Lane v. Lucent Technologies, Inc.

388 F. Supp. 2d 590, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27128, 2005 WL 1389430
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. North Carolina
DecidedJune 10, 2005
Docket1:06-m-00096
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 388 F. Supp. 2d 590 (Lane v. Lucent Technologies, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lane v. Lucent Technologies, Inc., 388 F. Supp. 2d 590, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27128, 2005 WL 1389430 (M.D.N.C. 2005).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

BULLOCK, District Judge.

George René Lane (“Plaintiff”) brought this action against Lucent Technologies, Inc. (“Lucent”), David W. Presley (“Presley”), Christine C. Troianello (“Troianel-lo”), Walter Gibbons (“Gibbons”), and Claudia Stickney (“Stickney”) (collectively “Defendants”) alleging race discrimination, sex discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (“ADEA”), 29 U.S.C. § 621 et seq., and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. (“Title VII”). Before the court are the five separate motions to dismiss submitted by Defendants Lucent, Presley, Troianello, Gibbons, and Stickney.

DISCUSSION

I. The Court Does Not Have Personal Jurisdiction Over Defendant Stickney

Defendant Stickney moved to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2) for lack of personal jurisdiction. Plaintiff must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that personal jurisdiction is proper. Combs v. Bakker, 886 F.2d 673, 676 (4th Cir.1989). When considering the issue without an evidentia-ry hearing, Plaintiff need make only a prima facie showing of personal jurisdiction. Crown Cork & Seal Co. v. Dockery, 886 F.Supp. 1253, 1256 (M.D.N.C.1995). In deciding whether Plaintiff has made a prima facie showing, “the Court must construe all relevant pleading allegations in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, assume credibility, and draw the most favorable inferences for the existence of jurisdiction.” Id. (citing Combs, 886 F.2d at 676).

“Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(k)(l)(A), a federal court may exercise personal jurisdiction over a defendant in the manner provided by state law.” Carefirst of Md., Inc. v. Carefirst Pregnancy Ctrs., Inc., 334 F.3d 390, 396 (4th Cir.2003).

Since in personam jurisdiction of a state court is limited by that state’s laws and by the Fourteenth Amendment, [the court must] first inquire whether the state long-arm statute authorizes the exercise of jurisdiction over the defendant. If it does, [the court] must then determine whether the state court’s exercise of such jurisdiction is consistent with the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

ESAB Group v. Centricut, Inc., 126 F.3d 617, 622 (4th Cir.1997) (internal citations omitted). Defendant Stickney does not contest that North Carolina’s long-arm statute is sufficiently broad to reach her if federal due process allows, and therefore the court’s inquiry will focus on the constitutionality of asserting jurisdiction over Defendant Stickney.

Federal due process requires that, in order to have personal jurisdic *594 tion over a non-resident defendant, the defendant must have “‘certain minimum contacts with [the forum] such that the maintenance of the suit does not offend ‘traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice.’ ’ ” Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia, S.A. v. Hall, 466 U.S. 408, 414, 104 S.Ct. 1868, 80 L.Ed.2d 404 (1984) (quoting International Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 316, 66 S.Ct. 154, 90 L.Ed. 95 (1945) (quoting Milliken v. Meyer, 311 U.S. 457, 463, 61 S.Ct. 339, 85 L.Ed. 278 (1940))). “Determining the extent of a State’s judicial power over persons outside of its borders under the International Shoe standard can be undertaken through two different approaches — by finding specific jurisdiction based on conduct connected to the suit or by finding general jurisdiction.” ALS Scan, Inc. v. Digital Serv. Consultants, Inc., 293 F.3d 707, 711 (4th Cir.2002) (citing He licopteros, 466 U.S. at 414, 104 S.Ct. 1868). In determining whether a plaintiff has established specific jurisdiction, the court considers “(1) the extent to which the defendant ‘purposefully availed’ itself of the privilege of conducting activities in the State; (2) whether the plaintiffs’ claims arise out of those activities directed at the State; and (3) whether the exercise of personal jurisdiction would be constitutionally ‘reasonable.’ ” Id. at 712 (citing Christian Science Bd. of Dirs. of the First Church of Christ, Scientist v. Nolan, 259 F.3d 209, 216 (4th Cir.2001)).

General jurisdiction, on the other hand, arises “from the defendant’s general, more persistent, but unrelated [to plaintiffs cause of action] contacts with the State.” Id. Such contacts must be “ ‘continuous and systematic,’ a more demanding standard than is necessary for establishing specific jurisdiction.” Id. (citing Helicopteros, 466 U.S. at 414 n. 9, 104 S.Ct. 1868). “Under this elevated contacts threshold, broad constructions of general jurisdiction should be generally disfavored.” Regent Lighting Corp. v. American Lighting Concept, Inc., 25 F.Supp.2d 705, 710 (M.D.N.C.1997) (internal quotation omitted).

Here, Defendant Stickney lived in Florida at all relevant time periods for the actions giving rise to Plaintiffs complaint and now lives in Colorado. Defendant Stickney’s interaction with Plaintiff was in the context of Defendant Stickney’s employment with Defendant Lucent as a human resources employee responding to Plaintiffs internal discrimination claims and to Plaintiffs Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) charges. Defendant Stickney has not been physically present in the state of North Carolina since 1992 and owns no property in the state of North Carolina. Furthermore, Defendant Stickney is not authorized or licensed to do business in North Carolina.

Defendant Stickney’s interaction with Plaintiff does not give rise to specific jurisdiction. Although factually connected to Plaintiffs claims of discrimination, Defendant Stickney’s actions have not provided a substantial or legal connection to confer jurisdiction on this court. See, e.g., Violanti v. Emery Worldwide A-CF Co., 847 F.Supp. 1251, 1256 (M.D.Pa.1994) (finding no personal jurisdiction where “[t]he only asserted basis for the existence of jurisdiction over [the defendants] is their alleged complicity in violating the [Pennsylvania Human Relations Act] by terminating plaintiffs employment on the basis of his age. That is plainly insufficient to establish the requisite minimum contacts with this jurisdiction.”). Likewise, Defendant Stickney’s limited contacts with the state of North Carolina have not been systematic and continuous.

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Bluebook (online)
388 F. Supp. 2d 590, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 27128, 2005 WL 1389430, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lane-v-lucent-technologies-inc-ncmd-2005.