Gaye Nell Watkins v. Douglas A. Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs

District Court, D. Arizona·Decided October 24, 2025·No. 4:24-cv-00126·Unknown

Opinion

WO Gaye Nell Watkins, ) ) Plaintiff, ) v. ) No. CIV 24-126-TUC-CKJ ) Douglas A. Collins, Secretary of ) ORDER Veterans Affairs, ) ) Defendant. ) ) On September 11, 2025, this Court dismissed with leave to amend the Third Amended Complaint submitted by Plaintiff Gaye Nell Watkins ("Watkins"). Watkins has filed a Fourth Amended Complaint ("FAC") (Doc. 14) against Defendant Douglas A. Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs ("the SVA"). I. Fourth Amended Complaint and Factual Summary Watkins purports to state discrimination claims pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e to 2000e-17 (race, color, sex)), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (29 U.S.C. §§ 621 to 634), Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 12112 to 12117) (arthritis, PTSD),1 and the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S. Code §§ 201- 219),2 with the discriminatory conduct being termination of her employment, failure to 1Watkins did not check the box of the form complaint for a disability discrimination claim. However, her FAC elsewhere makes clear she is seeking to state such a claim. 2The FAC refers to 29 U.S.C. § 204(f). Although this statute generally addresses the promote her, failure to accommodate her disability, unequal terms and conditions of her employment, retaliation, and loss and withholding of her official personnel file. Watkins alleges the discriminatory conduct occurred between May 2019 through May 2020, but also asserts the SVA continues to engage in discriminatory conduct. Watkins alleges she filed a charge with an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or counselor in September 2020. Additionally, Watkins alleges the SVA inflicted emotional distress on Watkins by its violation of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rules regarding: 1. Intentional Disparate Treatment in training and work assignment/Disparate Impact, Gaye was given lower rating than a white female with lower producticity numbers. 2. Avoidance (failure to respond to request for Ergonomic Evaluation) which led to shoulder injury. 3. False accusation, Multiple episodes of Retaliation with Falsification of Official Documentation. 4. Additionally, the agency violated FLSA rules by falsification of official timecard (Cont'd w/copy of EEOC complaint and 11/30/23, Decision Letter. attached). FAC (Doc. 18, p. 5). Watkins continues the statement of claim: E. (Cont'd) The toxic environment of disparate training and work assignments continued after filing of complaint with the VA Office of Resolution Management, and their ignoring of the retaliation, led personal physician to put Plaintiff on leave with instructions to find new employ, as stress and anxiety were lowering immune system during the Covid 19 Pandemic. Examples of disparities: 1. Performance Ratings – Defendant rated Needs Improvement with a productivity of 6923 White Female rated Fully Successful with productivity of 3953 for same period. 2. Overtime Denial – Defendant removed from overtime (after being audited and approved) without explanation, after asking for assistance in scenario where coworker was threatening physical assault for asking questions 3. Avoidance – Plaintiff request for Ergonomic Evaluation was ignored and when injury required substantial physical therapy, Plaintiff's Alternative Work Request was denied, requiring use of leave. Other employees were granted Alternate Work Hours for reasons such as: Helping parents move or because she preferred those hours and requested the schedule. 4. Retaliation – Included creating fake metrics documents, that agency claimed does not exist when agency denied Plaintiff's Discovery Request. Making False Statements on Motion For A Decision without a Hearing and Falsifying Official Time Record. Personnel Management, the statute also states: "Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to affect the right of an employee to bring an action for unpaid minimum wages, or unpaid overtime compensation, and liquidated damages under section 216(b) of this title." The FAC, Att. (Doc. 18-1, ECF p. 1 of 10). The FAC also includes a November 20, 2023, EEOC Final Decision and Order Granting Agency's Motions for Decision Without a Hearing and related procedural documents. FAC, Att. (Doc. 18-1, ECF pp. 2-10). Watkins seeks compensatory damages for physical, mental/emotional, and financial injuries. II. Requirements of Complaint; Allegations Stating Claims on Which Relief May be Granted The Court has previously advised Watkins a "complaint is to contain a 'short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief[.]'" March 27, 2025, Order (Doc. 13), quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a). While Rule 8 does not demand detailed factual allegations, "it demands more than an unadorned, the defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation." Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). A complaint must set forth sufficient facts that serves to put defendants on notice as to the nature and basis of the claim(s). Failure to name potential defendants or sufficient facts to advise a defendant of the claim(s) may result in no claim(s) being presented against a defendant. The Court's March 27, 2025, Order also advised Watkins a plaintiff must allege "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face" and the factual allegations included "must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level." March 27, 2025, Order (Doc. 13), quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 570 (2007). While the Court must take as true all allegations of material fact and construe them in the light most favorable to Watkins, Cervantes v. United States, 330 F.3d 1186, 1187 (9th Cir. 2003), the Court does not accept as true unreasonable inferences or conclusory legal allegations cast in the form of factual allegations. Western Mining Council v. Watt, 643 F.2d 618, 624 (9th Cir. 1981). III. Sufficient Notice to Defendant as to Alleged Actors The Court previously advised Watkins the Supreme Court has cited Twombly for the traditional proposition that "[s]pecific facts are not necessary [for a pleading that satisfies Rule 8(a)(2)]; the statement need only 'give the defendant fair notice of what the . . . claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.'" Erickson v. Pardue, 551 U.S. 89, 93 (2007), quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). Watkins properly alleges the SVA as Defendant for the federal claims. However, she does not allege any specific actors or any specific defendants as to a possible negligent or intentional infliction of emotional distress claim. The Court will consider if Watkins has stated sufficient facts, without identifying specific actors, to "give the defendant fair notice of what the . . . claim is and the grounds upon which it rests." Erickson, 551 U.S. at 93 (2007); see also Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N. A., 534 U.S. 506, 515 (2002), quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570 (a complaint need not plead a prima facie case of discrimination, but a plaintiff must plead "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face"); Moss v. U.S. Secret Service, 572 F.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Gaye Nell Watkins v. Douglas A. Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, (D. Ariz. 2025).

Gaye Nell Watkins v. Douglas A. Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Gaye Nell Watkins v. Douglas A. Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green
411 U.S. 792 (Supreme Court, 1973)
Brown v. General Services Administration
425 U.S. 820 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Pullman-Standard v. Swint
456 U.S. 273 (Supreme Court, 1982)
Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N. A.
534 U.S. 506 (Supreme Court, 2002)
Erickson v. Pardus
551 U.S. 89 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Anthoine v. North Central Counties Consortium
605 F.3d 740 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
Williams v. Tri-County Growers, Inc.
747 F.2d 121 (Third Circuit, 1984)
Michael Henry Ferdik v. Joe Bonzelet, Sheriff
963 F.2d 1258 (Ninth Circuit, 1992)
Brett C. Kimberlin v. Michael J. Quinlan
6 F.3d 789 (D.C. Circuit, 1993)
Kathlyn M. Kennedy v. Applause, Inc.
90 F.3d 1477 (Ninth Circuit, 1996)
Sidney P. Sanders, Jr. v. Arneson Products, Inc.
91 F.3d 1351 (Ninth Circuit, 1996)
Imada v. City Of Hercules
138 F.3d 1294 (Ninth Circuit, 1998)
Clarissa Brady,plaintiff-Appellant v. United States
211 F.3d 499 (Ninth Circuit, 2000)
Mathis v. Henderson
243 F.3d 446 (Eighth Circuit, 2001)
Shelley Sommatino v. United States
255 F.3d 704 (Ninth Circuit, 2001)