Thawar v. 7-Eleven, Inc.

165 F. Supp. 3d 524, 2016 WL 775848, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24193
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedFebruary 29, 2016
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 3:15-CV-2675-B
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 165 F. Supp. 3d 524 (Thawar v. 7-Eleven, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thawar v. 7-Eleven, Inc., 165 F. Supp. 3d 524, 2016 WL 775848, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24193 (N.D. Tex. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

JANE J. BOYLE, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Before the Court is Defendant 7-Eleven, Inc.’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs Complaint (Doc. 5). For the reasons that follow, the Court GRANTS-in part and DENIES in part the Motion.

I.

BACKGROUND

This case arises from Defendant 7-Elev-en, Inc.’s (“7-11”) alleged misconduct towards Plaintiff Guiñar Thawar (“Thawar”) during the time she worked there. In her Complaint, Thawar recounts a litany of abuses and misdeeds. First and foremost, she alleges that 7-11 failed to properly safeguard her personal identifying and financial information (“PII”), which resulted in her identity being stolen. Doc. 1, Compl. ¶¶ 2-3, 21-38. After bringing the breach to 7-11’s attention, she was treated with increasing hostility, culminating in a physical battery by one of her managers. Id. ¶¶ 39-57. Subsequently, Thawar missed approximately two weeks of work after suffering injuries in an unrelated fall from her car. Id. ¶¶ 58-88. The hostile treatment continued upon her return, and she elected to work from home, ostensibly with 7-11’s approval. Id. ¶¶ 89-104. During this time, 7-11 notified Thawar that it was designating her as an “inactive employee,” and that she would not have any job duties until a doctor cleared her to return to work. Id. ¶¶ 108-13. Despite her protestations, 7-11 did not change this designation. Id. ¶¶ 114-17.

Ultimately, Thawar voluntarily resigned her position. Id. ¶ 118, Ex. E. 7-11 accepted her resignation, and later did not oppose Thawar’s application for unemployment benefits. Id. ¶¶ 119, 120-23, Ex. F. After the separation, Thawar did not receive her COBRA information1 from 7-11 until it was too late to keep her health insurance coverage, though 7-11 maintains that it sent her the information in a timely manner. Id. ¶¶ 124-27, 131-32. In response to her request for her personal belongings, 7-11 informed Thawar that it could not locate any such belongings after an extensive search. Id. ¶¶ 128-30. Among the missing possessions were a Quran, photographs, glasses, a personal laptop and tablet, and information regarding the theft of her PII. Id. ¶ 168(A).

All said, Thawar brings seven claims against 7-11: (1) FMLA discrimination and retaliation based on injuries suffered in the [528]*528fall from her car; (2) FMLA discrimination and retaliation based on her major depressive disorder; (3) failure to provide required COBRA information; (4) conversion; (5) battery; (6) negligence; and (7) negligent misrepresentation. Compl. ¶¶ 3, 137-94. 7-11 filed the instant Motion, which is best characterized as a motion for partial dismissal, to dismiss Thawar’s COBRA, conversion, battery, negligence, and negligent misrepresentation claims. Doc. 5, Def.’s Mot. to Dismiss; Doc. 6, Def.’s Br. in Supp. Thawar has filed her Response, and 7-11 its Reply. Doc. 8, Pl.’s Resp.; Doc. 10, Br. in Reply to PL’s Resp. [hereinafter “Def.’s Reply”]. The Motion is now ready for review.

II.

LEGAL STANDARD

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) authorizes a court to dismiss a plaintiffs complaint for “failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). In considering a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, “[t]he court accepts all well-pleaded facts as true, viewing them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.” In re Katrina Canal Breaches Litig., 495 F.3d 191, 205 (5th Cir.2007) (quoting Martin K. Eby Constr. Co. v. Dall. Area Rapid Transit, 369 F.3d 464, 467 (5th Cir.2004)). The Court will “not look beyond the face of the pleadings to determine whether relief should be granted based on the alleged facts.” Spivey v. Robertson, 197 F.3d 772, 774 (5th Cir.1999).

To survive a motion to dismiss, a plaintiff must plead “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell All. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). “Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (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. “The plausibility standard is not akin to a probability requirement,’ but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Id. When well-pleaded facts fail to achieve this plausibility standard, “the complaint has alleged' — -but it has not shown — that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Id. at 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (internal quotation marks and alterations omitted).

III.

ANALYSIS

In its Motion, 7-11 seeks to dismiss five of Thawar’s seven claims. The Court considers the viability of each challenged claim in turn.

A. Thawar’s Claims

1. COBRA

Thawar has not identified her ERISA plan’s administrator, which 7-11 argues is a fatal omission. Def.’s Br. in Supp. 5-6. Acknowledging this oversight, Thawar requests leave to replead her claim. Pl.’s Resp. 9.

“Only a plan administrator can be held liable under section 1132(c).”2 Mares v. Wood Grp. Mustang, Inc., No. H-14-089, 2015 WL 75271, at *2 (S.D.Tex. Jan. 6, 2015) (quoting Hiney Printing Co. v. Branter, 243 F.3d 956, 961 (6th Cir. 2001)). To state a claim for a violation of 29 U.S.C. § 1166(a), then, a plaintiff must include the plan administrator as a party. [529]*529See Aaron v. Leday, No. 4:13-CV-1716, 2013 WL 5936623, at *4-5 (S.D.Tex. Nov. 5, 2013). Because Thawar has failed to do this, the Court dismisses her COBRA claim.

2. Conversion

7-11 next attacks Thawar’s conversion claim, insisting that she has failed to plead that it had the requisite intent to commit conversion. Def.’s Br. in Supp. 7-8. Thawar disagrees, arguing that intent is not a required element of conversion and, alternatively, that 7-11’s inordinately negative response to her complaints about her PII supports the inference that it intended to deprive her of her property. Pl.’s Resp. 3-4.

Under Texas law, conversion has four elements:

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165 F. Supp. 3d 524, 2016 WL 775848, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 24193, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thawar-v-7-eleven-inc-txnd-2016.