Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sundersingh Bala v. Commonwealth of Virginia, 4th Cir. (2015)
Sundersingh Bala v. Commonwealth of Virginia, 4th Cir. (2015)
No. 14-1362
SUNDERSINGH BALA,
Plaintiff Appellant,
v.
COMMONWEALTH
RECREATION,
OF
VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT
OF
CONSERVATION
AND
Defendant Appellee.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, at Richmond.
Henry E. Hudson, District
Judge. (3:12-cv-00748-HEH)
Argued:
Decided:
against
the
Commonwealth
of
Virginia
Department
of
July
7,
courts
2011,
holding
Settlement
that
the
Agreement.
Settlement
We
affirm
Agreement
the
trial
included
the
of
Employee
Dispute
Resolution
(EDR)
alleging,
among other things, that the DCR refused to promote him for
discriminatory
reasons.
Most
recently,
he
filed
two
related
in
October
2009,
alleging
termination
(effective
December
Department
of
Resource
policies,
Human
discriminated
against
3
31,
that
his
2009)
Management
him
because
September
violated
(DHRM)
of
his
2009
internal
layoff
age
and
national
origin,
and
retaliated
against
his
prior
protected
for
early
retirement
and
was
not
suggested
for
list
of
employees
under
consideration
for
termination
and
in
retaliation
for
his
numerous
complaints
of
dispute
resolution
process.
The
grievances
are
first
who
are
after
dissatisfied
this
with
process
may
the
resolution
request
of
hearing
their
with
state
circuit
court
if
the
employee
believes
the
grievances,
consolidated
at
his
request,
J.A.
290-293,
result,
Bala
requested
and
was
granted
hearing.
The
employee
starting
in
February
2010,
and
had
been
instead
of
pursuing
reinstatement,
Bala
and
the
DCR
revocation
of
Balas
enhanced
retirement
and
related
case
9295
Hearing
officer
final
decision
issued
on
opportunity
to
seek
counsel,
and
that
the
terms
had
been
1964,
as
amended,
42
U.S.C.
2000e-2
and
-3,
for
of
retaliation
interview
Bala
involuntarily
district
for
against
a
grants
terminating
court
counts. Bala
granted
v.
him
the
DCR
both
manager
position
in
layoffs
the
12(b)(6)
Commonwealth
for
of
motion
Va.
to
Dept
refusing
in
in
2011
and
2009.
The
dismiss
of
to
on
all
Conservation
&
2013).
On
discrimination
appeal,
claim
for
we
upheld
Balas
the
layoff,
dismissal
but
of
reversed
the
on
the
the
reasons
context
of
at
a
procedurally
Rule
12(b)(6)
improper
motion.
time,
Bala
v.
discharge
retaliation
for
his
claim.
He
numerous
claimed
grievances
his
and
layoff
court
was
in
filings
VII
of
the
Civil
Rights
Act
of
1964
protects
discrimination.
Alexander
v.
Gardner-Denver
Co.,
415
that
Opportunity
end,
Congress
Commission
created
(EEOC)
as
the
Equal
mechanism
Employment
to
settle
aggrieved
party
was
permitted
to
file
lawsuit.
Id.
and
for
employees
Waivers
through
Under
the
7
settlement.
ADEA,
50
Admin.
Fed.
Exemption
Reg.
40,870,
claims).
therefore,
Waiver
is
of
Title
authorized,
VII
claims
provided
through
the
settlement,
waiver
is
knowing,
must
Settlement
claim.
therefore
Agreement
Settlement
determine
effected
agreements
whether
waiver
operate
Bala
of
on
and
the
DCRs
Balas
retaliation
contract
principles,
also
First
Sec.
Fed.
Sav.
Bank,
Inc.
v.
McQuilken,
480
S.E.2d 485, 487 (Va. 1997). Where the parties intent is clear
from
the
unambiguous
terms
of
the
contract,
construed
as
concluded
that
it
would
be
in
their
best
interests
to
hearing
officer.
Id.
Furthermore,
the
Agreement
stated
part
of
the
contract
for
the
purpose
and
extent
can
be
no
doubt
that
this
Settlement
Agreement
retaliation
claim.
By
its
plain
language,
the
Agreement
layoff
policies,
discrimination,
and
retaliation
for
agency
policy
does
not
magically
remove
the
other
the
form
of
laying
him
off,
9
is
the
crux
of
Balas
only
remaining claim in his Title VII complaint. See J.A. 16-17. The
complaint
clearly
describes
the
same
situation
that
both
relief
sought
in
the
grievance
was
reinstatement
to
his
former position, with back pay and benefits. J.A. 370. He was
granted this relief in the administrative review, and chose to
negotiate away that specific remedy in order to retain his early
retirement benefits and secure his hourly job for the next three
years.
J.A.
action
the
46-47.
same
Now
remedy
he
seeks
that
he
to
obtain
voluntarily
through
forfeited
judicial
in
the
included
in
Balas
July
7,
2011,
Settlement
10
11
J.A. 47.
is
Bala
undisputed
that
the
only
right
awarded
to
in
It
the
only because the DCR failed to follow its own internal layoff
policies; the officer did not address Balas additional claims
under Title VII.
Yet, the majority concludes that the release also precludes
Bala from pursuing his Title VII retaliation claim in federal
court.
Bala
to
waive
any
and
all
claims
related
to
his
the
Agreement
suggests
12
actually
did
so
here.
I.
It is well-settled that an employee may release a cause of
action under Title VII if the employees consent to settlement
is voluntary and knowing.
of
voluntariness
knowledge
entails:
some
look
the
totality
purported release.
of
the
circumstances
surrounding
Ry. Co., 65 F.3d 562, 570 (7th Cir. 1995) (collecting cases).
Under
either
approach,
however,
the
clarity
of
purported
Credit Corp., 930 F.2d 358, 362 (4th Cir. 1991) (considering
this
split
analyze
and
waivers
determining
of
ADEA
that
the
claims
better
under
approach
ordinary
is
to
contract
factors
relevant
in
assessing
the
totality
of
the
And
13
Agreements
plain
language
compels
one
result
under
either
approach.
Here,
the
plain
language
of
the
Agreement
unambiguously
the
parties
intent
from
the
Although we must
instrument
viewed
as
whole, Atalla v. AbdulBaki, 976 F.2d 189, 193 (4th Cir. 1992),
Section 4 of the Agreement is the only section that defines the
scope of the release.
J.A. 47.
on his having proved his claim that the DCR did not comply with
the terms and conditions of the Commonwealth of Virginia Layoff
Policy
believe
and
Procedure
the
release
Number
1.30.
clearly
applies
J.A.
only
373-74.
to
Thus,
Balas
right
I
to
II.
Rather
than
conduct
straightforward
analysis,
the
the
majority
erroneously
declares
that
Bala
Bala
waived
his
limited
right
Maj. Op. at 9.
to
I agree
reinstatement--flowing
explicitly
says
that
he
also
waived
any
rights
But in
merely
incorporating
these
According to the
documents
by
reference
I disagree.
Unlike
the
Agreement
only
applies
to
the
Rather, it states
grievance
and
the
simply
conflates
with
the
actual
waiver
language in Section 4.
Third,
the
majority
relies
on
the
Agreements
recitals,
that
situation.
the
Agreements
J.A. 46.
purpose
was
to
resolve
this
Again,
As an initial matter, I do
of
Drafting
v.
32
Best,
(3d
223
construction,
ed.
Va.
if
2013);
112,
the
115
see
also
(1982)
prefatory
or
United
(Under
recital
Va.
settled
language
obligatory
recitals
provisions
somehow
suffice
must
to
prevail.).
create
an
And
even
ambiguity
if
in
the
the
validating
such
vagueness
as
sufficient
to
claims.
I
am
hard
inadequate.
pressed
to
imagine
what
the
majority
would
find
18