Patalonis v. Outreach Development Corporation

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 28, 2020
Docket2:19-cv-01306
StatusUnknown

This text of Patalonis v. Outreach Development Corporation (Patalonis v. Outreach Development Corporation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Patalonis v. Outreach Development Corporation, (E.D.N.Y. 2020).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK -----------------------------------------------------------------x DEBORAH PATALONIS,

Plaintiff,

-against- MEMORANDUM AND ORDER 19-CV-1306 (RRM) (SIL) OUTREACH DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION,

Defendant. -----------------------------------------------------------------x ROSLYNN R. MAUSKOPF, Chief United States District Judge:

Plaintiff Deborah Patalonis brings this action against her former employer, Outreach Development Corporation (“Outreach”), alleging Title VII, § 1983, and three state-law claims arising from her termination in mid-July 2018. Outreach now moves pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (“Rule”) 12(b)(6) to dismiss all five claims, arguing, among other things, that the Title VII claim is time-barred because Patalonis did not commence this action within 90 days of her receipt of the right-to-sue letter. Since both parties have introduced matters outside the pleadings with respect to this issue, Outreach’s motion is converted into a motion for summary judgment pursuant to Rule 12(d). Since the Court requires supplemental briefing with respect to Outreach’s argument that the complaint fails to state a § 1983 claim, the Court deems Outreach’s motion withdrawn, directs that Outreach file a new motion in accordance with this Memorandum and Order, and sets a briefing schedule. BACKGROUND Except as otherwise noted, the following facts are drawn from Patalonis’s complaint (Doc. No. 1), the allegations of which are assumed to be true for purposes of this motion to dismiss. Patalonis is a registered nurse who, prior to her termination, had been employed by Outreach for 26 years. (Compl. ¶ 1.) As part of her duties, she conducted intake assessments of patients entering Outreach’s inpatient drug rehabilitation center in Brentwood, New York. (Id. ¶¶ 6, 8.) In early July 2018, while working in this capacity, she conducted an assessment of a fifteen-year-old girl. (Id. ¶ 9.)1 During their interaction, the girl told Patalonis that she was

pregnant and scheduled to have an abortion that day. (Id. ¶ 10.) The girl further stated that she did not want to proceed with the abortion, but that she had been told that her boyfriend would go to jail if she kept the baby. (Id.) Believing that the girl was “seeking counsel” from her and being a Christian, “advised her that she should not proceed until she was certain and suggested that she pray about her decision to try to find clarity.” (Id. ¶¶ 10–11, 26.) About a week later, on or about July 11, 2018, Patalonis was questioned about her conversation with the girl by David Vizzini, the head of the Brentwood center. (Id. ¶ 12.) In the presence of a Dr. Chan, Vizzini asked Patalonis if she had told the new patient to pray. (Id. ¶¶ 12–13.) Patalonis admitted that she had. (Id. ¶ 13.) Vizzini then asked if Patalonis had told the

girl that God would not forgive her if she had an abortion. (Id.) Patalonis denied this but, upon further questioning from Vizzini, admitted that had she advised the girl to pray when she arrived at the abortion clinic. (Id.)2 Approximately ten minutes after he finished this questioning, Vizzini summoned Patalonis for a second time. (Id. ¶ 15.) This time, Vizzini was in the company of Angie Espinal,

1 Paragraph 9 of the complaint alleges that this interaction took place “[i]n or around July 2011.” It is clear from other allegations in the pleading that this is a typographical error and that the interview occurred in or about July 2018. (See Compl. ¶ 12 (Patalonis terminated on July 11, 2018, “approximately a week after this interaction”).)

2 Paragraph 13 of the complaint alleges that Patalonis admitted that “she advised the plaintiff to pray when she arrived at the abortion clinic.” The Court assumes that Patalonis intended to allege that she advised the girl, not “plaintiff.” Outreach’s Human Resources officer. (Id.) Espinal accused Patalonis of violating Outreach’s code of conduct, summarily terminated her, and ordered her to leave the premises immediately, without even returning to her office to retrieve her belongings. (Id. ¶ 16.) According to Patalonis, not only does Outreach’s code of conduct not contain any

language prohibiting her actions, but her actions were “entirely consistent with her job duties and defendant’s purported mission.” (Id. ¶ 17.) Believing that she had been terminated for her religious beliefs, Patalonis filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the “EEOC”). (Id. ¶¶ 18–19.) Patalonis alleges that the EEOC issued a right-to-sue letter, (id. ¶ 19), and has attached a copy of that letter – dated November 15, 2018 – as an exhibit to the complaint. However, the complaint does not allege when Patalonis received the right-to-sue letter. This Action On March 6, 2019, Patalonis commenced this action against Outreach by filing a complaint containing five causes of action. The first cause of action is a claim pursuant to 42

U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that Outreach violated Patalonis’s Fourteenth Amendment right to due process. In support of this claim, Patalonis alleges only 1) that she is an employee of Outreach, that Outreach is “a government contractor,” that she “had a “property right/interest in her job,” and that she “was deprived of her employment without being afforded any due process.” (Id. ¶¶ 21–24.) The second cause of action alleges employment discrimination on the basis of religion in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 2000–e. This cause of action alleges that Patalonis “expressed a sentiment to a patient born out of her faith,” and that she was summarily terminated as a result of this “innocuous expression/demonstrative action of faith.” (Id. ¶¶ 27–28.) According to the complaint, her termination “was motivated by nothing other than discrimination based upon plaintiff’s religion.” (Id. ¶ 29.) The remaining three causes of action allege state-law claims. The third and fourth causes of action allege religious discrimination in violation of the New York State Human Rights Law

(“NYSHRL”) and the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”), respectively. The fifth cause of action alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress (“IIED”). The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages, along with attorneys’ fees and costs, but does not seek reinstatement. The Instant Motion Outreach now moves to dismiss this action pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6). Defendant’s Memorandum of Law in Support of its Motion to Dismiss (“Def. Memo”) raises five points, the first two of which seek to dismiss Patalonis’s two federal claims. Outreach’s first point, which seeks to dismiss the Title VII claim raised in Patalonis’s second cause of action, raises two arguments. First, Outreach argues that the Title VII claim is untimely because the complaint in

this case was filed on March 6, 2019 – more than 90 days after Patalonis received the right-to- sue letter attached to the complaint. (Def. Memo (Doc. No. 16) at 3–5.) Second, Outreach argues that Patalonis fails to state a prima facie claim for religious discrimination because “she fails to allege how her religion was a substantial or motivating factor that contributed to her termination.” (Id. at 5.) In its second point, Outreach seeks to dismiss Patalonis’s first cause of action for failure to state a claim. Outreach raises two arguments, both of which are unartfully phrased.

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Patalonis v. Outreach Development Corporation, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/patalonis-v-outreach-development-corporation-nyed-2020.