NOT PRECEDENTIAL

UNITED STATES COURT OF APP EALS

FOR T HE THIRD CIRCUIT

___________

No. 2 1

- 1 0 9 3

__________

S O J O U R N E R R U D I S I L L

,

Appellant

v.

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS AND AEROSPACE

WORKERS; US AIRWAYS/AMERICAN AIRLINES

_________

___________________________

On Appeal from the Unite d States District Court

for the E a s t e r n District of P e n n s y l v a n i a

(D.C. Civil Action No. 2

- 18

- cv

- 05435 )

District Judge: Ho norable M i t c h e l l S

. G o l d b e r g

____________________________________

Submitted Purs uant to Third Circuit L

. A

. R

. 34.1(a)

S e p t e m b e r 2 4

, 2 0 2 1

Before: J O R D A N

, M A T E Y a n d N Y G A A R D

, Circuit Judges

(Opinion filed : September 27, 202 1 )

___________

OPINION *

___________

PER CURIAM

* This di sposition i s not an op inion of the full C ourt and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not

constitute binding prec edent.2

P r o s e a p p e l l a n t S o

j o u r n e r R u d i s i l l a p p e a l s f r o m t h e District C o u r t ’ s o r d e r s

d i s m i s s i n g h e r c o m p l a i n t a r i s i n g u n d e r t h e R a i l w a y L a b o r A c t ( “ R L A ” ) c o n c e r n i n g a n

e m p l o y m e n t a r

b i t r a t i o n d e c i s i o n

. W e w i l l a f f i r m

.

B e c a u s e t h e p a r t i e s a r e f

a m i l i a r w i t h t h e b a c k g r o u n d

, w e p r e s e n t o n l y a s u m m a r y

.

R u d i s i l l i s a f

o r m e r e m p l o y e e o f A m e r i c a n A i r l i n e s ( “ A m e r i c a n ” o r “ t h e a i r l i n e ” )

. 1 I n

2 0 1 3

, A m e r i c a n t e r m i n a t e d h e r e m p l o y m e n t

. R u d i s i l l f i l e d a g r i e v a n c e t o c h a l l e n g e h e r

t e r m i n a t i o n

, a n d

, u n d e r t h e c o l l e c t i v e b a r g a i n i n g a g r e e m e n t ( “ C B A ” ) b e t w e e n t h e a i r l i n e

a n d h e r u n i o n

, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (“IAM”)

,

h e r c a s e w e n t t o a r

b i t r a t i o n b e f

o r e t h e S y s t e m R e v i e w B o a r d ( “ B o a r d ” )

. U n d e r t h e C B A

,

t h e B o a r d c o n s i s t e d o f t h r e e m e m b e r s : o n e c h o s e n b y A m e r i c a n

, o n e c h o s e n b y I A M

,

a n d a n e u t r a l m e m b e r s e l e c t e d b y b o t h A m e r i c a n a n d I A M

. R u d i s i l l a p p e a r e d a t t h e J u l y

2 0 1 6 a r b i t r a t i o n h e a r i n g w i t h h e r o w n a t t o r n e y

, b u t h e r u n i o n r e p r e s e n t a t i v e a n d c o u n s e l

f o r t h e a i r l i n e o b

j e c t e d

. T h e u n i o n r e p r e s e n t a t i v e i n d i c a t e d t h a t outside c o u n s e l h a d n o

r i g h t t o b e t h e r e a n d t h a t the n e u t r a l b o a r d m e m b e r a g r e e d

. P r i v a t e c o u n s e l l e f t t h e

h e a r i n g

. T h e B o a r d u p h e l d R u d i s i l l ’ s t e r m i n a t i o n o n D e c e m b e r 1 6

, 2 0 1 6

.

O n D e c e m b e r 1 8

, 2 0 1 6

, R u d i s i l l f i l e d h e r c o m p l a i n t a g a i n s t A m e r i c a n a n d I A M i n

t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t a n d r a i s e d t h r e e c l a i m s : ( 1 ) d u e p r o c e s s d e p r i v a t i o n w h e n h e r

p r i v a t e l y

- r e t a i n e d a t t o r n e y w a s b a r r e d f r o m t h e h e a r i n g ; ( 2 ) b r e a c h o f t h e C B A b y f a i l i n g

t o r e n d e r a t i m e l y d e c i s i o n ; a n d ( 3 ) “ f r a u d o r c o r r u p t i o n ” u n d e r t h e R L A w h e n h e r

a t t o r n e y w a s n o t a l l o w e d t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e h e a r i n g

. A m e r i c a n a n d I A M f i l e d separate

1 Rudisill was employed by U.S. Airways , which ceased to e xi st after its merger with

Am erican Airline s

.3

m o t i o n s t o d i s m i s s u n d e r F e d e r a l R u l e o f C i v i l P r o c e d u r e 1 2 ( b ) ( 6 )

. T h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t

c o n s i d e r e d h e r c l a i m s t o s e t a s i d e o r r e m a n d t h e a r b i t r a t i o n d e c i s i o n u n d e r § 1 5 3 F i r s t ( q )

o f t h e R L A

. O n F e b r u a r y 2 1

, 2 0 2 0

, t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t g r a n t e d b o t h m o t i o n s t o d i s m i s s

,

d i s m i s s i n g R u d i s i l l ’ s d u e p r o c e s s a n d b r e a c h o f c o n t r a c t c l a i m s w i t h p r e j u d i c e

, r u l i n g

t h a t n e i t h e r w a s w i t h i n t h e l i m i t e d c a t e g o r i e s o f r e v i e w p e r m i t t e d b y t h e R L A

. A s f o r

R u d i s i l l ’ s R L A “ f

r a u d o r c o r r u p t i o n ” c l a i m

, t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t d i s m i s s e d i t d u e t o

i n s u f f i c i e n t f a c t s t o p l a u s i b l y p l e a d a h i g h d e g r e e o f i m p r o p e r c o n d u c t b y t h e B o a r d

.

H o w e v e r

, t h e d i s m i s s a l w a s w i t h o u t p r e j u d i c e t o a l l o w R u d i s i l l t o f i l e a n a m e n d e d

c o m p l a i n t

, n o t i n g t h a t s h e a l s o m a y a d d a c l a i m a g a i n s t h e r u n i o n f o r b r e a c h o f d u t y o f

f a i r r e p r e s e n t a t i o n

.

R u d i s i l l f i l e d a n a m e n d e d c o m p l a i n t

, a g a i n a l l e g i n g f r a u d o r c o r r u p t i o n a g a i n s t

I A M a n d A m e r i c a n

. S h e a l s o a d d e d a c l a i m t h a t I A M b r e a c h e d i t s d u t y o f f a i r

r e p r e s e n t a t i o n

, a l l e g i n g t h a t i t f a i l e d i n i t s i n v e s t i g a t i o n a n d h a n d l i n g o f h e r g r i e v a n c e

.

B o t h d e f e n d a n t s a g a i n f

i l e d s e p a r a t e m o t i o n s t o d i s m i s s

. O n D e c e m b e r 1 8

, 2 0 2 0

, t h e

D i s t r i c t C o u r t f

o u n d t h a t t h e a m e n d e d c o m p l a i n t s t i l l d i d n o t c o n t a i n s u f f i c i e n t

a l l e g a t i o n s t o p l e a d a “ f

r a u d o r c o r r u p t i o n ” c l a i m

, n o t i n g t h a t R u d i s i l l b a s e d h e r c l a i m o n

a c t i o n s o f I A M ’ s c o u n s e l a n d t h e a i r l i n e ’ s c o u n s e l b u t m a d e n o a l l e g a t i o n s r e g a r d i n g t h e

c o n d u c t o f t h e S y s t e m s R e v i e w B o a r d

. F u r t h e r

, t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t f o u n d t h a t R u d i s i l l ’ s

c l a i m a g a i n s t t h e u n i o n f

o r b r e a c h o f t h e d u t y o f f

a i r r e p r e s e n t a t i o n w a s t i m e

- b a r r e d

b e c a u s e t h a t c l a i m w a s f

i l e d b e y o n d t h e a p p l i c a b l e s i x

- m o n t h s t a t u t e o f l i m i t a t i o n s

.

A c c o r d i n g l y

, t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t g r a n t e d b o t h m o t i o n s t o d i s m i s s a n d d i r e c t e d t h e C l e r k o f

C o u r t t o c l o s e t h e c a s e

.4

T h i s a p p e a l f

o l l o w e d

, a n d w e h a v e a p p e l l a t e j u r i s d i c t i o n u n d e r 2 8 U

. S

. C

. § 1 2 9 1

.

W e r e v i e w d e n o v o t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t ’ s o r d e r d i s m i s s i n g R u d i s i l l ’ s c o m p l a i n t

. S e e

N e w a r k C a b A s s ’ n v

. C i t y o f N e w a r k

, 9 0 1 F

. 3 d 1 4 6

, 1 5 1 ( 3 d C i r

. 2 0 1 8 )

.

O n a p p e a l

, R u d i s i l l c h a l l e n g e s o n l y t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t ’s F e b r u a r y 2 1

, 2 0 2 0

d i s m i s s a l o f h e r c l a i m t h a t s h e w a s d e p r i v e d o f d u e p r o c e s s w h e n h e r a t t o r n e y w a s b a r r e d

f r o m t h e a r

b i t r a t i o n h e a r i n g

. A s t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t e x p l a i n e d

, judicial review of an

arbitr ati on board’s award u n d e r t h e R L A is limited to the thre e narrow c i r c u m s t a n c e s :

(1) the arbitrators failed to comply with the RLA; (2) the arbitration boa rd acted ou tside

of its jurisdiction; or (3) a member of the arbitration boa rd en gaged in fraud or

cor r uption. S e e United Steelw orkers of Am

. Loc

. 1913 v. Union R

. R

. , 648 F.2d 905

, 9 1 0

(3d Cir. 1981) (citing Union Pacific R.R. v. Sheehan , 439 U.S. 89, 9 3 (1978) (per

curiam)). D u e p r o c e s s c l a i m s d o n o t f a l l w i t h i n t h o s e n a r r o w c a t e g o r i e s f o r r e v i e w

. See

id. at 911. T h u s

, t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t d i d n o t e r r i n d i s m i s s i n g R u d i s i l l ’ s d u e p r o c e s s c l a i m

.

R u d i s i l l a r g u e s t h a t w e s h o u l d o v e r t u r n o u r p r e c e d e n t b e c a u s e i t w a s w r o n g l y d e c i d e d

,

n o t i n g t h a t o t h e r c o u r t s o f a p p e a l s h a v e r e a c h e d a c o n t r a r y r e s u l t

. H o w e v e r

, w e d e c l i n e

t o d o s o ; our prior precedent is binding. See 3d Cir. I

. O

. P

. 9.1.

A c c o r d i n g l y

, w e w i l l a f

f i r m t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t ’ s j u d g m e n t

.