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 6-26-2008 

# Gl a dysiewsk

i v . Alghn y Ene rgy S e r P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 07-2223

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and 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 ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2008 D e c i sion s b y an authori z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " Gl a dysiewski v

. Al ghn y E ne rgy S e r " (2008). 2008 D e cisio n s . P ape r 975. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008/975T he H onor abl e W i l l i am H . St aff or d, J r . , Seni orU ni t ed St at es D i s tr i ctJ udge for * th e N o rt h e rn D is tr ic t o f F lo ri d a , s ittin g b yd e s ig n a tio n . 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 C as e N o: 07- 2223 T O D D G L A D Y S IE W S K I, A ppel l ant v. AL L E GHE NY E NE RG Y S E RV I CE CO RP OR AT I ON 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 W e ste rn D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia D i s tr i ctC our tN o. 05- C V - 0992 D i s tr i ctJ udge: T he H onor abl e D avi d S. C er cone Subm i t t ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL . A . R . 34. 1( a)

M ay21, 2008 B e f o re : S M IT H a n d N Y G A A R D , C i r cui tJudges , a n d S T A F F O R D , D is tr i ct Judge * ( Fi l ed: J une 26, 2008) OP I NI ON S T A F F O R D , D is tr i ct

Judge . T odd G l ady s i ew s ki w as empl oy ed byA l l eghenyE ner gySer vi ce Corpor at i on (" A lleg h e n y ") a s a u til ityse rv ice m a n f o r o v e r e ig h tee n y e a rs. A f ter h e w a s d e m o ted inT h e D is tr ic t C o u rt e x e rc is e d ju ri s d ic tio n p u rs u a n t to 2 8 U .S .C . § 1 3 3 1 . 1 A ppel l at e j ur i s di ct i on exi s t s under28 U . S. C . § 1291. 2 l at e 2004, G l ady s i ew s ki fi l ed a c har ge of di s cr i m i nat i on w i th the Equal E m pl oym ent O ppor tuni tyC om m i s s i on ( "EE O C ") , al l egi ng thathe w as demot ed on the bas i s of hi s age ( 41) . U nabl e t o concl ude thata s t atut oryvi ol at i on occurr ed, the EE O C di s m i s s ed the c h a r g e . Gl a d y s i e ws k i th e n f i l e d a s e c o n d c h a r g e o f

d i s c r i mi n a t i o n wi th th e EE OC, al l egi ng thatA l l eghenyr et al i at ed aga i ns thi m forfi l i ng hi s pr evi ous E E O C char ge. T he E E O C d ism iss e d th e se c o n d c h a rg e a f ter G lad y sie w sk i f

iled su it i n f

e d e ra l co u rt. I n the D i s tr i ctC our t , G l ady s i ew s ki as s ert ed cl ai m s forage di s cr i m i nat i on and re ta lia tio n . T h e D is tr ic t C o u rt g ra n te d s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t to A lle g h e n yo n a ll c la im s . T hi s t i m el yappea l fol l ow ed. 1 O n a p p e a l, G lad y sie w sk i ra ise s o n lyo n e iss u e : w h e th e r th e D istric t C o u rt e rre d in grant i ng sum m aryj ud gm ent t o A l l egh enyon his ret al i at i on cl ai m s. A s t o these cl ai m s, the D i s tr i ctC our tfound that( 1) G l ady s i ew s ki fai l ed t o demonstr at e thatthe al l eged r et al i at oryact s cons t i tut ed mat er i al l yadver s e ac t i on; ( 2) A l l eghenypr offe r ed l egi t i m at e, non- di s cr i m i nat oryr eas ons foreac h of the cha l l enged a ct i ons ; and ( 3) G l ady s i ew s ki f a i l e d t o p o i n tt o e v i d e n c e f r o m w h i c h a tr i e ro f

f a c tc o u l d c o n c l u d e th a tA l l e g h e n y's re a so n s w e re p re tex tu a l. U n d e r F e d e ra l R u le o f

A p p e llate P ro c e d u re 2 8 (a )(9 ), ap p e llan ts m u st in c lu d e in thei ropeni ng br i efs ar gum enti n s uppor tof the i s s ues r ai s ed on appe al . T he ar gum ent m us tcont ai n "appel l ant ' s cont ent i ons and the r eas ons forthem, w i th ci t at i ons t o the3

authori t i es and p art s of t he record on w hich the ap pell ant r el i es. " Fe d . Ru l e . Ap p . P. 2 8 (a )(9 )(B ); see al

so S im m o n s v . C ity o

f P h ila d e lp h ia , 9 4 7 F . 2 d 1 0 4 2 , 1 0 6 5 (3d C ir . 1991) ( not i ng that"a bs entextr aor di naryci r cumst ance s , br i efs m us tcont ai n s t at ement s of a ll is s u e s p re s e n te d f

o r a p p e a l, to g e th e r w ith s u p p o rt in g a rg u m e n ts a n d c ita tio n s " ). C u rs o ry tre a tm e n t o f

a n is s u e w ill n o t s u f

f ic e . See Kos tv. Koz aki ew i cz , 1 F. 3d 176, 182 ( 3d C i r . 1993) ( not i ng thati ti s "w el l - s ett l ed . . . thatcas ual m ent i on of an i s s ue i n a br i ef is c u rso rytre a tm e n t in su f f icie n t to p re se rv e th e iss u e o n a p p e a l"); see al so U ni t ed Stat es v. Ji m i nez , 498 F. 3d 82, 88 ( 1s tC i r . 2007) ( not i ng "the w el l - s ett l ed appe l l at e rul e that i s s ues advert ed t o i n a per funct orym anner , unacc om pani ed bys om e ef for tatdevel oped a rg u m e n tatio n , are d e e m e d w a iv e d ") . A n a p p e llan t, m o re o v e r, m u st ra ise h is a rg u m e n t in th e b o d yo f

h is b ri e f a n d m a yn o t in c o rp o ra te b yre f e re n c e h is p ri o r p le a d in g s . N or thl and I ns . C o. v. St ew ar tTi t l e G uar . C o. , 327 F. 3d 448, 452 ( 6th C i r . 2003) ( expl ai ni ng that "[ t ] he i ncorpor at i on byr efe r ence of ar gum ent s m ade a tvar i ous s t ages of the pr ocee di ng in th e d is tr ic t c o u rt d o e s n o t c o m p ly w ith th e F e d e ra l R u le s o f A p p e lla te P ro c e d u re " ). G l ady s i ew s ki ' s br i ef on a ppeal i s w oeful l yl acki ng i n devel oped ar gum ent . I ndeed, h is a rg u m e n t f

ills littl e m o re th a n tw o p a g e s — o r f o u r p a ra g ra p h s — in h is a p p e lla te b ri e f. O ne par agr aph i s devot ed t o a cur s oryexami nat i on of the ca s e l aw es t abl i s hi ng the el em ents need ed to prove a p ri m a facie cas e of ret al i at i on . A no ther paragraph co ntai ns a s tr i ng ci t at i on t o cas es the purpos e of w hi ch i s unexpl ai ned. I n anotherpar agr aph, G lad y sie w sk i re f

e rs to a n e v e n t th a t h e c o n c e d e s is n o t b e f o re th is C o u rt. In th e o n ly4

par agr aph thataddr es s es the part i cul ar s of thi s cas e, he i ncorpor at es byr efe r ence document s s ubm i t t ed t o t he D i s tr i ctC our t , then i ncl udes a s ent ence ques t i oni ng the D i s tr i ctC our t ' s conce ptof adve r s e ac t i on. H e neve rm ent i ons the D i s tr i ctC our t ' s fi ndi ng th a t h e u tterlyf

a iled to e sta b lish th a t A lleg h e n y ' s a rticu late d leg iti m a te r e a so n s f o r its a c tio n s w e re p re te x tu a l. G i ven the pat enti nadequa cyof hi s appel l at e br i ef, w e fi nd thatG l ady s i ew s ki has wa i v e d h i s r i g h tt o c h a l l e n g e th e d i s tr i c tc o u r t ' s j u d g me n to n a p p e a l . Ac c o r d i n g l y , we w ill d is m is s G la d y s ie w s k i's a p p e a l.

N Y G A A R D , J ., concur r i ng. I concuri n t he j udgm entr eac hed bythe maj or i ty . I concl ude, how ever , that A ppel l anthas m et , al bei tm i ni m al l y , the r equi r ement s of F ED .R .A PP . P. 28, ( a) ( 9) , our l ocal rul es , and i nt erpr et i ng j ur i s prudence . I do notvi ew appel l ant ’ s br i ef a s s o defi ci ent as t o cons t i tut e w ai ver . H er e, des pi t e A ppel l ant ’ s s om ew hats hoddyeff or t , I under s t and e n o u g h o f

h is a rg u m e n t a n d th e re c o rd to c o n c lu d e th a t h is c la im s o n a p p e a l a re m e ri tle s s . I w oul d aff

i r m es s ent i al l yforthe r eas ons gi ven bythe M agi s tr at e J udge i n herR eportand R ec o m m en d ati o n , an d ad o p ted b ythe D istri ct C o u rtin it s Ju d g m en t O rde r.