Paredes Guevara v. A&P Restaurant Corp

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedJanuary 21, 2025
Docket7:24-cv-00522
StatusUnknown

This text of Paredes Guevara v. A&P Restaurant Corp (Paredes Guevara v. A&P Restaurant Corp) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Paredes Guevara v. A&P Restaurant Corp, (S.D.N.Y. 2025).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT USDC SDNY SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK DOCUMENT ELECTRONICALLY FILED JORGE PARDES GUEVARA, DOC #: Plaintiff DATE FILED: 1/21/2025 -against- 24-cv-522 (NSR) A&P RESTAURANT CORP., ANASTASIO OPINION & ORDER GIANNOPOULOS, and PETER GIANNOPOULOS Defendants.

NELSON S. ROMAN, United States District Judge: Plaintiff Jorge Paredes Guevara (“Plaintiff”) initiated this action on January 25, 2024, asserting claims of interference with the exercise of protected rights, retaliation and discrimination under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331, as well as retaliation and discrimination under New York Labor Law § 215 (“NYLL”) against Defendants A&P Restaurant Corp. (“A&P”), Anastasio Giannopoulos (“Anastasio”), and Peter Giannopoulos (‘Peter’) (together, “Defendants”). Presently before the Court is Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s claims pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and (6). For the following reasons, Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED. BACKGROUND The following facts are derived from the Complaint (““Compl.”) and are taken as true and constructed in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff at this stage. Defendants employed Plaintiff as a W2 non-exempt wage earner. (Compl. § 10.) The Defendants hired Plaintiff on or around April 2021. Ud. § 11.) Plaintiff stopped working for the Defendants on or around October 30, 2023. Ud. ¥ 12.) Plaintiff was specifically hired as a cook for

the Defendants. (Id. ¶ 13.) Plaintiff worked for the Defendants in the 2021, 2022, and 2023 calendar years. (Id. ¶¶ 15-17.) Plaintiff regularly worked about 55 hours per week. (Id. ¶ 18.) Plaintiff worked 40 weeks in 2023, 48 weeks in 2022, and 32 weeks in 2021. (Id. ¶¶ 19-21.) Plaintiff generally worked 5 days a week, with 2 days off. (Id. ¶ 22.) Plaintiff’s compensation was

set by an hourly basis and Plaintiff was paid on a weekly basis. (Id. ¶¶ 23-24.) Defendants employed more than 50 employees while Plaintiff worked for Defendants. (Id. 25.) Plaintiff was employed for more than 12 consecutive months by the Defendants prior to his termination. (Id. ¶ 26.) Plaintiff worked more than 1,250 hours during the 12 months preceding his needing FMLA leave. (Id. ¶ 27.) On or about October 29, 2023, Plaintiff requested permission to leave work early due to feeling sick. (Id. ¶ 28.) On or about October 30, 2023, Plaintiff requested time off work as his health had worsened. (Id ¶ 29.) Plaintiff asserts that Defendants “became aware” of Plaintiff’s need for FMLA leave when Plaintiff advised Defendants he was not feeling well and needed time to recover. (Id. ¶ 30.) Defendants granted Plaintiff time off work “but did not inform” Plaintiff “of his rights under the FMLA.” (Id. ¶ 31.) Plaintiff’s bronchitis incapacitated

him for “a period of more than three days” and required “ongoing medical attention.” (Id. ¶ 32.) By November 8, 2023, Plaintiff received medical attention and was diagnosed with early-stage bronchitis. (Id. ¶ 33.) On November 8, 2023, Plaintiff informed Defendants about his diagnosis and expressed his intention to return to work by November 11, 2023, after 2 additional days of recovery. (Id. ¶ 34.) That same day, Defendants advised Plaintiff that a replacement had been hired and that he was terminated. (Id. ¶ 35.) Based on foregoing, Plaintiff brings claims alleging violations of the FMLA, as well as violations of NYLL § 215. PROCEDURAL HISTORY On January 25, 2024, Plaintiff commenced this action against Defendants in his complaint (“the Complaint”) (ECF No. 1.) On August 20, 2024, Defendants filed a motion to dismiss and their memorandum of law in support (the “Motion” or “Mot.”, ECF Nos. 23 and 24.) Plaintiff filed

a memorandum of law in opposition to Defendants’ motion (the “Opposition” or “Opp.”, ECF No. 22.) Defendants filed a reply memorandum of law in further support of their motion to dismiss (the “Reply,” ECF No. 25.) LEGAL STANDARD A. Rule 12(b)(1) Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) (“Rule 12(b)(1)”) provides in relevant part, that a case is properly dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction when the district court lacks the statutory or constitutional power to adjudicate it. When resolving a Rule 12(b)(1) motion for lack of lack of subject matter jurisdiction, the court may refer to evidence outside the pleadings. See Kamen v. American Tel. & Tel. Co., 791 F.2d 1006, 1011 (2d Cir.1986). Plaintiff bears the burden

of demonstrating by a preponderance of the evidence that subject matter jurisdiction exists. See Malik v. Meissner, 82 F.3d 560, 562 (2d Cir.1996). B. Rule 12(b)(6) Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) (“Rule 12(b)(6)”), dismissal is proper unless the complaint “contain[s] sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). When there are well-pled factual allegations in the complaint, “a court should assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement to relief.” Id. at 679. While the Court must take all material factual allegations as true and draw reasonable inferences in the non-moving party’s favor, the Court is “not bound to accept as true a legal conclusion couched as a factual allegation,” or to credit “mere conclusory statements” or “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action.” Id. at 678 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555). The Second Circuit “deem[s] a complaint to include any written

instrument attached to it as an exhibit or any statements or documents incorporated in it by reference . . . and documents that plaintiffs either possessed or knew about and upon which they relied in bringing the suit.” Rotham v. Gregor, 220 F.3d 81, 88 (2d Cir. 2000) (internal citations omitted). The critical inquiry is whether the Plaintiff has pled sufficient facts to nudge the claims “across the line from conceivable to plausible.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570. A motion to dismiss will be denied where the allegations “allow[] the court to draw the reasonable inference that the Defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. DISCUSSION Plaintiff brings claims pursuant to the FMLA, alleging interference with the exercise of protected rights, as well as retaliation and discrimination, and also brings claims pursuant to

NYLL § 215, likewise alleging retaliation and discrimination. The Court will address each claim in turn. A. FMLA Interference Claim To state a claim for interference with FMLA rights, a “plaintiff must establish: 1) that she is an eligible employee under the FMLA; 2) that the defendant is an employer as defined by the FMLA; 3) that she was entitled to take leave under the FMLA; 4) that she gave notice to the defendant of her intention to take leave; and 5) that she was denied benefits to which she was entitled under the FMLA.” Shultz v.

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Paredes Guevara v. A&P Restaurant Corp, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paredes-guevara-v-ap-restaurant-corp-nysd-2025.