Hill v. SRS Distribution Incorporated

District Court, D. Arizona·Decided August 4, 2022·No. 4:21-cv-00370·Unknown

Opinion

WO Dave Mazion Hill, Jr., ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) No. CIV 21-370-TUC-CKJ vs. ) ) ORDER SRS Distribution Inc., ) ) Defendant. ) ) On September 20, 2021, Plaintiff Dave Mazion Hill, Jr. ("Hill") filed a pro se complaint which includes allegations of discrimination based on race, age and disability, as well as retaliation, against Defendant SRS Distribution Inc ("SRS"). Hill seeks back pay, front pay, and damages for emotional distress. Hill has also filed an Application to Proceed in District Court Without Prepaying of Fees or Costs (Doc. 2) and a Motion to Serve (Doc. 6) I. Factual Allegations in Hill's Complaint Hill alleges he was a trainer/supervisor at SRS for 7 ½ years. He further alleges SRS terminated his employment, used deception for the termination, and retaliated against him. He alleges the discriminatory acts took place from July 8, 2020, through October 27, 2020. On the Complaint form completed by Hill, he has selected the options that he was discriminated against based on race, age, and disability or perceived disability of a bulging disc. Specifically, Hill alleges that, on August 4, 2020, and September 18, 2020, he contacted Human Resources. The Complaint implies Hill complained of back issues and racial remarks made by Kolten Menchan ("Menchan").1 Hill was informed that there would be no retaliation. On October 8, 2020, Ryan Miles ("Miles") and Brad from Human Resources had a conference over Hill's complaints. Hill alleges that, shortly thereafter, he was informed of a "fake' training. Hill states he was sent to Tempe, Arizona on October 23, 2020, for training on an articulating boom loader, but an articulating boom crane was at the training. Hill asserts he has photographs to establish the deception. He alleges he is NCCCO certified and appears to be stating he is also certified with ABL and ABC; it is not clear from the Complaint, but Hill appears to be implying these certifications support his allegation that the training was fake. Hill alleges SRS asserts Hill did not have a hard hat or high "viz" and left the training early. Hill alleges SRS's assertions are pretextual. Hill has attached a Notice of Suit from the EEOC. This document does not include what claims Hill presented to the EEOC. II. In Forma Pauperis (Doc. 2) The Court may allow a plaintiff to proceed without prepayment of fees when it is shown by affidavit that she "is unable to pay such fees[.]" 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(1). Hill's statement, made under penalty of perjury, establishes that Hill is unable to pay the filing fees. The Application to Proceed in Forma Pauperis will be granted. III. Screening Order This Court is required to dismiss a case if the Court determines that the allegation of poverty is untrue, 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(A), or if the Court determines that the action "(i) is frivolous or malicious; (ii) fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted; or (iii) seeks monetary relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief." 28 U.S.C. § 1The spelling of Menchan's last name is not clear on the Complaint. 1915(e)(2)(B). A. General Requirements A complaint is to contain a "short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief[.]" 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). "Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice." Id. However, especially where the pleader is pro se, the pleading should be liberally construed in the interests of justice. Johnson v. Reagan, 524 F.2d 1123 (9th Cir. 1975). Indeed, a "complaint [filed by a pro se plaintiff] 'must be held to less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.'" Hebbe v. Pliler, 627 F.3d 338, 342 (9th Cir. 2010), quoting Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007) (per curiam). A complaint must set forth sufficient facts that serves to put defendants on notice as to the nature and basis of the claim(s). Furthermore, all allegations of a claim are to be set forth in numbered paragraphs that should be limited to a single set of circumstances. Fed.R.Civ.P. 10(a). "Each claim . . . shall be stated in a separate count . . . whenever a separation facilitates the clear presentation of the matters set forth." Id. Failure to set forth claims in such a manner places the onus on the court to decipher which, if any, facts support which claims, as well as to determine whether a plaintiff is entitled to the relief sought. Haynes v. Anderson & Strudwick, Inc., 508 F.Supp. 1303 (D.C.Va. 1981). Enforcement of this rule is discretionary with the Court, but such enforcement is appropriate where it is necessary to facilitate a clear presentation of the claims. See, Benoit v. Ocwen Financial Corp., Inc., 960 F.Supp. 287 (S.D.Fla. 1997), affirmed 162 F.3d 1177 (compliance with rule required where allegations were so confusing and conclusory, claims were commingled, and impossible to determine nature of claims). B. Requirement that Action State a Claim on Which Relief Can be Granted The United States Supreme Court has determined that, in order to survive a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, a plaintiff must allege "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its facts." Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). While a complaint need not plead "detailed factual allegations," the factual allegations it does include "must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level." Id. at 555. Indeed, Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2) requires a showing that a plaintiff is entitled to relief "rather than a blanket assertion" of entitlement to relief. Id. at 555 n. 3. The complaint "must contain something more . . . than . . . a statement of facts that merely creates a suspicion [of] a legally cognizable right to action." Id. at 555. Although a motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) has not been filed in this case, the Court considers these standards in screening Hill's Complaint to determine if Hill has "nudged [his] claims across the line from conceivable to plausible." Id. at 570. The Court also considers that 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 (2007). In discussing Twombly, the Ninth Circuit has stated: "A claim has facial plausibility," the Court explained, "when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference th

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Hill v. SRS Distribution Incorporated, (D. Ariz. 2022).

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