Stephen Francis Daniels v. Postmaster General, et al.

District Court, E.D. Missouri·Decided September 4, 2026·No. 4:25-cv-01632·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION STEPHEN FRANCIS DANIELS, ) ) Plaintiff, ) v. ) No. 4:25-cv-01632-RWS ) POSTMASTER GENERAL, et al., ) ) Defendants. ) MEMORANDUM AND ORDER Before the Court is self-represented Plaintiff Stephen Francis Daniels’s application to proceed in district court without prepaying fees or costs. Based on Plaintiff’s financial information, the Court grants his application and waives his filing fee. As Plaintiff is proceeding in forma pauperis, his complaint is subject to the Court’s initial review. On initial review under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B), the Court dismisses this action for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Legal Standard on Initial Review Complaints filed in forma pauperis by non-prisoners are subject to pre-service review pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B). See Carter v. Schafer, 273 F. App’x 581 (8th Cir. 2008). Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2), the Court is required to dismiss a complaint filed in forma pauperis if it is frivolous or malicious, or if it fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. To state a claim, a plaintiff must demonstrate a plausible claim for relief, which is more than a “mere possibility of misconduct.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 679 (2009). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. at 678. “Determining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief” is “a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and common sense.” Id. at 679. The Court must “accept as true the facts alleged, but not legal conclusions or threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements.” Barton v. Taber, 820 F.3d 958, 964 (8th Cir. 2016); see also Brown v. Green Tree Serv. LLC, 820 F.3d 371, 372-73 (8th Cir. 2016)

(court not required to “accept as true any legal conclusion couched as a factual allegation”). When reviewing a pro se complaint under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2), the Court must give it the benefit of a liberal construction. Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972). A “liberal construction” means that, “if the essence of an allegation is discernible . . . then the district court should construe the complaint in a way that permits the layperson’s claim to be considered within the proper legal framework.” Solomon v. Petray, 795 F.3d 777, 787 (8th Cir. 2015) (quoting Stone v. Harry, 364 F.3d 912, 914 (8th Cir. 2004)). But even pro se complaints must “allege facts, which if true, state a claim as a matter of law.” Martin v. Aubuchon, 623 F.2d 1282, 1286 (8th Cir. 1980); see also Stone, 364 F.3d at 914-15 (federal courts not required to “assume facts that are not alleged, just because an additional factual allegation would have formed a stronger complaint”).

The Complaint Plaintiff brings this 61-page complaint under the Rehabilitation Act (RA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), alleging the United States Postal Service discriminated against him based on his age and disability and retaliated against him. He also brings the following counts arising out of his EEOC administrative proceedings: deprivation of due process (Count IV); fraud and perjury in official proceedings (Count V); negligent training and systemic failure (Count VI); and spoliation of evidence and discovery fraud (Count VII). Plaintiff was employed as a City Carrier Assistant for the postal service for one month— from November 12, 2022 to December 15, 2022, before he resigned.1 Doc. 1 at 5. During his tenure, he reported to work five days. Doc. 1 at 10 (referring to his “five work tours”); Doc. 6 at 11 (referring to Plaintiff’s work tours on November 20, 27, and 29 and December 1 and 5, 2022).

At the time, he was 63 years old and alleges he suffered from gout. Plaintiff reported to work at the Town and Country, Missouri post office on November 26, 2022. Although Plaintiff states he was supposed to receive on-the-job training, Postmaster Lamahn Shannon said he did not know of any on-the-job training, but needed Plaintiff to report to work the next day to pick up packages.2 Doc. 6 at 9. As part of his job, Plaintiff was to use a “mobile delivery device” (MDD) to help him track and deliver packages. He “experienced significant functional and operational difficulties navigating the device’s multiple screens, accessing GPS routes, and utilizing text functions,” and he sought additional training. Doc. 1 at 10. Defendant Shannon told him that he “got the same training as everyone else,” and that the other employees who had started that week were not having difficulty.3 Id. Of Plaintiff’s five work tours, he was

assigned a MDD three times and used his personal cell phone with GPS for the other two. Doc. 1 at 10.

1 A City Carrier Assistant is described by the United States Post Office as “full-time alternates for regular letter carriers.” See https://about.usps.com/careers/city-carrier-assistants/ (last visited Aug. 27, 2026). 2 On December 7, 2022, Plaintiff investigated this on-the-job training by going to the Ballwin post office and meeting one of the trainers, named Henry, and recording their conversation. When Plaintiff told Henry he received no on-the-job training, but instead was immediately assigned parcel delivery, Henry said, “‘[T]hey probably gonna have you doing that until the 1st of the year,’ then [Henry’s Supervisor] said, ‘yeah that’s right, cause during peak season they’re so busy.’” Doc. 6 at 5. 3 In his EEOC Charge of Discrimination, Plaintiff states that the issues with the MDD were that the GPS was often inaccurate by up to 300 feet, it would freeze or jump screens, or it had connectivity issues. All of these issues suggest problems with the device, none of which would be cured by additional training. “When I told Mr. Shannon about the issues I was having with my MDD and how the GPS was off and how it was affecting my deliver[ies], he said, ‘There’s nothing I can do about that.’” Doc. 6 at 3. Plaintiff alleges this statement “impl[ied] that Plaintiff’s age-related difficulty with the technology was a personal failing.” Doc. 1 at 11. Shannon then told Plaintiff that the general rule is to deliver 20 packages per hour, which Plaintiff characterizes as an attempt “to berate and intimidate him by imposing an arbitrary and non-existent standard.” Id. Plaintiff asked Shannon

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