Villar v. Flynn Architectural Finishes, Inc.

664 F. Supp. 2d 94, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96471, 2009 WL 3335938
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedOctober 19, 2009
DocketCivil Action 09-1135 (RMC)
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 664 F. Supp. 2d 94 (Villar v. Flynn Architectural Finishes, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Villar v. Flynn Architectural Finishes, Inc., 664 F. Supp. 2d 94, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96471, 2009 WL 3335938 (D.D.C. 2009).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

ROSEMARY M. COLLYER, District Judge.

In this action brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq., and the D.C. Minimum Wage Revision Act, D.C.Code § 32 — 1003(c), David Del Villar sues both Flynn Architectural Finishes, Inc., his former employer, and Christopher R. Flynn, the owner and President of Flynn Architectural Finishes, Inc. Mr. Flynn moves to dismiss the allegations against him personally pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), arguing that the Complaint fails to advance facts sufficient to have him included in the definition of Mr. Del Villar’s “employer.” See Dkt. # 4. Mr. Del Villar opposes the motion. Dkt. # 6. For the reasons set forth below, the Court will deny Mr. Flynn’s motion to dismiss.

I. FACTS

Mr. Del Villar worked for Flynn Architectural Finishes, Inc., as a highly skilled metal finisher from March 2008 to July 2008. Compl. ¶ 2. He was assigned to work on several projects for the federal government. Id. ¶ 3. Christopher Flynn is the owner and President of Flynn Architectural Finishes, Inc. Id. ¶ 15. Although he worked more than 40 hours in a week, Mr. Del Villar alleges that he was not paid any overtime pay. Id. ¶ 1.

In early July 2008, Mr. Del Villar complained to the General Services Administration worksite inspector that he was not properly paid. Id. ¶ 20. On the same day, Mr. Del Villar informed Mr. Flynn that he had spoken to the GSA inspector and asked him to resolve the issue of Mr. Del Villar’s wages, but Mr. Flynn allegedly just waved him away. Id. ¶¶ 21-22. On or about July 14, 2008, GSA’s inspector called Mr. Flynn, “informing him that [Mr. Del Villar] had complained to him that [Mr. Flynn] was not paying him his proper wages.” Id. ¶ 23. “On July 17, 2008, [Mr. Flynn] called [Mr. Del Villar] into his office, told him that he was ‘causing too much trouble’ and terminated him.” Id. ¶ 24. Mr. Del Villar alleges that Mr. Flynn fired him in retaliation for his complaint to the GSA inspector. Id. ¶ 31.

II. LEGAL STANDARDS

A motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) challenges the adequacy of a complaint on its face, testing whether a plaintiff has properly stated a claim. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a) requires that a complaint contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a). A complaint must be sufficient “to give a defendant fair notice of what the ... claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (internal citations omitted). Although a complaint does not need detailed factual allegations, a plaintiffs obligation to provide the grounds of his entitlement to relief “requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Id. The facts alleged “must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Id. Rule 8(a) requires an actual showing and not just a blanket assertion of a right to relief. Id. at 555 n. 3, 127 S.Ct. 1955. “[A] complaint needs some information about the circumstances giving rise to the claims.” Aktieselskabet AF 21. Nov. 2001 v. Fame Jeans, Inc., 525 F.3d 8,16 n. 4 (D.C.Cir.2008) (emphasis in original).

In deciding a motion under Rule 12(b)(6), a court may consider the facts *96 alleged in the complaint, documents attached to the complaint as exhibits or incorporated by reference, and matters about which the court may take judicial notice. Abhe & Svoboda, Inc. v. Chao, 508 F.3d 1052, 1059 (D.C.Cir.2007). To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim for relief that is “plausible on its face.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955. When a plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged, then the claim has facial plausibility. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, — U.S.-, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). “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.

A court must treat the complaint’s factual allegations as true, “even if doubtful in fact.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955. But a court need not accept as true legal conclusions set forth in a complaint. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949. “Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Id. “While legal conclusions can provide the framework of a complaint, they must be supported by factual allegations. When there are well-pleaded factual allegations, a court should assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement to relief.” Id. at 1950, 129 S.Ct. 1937.

III. ANALYSIS

The FLSA defines “employer” to include “any person acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an employee.” 29 U.S.C. § 203(d). The D.C. Minimum Wage Revision Act contains almost identical language. See D.C.Code § 32-1002 (“The term ‘employer’ includes any individual, partnership, association, corporation, business trust, or any person or group of persons acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an employee, but shall not include the United States or the District of Columbia.”). These two laws are interpreted similarly. See Williams v. W.M.A. Transit Co., 472 F.2d 1258, 1261 (D.C.Cir.1972) (finding that the D.C. Minimum Wage Act was modeled after the FLSA but drawing distinctions between the two where the provisions contain explicit differences); Hicks v. Ass’n of Am. Med. Colleges,

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Bluebook (online)
664 F. Supp. 2d 94, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96471, 2009 WL 3335938, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/villar-v-flynn-architectural-finishes-inc-dcd-2009.