Roepsch v. Bentsen

846 F. Supp. 1363, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3730, 1994 WL 100378
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedMarch 21, 1994
Docket91-C-1232
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 846 F. Supp. 1363 (Roepsch v. Bentsen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Roepsch v. Bentsen, 846 F. Supp. 1363, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3730, 1994 WL 100378 (E.D. Wis. 1994).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

RANDA, District Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on pro se plaintiff Edward J. Roepsch’s (“plaintiff’) motions to remove attorney William P. Lehman from representation of the Secretary of the Treasury (interchangeably, “defendant” or “Secretary”) and for an order requiring the United States Attorney to demonstrate its authority to proceed on behalf of the Secretary. In addition, the defendant has moved for partial dismissal or, alternatively, for judgment on the pleadings. For the reasons set forth below, plaintiffs motions are denied and defendant’s motions are granted in part and denied in part.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

From approximately June of 1972 until his resignation on November 30, 1989, plaintiff was employed as an attorney by the Midwest Region District Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Treasury. Plaintiff alleges a continuing pattern of discrimination beginning in 1987 when he was denied a promotion to a GS-15 position. (Complaint, ¶ 12). In addition, plaintiff alleges that he resigned under duress after being subjected to less favorable working conditions than other employees because of his race, color, age 2 , in retaliation for assisting a minority employee process a work grievance, and in retaliation for his own use of the EEO process. (Complaint, ¶¶ 13, 14a-w).

Plaintiffs assistance of the minority employee occurred on or about December 22, 1988. On or about April 27, 1989, plaintiff filed his first formal EEO complaint (Agency Case 89-3079). Five more were to follow: June 21, 1989 (Agency Case 89-3090); June 22, 1989 (Agency Case 89-3001); October 2, 1989 (Agency Case 90-3001); November 8, 1989 (Agency Case 89-3023); January 10, 1990 (Agency Case 89-3028). Each EEO complaint alleges discrimination based on age, color, race, retaliation for assisting the minority employee, and retaliation for his use of the EEO complaints process, as well as filing the work grievances. After Treasury issued two proposed disposition letters finding no discrimination with respect to all six complaints, plaintiff, on March 29, 1990, filed his request for a hearing before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission *1366 (EEOC) for Case Nos. 89-3079, 89-3089, 89-3090, and 90-3001. On June 4, 1990, the plaintiff filed his request for a hearing before the EEOC for Agency Case Nos. 90-3023 and 90-3028. A nineteen (19) day hearing was held in late 1990. On October 3, 1991, the EEOC issued its decision, recommending that Treasury enter a final agency decision of no discrimination. Plaintiff filed this suit on November 15, 1991.

Plaintiffs Motions

Plaintiff has filed two motions regarding defense counsel which appear to be born of the same frustration. First, plaintiff seeks the removal of attorney William P. Lehman from his representation of the defendant or from appearing “of counsel” in this case. As grounds therefore, plaintiff argues that Lehman, IRS assistant regional counsel, and Denis Conlon, regional counsel (and a former defendant in this case) are “illegally” involved in this case. According to plaintiff, both Lehman and Conlon, through the Regional Complaints Center, were initially responsible for investigating the plaintiffs EEO complaints. Further, Lehman, who “reports directly” to Conlon, also represented the Secretary of Treasury at the hearing despite this “obvious conflict of interest”. In short, plaintiff argues that because he intends to call Lehman as a witness at trial, Lehman should not be allowed to appear as an attorney or as “of counsel” in this case. Plaintiff intends to question attorney Lehman about two distinct matters, neither of which appears relevant. The first concerns a meeting which Lehman held with employees of the Milwaukee District Counsel’s office at which Lehman allegedly attempted to intimidate or coerce witnesses who were expected to testify at the EEOC hearings. In support of his motion, plaintiff asserts that, “[a]t least one material witness, Attorney James P. Klein ... testified ... that he felt intimidated by this situation”. (Plaintiffs brief at 2) Plaintiffs attachment of the hearing transcript flatly contradicts this assertion. With respect to the meeting that Lehman was involved in, the transcript provides:

Q. Besides the fact that the meeting was mandatory, was there anything else involved in the meeting that you felt was in any way intimidating?
A. Honestly, no. I would say no.

(Exhibit 1, Tr. p. 3250).

From the above, there appears to be no substance to the plaintiffs charge that Lehman acted improperly in conducting the employee meeting. As a second basis for having Lehman removed as counsel, plaintiff argues that during the EEOC hearing Lehman “conferred and advised Denis J. Conlon as to what to say”. (Plaintiffs brief at 2). A review of the relevant portions of the transcript indicates that plaintiffs argument is without merit. The excerpts do not support an argument that Lehman engaged in improper “coaching”, and even if he did, there is simply no basis for that matter to be revisited in this case. Accordingly, there is no reason to conclude that Lehman will be a witness in this case.

Plaintiffs second motion seeks a court order requiring the United States Attorney to “provide evidence of [its] authorization to represent the defendant in this proceeding and ordered [] not to be directed and controlled by Denis J. Conlon, his attorney, William P. Lehman, and other employees of the Office of Counsel, IRS”. Plaintiff alleges the following:

[When] plaintiff attempted to settle this case, ... [the Assistant United States Attorney] notified plaintiff that she did not confer with the defendant, Nicholas F. Brady, or his office concerning this case. Instead, she apparently conferred with Attorney William O. Lehman, who reports directly to Denis J. Conlon, Regional Counsel, IRS, one of the individuals who is charged with committing the alleged illegal discriminatory and retaliatory acts in this ease and who previously illegally represented Mr. Colon, a witness, and the Secretary of Treasury during the EEOC hearing.

(Plaintiffs brief at 2).

It appears from these two motions that plaintiff thinks the individuals who allegedly discriminated against him, and who are apparently directing the defense of this case, might be less willing to settle the case than some *1367 one from, the Secretary’s office. It is not within the Court’s power to order the Secretary to defend this case in a particular fashion or with particular counsel. Whether the Regional Counsel and the United States Attorney are satisfactorily representing the Secretary is a question which neither the plaintiff nor the Court need concern itself. As plaintiff has submitted no authority to support his requested relief, and the Court is not persuaded by his arguments, the motions are denied.

Defendant’s Motions

Defendant’s motion pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1), (6) and (c) involve a number of distinct issues.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
846 F. Supp. 1363, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3730, 1994 WL 100378, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roepsch-v-bentsen-wied-1994.