Opinion ID: 2534384
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The federal court's dismissal

Text: We now turn to Judge Holland's dismissal order to determine what claims remained after he dismissed DeNardo's federal case. At least in theory, the federal dismissal order could have res judicata effect. But the federal dismissal order declined to rule on the merits of DeNardo's non-federal claims. The federal court's November 2001 order dismissing Case No. A00-309-CV recognized that [h]aving dismissed plaintiff's Title VII claims, the only claims remaining are plaintiff's pendent state law claims for infliction of emotional distress. The federal court stated that original jurisdiction does not exist for plaintiff's Title VII claim. Accordingly, the court declines to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over plaintiff's state law claim for the infliction of emotional distress. It concluded that the dismissal is without prejudice to pursuit of any state law claims plaintiff may have in state court. Because, as we concluded above, Case No. A00-309-CV included claims of both negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress and discrimination, and all of these claims were independently based on state law, the dismissal of DeNardo's Title VII claim did not affect these claims. The parties compare and contrast claims under Title VII and AS 18.80. Because the federal court dismissed DeNardo's Title VII claim on jurisdictional grounds based on Calista's exemption from Title VII claims, dismissal of his Title VII claim does not preclude his AS 18.80 claim. [30] DeNardo's complaint in the present lawsuit explicitly refers to the state anti-discrimination statute, AS 18.80. It also seeks damages for emotional anxiety and distress and for the outrageous and bad faith conduct by defendants done with a reckless disregard and deliberate indifference to [DeNardo's] civil rights. Once again, because of our greater leniency toward pleadings of pro se litigants, [31] and because all of the claims are based on the same facts, we conclude that DeNardo's complaint in the present case alleges both discrimination and negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress. As described above, neither the stipulation nor the federal court dismissal precluded these claims. We therefore conclude that it was error to hold that res judicata prevented DeNardo from pursuing the current action. [32]