FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT O c t obe r 18, 2006 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 06- 10341 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C . Do c k e tNo . 0 5 - 2 0 2 8 3 - C V- AJ K E N N E T H D . H U M P H R E Y , A F R I C A N A M E R I C A N U P S C U S T O M E R S , R A C I A L M I N O R I T Y U P S C U S T O M E R S , A F R I C A N D E S C E N D A N T U P S C U S T O M E R S , C la s s A c tio n P la in tif

f s , P la in tif f s - A p p e llan ts , v ersu s U N I T E D P A R C E L S E R V I C E , D E L L C O M P U T E R C O R P O R A T I O N , D e f e n d a n ts - A p p e lle e s .

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ (O ct ob er 18 , 20 06 ) B efo re T JO F L A T , C A RN E S an dW IL S O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M:2

K e nne th H um phr e y , pr oc e e di ng p ro se , appe a l s the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s de c i s i on t o di s m i s s hi s c om pl a i ntunde rF e d. R . C i v. P . 12( b) ( 6) . H um phr e ya l l e ge s ( 1) vi ol a t i on of

the R a c ke t e e rI nf

l ue nc e d a nd C orruptO r ga ni z a t i ons A c t( “ R I C O ” ) , 18 U . S . C . §§ 1962- 1964; ( 2) r a c i a l di s c r i m i na t i on i n vi ol a t i on of 42 U . S . C . §§ 1981, 1 9 8 2 ; a n d( 3 ) r a c ia l d is c r im in a tio n in v io la tio n o f T itle V I o f

th e C iv il R ig h ts A c t, 4 2 U .S .C . § 2 0 0 0 db yA p p e lle e s U n ite dP a r c e l S e rv ic e ( “U P S ” ) a n dD e ll C orpo rat i on (“ D el l ”) . U po n revi ew of the re cord and b ri ef s, w e f i nd that H u m p h r e yd idn o t a lle g e p r e d ic a te c r im in a l a c tiv ityu n d e rR I C O o ra lle g e f a c ts thatdem on strat e di spar at e tre atm enton the basi s of r ac e. A cc ordi ng l y, w e a ff i rm th e d e c i s i o n b e l o w. B ac k gr ound A cc ordi ng t o H um ph re y’ s c om pl ai nt , he ordered a busi ness com pu t er s y s t e m f r om D e l l us i ng e xpe di t e d de l i ve ry . D e l l us e s U P S e xc l us i ve l yf or shi pp i ng pu rposes , and H um ph re y w as subsequent l y i nform ed thathi s c om pu t er w a s a w a i t i ng pi c kup a tthe U P S w i l l - c a l l of f i c e . H um phr e ya tt e m pt e d t o r e tr i e ve h is co m p u ter, b u t w as d en iedd eliv ery b ec au se th e a d d re ss li sted o n h is d riv er ’s l i c e ns e di d notm a t c h the de l i ve rya ddr e s s . A f t e robt a i ni ng f

urthe ri de nt i f

i c a t i on, H u m p h r e ya g a in a tte m p te dto p ic kup th e c o m p u te r , a n dit w a s r e le a s e dto h im l a t e rth a td a y . H u mp h r e y , w h o i s A f r i c a n - A me r i c a n , a l l e g e s th a tD e l l a n dU PS3

used se curi ty c on ce rns a s apl oy t o u nn ec es sari l y prol on g and com pl i ca t e del i very o f th e co m p u t er, an dth atth ei r act i o n s w ere m o t i v at edb y raci al an i m u s. Stan da rd of

R ev i ew We r e v i e w de nov o a di sm i ss alun der Rul e 12(b)(6) for f ai l ure t o st at e a c la im up o n w h ic h r e lie f m a yb e g r a n te d . Ja ckso n v. B el lSo u th T eleco m m s. , 372 F . 3d 12 50 , 12 62 (11th C i r. 20 04 ). W e a cc eptthe al l egat i on s i n the com pl ai ntas tru e a n dc o n s tru e th e m in th e lig h t m o s t f a v o r ab le to H u m p h r e y . I d. a t1 2 6 3 . As H um phr e yi s pr oc e e di ng p r o s e, we wi l l c o n s tru e h i s p l e a d i n g s l i b e r a l l y , a n dwe w i l l hol d the m t o al e s s s tr i nge nts t a nda r d tha n w e w oul d hol d pl e a di ngs dr a f t e d by a tto rn e y s . H

u g h es v . L o tt , 3 5 0 F .3 d1 1 5 7 , 1 1 6 0 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 3 ) .

D is c us s i on T he R I C O A c ta l l ow s f orr e c ove ryf

ori nj ur i e s ba s e d on vi ol a t i ons of R IC O ’ s c ri m i nal prov i si on s. 18 U . S . C . § 1 96 4(c) ; L a n g fo rd v . R ite A id

o f A la ., I n c ., 2 3 1 F. 3 d1 3 0 8 , 1 3 1 1 ( 1 1 th Ci r . 2 0 0 0 ) . “ Th e f o u re l e me n t s o f

c i v i l RI CO l i abi l i tya r e ( 1) c onduc t( 2) of a n e nt e rpr i s e ( 3) thr ough apa tt e rn ( 4) of ra cket ee ri ng ac t i vi ty. ” Id . F or R IC O pu rposes , ra cket ee ri ng ac t i vi ty i s def i ned as a n a c t th a t is in d ic tab le u n d e ralis t o f c r im in a l o f

f e n s e s in c lu d in g , in te ra lia , m urder, ki dn api ng , gam bl i ng , ar son, robb ery, bribery , ext ort i on , m ai l fr aud, w i re f r aud orc ount e r f

e i t i ng a nd apa tt e rn i s de f i ne d a s tw o pr e di c a t e a c t s of4

r a c k e te e r in g a c tiv ityw ith in te n y e a r s . I d. a t 1 3 1 1 - 1 2 ; see a l

so 1 8 U .S .C . § 1 9 6 1 . H um phr e y ’ s c l a i m c l e a r l ydoe s notf a l l w i thi n the s e pr ovi s i ons . A s i ngl e i nc i de nt o f d e l a yi n d e l i v e r i n g ac o m p u t e rd o n o tc o n s t i tu t e c r i m i n a l o f f e n s e s u n d e rR I C O, nordoe s i te s t abl i s h apa tt e rn of R I C O vi ol at i ons . A c c or di ngl y , w e a f f i rm the d i s mi s s a l o f

H u mp h r e y ’ s RI CO c l a i m. H um phr e yf

urthe rm a ke s ar a c i a l di s c r i m i na t i on c l a i m unde r42 U . S . C . §§ 1981, 1982, a l l e gi ng tha tU P S s ubj e c t s m i nor i tyc us t om e r s t o de l a ya nd ha r a s s m e nt w hen p i cki ng up thei r del i veri es . F or a s ucce ss ful cl ai m un der § 19 81 , H um ph re y w as req u i redt o d em o n strat e th atU P S an dD el l i n t en t i o n al l y d i scri m i n at edag ai n st h im b e c au s e o f

h is m in o r itys ta tu s w ith r e g ar dto c e rta in e n u m e r a te da c tiv itie s . R ut stei n v. A vis R ent-A -Car System s, Inc. , 211 F . 3d 1228, 1235 ( 11th C i r . 2000) (not i ng thati nt entt o d i sc ri m i nat e on the basi s of r ac e i s the “ cr i t i ca l el em ent ” of a § 1 9 8 1 c la im ) . S im ilar ly , f o ra§ 1 9 8 2 c la im , H u m p h r e yw a s r e q u ir e dto dem on strat e thathe w as depri ved o f hi s property i nt er es tbecause of an i nt ent i on al a c t b a s e do n r a c ia l a n im u s . J a c k s o n v . O ka lo o s a C o u n ty, Fla . 21 F . 3d 1531, 1543 ( 11th C i r . 1994) . H um phr e y ’ s c om pl a i nt , t a ke n i n the m os tf a vor abl e l i ght p o s s ib le , m e r e lyd e m o n s tr a te s th a t h e w a s te m p o r a r ilyd e p r iv e do f h is p r o p e rty because of U P S procedures. Itfa i l s e nt i re l y t o st at e f ac t s s uffi ci entt o sho w that th e r e s tr ic tio n s w e r e im p o s e do n h im b e c au s e o f h is r a c e o rto c o m p a r e h is5

tr e a tm e n t to th a t o f

o th e rg r o up s p ic k in g up d e liv e r ie s a t th e w ill- c a ll c e n te r . H is cl ai m there fore fa i l s, and w e f i nd thati tw as prop er l y di sm i ss ed by the di stri ct c o u rt. F i na l l y , H um phr e ya l l e ge s tha ta s ar e c ipi e ntof f e de r a l f undi ng, U P S c a n be h e l dl i ab l e f

o rr a c i a l d i s c r i m i n a t i o n u n d e rT i t l e VI o f th e C iv il R ig h ts A c t, 42 U . S . C . § 2000d . “ T i t l e V I pr ohi bi t s di s c r i m i na t i on on a c c ountof r a c e , c ol or , or nat i on alori gi n i n al l prog ram s and ac t i vi t i es re ce i vi ng fe dera l fi nanci alas si st ance . ” R o b i n so n v. V

o l lert , 6 0 2 F .2 d8 7 , 8 9 ( 5 th C ir . 1 9 7 9 ) . S p e c if ic a lly , th e s ta tu te r e qui r e s tha tape r s on pr ove tha the w a s de ni e d pa rt i c i pa t i on, ba s e d on hi s r a c e , i n a f e d e r a llyf

u n d e dp r o g r a m f

o rw h ic h h e w a s o th e rw is e q u a lif ie d . 4 2 U .S .C . § 2000d. S i nc e H um phr e ydoe s notc l a i m tha the w a s e l i gi bl e f orf e de r a l f undi ng, b u t m e r e lyth a t U P S r e c e iv e ds o m e f e d e r a l a s s is tan c e , T itle V I d o e s n o t ap p lyto h im . W e th e r e f

o r e f in dth a t th e d is tr ic t c o u rt c o rr e c tlyd is m is s e dh is c la im . AF F I RME D.