Watson v. CSA, LTD.

376 F. Supp. 2d 588, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9940, 2005 WL 1220860
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedMay 23, 2005
DocketCiv.RDB-03-2342
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 376 F. Supp. 2d 588 (Watson v. CSA, LTD.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Watson v. CSA, LTD., 376 F. Supp. 2d 588, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9940, 2005 WL 1220860 (D. Md. 2005).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

BENNETT, District Judge.

This is an employment discrimination suit filed by Plaintiff John G. Watson against Defendants CSA, Limited (“CSA”); Combat Support Associates; AECOM Government Services, Inc. (“AECOM”); Research and Analysis Maintenance, Inc. (“RAM”); and SMI International Corp. (“SMI”). Plaintiff Watson is an African American male and United States citizen who was employed by Defendants át the United States military base at Camp Doha, Kuwait. Plaintiff alleges that he was denied various promotional opportunities based upon his race, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Civil Rights Act of 1991, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e, et seq. (“Title VII”). Combat Support Associates is an unincorporated joint venture composed of Defendants AECOM, RAM and SMI. Combat Support Associates has its principal place of business in Orange, California. Defendant AECOM is a United States company with its principal place of business in Ft. Worth Texas, Defendant RAM is a United States company with its principal place of business in El Paso, Texas, and Defendant SMI is a United States company with its principal place of business in Alaska. CSA is a Cayman Islands company, which is wholly owned by Combat Support Associates, and which subcontracts with Combat Support Associates to perform various support services for the United States military at Camp Doha.

Now pending before the Court is Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. In support of that Motion, Defendants contend that this Court lacks jurisdiction over Plaintiffs job discrimination claims because Plaintiff is employed by CSA, a foreign corporation to which Title VII does not apply. Plaintiff counters that Title VII does govern his claims because CSA is controlled by a joint venture of United States companies and is therefore subject to liability under Title VII. In' anticipation of Defendants’ jurisdictional challenge, the Court allowed limited discovery on the question of jurisdiction. All discovery relating to the jurisdictional issue has now been concluded. The issues have been fully briefed and no hearing is necessary. See Local Rule 105.6 (D.Md.2004). For the reasons that follow, Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss will be denied.

I. Background

For the purposes of this Motion, this Court views the following facts in a light most favorable to the Plaintiff. In February of 1998, ITT Federal Services International Corp. (“ITT”) hired John Watson to work as a chemical/quartermaster mechanic at Camp Doha, Kuwait. Prior to 1999, ITT was , the primary civilian contractor responsible for providing logistical support to the United States Army at Camp Doha.

-At some point prior to July of 1999, Defendants AECOM, RAM, and SMI formed a joint venture known as Combat Support Associates for the purpose of bid *591 ding on contracts with the United States government. At or near the expiration of the ITT contract, Combat Support ^ Associates placed a bid- on the Camp Doha Combat Service Support Contract (“Camp Doha Contract”). In July of .1999, Combat Support Associates was awarded the Camp Doha Contract. Combat Support Associates was scheduled to assume the contractual responsibilities from ITT in October of 1999. However, that transition was delayed until December of 1999.

In September of 1999, while Combat Support Associates-was preparing to assume the contractual duties at Camp Doha, the company formed CSA. (See Def.’s Mem. Supp. Mot. Dismiss Ex. A.l.) Although CSA is wholly owned by Combat Support Associates, an American company, CSA is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, British West Indies. Just over two months after CSA was chartered, Combat Support Associates subcontracted all of the non-classified responsibilities for the Camp Doha contract to CSA.- (See Def.’s Mem. Supp. Mot. Dismiss Ex. A.3.) Under the arrangement, Combat Support Associates’ employees were to perform all of the classified work. In addition, Combat Support Associates maintained oversight of all work performed in connection with the Camp 'Doha Contract. (Def.’s Mem. Supp. Mot. Dismiss at 8.)

When’he received notice that the Camp Doha Contract was to change from ITT to Combat Support Associates, Watson sent a cover letter and employment application to Combat Support Associates seeking consideration for a position. (Pl.’s Opp. Ex. 6.) Watson received an acknowledgment indicating that Combat Support Associates was considering his application. (Pl.’s Opp. Ex. 7.) Thereafter, Watson received an employment offer dated September 17, 1999, on CSA letterhead. The offer was signed by Jon Harrell, who is identified as the “Authorized CSA, Ltd. Representative.” (Id.) Harrell was previously listed as a Combat Support Associates manager in the bid for the Camp Doha contract. (See Pl.’s Opp. Ex. 1 at 8.)

Shortly after he was officially hired, CSA sent Watson an “orientation packet” with various forms and' other materials relevant to his employment. Among those materials was a document describing the relationship between CSA and Combat Support Associates. (PL’s Opp. Ex. 14.) According to the document, the United States government requires that all classified work performed under the Camp Doha contract must be performed by United States expatriate employees.. (Id.) As a result, the document states that employees performing both classified and non-classified work are considered “dual employees” of CSA and Combat Support Associates. (Id.) Dual employees are directed to bill all classified work to Combat Support Associates and all non-classified work to CSA. (Id.) Watson also received an “Agreement for Participation in Outside Training,” as part of the new hire materials. (PL’s Opp. Ex. 15.) That agreement appears on Combat Support Associates’ letterhead. (Id.) The document sets forth the outside training policy to be applied both to Combat Support Associates and CSA employees. (Id.)

The “interrelationship” between CSA and Combat Support Associates is also apparent from other materials produced by the two companies. For instance, the Combat Support Associates’ website suggests that CSA is a division of Combat Support Associates. (PL’s Opp. Ex. 16.) 1 Although the phrase “CSA, Ltd.” appears beneath the Combat Support Associates’ logo, the website contains no explanation as to what CSA is nor of its relationship to *592 Combat Support Associates. (Id.) This despite the fact that the history, mission and structure of Combat Support Associates is explained in great detail. (Id.) Another example of the close interplay between the companies is the similarities between the key documents and forms used by the two entities. Many of those documents are identical in every respect save for the name of the entity appearing at the top of the document. (See, e.g., PL’s Opp.

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Bluebook (online)
376 F. Supp. 2d 588, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9940, 2005 WL 1220860, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/watson-v-csa-ltd-mdd-2005.