Graham v. Gendex Medical X-Ray, Inc.

176 F.R.D. 288, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18204, 1997 WL 709744
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedNovember 13, 1997
DocketNo. 97 C 0814
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 176 F.R.D. 288 (Graham v. Gendex Medical X-Ray, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Graham v. Gendex Medical X-Ray, Inc., 176 F.R.D. 288, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18204, 1997 WL 709744 (N.D. Ill. 1997).

Opinion

[289]*289OPINION AND ORDER

NORGLE, District Judge.

Before the court is Defendant Gendex Medical X-Ray Inc.’s Motion to Dismiss. For the following reasons, the motion is denied.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Roger Graham (“Graham”) worked for Gendex Medical X-Ray, Inc. for approximately thirty-eight years before Gendex Medical X-Ray, Inc. terminated him on March 6, 1996. At seventy years of age, Graham was the oldest employee in the office.

On November 21, 1996, Graham filed charges of age discrimination in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”) with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). In his EEOC complaint, Graham named Gendex Medical X-Ray, Inc. and Dell Electronics Laboratories, Ltd. as defendants. On November 7, 1996, after evaluating the claim, the EEOC dismissed Graham’s complaint and issued him a right-to-sue letter.

On February 5, 1997, Graham filed a complaint in the Northern District Court of Illinois against Gendex-Del Medical Imaging Corp. and Dell Electronics Laboratories, Ltd. In his Complaint, Graham alleged that Gendex-Del Medical Imaging Corp. and Dell Electronics Laboratories, Ltd. discriminated against him because of his age in violation of the ADEA. On February 26, 1997, Graham filed an Amended Complaint against Gendex Medical X-Ray a/k/a Gendex-Del Medical Imaging Corp. On April 28, 1997, Gendex-Del Medical Imaging Corp. filed its Answer to the Amended Complaint. In its Answer, Gendex-Del Medical Imaging Corp. stated that Graham had sued the wrong party as they had never employed nor discharged Graham. Gendex-Del Medical Imaging Corp. further stated that Gendex Medical X-Ray Inc. (“Gendex Medical”), was the entity that employed and discharged Graham, and that it is a separate corporate entity, unrelated to Gendex Medical.

Consequently, on May 1, 1997, Graham filed a Second Amended Complaint against Gendex Medical, a division of Dentsply International, Inc., without leave of court. Thus, Gendex Medical moves to dismiss Graham’s Second Amended Complaint as time-barred. Gendex Medical contends that Graham’s Second Amended Complaint would have to relate back to the date of the original complaint to be timely. However, Gendex Medical argues that Graham has failed to meet the relation back requirements set out in Rule 15(c). Alternatively, Gendex Medical argues that Graham’s Second Amended Complaint should be dismissed because it was filed without leave of court.

In response, Graham argues that his Second Amended Complaint is not time-barred because it relates back to the date of the original complaint. Graham claims that the relation back doctrine is applicable because Gendex Medical was put on notice that it might be sued when Graham filed an EEOC complaint against it. Additionally, Graham moves the court for leave to amend his complaint pursuant to Rule 15(a).

II. DISCUSSION

When considering a motion to dismiss, the court must accept all well-pleaded factual allegations as true. See Flynn v. Kornwolf, 83 F.3d 924, 925 (7th Cir.1996). The court must also draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-movant. Id. A complaint should not be dismissed unless “it is impossible [for the plaintiff] to prevail ‘under any set of facts that could be proved consistent with [his] allegations.’” Albiero v. City of Kankakee, 122 F.3d 417, 419 (7th Cir.1997) (quoting Hishon v. King & Spalding, 467 U.S. 69, 73, 104 S.Ct. 2229, 2232, 81 L.Ed.2d 59 (1984)).

A. Rule 15(c)

Under the ADEA, a plaintiff must file his claim within 90-days after the date of the receipt of the right-to-sue letter from the EEOC, dismissing the Commission’s proceedings. See 29 U.S.C. § 626(e) (1994). As stated earlier, Graham received his right-to-sue letter from the EEOC on November 7, 1996. After receiving the letter, Graham filed his original complaint on February 5, 1997, within the 90-days limitation period. [290]*290Graham, however, did not name Gendex Medical until he filed his Second Amended Complaint on May 1, 1997, which was 175 days after he received his right-to-sue letter. Thus, Graham’s Second Amended Complaint is time-barred, and should be dismissed unless it relates back to the date of the original complaint.

A plaintiff should be freely allowed to amend his complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(c). See Woods v. Indiana University-Purdue Univ. at Indianapolis, 996 F.2d 880, 883 (7th Cir.1993). “ ‘[T]he Federal Rules reject the approach that pleading is a game of skill in which one misstep by counsel may be decisive to the outcome and affect the principle that the purpose of pleading is to facilitate a proper decision on the merits.’ ” Id. at 882 (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 48, 78 S.Ct. 99, 103, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957)).

In this case, Graham is attempting to name a new defendant after the 90-days limitation period has run. When the amendment seeks to change the party against whom the claim is asserted, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(c)(3) applies. See Fed. R.Civ.P. 15(e)(3). Rule 15(c)(3) sets forth a number of requirements. Id. First, Rule 15(e)(3) requires that the claim asserted in the amended complaint arose out of the same conduct, transaction, or occurrence set forth in the original complaint. Id. In this case, Graham alleges the same facts in both complaints, giving rise to an age discrimination claim under the ADEA, thereby satisfying the first requirement of Rule 15(c)(3).

Second, Rule 15(c)(3) requires that the party to be named is served with a summons and complaint within the time period set out by Rule 4(m). Id. Rule 4(m) requires service to occur within 120-days of filing the complaint. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 4(m). This 120-days period begins to run as to a newly-named defendant when the defendant is first named in the amended complaint. See Ellerson v. Andersen Consulting Financial Corporation, No. 95-C5178, 1996 WL 66143, at *2 (N.D.Ill. Feb. 13, 1996). Here, Graham filed his Second Amended Complaint against Gendex Medical on May 1, 1997. On August 1, 1997, Graham served Gendex Medical. Since Gendex Medical received service within the 120-days time requirement set out in Rule 4(m), the second requirement of Rule 15(c)(3) is satisfied.

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176 F.R.D. 288, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18204, 1997 WL 709744, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/graham-v-gendex-medical-x-ray-inc-ilnd-1997.