Houston v. Independent School District No. 89

949 F. Supp. 2d 1104, 2013 WL 2387767, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 75878
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedMay 30, 2013
DocketCase No. CIV-12-474-D
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 949 F. Supp. 2d 1104 (Houston v. Independent School District No. 89) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Houston v. Independent School District No. 89, 949 F. Supp. 2d 1104, 2013 WL 2387767, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 75878 (W.D. Okla. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER

TIMOTHY D. DeGIUSTI, District Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss [Doc. No'. 13], filed pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). Defendants Independent School District No. 89 of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, a/k/a Oklahoma City Public Schools (the “District”) and DeAnn Davis (“Davis”) seek a partial dismissal of the Amended Complaint, as discussed further below. Plaintiff has timely opposed the Motion, which is at issue.1

Factual Background

Plaintiff Arthur Houston is a current employee of the District who served as an elementary school principal from 2003 until 2011, when he was forced to accept a teaching position. He claims that Davis, who became Executive Director of Elementary Schools in August, 2010, and thus Plaintiffs supervisor, engaged in racial discrimination and retaliation by imposing unwarranted discipline and removing him from his position as principal. Davis allegedly retaliated against Plaintiff for complaints of discrimination made by him and his wife, a former employee of the District. Plaintiff also claims that Davis and others subsequently denied his numerous applications for administrative positions within the District. Plaintiff seeks relief from both the District and Davis under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (Count I), and from the District under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. (Counts II and III). He also asserts claims against both defendants under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for alleged violations of his Fourteenth Amendment right of equal protection (Count IV) and his First Amendment right of free speech (Count VII). Plaintiff asserts two pendent state law claims, one against the District for alleged negligent supervision and retention of Davis (Count V) and one against Davis for alleged interference with his contractual relationship with the District (Count VI).

[1106]*1106Standard of Decision

“To survive a motion to dismiss [under Rule 12(b)(6)], a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)); see Robbins v. Oklahoma, 519 F.3d 1242, 1247 (10th Cir.2008). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. “Determining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief ... [is] a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and common sense.” See id. at 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937. The question to be decided is “whether the complaint sufficiently alleges facts supporting all the elements necessary to establish an entitlement to relief under the legal theory proposed.” Lane v. Simon, 495 F.3d 1182, 1186 (10th Cir.2007) (internal quotation omitted).

Plaintiffs Claims

The Amended Complaint states that Plaintiff is an African American employee of the District who was removed from his position as principal of Willow Brook Elementary School after receiving written discipline from Davis and being placed on plans of improvement during the 2010-2011 school year. Plaintiff alleges he was replaced for the 2011-2012 school year by a Caucasian female employee who had previously served as a teacher under his supervision. Plaintiff claims Davis treated him differently from similarly situated Caucasian principals, and that her performance-based reasons for recommending his reassignment to a teaching position were pretextual. Davis allegedly was motivated by racial discrimination and retaliation for Plaintiffs complaints of racial discrimination, as well his wife’s federal lawsuit against the District that concluded in June, 2010. The Amended Complaint states Plaintiff filed his first EEOC charge regarding his reassignment in September, 2011.

Plaintiff also alleges he unsuccessfully sought reassignment to numerous administrative positions that became vacant during the 2011-2012 school year, including assistant principal positions at Roosevelt Middle School and Taft Middle School and central office positions of Director of Professional Growth and Development, Homeless Coordinator, and Student Services Coordinator. Plaintiff states he continued to apply for other vacant positions without success, most recently being denied the position of .Human Resources Elementary Team Leader in July, 2012. Plaintiff claims these vacancies were filled by less qualified candidates who are not African American. Plaintiff presumably claims the District’s personnel decisions were motivated by racial discrimination. The Amended Complaint states that Plaintiff filed an EEOC charge in February, 2012, after he was not selected for vacant administrative positions, and amended the charge in August, 2012, after being informed of the July, 2012, decision.

As relevant to the Motion, the claim asserted against the District in Count Y of the Amended Complaint is one of “negligent retention and supervision.” See Am. Compl. [Doc. No. 9], ¶ 52. The District allegedly breached a duty “to properly supervise its employees to refrain from engaging in unlawful acts, including but not limited to discrimination and retaliation.” Id. ¶ 53. The Amended Complaint does not make clear which employees, other than Davis, were involved. See id. ¶ 55 (stating the District “knew or should have known [1107]*1107its employees, including but not limited to Defendant Davis, would create an undue risk of harm to others.”). However, Plaintiff presents argument in his brief regarding only the District’s supervision and retention of Davis. See PL’s Resp. Br. [Doc. No. 16] at 7-8. The Court accepts this clarification of Plaintiffs claim.

Count IV of the Amended Complaint seeks damages under § 1983 from the District and Davis individually based on a claim that unspecified actions violated “his constitutional right to equal protection” under the Fourteenth Amendment. See Am. Compl. [Doc. No. 9], ¶48. Plaintiff presumably claims that adverse employment actions against him were based on his minority race. Similarly, Plaintiff seeks damages from Defendants under § 1983 in Count VII based on a claim that unspecified actions violated “his constitutional right to the freedom of speech” under the First Amendment. Id., ¶ 62. Plaintiff presumably claims that adverse employment actions against him were taken in retaliation for constitutionally protected speech.

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Bluebook (online)
949 F. Supp. 2d 1104, 2013 WL 2387767, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 75878, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/houston-v-independent-school-district-no-89-okwd-2013.