Moore v. U.S. Dep't of State

351 F. Supp. 3d 76
CourtCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
DecidedJanuary 9, 2019
DocketNo. 17-cv-1531 (DLF)
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 351 F. Supp. 3d 76 (Moore v. U.S. Dep't of State) 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
Moore v. U.S. Dep't of State, 351 F. Supp. 3d 76 (D.C. Cir. 2019).

Opinion

When deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, the court may consider only the complaint itself, documents attached to the complaint, documents incorporated by reference in the complaint, and judicially noticeable materials. EEOC v. St. Francis Xavier Parochial Sch. , 117 F.3d 621, 624 (D.C. Cir. 1997). Relevant here, the Court may consider Moore's EEO documents. See Bowden v. United States , 106 F.3d 433, 437 (D.C. Cir. 1997) (considering "the pleadings and undisputed documents in the record" while reaching the merits on a *88motion to dismiss); Vasser v. McDonald , 228 F.Supp.3d 1, 11 (D.D.C. 2016) (taking judicial notice of informal and formal administrative complaints on a motion to dismiss); Williams v. Chu , 641 F.Supp.2d 31, 35 (D.D.C. 2009) ("A plaintiff's EEOC charge and the agency's determination are both public records, of which this Court may take judicial notice." (quotation marks and alteration omitted) ). Finally, a Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal "is a resolution on the merits and is ordinarily prejudicial." Okusami v. Psychiatric Inst. of Wash., Inc. , 959 F.2d 1062, 1066 (D.C. Cir. 1992).

III. ANALYSIS

A. Count I: Hostile Work Environment

1. Allegations Before November 26, 2013

The defendants argue that the 2013 settlement agreement bars Moore from asserting any allegations that predate November 26, 2013. See Defs.' Mot. to Dismiss 1, 3-4, 9-11. The Court agrees.

Courts have repeatedly held that a valid settlement agreement bars a plaintiff from asserting facts covered by the agreement in a subsequent hostile environment action. See Perry v. Gotbaum , 766 F.Supp.2d 151, 166 (D.D.C. 2011) ("[A]ny claims relating to conduct prior to [the date specified in the settlement agreement] have been settled and released by [the plaintiff], and the Court may not consider such conduct as a basis for [the plaintiff's] hostile work environment claim."); Johnson v. Ashcroft , No. 02-1745, 2005 WL 2064095, at *4 (D.D.C. Aug. 25, 2005) (pre-settlement allegations could not be considered in subsequent hostile environment suit even though the suit "involve[d] a different legal claim" because the "plain language" of the settlement agreement "release[d] the defendant from liability based on any claim or cause of action that could have been asserted during the mediation process"); Miller v. United States , 603 F.Supp. 1244, 1251 (D.D.C. 1985) (refusing to consider pre-settlement allegations even on a continuing violation theory because the settlement agreement "contain[e]d no such limitation"); see also Hopkins v. Bd. of Educ. of City of Chicago , 73 F.Supp.3d 974, 984 (N.D. Ill. 2014) ("By virtue of the settlement agreement, [the plaintiff] effectively agreed to carve out conduct predating [her EEOC complaint] from any future claim she might assert.").

The settlement agreement here bars Moore from asserting any claims against the Department or its officials "whether or not known arising, or which might arise, up to and including the date of [the] Agreement." Defs.' Mot. to Dismiss Ex. 1, ¶ 1. That language clearly forecloses a hostile work environment claim premised on events before November 26, 2013, when the agreement was executed, see id. ¶ 11.

Moore resists this conclusion because, in his view, the settlement agreement is invalid. See Pl.'s Opp'n at 14-16. There is no question that he entered the agreement, see Compl. ¶ 28, and subsequently sought to enforce it against the Department, see id. ¶¶ 30, 48. Nevertheless, Moore argues that the agreement is legally invalid because it lacked "substantial consideration" and because the Department "negotiated in bad faith." Pl.'s Opp'n at 15.

Moore cites no authority to support this legal conclusion, which is alleged nowhere in Moore's complaint and would enjoy no deference even if it were. See Iqbal , 556 U.S. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. A settlement agreement "between one private party and a federal agency ...-like any contract with the federal government-is governed by federal common law." Wright v. Foreign Serv. Grievance Bd. , 503 F.Supp.2d 163, 173 (D.D.C. 2007), aff'd , *89No. 07-5328, 2008 WL 4068606 (D.C. Cir. Mar. 17, 2008) (per curiam). When fashioning the federal common law of Title VII settlement contracts, the D.C. Circuit looks to the Second Restatement of Contracts because its principles "represent the prevailing view among the states and are consistent with the remedial policies of Title VII." Bowden , 106 F.3d at 439 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Applying these principles, both of Moore's arguments for invalidity fail.

As for his first argument-that the agreement lacked "substantial consideration"-courts ordinarily "do not inquire into the adequacy of consideration," especially "when one or both of the values exchanged are uncertain or difficult to measure." Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 79 cmt. c. (1981).8 Here, Moore agreed to withdraw all claims against the Department; in exchange, the Department agreed to take a number of specific actions to facilitate Moore's career advancement within the Department. See Defs.' Mot. to Dismiss Ex. 1 ¶¶ 1, 9. This exchange satisfies the requirement of a bargained-for benefit or detriment, and the Court will not inquire further into the relative value each party received.

Moore's second argument-that the Department negotiated in bad faith-is equally unavailing.

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351 F. Supp. 3d 76, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moore-v-us-dept-of-state-cadc-2019.