09-1517 -cv

Bang v. IBM Corp orati on UNI TED S TATES CO URT O F AP PEALS F O R T H E S E C O N D C IR C U IT S UM M ARY OR DER R U L I N G S B Y S U M M A R Y OR D E R D O N OT HA V E P R E C E D E N T I A L E F F E CT . CI T A T I ON T O A S UM M ARY ORDE R F I L E D ON OR AF T E R J ANUARY 1 , 2 0 0 7 , I S P E RM I T T E D AND I S GO VE RNE D BY FED ERA L R U LE O F A PPELLA TE P R O C EDU R E 32. 1 A N D TH I S C O U R T’ S LO C A L RU LE 32 . 1. 1. W H EN C I TI N G A S U M M A R Y O R D ER I N A D O C U M ENT FI LED W I TH T H I S C O U R T , A PA R TY M U ST C I TE E I T HE R T HE FE DE R A L A P P E N D I X OR A N E L E C T R ON I C D A T A B A S E ( W I T H T HE N OT A T I ON “ S UM M ARY ORDE R” ) . A PA RT Y CI T I NG A S UM M ARY ORDER M US T S E RVE A COPY OF I T ON ANY PA R TY N O T REPR ESENTED BY CO U N SEL. A ta s t at ed t erm of t he U ni t ed St at es C our t of A ppeal s forthe Second Ci r cui t , hel d at the D ani el Pat r i ck M oyni han U ni t ed St at es C ourt hous e, 500 Pear l St r eet , i n t he C i t yof N ew Y or k, on t he 30 dayof M ar ch , t w o thous and t en. th PRES ENT: RO BE RT D. S AC K,

R E E N A R A G G I, PETE R W
. HA LL, C i r cui tJudges
.

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. BA NG, P l ai nt i f f

-Appel l ant , v. N o. 09- 1517- cv I BM COR P OR AT I ON, D ef endant

-Appel l ee .

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- - A P P E A R IN G F O R A P P E L L A N T : E D M O N D S . B A N G , pro se , H unt i ngt on St at i on, N ew Y or k. A PPE A R I N G FO R A PPE L L E E : A L L A N S
. B L O O M (E m il yJ. R a tté , on t he br i ef ) , Pa ul , H a s t i ng s , J a no fs ky& W a l ke rLLP, N ew Y or k, N ew Y or k. A p p ea l f ro m th e U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rtfo r th e E astern D istri ct of N ew Y o rk (A rt h u r D . S p a tt, Judge ).2

UP ON DUE CO NS I DE RA T I ON, I T I S HE RE BY OR DE RE D, ADJ UDGE D, AND DE CR E E D th a tt h e j u d g me n te n t e r e d o n M a r c h 2 5 , 2 0 0 9 , i s AF F I RMED
. P l ai nti ff E dm on d S
. B ang app eal s pro se fr om t he j udgm entof the di s t r i ctcour tupon a j uryve rd ict in f

a v o r o f d e f e n d a n t IB M C o rp o ra tio n (“ IB M ” ), B a n g ’s f o rm e r e m p lo y e r, w ith
r e s p e c t t o Ba n g ’ s c l a i m th a th i s t e r mi n a t i o n v i o l a t e d t h e Ne w Yo r k S t a t e Hu ma n Ri g h t s L a w, N
. Y
. E xec. L aw § 290 ets eq. , and the Em ploy ee R eti rementI ncome Secur i t yA ct ( “ER I SA ”) , 29 U
. S. C
. § 1001 et s eq. I n r evi ew i ng a chal l enge t o a j ury ver di ct , w e exa m i ne the r ecor d i n t he l i ghtm os tfavor abl e t o t he pr evai l i ng part y , and “[ w ]e w i l l over tur n a
ver di ctonl yi f ther e i s s uch a compl et e abse nce of evi dence s uppor t i ng the ver di ctthatt he j ur y ’ s fi ndi ngs coul d onl yhave be en the re s ul t of shee r s ur m i s e and conj ectur e, ors uch an
overw hel m i ng amount of evi dence i n favor of t he appe l l antthatr eas onabl e and f ai rm i nded
m en coul d notarr i ve ata ver di ct agai ns t [hi m ]
. ” G r onow s ki v. Spencer , 424 F. 3d 285, 292 ( 2d C i r . 2005) ( i nt ernal quot at i on m arks and br acke t s om i t t ed)
. T o the ext entB ang chal l enges t he di s t r i ct cour t ’ s deni al of hi s pos t - ver di ct m ot i on for j udgm entas a mat t erof l aw , the s ame s t andar d appl i es . See M adei r a v. A ffor dabl e H ous i ng Found. , I nc. , 469 F. 3d 219, 227 ( 2d C ir
. 2006)
. W e as s um e the part i es ’ fami l i ar i t yw i t h t he fa ct s and pr ocedur al h i s t o ryo f

t h e c a s e , wh i c h we r e f

e r e n c e o n l ya s n e c e s s a r yt o e x p l a i n o u rd e c i s i o n t o a f f i r m. R evi ew i ng t he r ecor d, as w e m us t , i n t he l i ght m os t favor abl e t o I B M , w e conc l ude th a t th e e v id e n c e p re s e n te d to th e ju ry – w h ic h in c lu d e d n e g a tiv e p e rf o rm a n c e re v ie w s , a
w ritten e v a lu a tio n o f B a n g ’s w o rk th a t h e a p p e a rs to h a v e m o d if ied to b e m o re f

a v o ra b le to3

hi m s el f, and a n i nt ernal I B M emai l conce r ni ng bi l l i ng pr ocedur e thatB ang ac know l edged forw ar di ng t o an addr es s out s i de the com pany – w as m or e t han suff i ci ent t o s uppor ta ver di ct
a d v e r s e t o Ba n g . T o t h e e x t e n tBa n g c h a l l e n g e s th e c r e d i b i l i t yo f I BM’ s wi t n e s s e s , “ we cannotw ei gh confl i ct i ng evi dence , det erm i ne the cr edi bi l i t yof w i t nes s es , ors ubs t i tut e our j udgm entfort hatof the j ur y . ” G r onow s ki v. Spencer , 424 F. 3d at292. B ang furt hercont ends that the d is t r i ctcour terr ed i n fai l i ng t o admi tevi dence p e rta in in g to th e s e tt le m e n t o f a n u n re late d c a se f

ro m th e S o u th e rn D istric t o f Illino is in
w h i ch I B M w as al l eged t o have i nt er fer ed w i t h pens i on benef i t s . W e r evi ew evi dent i ary
rul i ngs for abus e of di s cr et i on, s ee A r l i o v. L i vel y , 474 F. 3d 46, 51 ( 2d C i r . 2007) , and det ect none her e, as B ang pre s ent ed no evi dence i ndi cat i ng thathe w as a part i ci panti n anypens i on p l a n o r c o n t r a d i c t i n g t h e t e s t i mon y o f M i c h a e l Ri c e a n d Kel i t z a Gome z t h a t t h e yhad no know l edge of hi s part i ci pat i on i n anys uch pl an, s ee Fed. R
. E vi d. 401, 402. T o t he ext ent B ang as ks us t o cons i der o ther ev iden ce hi s at t orneyfai l ed t o pr es entatt r i al , he has i dent i fi ed no “e xt r ao rdin aryci r cumst ance s ” thatw oul d w arr ants uch cons i der at i on. See Intern ati o n al B u s. M ac h s. C o rp. v. E d elst ein, 52 6 F
. 2 d 3 7 , 4 5 (2d C ir
. 1 9 7 5 ). W e h av e c o n side red B an g ’s rem ainin g arg u m en ts, an d w e co n clud e tha t th eyare wi th o u tme r i t . Ac c o r d i n g l y , t h e j u d g me n to f th e d i s t r i c tc o u r ti s AF F I RMED
. FOR TH E CO UR T: C A T H E R IN E O ’H A G A N W O L F E , C lerk o f C o u rt