Smith v. Donahoe

917 F. Supp. 2d 562, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4096, 2013 WL 139339
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Virginia
DecidedJanuary 8, 2013
DocketNo. 1:12CV790 JCC/TRJ
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 917 F. Supp. 2d 562 (Smith v. Donahoe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. Donahoe, 917 F. Supp. 2d 562, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4096, 2013 WL 139339 (E.D. Va. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

JAMES C. CACHERIS, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on the “Motion to Dismiss and Motion for Summary Judgment” (the “Motion to Dismiss and for Summary Judgment”) [Dkts. 8, 13]1 by Defendants Patrick R. Donahoe, [564]*564Postmaster General, United States Postal Service; Dr. Francis Collins, Director, National Institute of Health; and Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, United States Department of Education (collectively “Defendants”). Also before the Court is Defendants’ “Motion to Strike Plaintiffs Response in Opposition to Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss and Motion for Summary Judgment” (the “Motion to Strike”) [Dkt. 16] and Plaintiff Kenneth Smith’s “Motion for Settlement No Legal Response From Defendant” (the “Motion for Settlement”) [Dkt. 15]. For the following reasons, the Court will grant Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss and for Summary Judgment, as well as grant Defendants’ Motion to Strike and deny Plaintiffs Motion for Settlement.

I. Background

A. Factual Background

Pro se Plaintiff Kenneth Smith is a federal employee who works for the United States Postal Service (“USPS”). (Am. Compl. [Dkt. 2] ¶ 1, 14, 15.) In addition to his employment at USPS, Plaintiff has conducted his own independent genetic research and published a book which details this research and his conclusions on “how DNA really works.” (Id. ¶ 15.) On April 2, 2012, Plaintiff placed an advertisement containing information about his book and his religious and genetic theory on the USPS’s bulletin board. (Id. ¶ 16) Plaintiff alleges it was soon removed by an unspecified person at an unspecified time, then replaced by him, and then removed again by an unknown person. (Id.) On April 19, 2012, Plaintiffs supervisors told him that he was not allowed to continue posting this advertisement on the bulletin board and informed Plaintiff of customers’ complaints about it being offensive. (Id. ¶ 17.)

Plaintiff also alleges that the National Institute of Health (“NIH”) and the United States Department of Education (“USDE”) improperly support “a biased result towards atheist opinion,” a “scientific religion,” and evolution in their testing and public school instruction. (Id. ¶ 20-29.) Relatedly, Plaintiff asserts that these agencies have failed to consider and/or promote in testing and public school instruction his theory on “how DNA works” based on “factual genetic information supporting creationism” and “a Human Genetic Normal Species,” thus “blocking Plaintiff from possible untold revenue return.” (Id.)

B. Procedural Background

On May 12, 2012, Plaintiff filed an administrative complaint with the USPS alleging employment discrimination based on race, religion and genetic information which he alleged occurred on April 19, 2012 when postal officials informed him that he no longer could post his advertisements about his religious and genetic research, theory, and book. (Exhibit A to Defendants’ Memorandum in Support of Motion to Dismiss and for Summary Judgment (“Def. Ex. A”) [Dkt. 9-1] at 1.) On May 21, 2012,2 the USPS construed this claim as an amendment of another formal complaint which Plaintiff had filed on March 12, 20123 and dismissed his com[565]*565plaint on this issue, concluding that he had failed to state a claim because he was not adversely affected with respect to a term, condition, or privilege of his employment when postal officials told him he could no longer post his advertisement on the bulletin board. (Id. at 2-3.) On June 19, 2012, after the investigation was completed on the remaining issues in his administrative complaint, Plaintiff requested a hearing with an Administrative Judge of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) on all of his claims.” (Def. Ex. B [Dkt. 9-2] at 3.) As of the date of Plaintiffs filing his Complaint in this Court, and as of the present, a hearing with an Administrative Judge had not occurred and the USPS had not issued a final agency decision.

On July 13, 2012, Plaintiff filed a Complaint in this Court against Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General, USPS; Dr. Francis Collins, Director, NIH; and Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, USDE, bringing suit against these federal agencies and the named officers in their official capacity.4 [Dkt. 1.] On August 3, 2012, Plaintiff filed an essentially identical Amended Complaint against the same parties, only adding a Certificate of Service. [Dkt. 2.] Plaintiff brings five causes of action against all defendants: (1) a First Amendment retaliation claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Count I); (2) a First Amendment viewpoint discrimination claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Count II); a Fourteenth Amendment equal protection claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Count III); a Title VII religious discrimination claim under 42 U.S.C. § 2000e (Count IV); and a Title II Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act claim purportedly under 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-16c(a). (Id. ¶ 30-54.)

On November 20, 2012, Defendants filed their Motion to Dismiss and for Summary Judgment [Dkts. 8, 13], accompanying memorandum of law [Dkt. 9], and proper Roseboro notice [Dkt. 10]. Plaintiffs opposition brief was due on December 11, 2012. Plaintiff untimely filed his opposition on December 26, 2012. [Dkt. 14.] On December 31, 2012, Defendants filed their Motion to Strike Plaintiffs untimely opposition brief. [Dkt. 16.] Defendants replied to Plaintiffs opposition brief on January 2, 2013. [Dkt. 17.].

On December 26, 2012, Plaintiff filed a Motion for Settlement No Legal Response From Defendant (the “Motion for Settlement”). [Dkt. 15.] Defendants filed their opposition on January 2, 2013. [Dkt. 18.].

Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss and for Summary Judgment, Defendants’ Motion to Strike, and Plaintiffs Motion for Settlement are before the Court.

II. Standard of Review

A. Jurisdiction

Pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), a claim may be dismissed for lack of subject matter [566]*566jurisdiction. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1). Defendants may attack subject matter jurisdiction in one of two ways. First, defendants may contend that the complaint fails to allege facts upon which subject matter jurisdiction may be based. See Adams v. Bain, 697 F.2d 1213, 1219 (4th Cir.1982); King v. Riverside Reg’l Med. Ctr., 211 F.Supp.2d 779, 780 (E.D.Va.2002). In such instances, all facts alleged in the complaint are presumed to be true. Adams, 697 F.2d at 1219; Virginia v. United States, 926 F.Supp. 537, 540 (E.D.Va.1995).

Alternatively, defendants may argue that the jurisdictional facts alleged in the complaint are untrue. Adams, 697 F.2d at 1219; King,

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917 F. Supp. 2d 562, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4096, 2013 WL 139339, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-donahoe-vaed-2013.