Delgado v. Donald J. Trump For President, Inc.

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 14, 2022
Docket1:19-cv-11764
StatusUnknown

This text of Delgado v. Donald J. Trump For President, Inc. (Delgado v. Donald J. Trump For President, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Delgado v. Donald J. Trump For President, Inc., (S.D.N.Y. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT USDC SDNY SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK DOCUMENT ARLENE DELGADO ELECTRONICALLY FILED DOC 2: Plaintiff, DATE FILED: _ 3/14/2022 -against- 19 Civ. 11764 (AT) DONALD J. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT, INC., TRUMP FOR AMERICA, INC., SEAN SPICER, ORDER individually, REINCE PRIEBUS, individually, STEPHEN BANNON, individually, Defendants. ANALISA TORRES, District Judge: In this employment discrimination action, Plaintiff, Arlene Delgado, alleges that Defendants Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.,! Trump for America, Inc., Sean Spicer, Reince Priebus, and Stephen Bannon violated her rights under the New York State Human Rights Law, N.Y. Exec. Law § 296 (the “NYSHRL”), and the New York City Human Rights Law, N-Y.C. Admin. Code § 8-107 (the “NYCHRL”). See Compl. ff 69-94, ECF No. 1. Delgado also asserts claims for breach of contract, promissory estoppel, and tortious interference with prospective business relations. See id. J} 57-68, 95—97. Delgado moves (1) to amend the complaint, ECF No. 84, and (2) for a permanent injunction under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65, ECF No. 69. Defendants, except for Stephen Bannon, who has not yet appeared in this action, move for an order compelling arbitration of Delgado’s breach of contract and promissory estoppel claims and her request for a permanent injunction. ECF No. 67. For the reasons stated below, Delgado’s motion to amend her complaint is GRANTED in part, and DENIED in part, and her motion for a permanent injunction is DENIED without prejudice to

! Since the filing of the pending motions, Defendant Donald J. Trump for America, Inc., has been dismissed, with prejudice, from this case. ECF No. 92.

renewal after the filing of the amended complaint. Defendants’ motion to compel arbitration is DENIED without prejudice to renewal as to the permanent injunction. BACKGROUND2 Delgado is a “Latina-American and a politically conservative writer, thinker, and commentator” whose work has been featured in publications like The Miami Herald and

Breitbart, and who has appeared on Fox News, CNN, and Telemundo. Compl. ¶¶ 10–12. When former President Trump announced his candidacy for president in 2015, Delgado became an early supporter, and claims that at public campaign events Trump “routinely called [Delgado] up on stage” and “singled her out for praise.” Id. ¶¶ 13, 16, 19. She states that on at least three occasions “Trump expressed that he was impressed” with her and that he “would hire her for the White House if he won.” Id. ¶ 19. Delgado was formally hired by the campaign in August 2016. Id. ¶ 14. Prior to beginning her employment, Delgado signed a “Consulting Agreement.” Amend. Compl. ¶ 21, ECF No. 66. The Consulting Agreement did not contain an arbitration clause. Id. ¶ 23. A few days after Delgado started working for the campaign, the campaign

presented her with a new document, titled “Agreement,” and “instructed her to sign it.” Id. ¶ 25. Delgado asserts that she “was not provided any form of consideration for this new purported agreement,” and that the Agreement was not signed by the campaign. Id. On September 1, 2016, Delgado was named the Hispanic Outreach Director of the campaign. Compl. ¶¶ 10, 17, 32. In November 2016, Delgado learned that she and Jason Miller, her supervisor, were expecting a child. Id. ¶ 20. In December 2016, Delgado informed Stephen Bannon and Sean Spicer, senior campaign officials, that she was pregnant. Id. ¶¶ 7, 9, 23–24. Delgado claims that Spicer told her that the White House is “no place for a new mom” and that

2 The facts are drawn from the complaint and proposed amended complaint. The facts are presumed to be true. See ATSI Commc’ns, Inc. v. Shaar Fund, Ltd., 493 F.3d 87, 98 (2d Cir. 2007). working there while raising a baby would be “difficult, if not impossible.” Id. ¶¶ 25–28. Delgado states that Spicer tried to persuade her to focus on other employment options, but she insisted that she still wanted to work at the White House. Id. ¶¶ 28–29. On January 20, 2017, the date of Trump’s inauguration, Delgado again asked Spicer about employment at the White House but was met with silence. Id. ¶ 33.

According to Delgado, Bannon, Spicer, and Reince Priebus, another senior campaign official, stripped her of her campaign responsibilities shortly after she announced her pregnancy. Id. ¶¶ 8, 30–32. Delgado further alleges that, in late December 2016 or early January 2017, Defendants orchestrated her removal from the list of incoming White House personnel and convinced various third parties not to hire her. Amend. Compl. ¶¶ 55–56. Delgado posits that, but for the interference of Defendants, “she would have almost certainly been named Deputy Press Secretary” for the Trump administration. Id. ¶ 57. Further, she alleges “[t]he only possible motive for Defendants’ acts and omissions was [her] sex and gender, pregnancy, and complaints of discrimination—or else pure malevolence.” Id. ¶ 58.

In March of 2017, Delgado informed Defendants of her intent to file a complaint with the New York City Commission on Human Rights. Compl. ¶ 39. The parties entered into mediation of the possible claims, which resulted in a purported settlement that Delgado alleges Defendants “reneged on” and “refused to perform.” Id. ¶¶ 41–47. On December 23, 2019, Delgado filed this lawsuit. See generally id. On April 7, 2020, Defendants moved for an order dismissing her failure to hire and tortious interference claims, and compelling arbitration of her breach of contract and promissory estoppel claims. ECF No. 35. Delgado cross-moved for a preliminary injunction enjoining arbitration. ECF No. 44. On March 26, 2021, the Court granted Defendants’ motion to dismiss, denied their motion to compel arbitration without prejudice to renewal, and denied Delgado’s cross-motion to enjoin arbitration as moot. See generally Mar. 26, 2021 Order, ECF No. 63. The Court granted Delgado leave to amend her complaint for the limited purpose of re-pleading her tortious interference claim. Id. at 8; ECF No. 75. Delgado filed an amended complaint on April 15, 2021, which, in addition to re-pleading her tortious interference claim, added prima facie tort and declaratory judgment claims. See

generally Amend. Compl. After the Court clarified that the March 26, 2021 Order permitted only the re-pleading of the tortious interference claim, ECF No. 75, Delgado sought leave to file an amended complaint with new claims, ECF No. 84. The proposed amended complaint adds additional facts relating to the tortious interference claim. Amend. Compl. ¶¶ 54–59. It also adds a cause of action for prima facie tort, pleaded in the alternative to the tortious interference claim. Id. ¶¶ 131–35. Finally, the proposed amended complaint adds a claim for a judgment declaring that the Agreement is “null and void.” Id. ¶¶ 136–39. DISCUSSION

I. Leave to Amend Complaint Plaintiff moves to amend her complaint, arguing that the amendment is not in bad faith, will not prejudice Defendants, and is not futile. See generally Pl. Amend Mem., ECF No. 85. a. Legal Standard Rule 15(a)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that courts “should freely give leave” to amend a complaint “when justice so requires.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a)(2).

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Bluebook (online)
Delgado v. Donald J. Trump For President, Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/delgado-v-donald-j-trump-for-president-inc-nysd-2022.