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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT

COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT

OF TEXAS FT. WORTH DIVISION

EUGENIO VARGAS §

Plaintiff/Counterclaim Defendant §

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§ Case No. 4:22-CV-00430-Y

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ASSOCIATION OF 

PROFESSIONAL FLIGHT

ATTENDANTS, JULIE HEDRICK, 

ERIK HARRIS

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§ 

§ 

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Defendants/Counterclaim Plaintiff. §

PLAINTIFF’S BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF SECOND AMENDED MOTION FOR LEAVE 

TO FILE SECOND AMENDED COMPLAINT AND FOR JOINDER PURSUANT TO

FED. R. CIV. P. 15(a)(2) AND 20(a)

TO THE HONORABLE JUDGE OF SAID COURT:

Pursuant to Federal Rule[s] of Civil Procedure 20(a), 15(a)(2), and local Rules 7.1, 7.2, 

56.1 and 56.5. Plaintiff Vargas, by and through the undersigned counsel, respectfully moves to 

join the following additional parties and claims asserted therein to the case before the court.

Plaintiff filed its first amended complaint against Defendants for violations of LMRDA §§411 and 

412 among other federal and state claims on February 22, 2023 [Docket No. 55-1, pursuant to 

Docket No. 72]. Defendants filed their answer and counterclaims against Plaintiff on March 8, 

2023 [Docket No. 76]. As set forth more specifically, Plaintiff respectfully requests leave to file 

its second amended complaint and permissive joinder of two additional Defendants: Larry Salas, 

APFA National Vice-President, and Josh Black, APFA National Secretary. 

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Table of Contents

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES................................................................................................................. 2

Cases................................................................................................................................................... 2

Statutes & Regulations....................................................................................................................... 2

Court Rules........................................................................................................................................ 2

I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................... 3

II. STATEMENT OF THE CASE........................................................................................................ 5

III. ARGUMENTS AND AUTHORITIES.......................................................................................... 8

A. Applicable Law............................................................................................................................ 8

B. Request to Grant Plaintiff Leave to file Amended Complaint........................................................... 9

IV. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 10

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Cases

Pulitzer-Polster v. Pulitzer, 784 F.2d 1305 (5th Cir. 2006))... ...................................... 9

In re EMC Corp., 677 F.3d 1351, 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2012). Nova Cas. Co. v. Guzman (N.D. Tex. 

2021).........................................................................................................9 

Statutes & Regulations

29 U.S.C. § 158..........................................................................................................................5 

29 U.S.C. §401 ............................................................................................................................5 

29 U.S.C. § 411....................................................................................................................... 1, 5 

Court Rules 

Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b). ................................................................................................................. 9 

Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a). .................................................................................................................. 9 

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Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a)(2). ....................................................................................................... 1, 10

Fed R. Civ P. 20(a) ...................................................................................................... 1, 8, 9, 10

Fed R. Civ P. 20(a)(2) . ............................................................................................................. 9

Local Rule 7.1............................................................................................................................ 1

Local Rule 7.2............................................................................................................................ 1

Local Rule 56.1.......................................................................................................................... 1

Local Rule 56.5.......................................................................................................................... 1

I. INTRODUCTION

Vargas is a member in good standing of the APFA union and the Former National 

Treasurer. Plaintiff was charged with violations of the APFA Constitution and policy based 

primarily on alleged overpayments discovered by an accounting firm’s review of the union’s 

payments to Robert “Bob” Ross (“Ross”). Ross served as National President at the same time as 

Plaintiff served as APFA National Treasurer. Ross negotiated a Transition Agreement with the 

APFA Board of Directors requiring Ross resign as National President before his tenure was over 

in exchange for moving expenses and all payments, he would receive had he not resigned as 

National President. Ross resigned on March 1, 2018. Plaintiff was shown only the portions of the 

Transition Agreement pertinent to payment, calculated the appropriate payment, and authorized 

the union distribute the funds. Charges were brought against Plaintiff for these payments made to 

Ross among other allegations. These charges were launched under an administration and by 

charging parties from an opposing political faction within the union in November of 2020, and his 

charges were referred to the union for disciplinary proceedings. Plaintiff prepared and defended 

himself in the union’s internal dispute procedure (“arbitration”) wherein Plaintiff subpoenaed 

documentation and witness testimony from the union. Due to his alleged breach of the union 

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constitution and policy, the union found Plaintiff to have violated his duty, subsequently banned 

for life from holding any union-elected positions and fined in the amount of $30,963.03. [PageID 

13-51; Docket No.1-1]. Unbeknownst to Plaintiff, the union withheld documentation pertinent to 

the issues that would substantiate Vargas’s calculations under the Ross Transition Agreement—

the claim that launched the charges against the Ross Administration. The union leadership, in 

collaboration with the charging union members, conspired and coordinated their efforts to mar 

Plaintiff’s reputation to discredit the opposing political faction. 

Simultaneously, the National Officers publicly continued to inform APFA Leadership and 

others that Ross and Vargas misappropriated money. The Union asserted that Vargas and Ross 

conspired to be overpaid upon Ross’s exit in 2018. Diversified filed a suit to and in its Original 

Complaint, it attached a never-before seen letter (“Confidential Memo”) from the accounting 

review cited by Erik Harris (“Harris”) the current National Treasurer and, others as the reason to 

bring disciplinary charges against Plaintiff. 

The Confidential Memorandum states “Please note the Bob Ross confidential transition 

agreement states that he will be paid all of his accrued and unused sick and accrued and unused 

vacation time. This agreement doesn't specify that the payments be made in accordance with the 

policy manual guidelines. Consequently, these payments appear appropriate and in compliance 

with the transition agreement.” [PageID 52-53; Docket No. 1-2]. 

APFA’s National President, Julie Hedrick, National Treasurer, Erik Harris, National VicePresident, Larry Salas, and National Secretary, Josh Black (“National Officers”) purposely 

withheld a copy of the Confidential Memorandum to the Board of Directors, the Executive 

Committee and to the Plaintiff during his internal union disciplinary hearing.” [PageID 2983-

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2997, 2998-3006; Docket No. 56-1].

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 The National Officers intentionally deceived and 

misrepresented the pertinent facts to acquire a favorable arbitration award against Plaintiff. 

Plaintiff believes this is a result of his political opposition to an upcoming proposed merger 

between APFA and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA). Plaintiff contends that 

withholding the Confidential Memorandum from the APFA Board of Directors, Executive 

Committee, and during his union disciplinary arbitration was a violation of, among other things, 

his right to a fair hearing under the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act § 101(a)(5). 

It was also a breach of the APFA National Officers fiduciary duty to the Plaintiff. 

II. STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Plaintiff, Eugenio Vargas (“Plaintiff”) seeks damages alleging unlawful violations of the 

Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, 29 U.S.C. § 411, 412, et seq. (“LMRDA”),

breach of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants Union Constitution, and Breach of 

Fiduciary Duty as provided for under Texas Common Law by Defendants APFA, Julie Hedrick 

and Erik Harris (“hereinafter Defendants”) along with current National Vice-President Larry Salas 

and National Secretary Josh Black (“hereafter Proposed Joinder Defendants). APFA is a labor

organization covered under the LMRDA, 29 U.S.C. §401 et seq, and 29 U.S.C. § 158, et seq. 

Plaintiff is a member in good standing of APFA as defined under the LMRDA and 29 U.S.C. § 

158.

1 Nena Martin was one of Vargas’s union representatives in the Union Disciplinary Arbitration, and she 

testifies herein that she has never seen this Confidential Memorandum prior to disclosure on the date of 

signing the affidavit. This establishes the fact that the Confidential Memo was not produced during the 

Union Disciplinary Arbitration. Furthermore, Martin testifies that this document was not produced at the 

Executive Committee Hearing wherein charges were heard and voted on by the Executive Committee

referring the charges to an internal Union Disciplinary Arbitration. She was also a member of the APFA 

Board of Directors during the year of 2020 and testifies that the APFA Board of Director’s was never 

given or informed about this document by Erik Harris, APFA National Treasurer. 

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On or about January of 2016, the Plaintiff ran for office within the APFA local union 

elections. For clarification, Robert “Bob” Ross (“Ross”) ran for National President Nena Martin 

ran for National Vice-President, and Eugenio Vargas (“Vargas”) ran for National Treasurer.2

Plaintiff was elected National Treasurer, Nena Martin elected Vice-President, and Ross 

Elected National President (“Ross Administration”). The Ross Administration opposed a merger 

of the union with AFA—a multi-airline flight attendants’ union. This created two political

factions within APFA competing for power: Pro-APFA/AFA and Anti-APFA/AFA. In 2020, 

the Hedrick Administration (a Pro-APFA/AFA Administration) was elected to the National 

Office. Thereafter, Plaintiff was charged, hearings held, and the union ultimately fined and 

barred Plaintiff from ever holding office again in a deliberate attempt to suppress his association 

with the Ross Administration, his dissent of the Hedrick Administration, and any proposed 

merger.3

 The Hedrick Administration continually misrepresented to the APFA leadership that 

the APFA Accounting Firm conducted a review and determined Ross owed the union money for 

overpayments and refused to pay them back. He further stated that it was a coordinated 

conspiracy between Vargas and Ross to receive overpayments prior to their exit from office by 

miscalculating payments made to themselves. The Confidential Memo directly contradicts 

Harris’s assertions, but this document was never turned over to the APFA Board of Directors, the 

APFA Executive Committee, or the Arbitrator conducting the union disciplinary hearings, nor the 

Plaintiff. 

2 It should be noted that Chinery-Burns and Lee also filed charges against Nena Martin, the 

Vice-President during the Ross Administration, however as of October 14, 2022, the Arbitrator 

summarily dismissed all charges against Ms. Martin after finding that Chinery-Burns and Lee 

submitted false evidence to the APFA Executive Committee to procure a finding of validity, 

specificity, and timeliness.

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The Confidential Memorandum was received on October 22, 2020—only one month prior 

to Melissa Chinery-Burns and Sandra Lee filing charges against Plaintiff on November 24, 2020.

[PageID 2985-2997, 2998-3006; Docket No. 56-1]. On December 1, 2020, the Executive 

Committee held a meeting, reviewed the charges against Plaintiff and voted that the charges were 

valid, specific, and timely. [PageID 3025-3028; Docket No. 56-1]. The APFA Executive 

Committee recommended the charges proceed to an APFA Article VII Disciplinary Arbitration in 

which the Plaintiff subpoenaed documents and called witnesses in a two-day hearing. At the end 

of the Arbitration, Plaintiff’s representatives drafted a brief and submitted it to the Article VII 

Arbitrator and thereafter an award was issued. The APFA Board of Directors voted and accepted 

the Arbitration Award and for the first time in APFA history, Plaintiff’s Arbitration Award was 

made public and an emailed notice was sent via a Presidential Letter to every member within the

union. 

The charging parties pursued all charges on behalf of the Union. It is the Union that collects 

the monies rendered under the Arbitration Award—the charging parties gain no monetary benefit 

from pursing charges. It is the Union that pays for the Disciplinary Hearing, chooses the 

Arbitrator, forwards all communications to and from the Arbitrator from the parties, chooses the 

location, time and date of the Disciplinary Hearing, controls and produces all documentation for 

the Disciplinary Hearing. It is the APFA National Treasurer that controls and maintains all records 

on behalf of the Union, thus he must testify to the accuracy of the documents. 

Melissa Chinery-Burns, on February 23, 2022, married the AFA General Counsel, Joe 

Burns (AFA is the union vying to take-over APFA). This was only weeks prior to the issuance of 

an award against Plaintiff. In attendance at the Chinery-Burns Wedding includes three of the 

current Hedrick Administration (shown in the photographs of the wedding) International President 

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of AFA, Sarah Nelson, and other key members of the APFA Board of Directors. This clearly 

illustrates the connection between APFA leadership and the charging party. 

APFA’s Executive Committee voted—without knowledge as to the Confidential Memo—

to proceed with APFA’s disciplinary arbitration hearing against Plaintiff—this fact is not in 

dispute. The arbitrator denied Plaintiff a fair opportunity to review and contest the evidence, to 

question accusers and witnesses, to object to unreliable and inadmissible evidence, and to a fair 

opportunity to present his case. The National Officers, including Erik Harris, (“Harris”) 

perpetuated the misrepresentation that APFA’s accounting firm Woods, Stephens, and O’Neil, 

conducted a review of Ross’s payments and discovered Vargas overpaid Ross intentionally and 

Ross now refused to pay back the money. Consequently, the arbitration resulted in the union’s 

favorable disciplinary award. 

Plaintiff was not provided the safeguards against improper disciplinary action guaranteed 

under the LMRDA. Withholding documentation and misrepresenting the facts to APFA leadership 

to procure votes in favor of Disciplinary measures, levy fines, and sanction Plaintiff is an

unconscionable violation to Plaintiff’s right to a fair hearing. It rises to the level of breach of 

fiduciary duty to the Plaintiff. The result of this conduct is that Plaintiff endured a Union 

Disciplinary Hearing, was fined, suffered reputational damage both publicly and professionally, 

privacy violations, and suspension from ever holding any official APFA position for the remainder 

of his life. Plaintiff seeks to recover damages. Plaintiff undeniably suffered discipline at the hands 

of the union as the arbitration award prohibited his right to hold APFA office again and has fined 

Plaintiff for monetary damages. 

III. ARGUMENTS AND AUTHORITIES

A. Applicable Law

a. Applicable law for joinder is best brought under Fed. R. Civ. P. Rule 20(a) for the 

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current circumstances. Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. Rule 20 (a), “persons may join in one action if: 

(1) they assert any right to relief jointly, severally, or in the alternative with respect to or arising 

out of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences; and (2) any 

question of law or fact common to all plaintiffs will arise in the action.” (Fed. R. Civ. P. 20(a)). 

This case raises issues under the LMRDA, fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty claims.

 b. Rule 20 permits the joinder of defendants if, among the other requirements, "any right 

to relief is asserted against them jointly, severally, or in the alternative” (Fed. R. Civ. Proc. 

20(a)(2)). Furthermore, “the fact that the defendants are independent actors does not preclude 

joinder as long as their actions are part of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions 

or occurrences." In re EMC Corp., 677 F.3d 1351, 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2012). Furthermore, the 5th

Circuit Federal Court held that ". . . an initial appraisal of the facts indicates that a possibly 

necessary party is absent, the burden of disputing this initial appraisal falls on the party who 

opposes joinder.’” (Pulitzer-Polster v. Pulitzer, 784 F.2d 1305, 1309 (5th Cir. 2006)).

 c. Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a), a party may amend his pleading once as a matter 

of course within twenty-one days after serving it or, if the pleading is one to which a responsive 

pleading is required, twenty-one days after service of a responsive pleading or twenty-one days 

after service of a Rule 12(b), whichever is earlier. Otherwise, a party may amend its pleading only 

with the opposing party's written consent or the court's leave. Rule 15 provides that the courtshould 

freely give leave to amend when justice so requires. The Plaintiff hereby requests leave to amend 

his original complaint for the purpose of joining additional parties. 

B. Request to Grant Plaintiff Leave to file Amended Complaint 

The Plaintiff respectfully requests the Court to grant Plaintiff’s motion to amend its 

complaint and allow him to join additional parties. 

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Attached hereto and incorporated herein for all purposes and marked as Appendix 1 - 14 is 

the email produced by the Defendants supporting the facts asserted herein. National Treasurer, 

Erik Harris, sent a copy of the Confidential Memo to all four National Officers via email prior to 

any charges being filed against Plaintiff, prior to any demand being made to Ross, and prior to the 

Arbitration hearing. All four National Officers were present when discussing these charges with 

both the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee members. All four National Officers 

failed to disclose this document to the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee. 

Consequently, these officers breached their fiduciary duty to Plaintiff by concealing exculpatory 

documentation for which they all received notice. 

Plaintiff seeks the same damages, jointly and severally amongst all parties, including those 

Plaintiff seeks to join. All actions and facts asserted against the APFA National Officers, Julie 

Hedrick and Erik Harris, are similar to those asserted against Larry Salas and Josh Black. All 

questions of law and fact are common to the Plaintiff as they are common to the two current 

National Officers joined to the suit. Therefore, it appears permissive joinder is appropriate under 

Fed. R. Civ. P. 20(a). 

Considering that the pending actions and damages are sought to be held jointly and severely, 

the facts are the same, and all additional parties are proper to the current cause of action—it is 

proper to grant Plaintiff’s Motion for Joinder and grant leave to amend the original complaint. The 

additional parties are likely to facilitate settlement due to the interest in the facts of this case, and 

its potential liability. This request is made in accordance with Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 

Rule 15(a)(2). 

IV. Conclusion 

WHEREFORE PREMISES CONSIDERED, Plaintiff respectfully requests that the Court 

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grant Plaintiff leave to amend its original complaint, and file a Second Amended Complaint. 

Plaintiff requests such other and further relief to which he may be justly entitled to receive. 

 Respectfully submitted,

K.D. PHILLIPS LAW FIRM, PLLC

By: /s/ Kerri Phillips

Kerri Phillips

Texas Bar No. 24065906 

Phone: (972) 327-5800 

Email: kerri@KDphillipslaw.com

6010 W. Spring Creek Parkway

Plano, Texas 75024 

Fax: (940) 400-0089

For Service of Filings: 

notice@KDphillipslaw.com

ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFF

CERTIFICATE OF CONFERENCE

Plaintiff’s counsel contacted Defendant’s Counsel on September 13, 2023 via email and 

September 15 via telephone for conference purposes. Defendants’ Counsel is opposed to this 

motion. 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I certify that true and correct copy of this document was sent to all counsel of record, 

hereunder listed via ECF Filing on this the 27th day of September 2023. 

/s/Kerri Phillips 

Kerri Phillips

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