Everett E. Hodges, III v. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company

728 F.2d 414, 1 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 564, 115 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3222, 1984 U.S. App. LEXIS 25525, 33 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 34,146, 34 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 457
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedFebruary 13, 1984
Docket82-2112
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 728 F.2d 414 (Everett E. Hodges, III v. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Everett E. Hodges, III v. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company, 728 F.2d 414, 1 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 564, 115 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3222, 1984 U.S. App. LEXIS 25525, 33 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 34,146, 34 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 457 (10th Cir. 1984).

Opinion

SETH, Chief Judge.

This appeal involves the discharge of Everett E. Hodges, III by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company. Mr. Hodges was discharged during an initial probationary period because of incorrect statements in his job application. He sued Santa Fe for wrongful discharge asserting that the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 793) provides for a private right of action such as he filed. Mr. Hodges appeals from the District Court’s summary judgment in favor of Santa Fe.

The District Court found that Mr. Hodges could not maintain his action based directly or indirectly on § 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 because the statute does not provide for a private right of action. Furthermore, the court held that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain Mr. Hodges’ claim insofar as it was based on the Railway Labor Act.

Mr. Hodges argues that a private right of action may be implied from the language of the Rehabilitation Act, which states in part:

“§ 793. Employment under Federal contracts
“(a) Amount of contracts or subcontracts; provision for employment and advancement of qualified handicapped individuals; regulations
“Any contract in excess of $2,500 entered into by any Federal department or agency for the procurement of personal property and nonpersonal services (including construction) for the United States shall contain a provision requiring that, in employing persons to carry out such contract the party contracting with the United States shall take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified handicapped individuals as defined in section 706(7) of this title. ...
“Administrative enforcement; complaints; investigations; departmental action
“(b) If any handicapped individual believes any contractor has failed or refuses to comply with the provisions of his contract with the United States, relating to employment of handicapped individuals, such individual may file a complaint with the Department of Labor. The Department shall promptly investigate such complaint and shall take such action thereon as the facts and circumstances warrant, consistent with the terms of such contract and the laws and regulations applicable thereto.”

Whether § 793 creates a private right of action has been considered by several courts of appeal, all of which have concluded that neither the legislative history nor the Act in general support the inference of Congressional intent to create a private right of action. Meyerson v. State of Arizona, 709 F.2d 1235, 1238 (9th Cir.1983); Davis v. United Air Lines, Inc., 662 F.2d 120, 123-26 (2d Cir.1981); Simpson v. Reynolds Metals Co., Inc., 629 F.2d 1226, 1240-43 (7th Cir. 1980); Rogers v. Frito-Lay, Inc., 611 F.2d 1074, 1080-84 (5th Cir.1980). As stated in Rogers:

“There is no intimation that every qualified handicapped person has a right to affirmative action in his particular case; what is apparent is that those who control federal contracts have a duty to make and enforce contracts containing *416 the requisite clause. The handicapped may have simply the right to petition those who administer federal contracts to perform their duty.”

Mr. Hodges argues that a private cause of action may be implied from the passage of 29 U.S.C. § 794a which permits an award of attorney’s fees to successful litigants under Title V of the Act, which includes § 793(a):

“In any action or proceeding to enforce or charge a violation of a provision of this subchapter, the court, in its discretion, may allow the prevailing party, other than the United States, a reasonable attorney’s fee as part of the costs.”

Section 505(b), 29 U.S.C. § 794a(b).

Mr. Hodges cites remarks made in 1978 by Senator Cranston to show Congressional intent to create a private right of action. The court in Rogers said of such statement that it was a commentary and not part of the legislative history. Mr. Hodges argues also that legislative history supports the inference of a private right of action. However, under Cort v. Ash, 422 U.S. 66, 95 S.Ct. 2080, 45 L.Ed.2d 26, an implied right of action is only one of four requirements which must be met in order to imply a remedy. The Court in Cort said:

“In determining whether a private remedy is implicit in a statute not expressly providing one, several factors are relevant. First, is the plaintiff ‘one of the class for whose especial benefit the statute was enacted,’ Texas & Pacific R. Co. v. Rigsby, 241 U.S. 33, 39 [36 S.Ct. 482, 484, 60 L.Ed. 874] (1916) (emphasis supplied) — that is, does the statute create a federal right in favor of the plaintiff? Second, is there any indication of legislative intent, explicit or implicit, either to create such a remedy or to deny one? See, e.g., National Railroad Passenger Corp. v. National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 414 U.S. 453, 460 [94 S.Ct. 690, 694, 38 L.Ed.2d 646] (1974) (Amtrak). Third, is it consistent with the underlying purposes of the legislative scheme to imply such a remedy for the plaintiff? See, e.g., Amtrak, supra; Securities Investor Protection Corp. v. Barbour, 421 U.S. 412, 423 [95 S.Ct. 1733, 1740, 44 L.Ed.2d 263] (1975); Calhoon v. Harvey, 379 U.S. 134 [85 S.Ct. 292, 13 L.Ed.2d 190] (1964). And finally, is the cause of action one traditionally relegated to state law, in an area basically the concern of the States, so that it would be inappropriate to infer a cause of action based solely on federal law? See Wheeldin v. Wheeler, 373 U.S. 647, 652 [83 S.Ct. 1441, 1445, 10 L.Ed.2d 605] (1963); cf. J.I. Case Co. v. Borak, 377 U.S. 426, 434 [84 S.Ct. 1555, 1560, 12 L.Ed.2d 423] (1964); Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Narcotics Agents, 403 U.S. 388, 394-395 [91 S.Ct.

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728 F.2d 414, 1 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 564, 115 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3222, 1984 U.S. App. LEXIS 25525, 33 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 34,146, 34 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 457, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/everett-e-hodges-iii-v-the-atchison-topeka-and-santa-fe-railway-company-ca10-1984.