P u rsuan t t o 5 T H C IR . R. 47. 5, t h e courtha s det erm i n ed that t h i s opi n i on * shou l d n otbe pu bl i shed an d i s not preceden texcept u n der t h e l i m i t ed c i r c um s t anc e s s e tf

o r t h i n 5 T H C IR . R. 47. 5. 4. 

### INTHE UNI TED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS

FORTHEFIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 08- 30790 Su m m ar yC al endar CL AY TO N D IAZ , Pl ai nt i f f

- Appe l l ant
v. S UPERI OR ENERGY S ERVI CES L LC , D efen da n t - A pp el l ee

A pp ealf

rom t h e U n i t ed S t ates D i st ri ctC ou rt f ort he E as t er n D i st r i c tof Loui si ana U SD C N o. 2: 07- C V

- 2805 B ef ore H IG G IN B O T H A M , B A R K S D A L E , an d E L R O D , C i rcui tJu dg es. P E R C U R IA M: * Cl ay t o n Di az ap pe al s t he m ag i s t r at e j udg e ’ s g r anto f s um m ar y j udg m e nt i n fa v o ro f

S u p e r i o rEn e r g yS e rv i c e s , L . L. C. , ( S u p e r i o r) o n h i s c l a i m s a l l e g i ng r et al i at i on and w r ongf ul di sc harge by Super i or , hi s f or m erem pl oye r . D i az has f i l e d am o t i o n t o pr o c e e d i n f o r m a pa upe r i s (IFP ) o n a ppe al , c hall e ngi ng t he di st ri ctcourt ’ s c ert i f

i cat i on , pu rsuan tt o B augh v. T aylor , 117 F. 3d 197, 199- 202

United States Court of App eals

Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D Aug ust3, 2009 Cha rl es R. F ulb ru g e II I ClerkN o. 08- 30790

2 ( 5t h Ci r . 1 99 7) , t hathi s ap pe al w as no t t ak e n i n g o o d fait h. H e a l s o ha s f i l e d a m o tio n s e e k in gth e a p p o in tm e n t o f c o u n s e l. D i az c hal l enges t he m agi st r at e j udge’ s deni alof hi s m ot i on to w i t hdraw h i s c on sent t o proceed bef ore a m agis t rat e j u dg e, argu i n g t h at th e di st ri ctcourt sh ou l dh a ve ru l edon h i s m oti on , ci ti n gi n su p p ort F ED . R. C IV . P. 73(b) and 28 U . S . C . § 455(a) . O n ce val i d consen tt o p roceed b ef ore a m agis t rat e j u dg e is given purs uant t o 2 8 U . S. C . § 636(c ) , a par t y has no ab so l ut e r i gh t t o w i t hdraw t hat c o n s e n t a n d d e m a n d h is rig h t t o a n A r tic le II I ju d g e . Ca r te rv . Se aL a n dS e r v s ., Inc. , 8 16 F. 2d101 8, 102 1 ( 5t h C i r . 198 7) . D i az ha s no tpr e s e nt e d ano nf r ivo l o us i ssue f or app ealw i t h res pect t o hi s c h al l en ge t o t h e m agis t rat e j u dg e’ s den i alof h is m o tio n to w ith d r a w h is co n s e n t t o p r o c e e db e fo r e th e m a g is tr a te ju d g e . S ee i d. at 102 0- 22. A dv erse j u di ci alrul i n gs al on e do n otsup port an al l egati on of b ia s fo rp u r p o s e s o f § 4 5 5 , n o rd o cr itic a l o rd is a p p r o v in gre m a r k s g e n e r a lly s u p p o r t a b ia s o rp a r tia litych a lle n g e . L i t eky v. Un i t ed S t ate s , 510 U . S. 540, 555 (1 9 9 4 ). D i az argu es t h at th e m agis t rat e j u dg e l acked t h e au t h orit y t o rul e on s u m m a r yju d g m e n t, s u g g e s tin gth a t t h e m a g is tr a te ju d g e w a s a u th o r iz e do n ly to s u b m it a r e p o r t a n dr e c o m m e n d a tio n t o t h e d is tr ic t c o u r t. D ia z co n s e n te din w r itin gto h a v e am a g is tr a te ju d g e “c o n d u c t a n y a n da ll fu r th e rp r o c e e d in g s in t he c as e, i ncl udi ng butnotl i m i t ed t o, the tri a lo f th e c as e a nd ent r y o f f i nal j udg m e nt . ” The di s t r i c tc o ur t ’ s o r de ro f r e fe r r als pe c i f

i c all y pr o vi de d t hatt he m agis t rat e j u dg e ha d the au t h orit y t o enter f i n alj u dg m en t . D i az h as not p rese n teda no n frivo l ou s i ssu e w i th resp ect to h i s ar gu m en t t h a t t h e m a gistrate ju d g e e x c e e d e dh is a u th o r ityine n te r in gafin a l ju d g m e n t. S ee§ 6 3 6 (c ); F ED . R. C IV . P . 7 3 (b ). D i az c o nt e nds t hatt he m ag i s t r at e j udg e a bus e d hi s di s c r e t i o n i n de nyi ng hi s m o t i o n f

or the a ppo i nt m e nto f c o uns e l . Di az ha s no tpr e s e nt e d a n on f rivol ou s i ssue w i t h res pect t o t h e m agis t rat e j u dg e’ s den i alof h i s m ot i on f orN o. 08- 30790

3 th e a p p o in tm e n t o f c o u n s e l. S ee C u pitv. Jon es , 8 3 5 F .2d 8 2 , 8 6 (5t h C ir. 1 9 8 7 ); Ul m er v. Ch an cel lor , 6 9 1 F .2d 2 0 9 , 2 1 2 (5t h C ir. 1 9 8 2 ). D i az’ s c h al l en ge on app ealt o t h e m agis t rat e j u dg e’ s den i alof hi s m ot i on to co m p e l a n d m o tio n to e x te n d tim e to c o m p le te d is c o v e r y c o n s is ts s o le ly o f h is as s e r t i o n t hat he w as de ni e d d ue pr o c e s s b e c aus e Supe r i o rw as e va s ive dur i ng di sc ove r y. A rg u m en ts m u st b e briefed to b e pre serv ed . Y oh ey v. Col l i ns , 985 F .2 d2 2 2 , 2 2 5 ( 5 th C ir . 1 9 9 3 ). W h e n a n a p p e lla n t fa ils t o id e n tifya n ye r r o rin t h e di st ri ctcourt ’ s ana l ysi s, i ti s t h e sam e as if the ap pel l an th adn otapp eal ed th a t j u d gm en t. B ri n km an n v. D allas Cou n ty D epu ty S h erif f A bn er , 813 F. 2d 7 4 4 , 74 8 ( 5 th C i r. 19 8 7 ). D i a z h a s n ot p rese n teda n on friv o lo u s i ssu e w i th resp ect to the m a gistrate jud ge ’ s d en i a lof h i s m oti on to co m p e l a n d m oti on to ext end t i m e f

ordi sc ove r y. D i az r ai s e s as e r i e s o f a r gum e nt s c hall e ngi ng t he m ag i s t r at e j udg e ’ s g r ant o f s um m ar y j udg m e ntf o rSupe r i o r on hi s c l ai m a r i s i ng unde rt he Lo ui s i ana W h is tle b lo w e rS ta tu te , L A . R EV . S TAT . A NN . § 2 3: 96 7. Thi s c o ur t ’ s r e vi e w o f t he g r a n t o f s u m m a r yju d g m e n t is d e n o v o . S ee Hernan d ez v. V elasqu ez , 522 F. 3d 55 6, 5 60 (5 t h Ci r . 2 00 8) . Sum m ar y j udg m e nti s pr o pe r“i f t he pl e ad i ngs , t he d is c o v e r ya n dd is c lo s u r e m a te r ia ls o n f ile , a n da n ya ffid a v its s h o w th a t t h e r e is n o g en u i n e issu e a s to an y m a terialfa ct an dtha t th e m ov a n t i s en titl ed to ju d g m e n t a s a m a tt e ro f la w .” F ED . R. C IV . P. 56(c) . “ [T ] h e party m ovi n g f or sum m ary j u dg m en tm u st‘ dem on st rat e t h e absen ce of a gen u i n e i ssue of m a terialfa ct, ’bu t ne edn ot n ega teth e e le m e n ts o f th e n o n m o v a n t’s ca s e .” L ittle v . Li qui d Ai rCor

p. , 37 F. 3d 1069, 1075 ( 5t h C i r . 1994) ( en banc ) ( quot i ng Celot ex Co rp . v . Ca tre tt , 477 U . S. 317, 323 ( 1986) ) . I f t he m ovi ng par t y m ee t s t he i ni t i al bur de n o f

s ho w i ng t hatt he r e i s no g e nui ne i ssue, t he b ur de n s hi f t s t o t he n on m ovan tt o setfor t h specif i c fact s s h ow i n g t h e exi st en ce of a gen u i n e i ssue f

or tr ia l. F ED . R. C IV . P . 56(e) . Th e non m ovan tcann otsat i sf y h i s s u m m ary j u dg m en tbu rden w i t h con cl u si on ala l l egati on s, u n sub st an t i ated assert i on s, or o n lyas c in tilla o f e v id e n c e . L ittle , 37 F. 3d at1075.N o. 08- 30790

4 A s t h e m agis t rat e j u dg e observed, un der L A . R EV . S TAT . A NN . § 23: 967, D i a z h a dto de m on strate tha t ( 1) [ S u peri or] vi ol ated th e l aw t h rough a proh ibi t ed w orkp l ace act or pract i ce; ( 2) [] h e ad vi sed [ S u peri or] of t h e vi ol ati on ; ( 3) [] h e t h en refu sed to pa rti ci p a te i n the pr oh ib i tedpr a cti ce orth r e a te n e dto di sc l os e the pr ac t i c e; and ( 4) [] he w as f i r ed as a r es ul tof

[hi s] r ef

usal t o pa r t i c i pa t e i n t he u n l aw f ulpr ac t i c e o rt hr e att o di s c l o s e t he practi ce. Halev. T

ou ro I nf i rm ary , 886 S o. 2d 121 0, 121 6 (L a. C t . A pp . 200 4) . Avi ol ati on o f s ta te la w is a n e le m e n t o f th e cla im . S ee A ccardo v. L ou i si an a Heal t h S ervs . & In d em . Co. , 9 4 3 S o . 2 d3 8 1 , 3 8 6 -8 7 (L a . C t. A p p . 2 0 0 6 ). D ia z a lle g e din s p e c u la tiv e a n dco n c lu s io n a l te r m s o n lyth a t S u p e r io rv io la te ds ta te la w . S ee L ittle , 37 F . 3 da t 1 0 7 5 . F u rth er, D i a z d i dn ot i d en tify sp ecif i c fa cts d e m o n s tr a tin gag e n u i n e i s s u e fo rtr ia l a s to th e re m a in in ge le m e n ts o f h is w h is tle b lo w e rcla im . D ia z h a s n o t r a is e dan o n fr iv o lo u s is s u e w ith re s p e c t t o h is c hall e nget o t he m ag i s t r at e j udg e ’ s gr ant o f s um m ar y j udg m e nt o n hi s Lo ui s i ana w h i s t l e b l o w e rc l a i m. N o rh a s D ia z ra is e da n yn o n fr iv o lo u s is s u e s fo ra p p e a l w ith re s p e c t t o h is ar gum e nto f

b r e ac h o f

a n e m pl o ym e ntc o nt r ac t . The s um m ar y j udg m e nt evi denc e r ef

l ec t s t hatD i az w as an at - w i l lem pl oye e w ho c oul d be t er m i nat ed at a n ytim e . S ee B row n v. Catal ystR ecove ry of

L a. , I n c. , 813 So. 2d 1156, 1166 (La. C t . A pp . 2 0 0 2 ). A l t h ou gh D i az sug gest s t h at he ha d a cau se of act i on against G ary T h ibod au x f

or i n t en t i on ali n t erfer e n ce w i t h contr act u alrel ati on s, T h ib od a u x w a s n ot a p a rty to th e su i t. D ia z h a s a b a n d o n e d , b y fa il in g t o c h a ll e n g e , t h e m a g is t r a t e j u d g e ’s d e t e r mi n a t i o n t h a th i s s t a t e l a w c l a i ms a r i s i n gb e f o r e Ma r c h 2 2 , 2 0 0 6 , w e r e t i me b a r r e d . S ee Y

oh ey , 9 85 F . 2dat 225 . H e f u rt h er has aba n don ed an y cha l l en ges to th e d is tr ic t c o u r t’s g r a n to f s u m m a r yju d g m e n t fo rS u p e r io ro n a n ycla im s D ia z ra is e db a s e do n v io la tio n s o f fe d e r a l la w . S ee i d.N o. 08- 30790

5 D i az h a s n o t d em on st rat ed that he w i l lrai se a non f rivol ou s i ssue on a p p e a l. A c c o r d i n g l y , D ia z ’ s IF P m o tio n is D E N IE D a n dh is a p p e a l is D IS M IS S E D a s fr iv o lo u s . S ee5 THC IR . R . 4 2 .2 ; B augh , 117 F. 3d at202 & n. 24; How ardv . Ki ng , 7 0 7 F. 2 d 2 1 5 , 2 2 0 ( 5 t h Ci r . 1 9 8 3 ) . Di a z ’ s m o t i o n fo rt he a p p o i n t me n to f

c o u n s e li s DE NI ED . I F P DENI ED ; M OT I ON F OR A P P OI NT M ENT OFC OUNS ELDE NI ED ; AP P EA L DI S M I S S ED .