Spurlock v. University of Toledo

86 F. Supp. 3d 744, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5191, 2015 WL 224946
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedJanuary 15, 2015
DocketCase No. 3:14-cv-01166
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 86 F. Supp. 3d 744 (Spurlock v. University of Toledo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spurlock v. University of Toledo, 86 F. Supp. 3d 744, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5191, 2015 WL 224946 (N.D. Ohio 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION & ORDER

JEFFREY J. HELMICK, District Judge.

Before me is the motion of Plaintiff Dorothy Spurlock for an order pursuant to Rule 41(a)(2) dismissing her complaint without prejudice. (Doc. No. 12). Spur-lock also asks that I apply the doctrine of prospective equitable tolling to toll the statute of limitations for one year following the entry of an order dismissing her case. Defendant the University of Toledo does not oppose Spurlock’s motion to dismiss without prejudice but objects to her request to toll the statute of limitations. (Doc. No. 14).

Rule 41(a)(2) permits a plaintiff to ask the court to dismiss the complaint without prejudice after the opposing party has filed an answer. Fed.R.Civ.P. 41(a)(2). The court’s primary consideration in ruling on Rule 41(a)(2) motions is to protect the nonmoving party from unfair treatment. Grover by Grover v. Eli Lilly & Co., 33 F.3d 716, 718 (6th Cir.1994). A court has the discretion to grant the motion if the defendant would not suffer “ ‘plain legal prejudice’ as a result of a dismissal without prejudice, as opposed to facing the mere prospect of a second lawsuit.” Id. (quoting Cone v. W. Virginia Pulp & Paper Co., 330 U.S. 212, 217, 67 S.Ct. 752, 91 L.Ed. 849 (1947)). Subject to the conditions discussed below, Spurlock’s motion to dismiss without prejudice will be granted, as Defendant does not assert it would suffer any legal prejudice as a result. See 8 Moore’s Fed. Practice § 41.40[5][a] (Matthew Bender 3d ed.) (“A motion for voluntary dismissal that is not opposed or met with a relevant objection should generally be granted.”).

Spurlock’s request that the applicable statute of limitation be tolled for up to one year is more problematic, however, and [746]*746impacts her request for dismissal without' prejudice. Spurlock has requested dismissal because “she has limited funds to pay the costs and expenses of litigation, and needs additional time to collect resources for this purpose.” (Doc. No. 12 at 2). She states her attorneys have not agreed to advance litigation funds on her behalf and also have notified her they intend to withdraw from further representation “for reasons related to these financial case issues....” (Id.). Spurlock states she also intends to dismiss her pending case in the Ohio Court of Claims but notes Ohio law permits her to refile her case within one year of dismissal. See O.R.C. § 2305.19(A) (“In any action that is commenced or attempted to be commenced, ... if the plaintiff fails otherwise than upon the merits, the plaintiff ... may commence a new action within one year after ... the plaintiffs failure otherwise than upon the merits or within the period of the original applicable statute of limitations, whichever occurs later.”). Spurlock asserts that the application of the Ohio Savings Statute in this case would permit her to “avoid the prejudice of being rushed back into court before legal and financial arrangements can be made to litigate the case, while [Defendant] is saved the hassle of staggered cases and the uncertainty of whether one set of claims might proceed without the other.” (Doc. No. 12 at 4). Defendant objects to Spurlock’s request for equitable tolling.

Spurlock’s complaint contains five counts. The first two counts assert claims for race discrimination and harassment as well as sex discrimination in violation of the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. (Doc. No. 4 at 5-7). The next two counts assert claims of disability discrimination and failure to accommodate in violation of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq. (Doc. No. 4 at 7-9). The fifth count asserts a claim of retaliation in violation of § 2000e et seq. and § 701 et seq. (Doc. No. 4 at 9-10).

State savings statutes may not be incorporated into federal statutes that contain limitation provisions. In Burnett v. New York Cent. R.R. Co., 380 U.S. 424, 85 S.Ct. 1050, 13 L.Ed.2d 941 (1965), the Supreme Court declinéd to apply O.R.C. § 2305.19(A) to extend the statute of limitations provision of the Federal Employers Liability Act, holding “[t]he incorporation of variant state saving statutes would defeat the aim of a federal limitation provision designed to produce national uniformity.” Id. at 433, 85 S.Ct. 1050; see also Johnson v. Ry. Exp. Agency, Inc., 489 F.2d 525, 531 (6th Cir.1973) (holding state savings clause did not extend the period within which to refile a Title VII action following dismissal without prejudice).

The Rehabilitation Act does not contain a specific limitations period, but draws its statute of limitation from applicable state law. See, e.g., Whitehead v. Ohio Rehab. Servs. Comm’n, No. 1:09-cv-2443, 2010 WL 3122831, at *2 (S.D.Ohio August 9, 2010) (quoting McCullough v. Branch Banking & Trust Co., 35 F.3d 127, 129 (4th Cir.1994)). Thus, Spurlock has until the expiration of the appropriate state limitations period or one year from the date of the entry of an order dismissing her Rehabilitation Act claims, whichever is later, to refile those claims. See Harris v. United States, 422 F.3d 322, 331-32 (6th Cir.2005) (citing Lewis v. Connor, 21 Ohio St.3d 1, 487 N.E.2d 285, 287 (1985)).

Conversely, plaintiffs who seek to file claims under the Civil Rights Act must do so within 90 days after the receipt of a right-to-sue letter from the EEOC. See, e.g., Truitt v. Cnty. of Wayne, 148 F.3d 644, 647 (6th Cir.1998). The presence of the federal limitations period prohibits the application of the Ohio Savings Statute. [747]*747Johnson, 489 F.2d at 530 (“The state statute of limitations and its savings clause are never reached ... because the federal statute is not silent.”).

While Spurlock may not rely on the Ohio Savings Statute to protect her claims, the limitations period is subject to equitable tolling, as timely filing is a prerequisite to maintaining a lawsuit and not a jurisdictional requirement. Dixon v. Gonzales, 481 F.3d 324, 330 (6th Cir.2007) (citing Mitchell v. Chapman, 343 F.3d 811, 820 (6th Cir.2003)). Equitable tolling is to be applied “only sparingly.” Dixon, 481 F.3d at 331 (quoting Irwin v. Dep’t of Veterans Affairs, 498 U.S. 89

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
86 F. Supp. 3d 744, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5191, 2015 WL 224946, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spurlock-v-university-of-toledo-ohnd-2015.