(B) Statement of Points and Authorities in Diersen v. Walker (GAO) |
Case 16: (B) Statement of Points and Authorites in Diersen v. Walker (GAO) IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA David J. Diersen, Plaintiff, v. David M. Walker, Statement Of Points And Authorities In Support Of Plaintiffs
Motion COMES NOW, the Plaintiff, David J. Diersen (Diersen), for himself and all others similarly situated, and submits the following statement of points and authorities in support of his motion to alter or amend the judgment pursuant to F.R.Civ.P. 59(e). A motion under F.R.Civ.P. 59(e) may be filed within 10 business days of entry of an Order of final disposition. Entry of the final Order in this action was on September 3, 1999, and therefore, Diersens motion to alter or amend judgment is timely filed. ARGUMENT 1. Defendant, United States General Accounting Office (GAO), in support of its allegation that all Diersens claims before this Court should be dismissed, made statements in its October 20, 1998 and December 24, 1998 filings to persuade this Court that the District of Colombia (DC) was not the proper venue, that Diersen had not met the requirements of Local Rule 203, and that Diersens amended complaints did not comply with F.R.Civ.P. 8(A). Those statements were factually false, wrong and misleading. 2. This Court erred in relying on those false and incorrect statements, apparently following the by now quite obviously inapplicable presumption that GAO and its Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys do not plead or testify falsely to the Court. To the contrary, as proven by their direct quotes following, statements made by GAO and its attorneys statements are false. It follows as night follows day, that GAO officials violated their duty to this Court to be truthful as to factual issues for which they have unique access, especially concerning GAO regulations and policies, and that GAOs attorneys violated their duty to this Court under the standards set out by the United States Supreme Court in Black v. Romano, 471 U.S. 606, 621-22 & n. 18 (1985). 3. It also follows that GAOs allegations regarding the facts supporting lack of venue are unproven and mere unsupported and false arguments unless this Court holds a hearing on the factual statements that Diersen disputes and determines that they are true. Without such a hearing, the rules governing due process of law under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and indeed our whole system of Federal Law, means nothing. 4. For this most important reason, which Diersen submits beings into question the very integrity of the federal government and the integrity of its officers, which most assuredly can not be presumed to be always truthful, and the effects of misapplication of that presumption which go far beyond the boundaries of this case, Diersens motion to alter or amend the judgment and his motion for leave to file third amended complaint must be granted. In addition, Diersens claims must remain before this Court or he will be constructively barred from having legal representation concerning those claims thereby denying him his constitutional right of due process of law. 5. This Courts judgment to dismiss Diersens claims was quite simply based on false and erroneous factual allegations and misleading statements made by GAO and its attorneys. This Court erred in basing its judgment on such allegations and statements without holding a hearing to resolve the important material factual conflicts involved in this case, especially those which involve venue and Diersens class action claims. There is simply no reasonable basis for this Courts complete reliance on the assumption that GAO and its attorneys always tell the truth. In fact, as demonstrated below, in this instance they did not. Therefore, it is respectfully submitted that this Court should alter or amend its judgment as Diersen has requested. In addition, this Court should set a hearing to determine the disputed facts relating to venue and Diersens class action claims based on the simplified statement of facts contained in the new "third amended complaint." Judgment Concerning Venue Was Based On GAO Allegations That Are False: 6. As set forth below, this Courts judgment concerning venue was based on GAO statements and allegations which were accepted as being the gospel truth. However, those statements and allegations are in fact demonstrably false and misleading. The correct facts are that GAOs principal office is in DC and all of the unlawful employment policies and practices Diersen complains of were established and implemented in that office. Diersen pled those facts in his original complaint, in all subsequent pleadings, and in his proposed amended complaints. Additional correct facts include that at all relevant times, Diersens official personnel file was maintained and administered in DC and never in Chicago and that the bulk of the witnesses to the claims of both Diersen and the class he seeks to represent are located in DC. Diersen pled those facts in his first amended complaint and in all subsequent pleadings. In Diersens third amended complaint, filed contemporaneously herewith, he shortened and clarified his individual claims. There can be no doubt that venue is properly in DC and it is plain error for this Honorable Court to hold otherwise. 7. Judgment Concerning Venue and The Nature Of Diersens Claims Was Based On GAO Statements That Are Wrong: GAO stated at page 9 of its October 20, 1998 memorandum in support of its motion to dismiss that "Plaintiffs allegations pertaining to employment discrimination all arose in Chicago, Illinois." Based on that incorrect statement, this Court made the following factually incorrect statement at page 3 of its September 3, 1999 Memorandum in support of its Order: The unlawful employment practice is not alleged to have been committed in the 8. GAOs statement is simply untrue. Diersen alleged that the root cause of the actions taken against him all arose in DC because of employment policies and practices there. This Court erred in relying on GAOs false statement and compounded the error by then stating incorrectly that Diersen made no allegations of employment discrimination in DC. Compare, Diersens statements in his original complaint: QUOTES FROM ORIGINAL COMPLAINT: Venue is in Washington, D.C. because the main office of the Defendant Federal Agency sued in this case is located in Washington D.C. and all of the policy determinations that violate Federal law and underlie this lawsuit affecting the individual claims of the Plaintiff and the class he seeks to represent were established there. (Page 2) This is a suit by a former Federal Employee who was constructively discharged after an eighteen year period of employment with GAO during which he experienced at every turn a constant and continuing pattern of discrimination in favor of a favored class of younger persons who were typically targeted for promotion and retention over older better qualified persons. That policy and practice was made effective across the board at GAO in accordance with an illegal policy of promotion based upon age, race, and as to younger persons, gender. That policy and practice is in violation of Federal Regulations applicable at all relevant times which require GAO to provide equal treatment for the Plaintiff and the class of similarly situated persons, and not to grant preferences in hiring and promotion based upon age, or race or gender. (Page 3) In actual practice at GAO in all offices and at all levels of employment a quota system, mislabeled a voluntary affirmative action program requires management adherence to fulfilling of yearly quotas and mandatory preferential treatment of young persons, minorities, and women in furtherance of those quotas. As a result, employment advancements consistently favor those groups at the expense of older employees. (Page 3) Also compare, Diersens statement of his second amended complaint:
GAOs principal office is in DC and GAOs personnel policies are established in and directed from its principal office. (Page 14) 9. Diersen also stated with particularity that all of the personnel actions taken against him personally, and those taken against the class were the direct result of the implementation of the GAOs nation-wide policies to disfavor older employees. He alleged that all of the individual acts taken against him were the result of the policies and practices created, implemented, and enforced not in Chicago, but rather, in DC. 10. Compare Diersens complaint allegations which allege that the discriminatory employment actions GAO took against him were driven by GAOs agency-wide policy of giving preferential treatment to its younger employees and especially to those who are minority and/or female as follows: THE FOLLOWING QUOTES ARE FROM THE SECOND AMENDED COMPLAINT, HOWEVER, THE THEORY OF THE CASE IS EVIDENT IN THE ORIGINAL COMPLAINT AND EACH SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENT: [THE CLASS PATTERN AND PRACTICE]:
[THE PATTERN AND PRACTICE WHICH HARMED DIERSEN]:
GAO managers ignored and denigrated Diersen's advanced professional achievements even though GAO officially encouraged such achievements. (Page 26)
THE REPRISALS AROSE IN DC ALSO: 11. Evidence of the causal link between his protected activities and GAOs retaliatory actions include five reports issued by three disinterested third parties that document that on five occasions between July 2, 1998 and July 14, 1999, GAO willfully and repeatedly failed to follow its own national policy procedures and failed to keep promises it had made to Diersen when, after his constructive discharge, GAO failed to respond to inquiries about Diersens GAO employment, when it failed to respond to such inquiries in a timely manner, when it refused to acknowledge that Diersen was eligible to be rehired by GAO, and when it did not respond to inquiries about his GAO employment in a way that is consistent with its letter of recommendation. 12. The following cases on this point show that GAOs factually wrong statements furnish an insufficient basis for this Courts determination of improper venue. Thus, but for the falsities accepted by the Court as true, the transfer of venue request should have been denied. 13. In Hayes v. RCA Service Co, 546 F Supp 661 (1982, DC Dist Col), this Court found that it is proper to look to the place where the decisions were made (Here The District of Columbia) when determining venue for Title VII actions. According to the Court in Hoffman v. United Telecommunications, Inc., 575 F Supp 1463 (DC Kan 1983), venue is proper in the judicial district where the defendant has its principal office if the unlawful employment practices are claimed to have been established and implemented in that office rather than in the office in which the plaintiff was employed. This is exactly what Diersen claims and has pled. 14. The Courts decision in Stebbins v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, 413 F.2d 1100 (D.C. Cir.), cert. denied 396 U.S. 895 (1969), does not support GAOs motion for change of venue (as GAO argued) because Stebbins did not claim that any unlawful employment practices were established by or implemented by officials in the defendants principal office and he did not claim that any discriminatory personnel decisions that affected him were made there. See Haynes and Hoffman, supra. 15. In Turberville v. Casey, 525 F. Supp. 1070 (D.D.C. 1981), relied upon by GAO, the Court found that proper venue was where the employers principal office was located. The Court rejected Turbervilles allegation that another judicial district had proper venue because the head of her employing agency maintained an office there. 16. In summary, all Diersens Title VII claims have proper venue in this Court and this Courts judgment concerning the nature of Diersens claims, and therefore, which Court has proper venue, is wrong because it is based on a GAO statement that is factually wrong. A correct decision by this Court regarding venue requires a finding that this Court has proper venue for Diersens Title VII claims because all the unlawful employment policies and practices Diersen complains of were established and implemented in GAOs principal office in DC. Each and every GAO employee is well aware of that fact, and any allegation to the contrary is simply an attempt to mislead this Court with falsities. 17. Moreover, GAO acknowledged at page 10 of its October 20, 1998 memorandum in support of its motion to dismiss that this Court may have proper venue for Diersens ADEA claims. Therefore, all Diersens claims, including his inextricably connected age class action and individual ADEA and reverse discrimination Title VII claims, have proper venue in this Court. All of his claims, and all of the actions against him arose from the same root cause, GAOs quota system favoring certain employees based upon age, gender and to a much lessor extent, race at the expense of older employees like Diersen. 18. Judgment Concerning The Maintenance And Administration Of GAOs Official Personnel Files Was Based On A GAO Statement That Is Misleading If Not Factually Wrong: GAO stated at page 9 of its October 20, 1998 memorandum in support of its motion to dismiss that "Plaintiffs employment records are maintained and administered in St. Louis, Missouri." Based on that statement, this Court made the following statement at page 3 of its September 3, 1999 Memorandum in support of its Order: "The employment records of plaintiff are neither maintained nor administered in the District of Columbia." [emphasis added to both]. 19. The foregoing statement is true NOW, but was untrue for the entire time frame of this case. Compare: Page 2 of Diersens second amended complaint: "The official personnel files for Diersen and for each member of the class he seeks to represent were at all relevant times maintained and administered in DC." 20. In addition, St. Louis, Missouri, where closed files are stored, is not the venue where GAO has requested this Court to transfer Diersens individual claims and to which the Court ordered the transfer of venue. 21. Therefore, this Courts judgment concerning the maintenance and administration of GAOs official personnel files for Diersen and the members of the class he seeks to represent is simply factually wrong and baseless. 22. Judgment Concerning Judicial Economy And Convenience Of The Parties And Witnesses And The Interest Of Justice Was Based On GAO Statements Are Factually Wrong: GAO stated at page 10 of its October 20, 1998 memorandum in support of its motion to dismiss that "Plaintiffs Title VII claims must be brought or transferred to the Northern District of Illinois and plaintiffs age discrimination claims arise from the same operative facts" and "Most potential witnesses likely live and work in or near Chicago" and "While, pursuant to (28 U.S.C. § 1391(e)), the District of Columbia may be a proper venue under ADEA, considerations of judicial economy, convenience of the parties and witnesses, and the interests of justice demonstrate that venue, in fact, is more appropriate in the District Court in Illinois." 23. Based on those most presumptive statements, which require the Court to accept GAOs assertion of where Diersens witnesses will come from and reside, this Court made the following statement at page 3 of its September 3, 1999 Memorandum in support of it Order: "Considerations of judicial economy and convenience of the parties and witnesses and the interest of justice require that the ADEA claim be transferred along with the Title VII claim." 24. GAOs statements on this issue, relied upon by the Court without hearing or the opportunity to challenge as basic fact, are misleading and wrong. This Court acknowledged at page 3 of its September 3, 1999 Memorandum, that proper venue for Diersens Title VII class action claims is being "challenged as a matter of fact" and that it involves a "factual dispute." Further, as Diersen stated at page 2 of his second amended complaint: "the largest single concentration of members of the class Diersen seeks to represent lives and works in or around the DC" and "the bulk of the witnesses to the claims of both Diersen and the class he seeks to represent are located there." 25. Therefore, this Courts judgment concerning the convenience of witnesses was based on GAO statements that are factually wrong when Diersens pleadings are taken as true as is the proper standard at this stage of the case. Further, if all Diersens claims are transferred to the Court in Chicago and that Court reinstates his class action claims, in all likelihood, all Diersens claims would be transferred back to this Court, and judicial economy will not have been served by the hiatus in the interim. Of course, that is exactly what GAO wants in this case where the basic facts of its discrimination are so blatant, well known, publicized, and provable. In other words, GAOs only defense is to attempt to influence this Honorable Court to deny access to justice by delay and transfer. This is not the judicial system that is supposed to be in effect in America. 26. Venue must remain with this Court in the interests of justice, because if this Court grants the alternative relief that GAO seeks and transfers Diersens claims to Chicago, he will also be constructively barred from having adequate legal representation. Diersens counsel resides in Annapolis, Maryland and has represented Diersen and many other GAO employees in matters involving age discrimination, reverse discrimination, and retaliation at GAO since the late 1980s. He is very familiar with GAOs policies and procedures and he is more familiar with Diersens claims than any other counsel. However, while counsel for both parties maintain offices in DC, Diersens counsel does not have an office in Chicago. In addition, Diersen has no counsel in Chicago, let alone counsel who is familiar with GAO and his claims. If Diersens counsel were to attempt to continue to represent Diersen in Chicago, the adequacy of representation that Diersen could receive would be severely impaired. Therefore, in the interest of justice, venue should remain with this Court.
Judgment Concerning Diersens Provided Local Rule 203 Information Was Based On A GAO Statement That Is Factually Wrong 27. GAO stated at page 8 of its October 20, 1998 memorandum in support of its motion to dismiss that "Plaintiffs Complaint does not state any of the information required by Local Rule 203." Diersen had the right to amend his pleadings. He did that in a timely fashion. It can not be argued that his amended complaints, filed before any responsive pleading did not meet the requirements of Local Rule 203. 28. In its December 24, 1998 opposition to Diersens motion for leave to file amended complaint, GAO did not allege that Diersen had not provided all information required by Local Rule 203 in his first amended complaint, but instead, argued at page 18 that
29. Based on GAOs statements, this Court made the following statement at page 2 of its September 3, 1999 Memorandum in support of its Order: "Plaintiffs class action allegations will be dismissed because plaintiff has failed to satisfy the pleadings requirements for class actions established by Rule 203 of the Rules of this Court." 30. However, GAOs statements are factually wrong and this Court erred in relying on them because as required by Local Rule 203(a), now LCvR 23.1(a), Diersens second amended complaint contains at page 4 a separate heading styled "Basis For Certifying Class" and under that heading, in a short and plain way, Diersen referenced the portions of F.R.Civ.P. 23 under which he claims his suit is maintainable as a class action; he provided the approximate size and definition of the class; he provided the basis upon which he claims to be an adequate representative of the class; he provided the commonality and typicality questions of law and fact common to the class; and he provided findings required by F.R.Civ.P. 23(b)(3). The following case on this point shows that GAOs factually wrong statement, which was the only basis for this Courts factually wrong judgment, is inadequate to support the Order in this case.. 31. In its motion to dismiss, GAO likened Diersens actions to those of the plaintiff in Abney v. District of Columbia, 1989 WL 17750 (D.D.C. 1989). However, Abney never filed an amended complaint to satisfy Local Rule 203 requirements, and further, his motion for class certification did not satisfy Local Rule 203 requirements either. In Abney, the Court clearly indicated that class action claims should not be dismissed for Local Rule 203 deficiencies unless the plaintiff fails to correct those deficiencies in an amended complaint or in a motion for class certification. Diersen did correct his Local Rule 203 deficiencies when he filed his first amended complaint. 32. This Courts judgment concerning Diersens providing Local Rule 203 information, and therefore, its dismissal of Diersens class action claims, is wrong because it is based on a statement made by GAO that is factually wrong. Diersens class action claims should not be dismissed because of Local Rule 203 deficiencies because he corrected those deficiencies in his amended complaint and because this Courts conclusion to the contrary is factually wrong.
Judgment Concerning Diersens Compliance With F.R.Civ.P. 8(a) Was Based On GAO Statements That Are Factually Wrong 33. GAO stated at page 18 of its December 24, 1998 opposition to Diersens motion for leave to amend that: "Plaintiffs proposed Amended Complaint merely eliminates certain claims and modifies plaintiffs allegations regarding his purported class action claims." Apparently based on that statement, this Court stated at page 2 of its September 3, 1999 Memorandum in support of its Order: "If the case were not to be transferred, leave to amend would be denied in any event because the proposed amended complaint is not the "short and plain statement of [plaintiffs] claim" required by F.R.Civ.P. 8(a) but a long amalgamation of factual assertions and arguments. It more of a brief than a complaint." 34. However, GAOs statement is factually wrong and this Court erred in relying on it because an objective review of Diersens amended complaints shows that they are not unreasonably long or complicated and that they contain, pursuant to F.R.Civ.P. 8(a), a short and plain statement of the grounds upon which this courts jurisdiction depends, statements of Diersens class action and individual claims that are not unreasonably long or complex and show that he and the class he seeks to represent are entitled to relief, and a demand for judgment for relief sought. The admittedly long recitation of facts demonstrates only that many, many instances of blatant discrimination took place. GAOs misdeeds over that long period of time may be subject to summarization, as Diersen has done in his accompanying Third Amended Complaint. But it can not be said as to each allegation that it standing alone is not a short and plain statement of the facts upon which relief could be granted. In fact, the problem in drafting is that while individual instances of discrimination and retaliation are each simple, there are just a lot of them, causing the complaint as drafted to be very long. 35. The format of Diersens complaints is not the one used for briefs and his complaints do not contain amalgamations of factual assertions and arguments and even if they did, F.R.Civ.P. (8)(a) does not require plaintiffs to present their factual assertions under one heading and their arguments under another. 36. Diersens complaints can only be shortened by providing less detail on his individual claims. Therefore, Diersens amended complaints comply with F.R.Civ.P. 8(a). 37. Nevertheless, contemporaneously with his motion to alter or amend judgment, Diersen has filed a third motion for leave to amend his complaint. It is an attempt to comply with GAOs and this Courts admonition that the first and second amended complains were too long and complex. 38. Diersens third amended complaint contains far less detail concerning his individual claims and is therefore only 28 pages long instead of 54. It is respectfully submitted that this third amended complaint complies with F.R.Civ.P. 8(a) and that along with the arguments contained in this statement of points and authorities, all the technical format and presentation issues cited at page 2 of this Courts September 3, 1999 Memorandum in support of its Order have been addressed and solved.
Diersen Has a Right to Amend His Complaint 39. Under F.R.Civ.P. 15(a), plaintiffs may amend their complaint once as a matter of right at any time before the defendant files a responsive pleading. 40. A motion to dismiss is not a responsive pleading. Duda v. Franklin Park Pub. Sch. Dist. 84, 133 F.3d 1054, 1056-1057 n.2 (7th Cir. 1998) and Barbara v. New York Stock Exch., Inc., 99 F.3d 49 (2d Cir. 1996) and Brever v. Rockwell Intl Corp., 40 F.3d 1119 (10th Cir. 1994). 41. Therefore, because GAO has not yet filed a responsive pleading, Diersen has a right to amend his original complaint. Respectfully submitted, Walter T. Charlton Click the Menu choices at the left to browse the GAO/Diersen documents. END Case 16:
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