Middleton v. U.S. Dep't of Labor

318 F. Supp. 3d 81
CourtCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
DecidedJuly 10, 2018
DocketCase No. 1:17–cv–00878 (TNM)
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 318 F. Supp. 3d 81 (Middleton v. U.S. Dep't of Labor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Middleton v. U.S. Dep't of Labor, 318 F. Supp. 3d 81 (D.C. Cir. 2018).

Opinion

TREVOR N. MCFADDEN, United States District Judge

Plaintiff Evelyn L. Middleton, pro se , has sued the U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") alleging negligence and breach of fiduciary duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA") and the Federal Tort Claims Act ("FTCA"). The DOL seeks to dismiss the Second Amended Complaint under, among other defenses, the doctrine of res judicata . Because there has already been exhaustive litigation between the same parties involving the same cause of action and there has been a final, valid judgment on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction, res judicata precludes further litigation of Ms. Middleton's claims related to her retirement account. As a separate basis for dismissal, her claims fail to state a claim on which relief can be granted.1 Accordingly, the Defendant's Motion to Dismiss will be granted, and the Second Amended Complaint will be dismissed with prejudice. The Plaintiff's pending Motion for Summary Judgment will also be denied as moot.

I.

Ms. Middleton filed a complaint with the DOL in June 2001 alleging that her former employer, Centra Health, and her retirement benefits planning company, American General Company, mishandled her retirement account. Second Am. Compl. ("SAC") 2, ¶ 1, ECF No. 22. She contends that, as a result of her complaint, DOL won a $19 million claim against American General in 2002 and that she never received those funds. Id. at 4, ¶ 9. Ms. Middleton also asserts that she subsequently dealt with several DOL officials who allegedly made "verbal and written misrepresentations" regarding her complaint. Id. at 13 at "Bases for Injury" ¶¶ 2, 4. She bases her claims on ERISA, 29 U.S.C. § 1001 et seq. , and the FTCA, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(b), 2671 et seq. , alleging negligence and breach of fiduciary duties by the DOL. Id. at 1-2, ¶¶ A, C. Ms. Middleton has filed or attempted to file at least 18 lawsuits in the Western and Eastern Districts of Virginia related to this cause of action. See, e.g. :

Evelyn L. Middleton v. United States Department of Labor , 4:06-cv-00072 (E.D. Va.) (Dismissed pursuant to motion by Friedman, J.);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. United States Department of Labor et al. , 4:07-cv-00080 (E.D. Va.) (Voluntary dismissal);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. United States Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service , 4:10-cv-00072 (E.D. Va.) (Dismissed sua sponte by Friedman, J.);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. United States of America and Department of Treasury , 4:10-cv-00088 (E.D. Va.) (Dismissed sua sponte by Friedman, J.);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. United States of America and Department of Treasury , 4:11-cv-00029 (E.D. Va.) (Dismissed sua sponte by Davis, J.);
*85Evelyn L. Middleton v. United States of America , 4:11-cv-00059 (E.D. Va.) (FTCA claim dismissed pursuant to motion by Davis, J.);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. United States of America , 4:11-cv-00142 (E.D. Va.) (Originally filed in Williamsburg/James City County Circuit Court as Evelyn Middleton v. Lawrence R. Leonard and Jerome Friedman and removed to federal court; dismissed pursuant to motion by Davis, J. and imposed pre-filing restrictions);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. United States of America , 4:12-cv-00129 (E.D. Va.) (Dismissed pursuant to motion by Davis, J.);
Evelyn Middleton v. United States of America , 6:12-cv-00022 (W.D. Va.) (Dismissed pursuant to motion by Moon, J.);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. United States of America , 6:12-cv-00041 (W.D. Va.) (Dismissed pursuant to motion by Moon, J.);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. United States of America , 6:13-cv-00002 (W.D. Va.) (Dismissed pursuant to motion by Moon, J. and imposed pre-filing restrictions);
Evelyn Middleton v. U.S. Department of Labor , 6:13-mc-00002 (W.D. Va.) (Motion to File Complaint filed August 16, 2013 and denied August 22, 2013);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. U.S. Department of Labor , 6:15-mc-00004 (W.D. Va.) (Motion to File Complaint filed June 8, 2015 and denied July 16, 2015);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. U.S. Department of Labor , 6:15-mc-00005 (W.D. Va.) (Motion to File Complaint filed July 31, 2015 and denied August 3, 2015);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. U.S. Department of Labor , 6:15-mc-00006 (W.D. Va.) (Motion to File Complaint filed August 20, 2015 and denied September 16, 2015);
Evelyn Middleton v. U.S. Department of Labor , 6:17-mc-00001 (W.D. Va.) (Motion to File Complaint filed April 10, 2017 and denied April 12, 2017);
Evelyn Middleton v. U.S. Department of Labor , 6:17-mc-00004 (W.D. Va.) (Motion to File Complaint filed April 18, 2017 and denied April 21, 2017);
Evelyn L. Middleton v. U.S. Department of Labor , 6:17-mc-00005 (W.D. Va.) (Motion to File Complaint filed April 26, 2017 and denied May 2, 2017).

Ms. Middleton filed her complaint in this District on May 10, 2017 and amended her complaint twice, once as of right and once with leave of the Court. See Compl., ECF No. 11; Minute Orders (Aug. 30, 2017 and Dec. 7, 2017). The DOL filed a motion to dismiss the Second Amended Complaint pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted. Mot. to Dismiss, ECF No. 25. The DOL asserts that (1) relief is barred by the doctrines of sovereign immunity and res judicata , (2) Ms. Middleton failed to state a claim under ERISA and the FTCA, and (3) the action is barred by the ERISA statute of limitations. Id. at 1, ¶ 1. After the DOL's motion to dismiss became ripe for adjudication, Ms. Middleton moved for summary judgment. Mot. for Summ. J., ECF No. 30.

II.

A party may move to dismiss a complaint, or a specific count therein, on the ground that it "fail[s] to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." Fed. R. Civ. P.

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Bluebook (online)
318 F. Supp. 3d 81, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/middleton-v-us-dept-of-labor-cadc-2018.