Wang v. International Business Machines Corp.

District Court, S.D. New York·Decided July 20, 2021·No. 7:11-cv-02992·Unknown

Opinion

. SHanversot V7 ‘ ' □□ a RE i Vincent L, Brice USDC SDNY DOCUMENT UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT ELECFRONICALLY PILED SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK DOC #: . tt en ee ee ee ee en ene eee K TE FILED: JIAN WANG a/k/a JAMES WANG, oe = Plaintiff, ORDER Vv. — INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES 11 CV 2992 (VB) CORP., : Defendant. : ee ee ee re ee ene eee eee KX Plaintiff brought this employment discrimination case against his former employer, alleging he was terminated because he is deaf. Judgment was entered in this case almost seven years ago, on October 22, 2014. Plaintiff, who is now proceeding pro se, has since made numerous requests to reopen this case, each of which, as outlined below, has been denied. Plaintiff has also twice appealed to the Second Circuit, which has twice affirmed the decisions of this Court. Nevertheless, plaintiff does not appear to understand that this case is closed. Now pending are plaintiffs requests that the Court provide him with a so-called “Counter-Proposed Judgment (Correct Version)” he sent to the Court in 2014, and plaintiff's renewed motion for relief pursuant to Rule 60(b)(2). The requested document is attached to this Order. Plaintiffs renewed Rule 60(b)(2) motion is DENIED. Moreover, plaintiff is enjoined from making further submissions in this case related to any version of his counter-proposed judgment. The Court presumes the parties’ familiarity with the factual background and summarizes only the relevant procedural history. I. 2014 Motion to Enforce the Settlement Agreement In early 2014, the Court denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment and subsequent motion for reconsideration. (Docs. ##50, 57). The parties—at that point both

represented by counsel—then engaged in mediation, where they reached a settlement agreement. One of defendant’s attorneys prepared a memorandum of understanding memorializing the material terms of the agreement. One such term was that defendant would make a total settlement payment of $207,500. Plaintiffs counsel gave plaintiff a copy of the memorandum of understanding, and counsel for both parties signed it. However, when plaintiff's counsel emailed a copy of the proposed formal settlement agreement and release to plaintiff for him to review and sign, plaintiff asserted he was “shocked” to learn the case had settled for $207,500, rather than $207 million, and he refused to sign the proposed formal agreement and release. Defendant moved to enforce the settlement as memorialized in the memorandum of understanding, and plaintiffs counsel moved to withdraw. (Docs. ##68, 72). The Court granted both motions. (Docs. ##83, 89). In its October 7, 2014, Memorandum Decision granting defendant’s motion to enforce, the Court directed defendant to submit a proposed judgment and, because plaintiff was proceeding pro se at that time, permitted plaintiff to submit a counter- proposed judgment in accordance with Local Rule 77.1. (Doc. #89). The Court entered Judgment on October 22, 2014. (Doc. #92). The same day, the Court construed plaintiff's counter-proposed judgment as a motion for reconsideration of the Court’s decision granting the motion to enforce the settlement agreement, and denied the motion for reconsideration. (Doc. #93). Plaintiff appealed, and the Second Circuit affirmed on the basis that plaintiffs attorney had actual authority to settle the case, noting that beyond plaintiff's own “implausible statement,” plaintiff did not identify any evidence to show that his attorney was directed to settle for $200 million or more. (Doc. #104).

Il. Plaintiff's 2019 “Motion to Reopen” On July 1, 2019, plaintiff filed a “Motion to Reopen,” stating he was “shocked” to discover that the “correct” version of his counter-proposed judgment was never filed on the Court’s Electronic Case Filing (“ECF”) System. (Doc. #106 at ECF 1).' Plaintiff attached the supposed “correct” version, which he dated October 31, 2014, to his motion. (Id. at ECF 19). Construed liberally, plaintiffs motion raised the argument that the 2014 settlement should be voided because his attorney did not have authority to settle the matter on his behalf in 2014 and that the “correct” version of the counter-proposed judgment provided contemporaneous proof of this contention. By Order dated October 28, 2019, the Court construed the “Motion to Reopen” as one pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b)(2) as seeking relief from a final judgment, order, or proceeding, and denied it as untimely and because the “correct” version of the counter-proposed judgment “would not have changed the outcome of this case” even if the Court had considered it in 2014. (Doc. #111 at ECF 4).” Plaintiff again appealed. The Second Circuit again affirmed, explaining that plaintiffs motion for relief under Rule 60 was meritless and also untimely, under both the one-year

I References to “Doc. #__ at__” refer to the page numbers automatically assigned by the Court’s ECF system. 2 In addition, the Court explained that plaintiff appeared to have misconstrued the purpose of the provision in the Court’s October 7, 2014, Memorandum Decision, directing him to submit a counter-proposed judgment. (Doc. #111). Plaintiff was supposed to submit a counter- proposed judgment that conformed to the Court’s decision enforcing the settlement agreement. A judgment is “[a] court’s final determination of the rights and obligations of the parties in a case. The term judgment includes an equitable decree and any order from which an appeal lies.” Judgment, Black’s Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019) (citing Fed. R. Civ. P. 54). Instead, plaintiff submitted a document that was titled “Counter-Proposed Judgment” but largely asserted grounds for reconsideration. (Doc. #93). Thus, as noted above, the Court construed the submission as a motion for reconsideration and denied it. (Id.).

limitations period applicable to Rule 60(b)(1)-(3), and the “reasonable time” period during which a Rule 60(b)(4)-(6) motion must be brought. (Doc. #115). Specifically, the Second Circuit stated, “[Plaintiff’s] claimed reason for waiting nearly five years before filing this motion—that he never checked the district court’s docket to confirm that it had received the second counter-proposed judgment because of the $.10-per-page printing fee—does not justify a delay of this magnitude.” (Id. at 5). Put otherwise, plaintiff raised his argument that the Court did not consider the “correct” version of the counter-proposed judgment too late. Ill. Plaintiff's Further Requests to Reopen the Case On April 21, 2021, plaintiff filed another motion (which he labeled a “motion to reopen and cure defective”) to reopen this case. (Doc. #116). On May 10, 2021, the Court denied the request as plainly without merit, noting the motion repeated the same arguments plaintiff had made before, and the Court had rejected before. The Court warned plaintiff that if he filed another frivolous motion in this case, the Court would summarily deny it and issue a filing injunction. (Doc. #119). The Court further warned plaintiff that the Court would impose monetary sanctions on plaintiff if he disregarded the Order. (Id.). Plaintiff then filed a “reply” (Doc. #120), which the Court reviewed. The Court determined that the reply did not change its ruling on the motion to reopen. (Doc. #121). .

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Wang v. International Business Machines Corp., (S.D.N.Y. 2021).

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