N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT W ILFR EDO A. GOLEZ, Plaintiff - Appe lla nt, v. UNITED STATES POSTAL SER VIC E; PATR IC K R . DONAHOE, Postm a ste r Ge ne ra l, De fe nda

nts - Appe lle e s. No. 12-56471 D.C . No. 3:09-c v-00965-AJB W M C M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Unite d

Stat e s Distric t C ourt for the Southe rn Distric t of C a lifornia Anthony J. B atta glia , Distric t Judge , Pre siding Subm itte d Se pte m

be r 23, 2014 * * B e fore : W . FLETC HER , R AW LINSON, a

n d C HR ISTEN, C irc uit Judge s. W ilfre do A. Gole z a

ppe a ls pro se from

the distric t c ourt’ s judgm e nt in his a c tion a lle ging viola

tions of theFam ily

M e dic a l Le ave Ac t (“ FM LA” ), Title VII, and the R e ha

b ilita t ion Ac t arising out of his te

rm ination. W e have jurisdic tion



# FIL ED OCT 7 2014 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S . CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public at ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by 9th C ir. R . 36-3. ** The pa

ne l una nim ously c onc lude s this c a se is suita ble for de c ision without oral a

rgum e nt. Se e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a)(2).unde r 28 U.S.C . § 1291. W e re vie wde novo a distric t c ourt’ s c onc lusion of la w and for c le ar e rror its findings of fac t following a be nc h tria l . Milic e v ic v . Fle tc h e r J one s Imports, Ltd ., 402 F.3d 912, 915 (9th C ir. 2005). W e a ffirm . The distric t c ourt did not c le arly e rr whe n it c re dite d the te stim ony of othe r witne s se s ove r Gole z ’ s te stim ony and found tha

t Gole z fa ile d to follow de fe nda nts’ atte nda nc e and FM LA-le ave polic ie s in c onne c tion with e le ve n inc ide nts of unsc he dule d ta

rdine ss a nd a n unsc he dule d a

bse nc e from

work. Se e Fe d. R . C iv. P. 52(a )(6) (“ Findings of fa c t . . . m ust not bese t a side unle ss c le arly e rrone ous, a

nd the re vie w ing c ourt m

ust givedue re ga

rd to the tria l c ourt’ s opportunity to judge the w itne sse s’ c re d ibility .” ); A nde rson v . Be sse me r C ity , 470 U.S. 564, 573-74 (1985) (“ If the distric t c ourt’ s a c c ount of thee vide nc e is pla usible in light of the re c o rd, the c ourt of a

ppe a ls m ay

not re ve rse it e ve n though c onvinc e d tha t ha d it be e n sitting a s the trie r of fa c t, it would ha ve we ighe d the e vide nc e diffe re ntly .” ). The distric t c ourt did not c le arly e rr in finding tha t Gole z did not prove

by a pre p onde ranc e of the e vide nc e tha t de fe nda nts use d his ta king of FM LA le ave on M ay 11, 2008 a s a

ne gative fa c tor in te rm inating his e m ploy m e nt. Se e Esc riba v . Foste r Poultry Farms, Inc ., 743 F.3d 1236, 1243 (9th C i r. 2014) (se tting forth the e le m e nts of a prim a

fa c ie c a se of FM LA inte rfe re nc e , whic h inc lude the re quire m e nt tha

t the e m ploy e e provide suffic ie nt notic e of the inte nt to ta ke FM LA 2 1 2 - 5 6 4 7 1le ave ).

The distric t c ourt did not a buse its disc re tion whe n it e xc lude d the doc tor’ s c e rtific ation re ga

rding the se riousne s s of Gole z ’ s m othe r’ s he a lth. Se e GC B C ommc ’ns, Inc . v . U.S. S. C ommc ’ns, Inc ., 650 F.3d 1257, 1262 (9th C ir. 2011) (se tting forth the

sta nda rd of re vie wing a

n d e xpla ining tha

t e vide nt ia

ry rulings should not be

re ve rse d unle ss “ it is m o re proba ble tha n not tha n a n e rror, if any , ta inte d the outc om e ” ). C ontra ry to Gole z ’ s c onte ntion, thedistric t c o urt a p plie d the c orre c t ve rsion of 29 C .F.R . § 825.303 to the e le ve n inc ide nts of unsc he dule d ta rdine ss a nd a n unsc he dule d a

bse nc e from

work whic h oc c urre d in 2008. W e do not c onside r issue s tha t a re not spe c ific a lly and distinc tly ra ise d a nd argue d in Gole z ’ s ope ning brie f. Se e Mille r v . Fairc hild Indus., Inc ., 797 F.2d 727, 738 (9th C i r. 1986). Gole z ’ s m otion to subm

it e xhibits with his ope

n ing brie f, file d on Fe brua ry 4, 2013, is gra

nte d. AFFIRM E D .

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