Court Opinion

ID: 9949975
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-12 22:01:06.326281+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:34:47.789236
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
                              FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 OLUWAFEMI M. OMOTOYE,

                        Plaintiff,

                        v.                           Case No. 22-cv-3862 (CRC)

 GLOBAL TECHNICAL TALENT, INC., et
 al.,

                        Defendants.

                             MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

       Plaintiff Oluwafemi Omotoye filed this pro se action against his former employer Global

Technical Talent, Inc. (“GTT”), a staffing agency that places contractors with companies, as well

as four GTT employees. Across his various filings, Omotoye raises an array of federal and local

causes of action stemming from his contract work with TD Bank and his termination from GTT

in April 2022. Defendants have moved to dismiss the case in its entirety under Federal Rule of

Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). The Court will grant the motion in the main, save for one exception

related to alleged unpaid wages.

 I.    Background

       Omotoye, a resident of Washington, D.C., filed this action in December 2022 against

GTT, a staffing agency, and four of its employees. The original complaint contains three causes

of action: (1) discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, and national origin in violation of

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq.; (2) unlawful

retaliation for engaging in protected activity under Title VII; and (3) wage discrimination under

the Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. § 206(d).
       The allegations supporting each claim are slim. Omotoye maintains that, in September

2021, he “began working with [GTT] and was placed to work at TD Bank as a contractor for the

position of Anti-Money Laundering Specialist II.” Compl. at 4.1 During that assignment,

Omotoye contends he “was a top performer” but, because he is Black and Botswanan, he “was

treated badly compared to . . . white and Latino employees.” Id. Beyond this claimed

discriminatory treatment, Omotoye alleges that he suffered “sexual harassment” by a TD Bank

supervisor who “was inappropriate” and “overly sexual.” Id. For example, Omotoye claims that

the supervisor “sent a picture of her bedroom to the team with sexual undertones.” Id. “The

harassment[] made [him] very uncomfortable,” he asserts, given his status as “the only black

male on the team.” Id. at 5. Omotoye further maintains that he was assigned “tasks that were

not described in [his] position description,” including training new hires. Id. He eventually

complained “to GTT that [his] pay and training [were] unfair” and was purportedly terminated

soon after “with no reason given.” Id. at 4–5. The original complaint concluded with a demand

for damages totaling $100,000. Id. at 4.

       In May 2023, Defendants moved to dismiss the entire complaint under Federal Rule of

Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failing to state claims upon which relief can be granted. Two days

later, the Court issued an Order advising Omotoye of his obligation under the Federal Rules of

Civil Procedure and the Court’s Local Civil Rules to file an opposition to Defendants’ motion by

June 5, 2023. Rather than submitting his opposition, however, Omotoye filed an amended

complaint against GTT and TD Bank. See Am. Compl. at 2. Instead of alleging facts, Omotoye

listed the following items in the “Statement of Claim” section of the preprinted form complaint:

“(i) lack of reason for termination; (ii) termination for poor performance without any poor

       1
           Pincites refer to the ECF numbers.

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performance reports; (iii) discipline for filing a complaint; (iv) breach of contract; (v) managers

failing to follow company policy; and (vi) docking pay.” Id. at 4 (cleaned up). Again, Omotoye

requested $100,000 in compensatory damages. Id.

       Defendants once again moved to dismiss the amended complaint under Rule 12(b)(6),

arguing that these conclusory allegations “do not even feign toward a plausible claim.” Mot.

Dismiss at 1. This time, Omotoye filed an opposition in which he clarified that his amended

complaint did not supplant his original one. He instead asserted that he “never abandoned [his]

conviction that the Defendants violated the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Federal

Equal Pay Act” and that his “six arguments were derivatives and specifics of how it was done.”

Opp’n at 1. The opposition also further developed some of the allegations in the amended

complaint—namely, that GTT unlawfully withheld some of his pay. Am. Compl. at 4.

Specifically, Omotoye alleges that he “was never paid sick leave,” purportedly in violation of

D.C. Code § 32–531.02, and that his “last work week wages are still outstanding.” Opp’n at 4.

 II.   Legal Standards

       A motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim “tests the legal sufficiency of a claim.”

Sickle v. Torres Advanced Enter. Sols., LLC, 884 F.3d 338, 344 (D.C. Cir. 2018). To survive a

motion to dismiss, the “complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to

‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009)

(quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). In considering such a motion,

the Court must construe the complaint “liberally in the plaintiff’s favor with the benefit of all

reasonable inferences derived from the facts alleged.” Stewart v. Nat’l Educ. Ass’n, 471 F.3d

169, 173 (D.C. Cir. 2006). “Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported

by mere conclusory statements,” are insufficient. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (citing Twombly, 550

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U.S. at 555). The Court also need not accept a plaintiff’s legal conclusions as true, see id., nor

presume the veracity of legal conclusions that are couched as factual allegations, see Twombly,

550 U.S. at 555.

       Pro se complaints are held to “less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by

lawyers,” so long as they contain “factual matter” that allows the Court to “infer more than the

mere possibility of misconduct.” Atherton v. D.C. Off. of Mayor, 567 F.3d 672, 681–82 (D.C.

Cir. 2009) (citation omitted). Although the Court is not required to “fish” for plausible claims, it

may “consider supplemental material filed by a pro se litigant in order to clarify the precise

claims being urged.” Greenhill v. Spellings, 482 F.3d 569, 572–73 (D.C. Cir. 2007). The Court

also must consider a pro se litigant’s “filings as a whole before dismissing a complaint,”

including any opposition to a motion to dismiss. Schnitzler v. United States, 761 F.3d 33, 38

(D.C. Cir. 2014). Accordingly, the Court will consider Omotoye’s original complaint, his

amended complaint, and his opposition to the motion to dismiss in assessing the viability of his

claims.2

 III. Analysis

       A. Claims Against Individual Defendants

       To begin, the Court must dismiss the Title VII and Equal Pay Act claims against the four

individual Defendants. Title VII permits suits against covered “employers,” a statutory term that

excludes supervisors and other employees in their individual capacity. Thomas v. Wash. Metro.

Area Transit Auth., 305 F. Supp. 3d 77, 86–87 (D.D.C. 2018) (citing Gary v. Long, 59 F.3d

       2
         This Memorandum Opinion does not address Omotoye’s claims against TD Bank,
which was never served with the amended complaint in this action. The Court will resolve the
claims against TD Bank in a separate civil action. See Omotoye v. TD Bank, No. 22-cv-3861
(CRC) (D.D.C. filed Dec. 28, 2022).

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1391, 1399 (D.C. Cir. 1995). The same goes for the Equal Pay Act. “Courts in this Circuit and

elsewhere have recognized that the Equal Pay Act ‘overlaps’ with Title VII, and the two statutes

should be ‘construed harmoniously with the result that the principles developed under each be

applied interchangeably’ with the other.” Frett v. Howard Univ., 24 F. Supp. 3d 76, 85 (D.D.C.

2014) (quoting Hardy v. Bowen, No. 85-cv-2119, 1986 WL 15710, at *8 (D.D.C. Nov. 19,

1986)) (brackets omitted). This general principle extends to the Equal Pay Act’s definition of

“employer” and precludes plaintiffs from suing supervisors or other employees for alleged

violations. See id. Both statutory claims can therefore proceed only, if at all, against GTT.

       B. Title VII

       The Title VII claims cannot proceed against GTT, however, because also excluded from

Title VII’s statutory definition of “employer” are “Indian tribe[s],” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e(b), and

“corporations, partnerships, joint ventures, trusts, or affiliates in which the Native Corporation

owns not less than 25 per centum of the equity,” 43 U.S.C. § 1626(g). GTT falls within the

second carveout and thus is not subject to Title VII. During the relevant time periods, the

Chenega Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation formed under the Alaska Native Claims

Settlement Act, 43 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq., owned between 70% and 82.5% of GTT. See Mot.

Dismiss at 4; Defs.’ Response to Court’s Order, Exs. 1–3.3 These ownership shares are well

       3
          Following the established practice within this jurisdiction and beyond, the Court takes
judicial notice of the ANCSA Certificate of Eligibility and GTT’s operating agreements—the
veracity of which Omotoye does not contest—at the motion-to-dismiss stage. See, e.g., Daniels
v. Chugach Gov’t Servs., Inc., 149 F. Supp. 3d 183, 190 (D.D.C. 2016) (relying on the Alaska
Native Corporation’s “Biennial Reports” to dismiss Title VII claims); Herndon v. Alutiiq Educ.
& Training, LLC, No. 2:16CV72, 2016 WL 9450429, at *3 (E.D. Va. May 6, 2016) (“To support
its argument that it is exempt from Title VII's definition of ‘employer,’ Defendant submitted
corporate ownership documents, as well as the Articles of Incorporation of Afognak Native
Corporation. Although this information was not included in Plaintiff’s Complaint or
incorporated therein by reference, the Court may nevertheless consider these documents in
deciding Defendant's Motion to Dismiss.” (footnote omitted)).

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above the 25% threshold necessary to establish the exemption from Title VII. Omotoye’s sole

objection is that “none of the decision makers appear[ed] to be Native American.” Opp’n at 2.

Putting aside the rank speculation, the claim that certain employees are not Native American is

legally irrelevant; what matters is that GTT is a subsidiary of an Alaska Native corporation. The

Court accordingly will dismiss all Title VII claims against GTT with prejudice. See, e.g.,

Daniels, 149 F. Supp. 3d at 190 (dismissing Title VII claims against Alaska Native corporation

because the company was “exempt from the definition of employer under Title VII”)

       C. Equal Pay Act

       Turning to the Equal Pay Act, Omotoye fails to state a claim because he does not

plausibly allege that he received lower pay because of his sex.

       The Equal Pay Act was passed “to remedy the ‘ancient but outmoded belief’ that a man

should be paid more than a woman for performing the same duties.” Cornish v. District of

Columbia, 67 F. Supp. 3d 345, 360 (D.D.C. 2014) (citation omitted). To achieve this aim, the

Equal Pay Act makes it unlawful to “discriminate . . . between employees on the basis of sex by

paying wages to employees in such establishment at a rate less than the rate at which he pays

wages to employees of the opposite sex . . . for equal work on jobs the performance of which

requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working

conditions.” 29 U.S.C. § 206(d)(1). As this statutory mandate makes clear, the Act’s scope is

limited: “[T]he Act applies only to pay disparities stemming from sex discrimination. Pay

disparities due to other reasons, by contrast, are not actionable.” Kangethe v. District of

Columbia, 953 F. Supp. 2d 194, 202–03 (D.D.C. 2013). Thus, to establish a violation, a plaintiff

must allege he received unequal pay compared to an employee of another sex while performing a

job with substantially “equal skill, effort, and responsibility.” Johnson v. Wash. Metro. Area

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Transit Auth., No. 19-cv-3534 (CRC), 2022 WL 4547527, at *3 (D.D.C. Sept. 29, 2022)

(quoting Goodrich v. Int’l Bhd. of Elec. Workers, 815 F.2d 1519, 1522 (D.C. Cir. 1987)).

        Omotoye has not alleged an Equal Pay Act violation here. He never claims he was paid

less than employees of the opposite sex for equal work. Omotoye instead maintains that he was

required to perform tasks, such as training new hires, that fell outside his job description and for

which he was not properly compensated. See Compl. at 5. Omotoye may believe that his

“pay . . . was unfair,” id., but he fails to allege that any disparity in pay was the result of sex

discrimination. The Court therefore will dismiss his Equal Pay Act claim.

        D. Breach of Contract: Wrongful Discharge

        Whereas Omotoye’s original complaint contained only the two federal statutory claims

discussed above, his amended complaint added several D.C. law claims into the mix. These

additional claims include GTT’s alleged breach of contract for his purported termination in April

2022, eight months before the end of his assignment. See Am. Compl. at 4; Opp’n at 3. In order

to assert a breach-of-contract claim for wrongful discharge, however, Omotoye must show that

the standard presumption of at-will employment does not apply. Based on the current pleadings,

he has not carried his burden on this score.

        In the District of Columbia, “[t]here is a presumption that a hiring not accompanied by an

expression of a specific term of duration creates an employment relationship terminable at will

by either party at any time.” Perkins v. Dist. Gov’t Emps. Fed. Credit Union, 653 A.2d 842, 842

(D.C. 1995) (citation omitted). “In a relationship governed by the at-will doctrine, an employee

can be fired for any reason or no reason.” LeFande v. District of Columbia, 864 F. Supp. 2d 44,

48 (D.D.C. 2012). “Termination of employment, then, does not breach an at-will employment

contract, because by its very terms the agreement contemplates that either party may end the

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employment relationship, with or without cause.” Daisley v. Riggs Bank, 372 F. Supp. 2d 61, 67

(D.D.C. 2005).

       “The presumption of at-will employment is rebutted only where the parties clearly state

an intention to place limits on the employer’s right to terminate.” Turner v. Fed. Express Corp.,

539 F. Supp. 2d 404, 410 (D.D.C. 2008). “There are generally two ways a party can rebut the

presumption of at-will employment in order to bring a wrongful discharge claim under a breach

of contract theory.” LeFande, 864 F. Supp. 2d at 48. “First, parties can provide evidence that

they intended to contract for a fixed period of employment.” Id. “Alternatively, they can

provide evidence that the agreed-upon employment can only be terminated upon specific

preconditions.” Id.

       Omotoye attempts to meet his burden via the first route: showing that he and GTT

contracted for a fixed period of employment.4 He alleges that Brian Lewis, a Senior Contractor

Care Specialist at GTT, messaged him on January 25, 2022 stating he had “received word that

[Omotoye’s] assignment ha[d] been extended to 12/31/2022.” Am. Compl., Ex. C. Per Lewis’s

request, Omotoye purportedly “acknowledged and confirmed” receipt of the message that same

day. Opp’n at 3. That exchange, in Omotoye’s view, created a fixed period of employment that

rebuts the ordinary presumption of at-will employment. See id. He further contends that GTT

breached that “guarantee of extended employment” by terminating him in April, “result[ing] in a

personal loss of income estimated at . . . $25,000” for the eight months he did not work. Id.

       4
          Omotoye also argues that his “employers never verbally stated that [he] was an at will
employee and that [he] could be fired for no reason at all.” Opp’n at 5. But, as noted above, an
employer need not say anything to that effect because the baseline presumption is that, absent a
contrary intent, employment in the District of Columbia is at-will.

                                                8
       The Court disagrees. Taken together, Omotoye fails to put forth sufficient facts showing

that an employment contract, rather than an at-will arrangement, existed between him and GTT.

The message from GTT’s Senior Contractor Care Specialist did not purport to create a fixed term

of employment with GTT. Rather, on the Court’s reading, Lewis’s message sought to inform

Omotoye that his current assignment with TD Bank was being extended until the end of the year.

The apt analogy is a lawyer who is told he is assigned to a client matter that is set to run through

the next several months. In no case does the specified length of the assignment with the client

create a fixed term of employment with the lawyer’s firm. This understanding is reinforced by

the nature of the message. Lewis is not purporting to extend an employment offer that Omotoye

could then accept; instead, he appears to have been informing Omotoye that his current

assignment has been extended and asking Omotoye to confirm receipt. Based on the current

pleadings, then, the Court does not identify an objective intent on the part of GTT to be bound by

any fixed term of employment. See Georgetown Ent. Corp. v. District of Columbia, 496 A.2d

587, 590 (D.C. 1985) (holding, to be enforceable, a contract must reflect “(1) agreement as to all

material terms; and (2) intention of the parties to be bound.”). Absent a specific term of

duration, Omotoye’s breach of contract claim falters out of the gate.

       The Court will therefore grant the motion to dismiss this claim but provide Omotoye an

opportunity to cure this issue in an amended complaint. To successfully do so, Omotoye must

provide additional context on the web of contracts at issue—most important of which being his

original contract with GTT—and demonstrate that, viewed in context, Lewis’s January 25, 2022

message is best understood as creating a fixed term of employment with GTT. Otherwise, this

claim cannot proceed.

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       E. Pay Docking

       Omotoye’s final claim, initially alleged in his amended complaint and developed in his

opposition, is that GTT unlawfully “dock[ed his] pay.” Am. Compl. at 4. More specifically,

Omotoye contends that GTT owes him additional sums for two reasons. First, he asserts that he

did not receive any paid leave during his eight-month tenure at GTT in violation of the District

of Columbia’s “Employee Sick Leave” law, D.C. Code § 32–531.02, which mandates that an

“employer with 100 or more employees shall provide for each employee not less than one hour

of paid leave for every 37 hours worked, not to exceed 7 days per calendar year.” See Opp’n at 4

(quoting D.C. Code § 32–531.02). Second, he claims that his “last work week wages are still

outstanding” and that GTT never responded to his email requesting payment. See id.; Am.

Compl., Ex. D (emails from May 2022 regarding last paycheck).

       Omotoye’s first contention fails to state a claim because he does not allege that he ever

took leave while at GTT. Section 32–531.02 does not require employers “to provide the cash

equivalent of unused paid sick leave to employees who resign or are terminated.” Paid Sick

Leave in DC Fact Sheet #knowthelaw, D.C. Dep’t of Emp. Servs., https://perma.cc/9NP3-7694

(last visited Feb. 16, 2024). Thus, to show he is entitled to payment, Omotoye must allege that

he was not compensated for leave that he actually took for one of the reasons specified in § 32–

531.02(b) during his tenure at GTT. He has not done so, but the Court will afford him an

opportunity to fill in the gaps in an amended complaint.

       Omotoye’s second assertion does plausibly state a claim, however. While thin on details,

Omotoye alleges that GTT did not pay him wages for the final week that he worked before he

was terminated in April 2022. If true, it is more than plausible that GTT breached a contractual

obligation to pay Omotoye for services rendered (although Omotoye provides no details about

                                                10
his contract with GTT in his current filings). The Court therefore will deny GTT’s motion to

dismiss this count.

 IV. Conclusion

       For these reasons, it is hereby

       ORDERED that [Dkt. Nos. 7 and 11] Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss are GRANTED in

part and DENIED in part; it is further

       ORDERED that Omotoye shall file any amended complaint addressing the identified

deficiencies with his Equal Pay Act, wrongful-discharge, and sick-leave claims within 30 days of

this Order. Otherwise, the claims will be dismissed with prejudice. Any amended complaint

shall not discuss the Title VII claims, which the Court has dismissed with prejudice.

       SO ORDERED.

                                                            CHRISTOPHER R. COOPER
                                                            United States District Judge

Date: March 12, 2024

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