2008 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 10-22-2008 

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. S ecret ary Mich a el C h P r e c e de n t i al or N on-P r e c e de n t i al : N on-P r e c e de n t i al D ocke t N o . 08-1590

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Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e a nd ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i l l a no va U nive r sity S choo l of L a

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. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2008 D e c i sion s b y a n author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i l l a no va U nive r sity S choo l of L a

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w . vi l l a no va . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " L a wr e nc e Z imme r v

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w . vi l l a no va . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008/3371

C L D - 288 NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

___________ N o. 08- 1590

___________ LAWRENCE Z I M M ER,

A ppel l ant v . SECRETARY OF D EPARTM ENT O F HO M ELAN D SECU RI TY

____________________________________ O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt f o r th e M id d le D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C i vi l N o. 07- C V - 01836) D istric t Ju d g e : H o n o ra b le T h o m a s I. V a n a sk ie

____________________________________ Subm i t t ed forPoss i bl e Sum m aryA ct i on P u rs u a n t to T h ir d C ir c u it L A R 2 7 .4 a n d I.O .P . 1 0 .6

Sept ember 11, 2008 B efor e: A M B R O , FU E N T E S and J O R D A N , C i r cui tJ udges

O pi ni on fi l ed: O ct ober22, 2008

_________ OP I NI ON

_________ P E R C UR I AM L aw r ence Z i m m erappea l s fr om an or derof t he U ni t ed St at es D i s t r i ctC our tfort he M i ddl e D i s t r i ctof Penns y l vani a, w hi ch di s m i s s ed hi s empl oy m entdi s cr i m i nat i on2

compl ai ntforfai l i ng t o s t at e a c l ai m upon w hi ch r el i ef maybe gr ant ed pur s uantt o 28 U . S . C . § 1 9 1 5 (e)(2)(B ). W e w il l aff irm the D istri ct C o u rt ’s ord er. Z i m m erfi l ed a c om pl ai nton O ct ober9, 2007 agai ns tSecr et aryM i chae l C her t off, al l egi ng t hathe w as di s cr i m i nat ed aga i ns ton t he bas i s of r ace , age a nd r epr i s al w hen he w as t er m i nat ed fr om t he pos i t i on of Tra ns por t at i on Secur i t yScr eene ron J anuary12, 2005. T he compl ai ntas ked fordamages , butdi d notgi ve anym or e i nfor m at i on r egar di ng Z i m m er ’ s cl ai m s . T he D i s t r i ctC our tent er ed an or derdi s m i s s i ng Z i m m er ’ s compl ai nt w i t houtpr ej udi ce t o hi s fi l i ng an amended compl ai ntw i t hi n 20 day s . T he C our tnot ed t hatt he compl ai ntl acke d “s uffi ci ental l egat i ons t o det er m i ne w hetherhe has s t at ed a cl ai m on w hi ch r el i ef maybe gr ant ed aga i ns tSecr et aryC her t off ort he D epart m entof H om el and Secur i t y , ” and not ed thatt her e w er e “no a l l egat i ons r egar di ng t he ci r cumst ance s of hi s t er m i nat i on t o s uppor teven a n i nfer ence of di s cr i m i nat i on. ” The C our tor der ed thatanyamended compl ai nt“s hal l s peci fyt he fa ct s on w hi ch hi s cl ai m of unl aw ful empl oy m entdi s cr i m i nat i on i s bas ed, ” and w arned thatfai l ur e t o fi l e s uch a c o m p lain t w o u ld re su lt i n d ism iss a l o f th e c o m p lain t. Z i m m erfi l ed an a m ended c om pl ai ntw i t hi n t he t i m e per i od s peci fi ed, butt he D i s t r i ctC our tfound t hatt he amended compl ai ntdi d nots uffi ci ent l yi ncl ude the fa ctual bas i s of hi s cl ai m s . T he amended compl ai nts t at ed thathe had be en “a brupt l yt er m i nat ed fr om hi s pos i t i on of Secur i t yScr eene rw i t houtpr i orw arni ng, ” and thathe had be en r et al i at ed aga i ns tforcl ai m i ng di s cr i m i nat i on i n w r i t i ng and verbal l yt o t he A gency . T he3

amended compl ai nts t at ed thatZ i m m erhad a bl ack s uper vi s ornamed N athani el J ohns on, w ho had ac know l edged thatZ i m m erfel the w as bei ng di s cr i m i nat ed aga i ns tbeca us e he w as w hit e, and st at ed that“t he thr ee supe rvi sors bri ng i ng dis ci pli naryact i on s agai nst pl ai nt i ff a r e B l ack. ” H e al s o r efe r s t o s om e “l et t er s fr om t he B l ack s uper vi s or s ” thathe al l eges cont ai ned “de famat i on, r et al i at i on and l i es ” aga i ns thi m . Z i m m ert hen att ache d over450 pages of document s fr om admi ni s t r at i ve pr ocee di ngs , and ur ged the D i s t r i ct Co u r tJ u d g e t o r e v i e w t h e m. W e exe r ci s e pl enaryr evi ew overa di s t r i ctcour t ’ s deci s i on t o di s m i s s a compl ai nt su a sp o n te fo r fa il u re to state a c lai m . A ll ah v . S eive rl ing , 2 2 9 F . 3 d 2 2 0 , 2 2 3 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 0 ). In c o n side ri n g w h ethe r a d istri ct co u rtp rop erlyd ism issed a c o m p lai n t, w e a re requi red t o “acc ept al l fact ual al l egati on s as true, con strue t he co m plai nt i n the l i gh tm ost favor abl e t o t he pl ai nt i ff, and det er m i ne w hether , underanyr eas onabl e r eadi ng of t he compl ai nt , t he pl ai nt i ff maybe ent i t l ed t o r el i ef. ” Phi l l i ps v. C ount yof A l l egheny , 515 F. 3d 224, 233 ( 3d C i r . 2008) , quot i ng Pi nkerv. R oche H ol di ngs L t d. , 292 F. 3d 361, 374 n . 7 (3 d C ir. 2 0 0 2 ). W e a re g u id e d b yth e S u p re m e C o u rt’s r e c e n t o p in io n in B e ll A tl an ti c C o rp. v. T w o m b ly , _ _ U . S . _ _ , 1 2 7 S . C t. 1 9 5 5 , 1 9 6 9 n . 8 (20 0 7 ). T h e C o u rt not ed that“‘ s t at i ng . . . a cl ai m r equi r es a compl ai ntw i t h enough fa ctual m at t er( t aken a s t rue) t o s ugges t ’ t he r equi r ed el ement . ” Phi l l i ps , 515 F. 3d at234, ( quot i ng T w om bl y , 127 S. C t . at1965) . St at ed di ffe r ent l y , t he “[ f] actual al l egat i ons [of the compl ai nt ] m us tbe enough t o r ai s e a r i ghtt o r el i ef a bove the s pecul at i ve l evel . ” I d. See al s o W i l ker s on v.A l t hough Z i m m er ’ s i ni t i al compl ai ntal s o m ent i oned di s cr i m i nat i on on t he bas i s of 1 age, t he amended compl ai ntdoes notcont ai n anyal l egat i on r el at i ng t o age. Z im m e r’s m o tio n f

o r a p p o in tm e n t o f

c o u n se l is d e n ied a s m o o t. 2 4 N ew M edi a Technol ogyC har t erSchool , I nc. , 522 F. 3d 315, 321 ( 3d C i r . 2008) (a lle g a tio n s o f

th e c o m p la in t m u s t p la u s ib ly su g g e s t th a t c o m p la in a n t is e n title d to re lie f ). A lth o u g h Z im m e r’s c o m p lain t sta tes th a t h e is w h ite, th a t o n e o r m o re o f h is s uper vi s or s w as bl ack, and thathe w as “abrupt l yt er m i nat ed, ” the compl ai ntdoes not cont ai n fac tual m at t ert hatw oul d pl aus i bl ys ugges tt hathe w as t er m i nat ed on the bas i s of hi s r ace oras r et al i at i on forpr ot ect ed ac t i vi t y . W e agr ee w i t h t he D i s t r i ctC our tt hat

1 Z i m m er ’ s compl ai ntfai l ed t o s t at e a c l ai m upon w hi ch r el i ef maybe gr ant ed, and w e do n o t f a u lt th e D istric t C o u rt f o r f a ili n g to w a d e th ro u g h th e o v e r 4 5 0 p a g e s o f a ttac h m e n ts t o at t empt t o di s cern Z i m m er ’ s cl ai m s . W e w i l l t her efor e af fi r m t he j udgm entof t he D istric t C o u rt. 2