Small v. Chao

377 F. Supp. 2d 654, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26589, 2003 WL 24116492
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Small v. Chao. Read the opinion of the Court — 377 F. Supp. 2d 665
District Court, C.D. Illinois·Decided March 31, 2003·No. 02-3191·Published

Opinion

ORDER

SCOTT, District Judge.

This matter .comes before the Court on Defendant Elaine E. Chao’s, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor (“Secretary”), Motion to Dismiss (d/e 53). For the reasons stated below, the Secretary’s Motion to Dismiss is ALLOWED.

FACTS

Plaintiff Jimmie Small is a 57-year-old Caucasian man. In his Complaint, Plaintiff alleges that he gained residence in a homeless shelter with the assistance of Defendant Two Rivers Regional Council of Public Officials (“Two Rivers”). He further alleges that on • July 30, 1996, the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (“Department”) required him to attend training and employment seminars. Pursuant to this job training, Two Rivers sent him information which included a pamphlet describing course offerings at Gem City College. Among the training courses listed was a paralegal training program. Plaintiff alleges that sometime pri- or to September 15, 1996, he filled out a standard Job Training Partnership Act (“JTPA”) application to indicate that he wanted to take paralegal training courses. The JTPA provided federal funding to be administered by the various states for the purpose of training certain disadvantaged persons. In Illinois, the Department oversees the JTPA program. Plaintiff alleges that Carl Sandburg College (“Carl Sandburg”) funded these courses under the JTPA.

Plaintiff alleges that he was not enrolled in a training program within 45 days of filling out and returning the training application. Plaintiff states that Defendants’ failure to enroll him in the program within 45 days violated his rights because the JTPA System Reference Manual explained that participants must be enrolled in a program within 45 days of applying or that a new application should be given. Complaint ¶ 17. Plaintiff further alleges that Defendants did not provide him with a new application to reapply to the training program, as was required in the training manual. • He alleges that such failures constituted intentional discrimination based on his age, race and sex.

Prior to July 7, 1997, Plaintiff applied for federal grant money to help finance his education. He alleges that he was eligible for $2,150 in funding. On July 29, 1997, Plaintiff received a letter from an employee of Two' Rivers which indicated that funding would be applied on a “case-by-case basis.” Complaint ¶ 71. The letter also indicated that Plaintiffs grant would be discussed at the next meeting of the Private Industry Council’s Executive Committee, which is the governing board of Two Rivers. Plaintiff claims that although Two Rivers and Carl Sandburg knew that Plaintiff' had received information approving his grant, they did not discuss this grant at the next meting on August 13, 1997. Plaintiff alleges that as a result of the failure to discuss his grant, he never received the money.

On August 19, 1997, the Private Industry Council denied Plaintiffs request for paralegal training at Gem City College. Plaintiff states that this was an intentional violation of his rights. On September 5 and September 15, 1997, Plaintiff filed a grievance against Judy Leonard, an employee of Two Rivers and Blanche Shoupe and Betty McNaught, employees of Carl Sandburg. Plaintiff did not use the grievance form provided by the JTPA. Instead he filed a “Motion to Strike” the decision not to have paralegal training. Plaintiff claims that Defendants demonstrated *657 “reckless disregard” for his grievance claim. Complaint ¶23. Plaintiff alleges that as of October 18, 1998, he had not received any response to these complaints.

On October 18, 1999, Plaintiff submitted a JTPA appeal form to Cathy Harger at the Department. Plaintiff states that on that date, EO Officer Renee Moore and Agent Victoria D. Ben-Rochelle, and Susan Budgeline intentionally attempted to “circumvent [Plaintiffs] civil rights” by trying to discourage him from proceeding with his complaints dated in September 1997. Complaint ¶ 29.

On. October 20, 1999, a hearing was held with regard to Plaintiffs complaints filed two years earlier. Plaintiff claims that this two-year delay was intentional. West Central Workforce Development Council (“West Central”) employee Miehael Sherer acted as a hearing officer in an attempt to resolve Plaintiffs grievance with Two Rivers. Plaintiff claims that at the hearing, Sherer coerced him into accepting a settlement of his charges. On November 23, 1999, Plaintiff alleges that Sherer threatened Plaintiff with reprisal if he persisted in his discrimination claims. Complaint ¶ 51.

On February 16, 2000, Plaintiff filed a complaint with the United States Department of Labor claiming that Carl Sandburg, Two Rivers, and the Department had discriminated and retaliated against him because of his status as an indigent person. The Department of Labor dismissed Plaintiffs claims on September 5, 2001, stating that there was insufficient evidence of Plaintiffs claims. Plaintiff claims that the Department of Labor retaliated against him for his “whistleblowing complaint.” Complaint ¶ 48. Plaintiff also claims that the Department of Labor “issued threats of reprisal” against Plaintiff, if he persisted with his claims. Complaint ¶ 50.

Plaintiff filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the Department of Labor, Two Rivers, Carl Sandburg, and West Central on April 22, 2002. He received right to sue letters on May 8, 2002. These letters each indicate that Plaintiff did not file charges with the EEOC in a timely manner. Plaintiff filed his Complaint in this Court on July 29, 2002.

Plaintiff claims that each of the Defendants violated his rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in that they intentionally discriminated against him based on his age (Count I), his race (Count II) and his sex (Count IV). Count III alleges a claim for breach of contract, and a claim that Defendants retaliated against Plaintiff for filing his discrimination grievances. Plaintiff contends that Defendants Two Rivers and Carl Sandburg entered into a binding agreement with Plaintiff on July 30, 1996. Plaintiff contends that Defendants breached this agreement in order to retaliate against Plaintiff. Complaint ¶ 94.

On January 15, 2003, this Court dismissed all Defendants except for the Secretary. On January 17, 2003, the Secretary filed this Motion to Dismiss. The Secretary states that her Motion to Dismiss is brought pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim. However, most of the arguments in the Memorandum in Support of this Motion indicate that the Secretary believes that the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to hear this motion. The Memorandum in Support of the Secretary’s Motion, in fact, is entitled “Defendant Secretary of Labor’s Memorandum of Law, in Support of Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction.” Accordingly, the Court will consider this Motion to Dismiss *658 as one brought for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, pursuant to

Small v. Chao, 377 F. Supp. 2d 654, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26589, 2003 WL 24116492 (C.D. Ill. 2003).

377 F. Supp. 2d 654 (Small v. Chao) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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