Hughes v. CACI, Inc.-Commercial

384 F. Supp. 2d 89, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16047, 2005 WL 1902427
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedJuly 22, 2005
DocketCIV.A. 04-1246(RBW)
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 384 F. Supp. 2d 89 (Hughes v. CACI, Inc.-Commercial) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hughes v. CACI, Inc.-Commercial, 384 F. Supp. 2d 89, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16047, 2005 WL 1902427 (D.D.C. 2005).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

WALTON, District Judge.

The plaintiff, Samuel Hughes, brings this action against his former employer, CACI, Inc.-Commercial (“CACI”), and two of its employees, 2 alleging (1) diserimina *92 tion in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000 et seq., (2) violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, 2 U.S.C. § 216(b), and (3) the defendant’s failure to comply with the “Common Law of the District of Columbia.” Complaint (“Compl.”) ¶ 2. Currently before the Court is the defendants’ Motion to Dismiss and Compel Arbitration (“Defs.’ Mot.”); the defendants’ Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs Complaint and Compel Arbitration and to Correct Case Caption (“Defs.’ Mem.”); the plaintiffs Opposition to Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs Complaint (“Pl.’s Opp’n”); and the defendants’ Reply to Plaintiffs Motion Opposing Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs Complaint (“Defs.’ Reply”). For the reasons set forth below, this Court concludes that the plaintiff must submit his claims to CACI’s internal mediation process, and if necessary, binding arbitration, in accordance with the Employment Agreement (“EA”) he signed. Accordingly, this case will be dismissed.

I. Factual Background

Samuel Hughes commenced his employment with CACI as a paralegal in January 1997 and was promoted to the position of Project Manager in 2000. Compl. ¶ 12. CACI provided support services to the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), and after his promotion, the plaintiff was responsible for supervising up to twenty paralegals and managing multiple cases in which the DOJ was a party. Id. In 2003, one of the cases the plaintiff was assigned to supervise went to trial. Id. ¶ 13. During the trial, however, there were several mistakes committed in regards to the legal support services provided to the DOJ by CACI employees. Id. ¶¶ 13-17. In each instance when a mistake was made, the plaintiff was held responsible. Id. Because the DOJ attorneys were displeased with the service CACI had provided, CACI eventually terminated the plaintiffs employment. Id. ¶ 18. The plaintiff alleges, however, that the mistakes were in fact committed by others, all of whom are white. Id. ¶¶ 13-17. Thus, the plaintiff posits that his race was the motivating factor for his termination because the employees who actually committed the errors were not terminated, but he was. Id. ¶ 20.

Following his termination, the plaintiff filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), which subsequently issued a notice of the plaintiffs right to sue. Id. ¶ 4. Thereafter, on July 26, 2004, the plaintiff filed this action alleging he was terminated, while white CACI employees, who actually committed the errors he was held responsible for were not. Thus, the plaintiff asserts that his termination was in violation of Title VII and the District of Columbia Human Rights Act (“DCHRA”). Id. ¶¶ 19-26. In addition, the plaintiff contends that the defendants created a discriminatory and hostile working environment, which intentionally caused him to sustain emotional distress. Id. ¶¶ 22, 24. The defendants now seek to dismiss this action due to the plaintiffs failure to comply with the arbitration clause contained in the EA which he signed when he commenced his employment. Defs.’ Mot. at 1-2.

II. Standard of Review

The defendants have filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and Rule 12(b)(6), for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Defs.’ Mot. at 1. This Court concludes, however, as have many *93 others, that a motion to compel arbitration is properly reviewed under the summary judgment standard of Rule 56(c).

“Pursuant to § 4 of the Federal Arbitration Act ..., 9 U.S.C. § 1, et seq. (2000), [a] defendant is entitled to ‘petition ... [the] district court which, save for [an employment] agreement, would have jurisdiction ... [to issue] an order directing that such arbitration proceed in the manner provided for in [the employment] agreement.’” Brown v. Dorsey & Whitney, LLP, 267 F.Supp.2d 61, 66 (D.D.C.2003). “The [Federal Arbitration] Act itself does not state that a document entitled ‘motion to compel’ must be filed to trigger the protections of the [Federal Arbitration] Act, but states that the party must ‘petition’ the court for an order directing arbitration to proceed.” Thompson v. Nienaber, 239 F.Supp.2d 478, 483 (D.N.J.2002). Because strict nomenclature regarding how a motion is titled is not required, “inasmuch as the district court’s order to arbitrate is in effect a summary disposition of the issue of whether or not there has been a meeting of the minds on the agreement to arbitrate!,]” consideration of the motion according to the “standard used by district courts in resolving summary judgment motions pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c) ... is appropriate.” Par-Knit Mills, Inc. v. Stockbridge Fabrics Co., 636 F.2d 51, 54 n. 9 (3d Cir.1980). Thus, “[although styled as a motion to dismiss, in a motion to stay proceedings and/or compel arbitration, the appropriate standard of review for the district court is the same standard used in resolving summary judgment motions pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c).” Technetronics v. Leybold-Geaeus GmbH, 1993 WL 197028, at *2 (E.D.Pa. 1993) (citations omitted); see also Lok Tio v. Wash. Hosp. Center, 2004 WL 2663149, at *2-3 (D.D.C.2004); Nelson v. Insignia/Esg, Inc., 215 F.Supp.2d 143, 147 (D.D.C.2002) (holding that “summary judgment [was] the proper procedural mechanism to use in evaluating whether the plaintiff must submit her claims to arbitration”). Accordingly, this Court will review the motion to compel under a summary judgment standard. 3

*94 This Court will grant a motion for summary judgment under Rule 56(c) if “the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(c).

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Bluebook (online)
384 F. Supp. 2d 89, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16047, 2005 WL 1902427, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hughes-v-caci-inc-commercial-dcd-2005.