Mackley v. TW Telecom Holdings, Inc.

296 F.R.D. 655, 2014 WL 200972, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6051
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedJanuary 17, 2014
DocketNo. 12-2774-SAC
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 296 F.R.D. 655 (Mackley v. TW Telecom Holdings, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mackley v. TW Telecom Holdings, Inc., 296 F.R.D. 655, 2014 WL 200972, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6051 (D. Kan. 2014).

Opinion

[660]*660 MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

K. GARY SEBELIUS, United States Magistrate Judge.

This matter comes before the court upon Plaintiff Steven Mackley’s Motion for Leave to Amend Complaint (ECF No. 11). For the reasons stated below, the motion is granted as to Mr. Maekley’s amended Count I and Count II. However, the undersigned recommends to the District Judge that the motion as it pertains to allowing Mr. Mackley to pursue the amended Count III be denied.1

I. Relevant Background

On December 10, 2012, Mr. Mackley filed a complaint against TW Telecom Holdings, Inc., in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas alleging gender discrimination and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 19642 and age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act3 (the “ADEA”). On February 15, 2013, TW Telecom filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) and for failing to state each claim in a separate count pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 10. As part of Mr. Mackley’s response, he requested leave to amend his complaint in the alternative to dismissal if the court had concerns about the complaint’s sufficiency.

On April 10, 2013, U.S. District Judge Sam A. Crow granted TW Telecom’s motion to dismiss and dismissed the complaint without prejudice. Judge Crow found that the complaint failed to give TW Telecom adequate notice of the specific discriminatory conduct giving rise to the claims and failed to plead sufficient facts to state a plausible claim under Title VII or the ADEA.4 Judge Crow granted Mr. Mackley up to and including May 3, 2013, to file a motion to amend in compliance with D. Kan. Rule 15.1. On May 3,2013, Mr. Mackley filed the present Motion to Amend (ECF No. 11). The parties have fully briefed the matter, and the court is prepared to rule.

II. Discussion

Fed.R.Civ.P. 15 governs the procedure for a party to amend a pleading. At this juncture of the case, Mr. Mackley may only amend his complaint by consent of the opposing party or by leave of the court.5 When leave of the court is required, the court may refuse to grant leave “only [upon] a showing of undue delay, undue prejudice to the opposing party, bad faith or dilatory motive, failure to cure deficiencies by amendments previously allowed, or futility of amendment.”6 Leave should freely be given when justice so requires.7

TW Telecom opposes the present motion on the grounds that the proposed amended complaint is futile for various reasons. Namely, TW Telecom argues that it would be: (1) untimely and barred by the applicable statute of limitations, (2) fails to state a claim, and (3) fails to comply with Fed. R.Civ.P. 10(b). Further, TW Telecom argues that Mr. Mackley failed to timely exhaust administrative remedies for several of his amended claims.

A court may deny a motion to amend on the basis of futility “if the ‘amendment would not withstand a motion to dismiss or otherwise fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.’ ”8 When deter[661]*661mining whether an amendment is futile, the court analyzes the proposed amendment as if it were before the court on a motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6).9 Therefore, the court will only deny an amendment on the basis of futility when factual allegations fail to “state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face,”10 or when an issue of law is dispositive.11 The party opposing the proposed amendment bears the burden of establishing its futility.12

A. Timeliness

TW Telecom asserts that the proposed amended complaint is futile because it is time-barred by the statute of limitations for employment discrimination claims under Title VII and the ADEA.13 Specifically, TW Telecom argues that the proposed amended complaint would not relate back to the original complaint pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 15(e) and also that equitable tolling does not apply.

Filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) or an authorized state agency is required before filing a discrimination lawsuit alleging violations of Title VII and the ADEA.14 Under Title VII and the ADEA, a charge of discrimination must be filed within three hundred days of the alleged unlawful discrimination if made to an authorized state agency.15 It is only after the claimant receives a right-to-sue letter from the administrative agency that he or she can initiate a lawsuit.16 Once the right-to-sue letter is received, the plaintiff must file suit within a ninety-day period.17 An action filed after this ninety-day period will be deemed untimely.18

In August 2012, Mr. Mackley signed and filed a charge of discrimination with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights (“MCHR”) and the EEOC based upon the alleged discriminatory actions of TW Tele-com. The EEOC issued a right-to-sue letter on September 20, 2012, giving Mr. Mackley up to and including December 19, 2012 to file a lawsuit based upon his August 2012 charge of discrimination. Mr. Mackley timely filed a complaint on December 10, 2012. Because Mr. Mackley timely filed a charge of discrimination, received an EEOC right-to-sue letter, and filed a lawsuit within the ninety-day period, his original complaint was timely. Nonetheless, TW Telecom argues that Mr. Mackley’s proposed amended complaint would be untimely as it does not relate back to the date of the timely-filed original complaint and, therefore, falls outside of the ninety-day limitations period. The court does not agree.

Pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 15(c), an amended complaint may relate back to the date of a timely-filed original complaint, even if the amendment is outside of the statute of limitations, when “the amendment asserts a claim or defense that arose out of the con[662]*662duct, transaction, or occurrence set out — or attempted to be set out — in the original pleading.”19 It is within the court’s sound discretion to decide whether a new claim meets this standard.20 If the amendment alters the original complaint enough to prevent the defendant from receiving adequate notice about the conduct, transaction, or occurrence underlying the claim or defense, then the amendment will not relate back and will be deemed untimely.

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Bluebook (online)
296 F.R.D. 655, 2014 WL 200972, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6051, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mackley-v-tw-telecom-holdings-inc-ksd-2014.