismiss, arguing that the amended 21 complaint should be dismissed for insufficient service of process and failure to state a claim on 22 which relief can be granted. Dkt. No. 25. After considering Ms. Cadet’s response, Dkt. No. 30, the 23 Court granted her one final opportunity to serve Overlake, and in the meantime deferred 24 1 consideration of the motion to dismiss. Dkt. No. 32 at 5. Ms. Cadet subsequently filed a document 2 stating that her process server went to Overlake’s “main hospital,” was directed to multiple 3 different departments, and was ultimately instructed to serve Overlake’s outside counsel, who 4 refused service. Dkt. No. 33 at 1; see also id. at 2–11. The next day, Overlake’s counsel accepted

5 service on behalf of Overlake. Dkt. No. 34. Now that the service issue has been resolved, the Court 6 turns to Overlake’s request to dismiss for failure to state a claim. 7 II. DISCUSSION 8 A. Legal Standard 9 Dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6) may be based on either the lack of a cognizable legal theory 10 or the absence of sufficient facts alleged under a cognizable legal theory. Shroyer v. New Cingular 11 Wireless Servs., Inc., 622 F.3d 1035, 1041 (9th Cir. 2010). Although the Court construes pro se 12 complaints liberally, see Bernhardt v. Los Angeles Cnty., 339 F.3d 920, 925 (9th Cir. 2003), such 13 complaints must still include “(1) a short and plain statement of the grounds for the court’s 14 jurisdiction, . . . (2) a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to

15 relief; and (3) a demand for the relief sought,” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). A plaintiff’s pro se status does 16 not excuse compliance with this bedrock requirement. See Am. Ass’n of Naturopathic Physicians 17 v. Hayhurst, 227 F.3d 1104, 1107–08 (9th Cir. 2000) (explaining that the lenient pleading standard 18 does not excuse a pro se litigant from meeting basic pleading requirements); Pena v. Gardner, 976 19 F.2d 469, 471 (9th Cir.

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Annette Cadet v. Overlake Hospital Medical Center, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/annette-cadet-v-overlake-hospital-medical-center-wawd-2025.