Pouyeh v. University of Alabama/Department of Ophthalmology

66 F. Supp. 3d 1375, 2014 WL 5770308
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Alabama
DecidedNovember 5, 2014
DocketNo. CV-12-BE-4198-S
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 66 F. Supp. 3d 1375 (Pouyeh v. University of Alabama/Department of Ophthalmology) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pouyeh v. University of Alabama/Department of Ophthalmology, 66 F. Supp. 3d 1375, 2014 WL 5770308 (N.D. Ala. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

KARON OWEN BOWDRE, Chief Judge.

This matter — asserting employment discrimination, “education discrimination,” and Constitutional violations brought pursuant to § 1983 — is before the court on “Motion for Reconsideration of Final Order to Dismiss with Preducie [sic] of the Fourth Amendment [sic] Complaint” (doc. 97); “Motion for Leave to Supplemet [sic] the ‘Motion for Reconsideration of Final Order of Dismissal’ ” (doc. 106); and “Motion for Hearing for the ‘Motion for Reconsideration Final Order of Dismissal’ ” (doc. 107). For the reasons stated below, the court FINDS that the Motion for Leave to Supplement and the Motion for Hearing are due to be DENIED, and the Motion for Reconsideration is due to be GRANTED, and the court will AMEND its prior Memorandum Opinion as further discussed below. However, for the reasons stated below, the court FINDS that a reconsideration of this matter renders the same result; this case is due to be DISMISSED in its entirety, and the court will CONFIRM its Final Order to that effect.

The Plaintiff, Dr. Bozorgmehr Pou-yeh, brings the Motion for Reconsideration under Rules 59 and 60 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. A motion to alter or amend under Rule 59 does not provide a mechanism for a dissatisfied party to' re-litigate a matter. Arthur v. King, 500 F.3d 1335, 1343 (11th Cir.2007) (“A Rule 59(e) motion cannot be used to reliti-gate old matters, raise argument or present evidence that could have been raised prior to the entry of judgment”). The Eleventh Circuit has recognized two grounds for granting a Rule 59 motion: “[1] newly-discovered evidence or [2] manifest errors of law or fact.” Id. at 1343 (quoting In re Kellog, 197 F.3d 1116, 1119 (11th Cir.1999)). Courts in this Circuit have recognized that an intervening change in controlling law is also a ground for reconsideration and an exception to the law of the case doctrine. See, e.g., Summit Med. Ctr. of Ala., Inc. v. Riley, 284 F.Supp.2d 1350, 1355 (M.D.Ala.2003) (addressing a Rule 59 motion); Oliver v. Orange Cnty., Fla., 456 Fed.Appx. 815, 818 (11th Cir.2012) (listing the following exceptions to the law of the case doctrine, allowing a district judge to reconsider a prior ruling: “(1) new evidence; (2) an intervening change in the law that dictates a different result; or (3) that the prior decision was clearly erroneous and would result in manifest injustice.”).

In his motion for reconsideration, Dr. Pouyeh also invokes relief under Rule 60. Rule 60 provides additional grounds for relief from a court order, such as “mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect” (60(b)(1)); “fraud ..., misrepresentation, or misconduct by an opposing party” (60(b)(3)); “the judgment is void” (60(b)(4)); “the judgment has been satisfied, released or discharged” ... (60(b)(5)); or “any other reason that justifies relief’ (60(b)(6)). Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b). Because Dr. Pouyeh presents his request for reconsideration under both rules without distinguishing which ground for reconsideration falls within which rule, the court will simply address the specific grounds he enunciates for reconsideration and his corresponding motion to supplement the record.

Intervening Change in Law

One ground for reconsideration is when a party presents to the court an [1379]*1379intervening change in law that dictates a different result. In his motion for reconsideration and motion for leave to supplement the record with additional case law, Dr. Pouyeh did not present an intervening change in the law; all the cases he cited were decided well before the original briefing. For that reason, the court FINDS, in its discretion, that the motion for leave to supplement is due to be DENIED. However, to determine whether the motion for reconsideration is due to be granted, the court will address the other grounds for reconsideration.

New Evidence/Mistake based on Evidence Not Part of the Original Record

A second ground for reconsidering a prior decision is the presentation of new evidence that was not available to the court at the time of the original decision. Dr. Pouyeh did present new evidence in his motion for reconsideration regarding the exhaustion of administrative remedies under the Title YII claim. In its previous Memorandum Opinion addressing the motion to dismiss, the court had found “an apparent absence of the condition precedent to the filing of a Title VII claim: the exhaustion of administrative remedies.” The court had noted that Dr. Pouyeh challenged UAB’s denial on October 29, 2011 of an interview for a residency program and attached an EEOC charge dated April 30, 2012, more than 180 days after the challenged action. The court stated that “[ajssuming [the charge] was filed on or subsequent to the date [Dr. Pouyeh] signed it, the EEOC charge was not filed within 180. days of the alleged violation, which would have expired on April 26, 2012. Thus, the EEOC charge was untimely and did not meet the condition precedent for the [2011] alleged violation.... ” (Doc. 95, at 6).

The court recognizes that Defendant did not raise the exhaustion of administrative remedies issue, and, because the court raised it sua sponte, this motion for reconsideration is Dr. Pouyeh’s first opportunity to address the issue. He addresses it in part by attaching the EEOC Charge Detail Inquiry. This document was not attached to any of the four complaints and was not otherwise incorporated by reference into them, and the court is addressing a motion for reconsideration of a motion to dismiss, not a motion for ■summary judgment. However, the court will consider this document at this juncture without converting the motion into a motion to dismiss; “ ‘[b]ecause exhaustion of administrative remedies is a matter in abatement and not generally an adjudication on the merits, [the issue of exhaustion] should be raised in a motion to dismiss [and] it is proper for a judge to consider facts outside of the pleadings’ ” to resolve this particular issue and develop the record. Tillery v. United States Dep’t of Homeland Sec., 402 FedAppx. 421, 424 (11th Cir.2010) (Title VII case quoting Bryant v. Rich, 530 F.3d 1368, 1377 (11th Cir.2008)) (PLRA case addressing exhaustion issue; the Eleventh Circuit found it applicable to Tillery’s Title VII exhaustion of judicial remedies issue).

The EEOC Charge Detail Inquiry document reflects that the EEOC had received charge information by mail from Dr. Pouyeh on March 29, 2012, well within the 180-day period; that, on April 20, 2012, the EEOC mailed back to him a charge for his signature and for return within 30 days; and that, on April 25, 2012, the charge was drafted and mailed to Dr. Pouyeh for a second time for dating and signing. (Doc. 97, at 23, Ex. 1). Because the Charge Detail Inquiry document was not attached as an exhibit to his complaint with the EEOC Charge, the record in this [1380]*1380case did not reflect this information until Dr. Pouyeh provided it with his current motion. Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
66 F. Supp. 3d 1375, 2014 WL 5770308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pouyeh-v-university-of-alabamadepartment-of-ophthalmology-alnd-2014.