Case ID: f-appx_572/html/0010-01.html
Source: Caselaw Access Project
Author: {"author": "", "license": "Public Domain", "url": "https://static.case.law/"}
Date Created: 2024-08-24T03:29:51.129683

Randolph BORDEN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. The WAVECREST MGT. TEAM LTD., MBD Mgt. Corp., Defendants-Appellees.
    No. 12-4506.
    United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.
    July 7, 2014.
    Randolph Borden, Bronx, NY, pro se.
    Rhonda Lisa Epstein, Hoey, King, Epstein, Prezioso & Marquez, New York, NY, for Defendants-Appellees.
    Present: GUIDO CALABRESI, JOSÉ A. CABRANES, and RAYMOND J. LOHIER, JR., Circuit Judges.
   SUMMARY ORDER

UPON DUE CONSIDERATION, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.

Appellant Randolph Borden, proceeding pro se, appeals from the District Court’s judgment granting the defendants’ motion to dismiss his employment discrimination claim brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., against MBD Management Corp. (“MBD”) and The Wavecrest Management Team, Ltd. (“Wavecrest”). The District Court dismissed the claims against MBD because they were subject to mandatory arbitration, and dismissed the claims against Wavecrest for failure to exhaust administrative remedies. Borden also appeals from an order denying reconsideration. We assume the parties’ familiarity with the underlying facts, the procedural history of the case, and the issues on appeal.

The determination of whether parties have contractually bound themselves to arbitrate a dispute — a determination involving interpretation of state law—is subject to de novo review. Chelsea Square Textiles, Inc. v. Bombay Dyeing & Mfg. Co., 189 F.3d 289, 295 (2d Cir.1999). The findings upon which that conclusion is based, however, are factual and thus “may not be overturned unless clearly erroneous.” Id. A district court’s determination of the scope of an arbitration agreement is reviewed de novo. Oldroyd v. Elmira Sav. Bank, FSB, 134 F.3d 72, 76 (2d Cir.1998). We review the denial of a motion for reconsideration for abuse of discretion. Johnson v. Univ. of Rochester Med. Ctr., 642 F.3d 121, 125 (2d Cir.2011).

In this Circuit, courts use a four-pronged analysis to determine whether an action is governed by an arbitration agreement: (1) “whether the parties agreed to arbitrate”; (2) the “scope” of the arbitration agreement; (3) whether the plaintiffs federal statutory claims are “nonarbitra-ble”; and (4) if some, but not all, of the plaintiffs claims in the case are arbitrable, “whether to stay the balance of the proceedings pending arbitration.” JLM Indus., Inc. v. Stolt-Nielsen SA, 387 F.3d 163, 169 (2d Cir.2004).

In this case, the District Court properly concluded that Borden’s claim against MBD was subject to arbitration because: (1) there was a valid contractual arbitration agreement; (2) Borden’s entire claim against MBD fell within the scope of that agreement; (3) employment discrimination claims are arbitrable; and (4) no stay was necessary, as his entire claim against MBD was arbitrable. See id.; see also Circuit City Stores, Inc. v. Adams, 532 U.S. 105, 123-24, 121 S.Ct. 1302, 149 L.Ed.2d 234 (2001) (noting that arbitration agreements are enforceable for federal and state law discrimination claims).

The District Court also properly dismissed Borden’s claim against Wavecrest for failure to exhaust administrative remedies, because he failed to make any allegations against Wavecrest in either his charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or his complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights. See Curto v. Edmundson, 392 F.3d 502, 503 (2d Cir.2004) (noting that a failure to exhaust administrative remedies is a prerequisite to filing an ADA claim in federal court).

In his motion for reconsideration, Borden made numerous factual allegations regarding a meeting between MBD and his union. However, he raised these factual matters for the first time in his motion for reconsideration, and this Court “generally will not consider an argument on appeal that was raised for the first time below in a motion for reconsideration.” Analytical Surveys, Inc. v. Tonga Partners, L.P., 684 F.3d 36, 53 (2d Cir.2012) (internal quotations and alterations omitted). While enforcement of this rule is within our discretion, discretion is most often exercised when the issues in question are purely legal and thus require no fact finding. Id. Here, consideration of Borden’s assertions would require several factual findings, which we decline to make.

We have considered Borden’s remaining arguments and find them to be without merit. Accordingly, we AFFIRM the judgment of the District Court.