NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
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No. 15-1280
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ANTHONY L. WARE,
Appellant
v.
TRANSPORT DRIVERS INC.;
TDI NATIONWIDE AND AFFILIATED COMPANIES
____________________________________
On Appeal from the United States District Court
for the District of Delaware
(D. Del. Civil Action No. 1-12-cv-00830)
District Judge: Honorable Sue L. Robinson
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Submitted Pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a)
September 1, 2015
Before: FISHER, KRAUSE and VAN ANTWERPEN, Circuit Judges
(Opinion filed: September 8, 2015)
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OPINION*
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PER CURIAM
*
This disposition is not an opinion of the full Court and pursuant to I.O.P. 5.7 does not
constitute binding precedent.
Anthony Ware, proceeding pro se, appeals an order of the United States District
Court for the District of Delaware dismissing his employment discrimination complaint
against Transport Drivers, Inc. and TDI Nationwide and Affiliated Companies. For the
reasons that follow, we will affirm.
Ware alleged in his complaint that he worked as a delivery driver for Transport
Drivers and that the company unlawfully terminated him. Ware averred that Transport
Drivers obtained information from the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles that he was
uninsured, that he did not authorize the disclosure of his driving records, that he was
insured, and that he provided Transport Drivers a letter from an insurance company.
Ware, who is African American, claimed that Transport Drivers discriminated against
him in order to create a position for a white employee, denied him due process, and
committed fraud. He also sought to recover unpaid wages. Ware stated that he sought
relief under various statutes, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act, the Delaware Uniform Commercial Driver’s License
Act, and the Whistleblower Act.
The defendants moved to dismiss the complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil
Procedure 12(b)(6). The defendants asserted that the complaint was based on some
statutes that do not afford a private right of action and that it failed to state a claim under
any other legal theory. In opposing the motion, Ware stated that his claims arose out of a
dispute with a dispatcher when he refused a job assignment and Transport Driver’s
discovery shortly thereafter that his commercial driver’s license had been suspended.
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Ware stated that another employee whose license was revoked was not terminated. The
District Court agreed with the defendants that certain statutes referred to by Ware did not
provide for a private cause of action and that his other claims were factually deficient.
The District Court granted the motion to dismiss and allowed Ware to amend his
complaint.
Ware filed an amended complaint, which was the same as his original complaint
except that he added a new count claiming constitutional violations under 42 U.S.C.
§ 1983. He also attached exhibits to the complaint. The defendants filed another Rule
12(b)(6) motion asserting that the amended complaint must be dismissed pursuant to the
court’s prior order and because it fails to state a claim for relief. The District Court
granted the motion and ruled that further amendment would be futile. The District Court
also denied Ware’s motion for reconsideration. This appeal followed.
We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291. Our standard of review is de
novo. Wiest v. Lynch, 710 F.3d 121, 128 (3d Cir. 2013).
We find no error in the District Court’s decision. Ware avers that he seeks relief
under various statutes, but to the extent these statutes allow a private cause of action, his
allegations are insufficient to state a plausible claim for relief. See Aschroft v. Iqbal, 556
U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (“A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual
content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable
for the misconduct alleged.”). Ware also does not state a claim under § 1983 because he
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does not allege that the defendants are state actors. Benn v. Universal Health System,
Inc., 371 F.3d 165, 169 (3d Cir. 2004).
We also agree with the District Court that Ware fails to state a claim under Title
VII. Ware’s amended complaint contains only conclusory allegations of discrimination
and retaliation. As recognized by the District Court, Ware stated in his response to the
motion to dismiss his amended complaint that other drivers, who were both white and
black, refused the same job that he did and they were not fired. These statements, if
included in the amended complaint, support the conclusion that Ware’s termination was
not motivated by race. Although Ware also states that one employee of foreign descent
whose license was revoked remained employed for two years after Transport Drivers
discovered the revocation, this allegation is insufficient to state a plausible discrimination
claim. See Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (plausibility requirement requires more than a sheer
possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully).
The District Court also did not err in denying Ware’s motion for reconsideration.
Ware reiterated in his motion an allegation in his amended complaint that he successfully
appealed the denial of state unemployment benefits. The District Court noted that it had
considered that decision in making its earlier ruling. Ware did not show that
reconsideration of the dismissal was warranted.
Finally, to the extent Ware asserts in his brief that the District Judge should have
recused herself because counsel for the defendants had appeared before her in other
matters and they had developed a friendship, Ware did not seek the District Judge’s
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recusal in District Court and he has not alleged facts suggesting that her impartiality
might reasonably be questioned under 28 U.S.C. § 455(a).
Accordingly, we will affirm the judgment of the District Court.
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