Parker v. National Railroad Passenger Corporation ( 2016 )


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  • UNITED STA'I`ES DISTRICT COURT
    FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
    )
    William Parker, )
    )
    Plaintiff, )
    )
    v. ) Civil No. 1:14-cv-01634 (APM)
    )
    National Railroad Passenger Corporation, )
    d/b/a Amtrak, )
    )
    Defendant. )
    )
    MEMORANDUM OPINION
    I. INTRODUCTION
    Plaintiff William Parker filed this lawsuit against his fenner employer, Defendant National
    Railroad Passcnger Corporation (“Amtrak”), alleging discriminatory treatment in violation of
    42 U.S.C. § 1981, and the District of Columbia Human Rights Act, D.C. Code § 14.01.1 et seq.
    Plaintiff_an African-American police officer who Worked in the Amtrak Police Canine Unit_
    asserts that Defendant terminated his employment on the basis of his race. Defendant disagrees
    and instead asserts that it had a legitimate non-discriminatory reason to terminate him_namely,
    that Plaintiff had engaged in unethical behavior and then lied to Amtrak investigators about his
    conduct.
    This matter is before the court on Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment. Having
    reviewed the pleadings and evidence, the court finds that no reasonable juror could conclude that
    Defendant discriminated against Plaintiff when it terminated his employment Accordingly, the
    court grants Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment.l
    II. BACKGROUND
    A. Factual Background
    In 2007, Amtrak hired Plaintiff to serve as a Captain in the Amtrak Police Department’s
    (APD) Canine Unit. Def.’S Stmt. of Facts in Supp. of Mot. for Summ. J., ECF No. 29-2
    [hereinafter Def.’s Stmt.], il l; Pl.’s Stmt. ofFacts in Supp. ofOpp’n ofDef.’s Mot. for Summ. J.,
    ECF No. 34-2 [hereinafter Pl.’s Stmt.], at 12, 11 l. After serving in this role for approximately four
    years, Plaintiff was promoted to lnspector_a management-level position_where he was
    responsible for overseeing, supervising, and training other Canine Unit officers Def.’s Stmt.
    11 2-3; Pl.’s Stmt. at 12, 1[ 2.
    In September 2011, both the APD’s Off1ce of Internal Affairs (“Internal Affairs”) and the
    Amtrak Offrce of the Inspector General (“OIG”) received anonymous complaints concerning
    Plaintiff. Def.’s Stmt. 1111 12, 22. lnternal Affairs and OIG are distinct offices within Amtrak and
    have separate investigative authority. Ia'. il 23. The complaints alleged, among other things, that
    Plaintiff co-owned a property in Maryland (thc “Property”) with a subordinate officer_Sarah
    Bryant-with whom he was romantically involved and that, as a result of their relationship, he was
    impermissibly steering overtime funds to Bryant. 
    Id. 1111 l6,
    22. Internal Affairs and OIG launched
    separate investigations into those allegations, which included interviewing witnesses and gathering
    evidence from the public record. 
    Id. 1111 12-27.
    ' Plaintiff also filed numerous additional procedural motions related to Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment.
    The court describes those motions in the Procedural History below and will address them after it considers the merits
    _ofDefendant’s dispositive motion.
    l . Internal A]j”az'rs ’ Investigation
    Three months later, in March 2012, Internal Affairs concluded its inquiry and issued its
    Report of Investigation (“Internal Affairs Report”). Internal Affairs found that the allegations
    against Plaintiff Were “not sustained” by the record and closed the investigation without taking
    any significant adverse employment action. 
    Id. 11 l9;
    Pl.’s Stmt. at 15, 11 19. Internal Affairs did
    send Plaintiff a Letter of Counseling advising him to avoid acting in ways that might lead to future
    potential appearances of impropriety. Def.’s Stmt. 1111 20-21; Pl.’s Stmt. at 15-16, 11 20; Pl.’s Opp’n,
    Ex. 6, Investigative Report from Adrienne R. Rish to Lisa Shahade and William Hermann, ECF
    No. 29-6 [hereinafter OIG Report], at 3.
    Not everyone within Internal Affairs, however, agreed with the outcome of Plaintist
    investigation Officer Linda Dixon, the head of Internal Affairs at the time and the lead
    investigator’s immediate supervisor, dissented from the decision not to hold Plaintiff accountable
    and refused to sign the final Internal Affairs Report. Pl.’s Stmt. at 7, 11 26. lrrternal Affairs
    nonetheless issued its Report and, on April 19, 2012, Officer Dixon sent a memo to the then-APD
    Chief of Police, expressing her disagreement with the Internal Affairs Report’s conclusions Def.’s
    Stmt. 11 28; OIG Report at 3. According to Plaintiff, Dixon then circumvented the APD chain of
    command and raised her dissatisfaction about the Internal Affairs Report directly with OIG. Pl.’s
    Stmt. at 7, 11 26-30. The record does not reveal Dixon’s specific objections to Internal Affairs’
    findings
    2. OIG ’s Investigation
    Meanwhile, OIG’s parallel investigation into Plaintiff’ s conduct continued, concluding six
    months later and reaching a far different conclusion than Internal Affairs. On October 12, 2012,
    OIG issued an Investigative Report (“the OIG Report”), finding that the allegations against
    Plaintiff were in fact sustained by the evidence The OIG Report found that Plaintiff and his
    subordinate, Officer Bryant, jointly owned the Property and that Plaintiff had given preferential
    treatment in giving assignments to Bryant and others whom he had hired, which resulted in greater
    overtime pay for those employees OIG Report at 5, 12-14. The OIG Report also concluded that
    Plaintiff (l) had intentionally misled both OIG and Internal Affairs investigators and (2) had
    submitted false tax documents in connection with his purchase of the Property in potential
    violation of Maryland law. Ia'. at 5-14.
    OIG submitted its report to the APD’s Acting Chief of Police at the time, Lisa Shahade.
    After reviewing the report, Shahade terminated Plaintiff from his position. Def.’s Stmt. 1111 53-54;
    
    Id., Ex. J,
    Declaration of Lisa Shahade, ECF No. 29-14 [hereinafter Shahade Decl.], 11 13.
    B. Procedur"al Background
    1. Defena'ant ’S Motion for Summary Judgment
    On September 50, 2014, Plaintiff filed suit in this court, alleging: (l) discrimination in
    violation of the District of Columbia Human Rights Act, D.C. Code § 14.01.1 et seq. (Count l);
    and, (2) discrimination in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (Count 2). See generally Compl.
    On October 23, 2015, following discovery, Defendant filed a Motion for Summary
    Judgment, in which it argued that it had terminated Plaintiff for a legitimate non-discriminatory
    reason_specifically, his acts of misconduct and deceit, as detailed in the OIG Report.
    See generally Def.’s Mem. in Supp. of Mot. for Summ. Judg, ECF No. 29 [hereinafter Def.’s Mot.].
    On December 24, 2015, Plaintiff filed his Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Summary
    Judgrnenl, claiming that Defendant’s proffered nor1-diser'irrrirrator'y reason for terrrrirratirrg lrirrr was
    a pretext for discrimination See generally Pl.’s Opp’n to Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J., ECF No. 34
    [hereinafter Pl.’s Opp’n]. On January 27, 2016, Defendant filed a Reply to Plaintiff’ s Opposition.
    See Def.’s Reply in Supp. of Mot. for Summ. J., ECF No. 41 [hereinafter Def.’s Reply].
    2. Additional Motions
    In addition to Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment, a host of procedural motions
    filed by Plaintiffare before the court. On January 8, 2016, Plaintiff filed a “Motion to Defer Ruling
    on Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment Pending Additional Discovery,” in which he
    requested leave to take additional discovery-namely, the depositions of the current APD Chief
    of Police, Polly Hanson, and a third-party investigator for the Laurel Police Department,
    John Superson. See generally Pl.’s Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to Defer Summ. J. for Add’l Discovery,
    ECF No. 37-1 [hereinafter Pl.’s Mot. to Defer Summ. J.]. Defendant opposed Plaintiff’s request
    to re-open the record. See generally Def.’s Opp’n to Pl.’s Mot. to Defer Summ. J., ECF No. 39.
    The court will address the claimed relevance of the proposed additional discovery in the
    Discussion section below.
    On February 8, 2016, Plaintiff filed a “Motion for Leave to File a Surreply in Opposition
    to Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment,” seeking to supplement the record with evidence
    regarding Defendant’s alleged failure to produce records relating to the OIG investigation during
    discovery. See generally Pl.’s Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to File Surreply, ECF No. 47-1 [hereinafter
    Pl.’s Mot. for Surreply]. Defendant opposed that motion, as well. See generally Def.’s Opp’n to
    Pl’s Mot. for Surreply, ECF No. 50.
    On August 3, 2016, Plaintiff filed a third motion entitled “Motion to Supplement the
    Record on Summary Judgment,” which sought to file_as an additional exhibit to Plaintiffs
    Opposition_an investigation report prepared by John Superson. See generally Pl.’s Mem. in
    Supp. of Mot. to Suppl. the Record on Summ. J., ECF No. 54-1 [hereinafter Pl.’s Mot. to Suppl.].
    Defendant opposed that motion, too. See generally, Def.’s Opp’n to Pl’s Mot. to Suppl., ECF No.
    57.
    Finally, on August 31, 2016, Plaintiff filed a “Motion for Leave to File Certificate of
    Authenticity of Records,” which concerned the proposed Superson report. See generally Pl.’s Mot.
    to lncl. Cert. of Records, ECF No. 60. Having already opposed the motion to add that exhibit to
    the record, Defendant also opposed the filing of the certificate of authenticity. See generally Def.’s
    Opp’n to Pl.’s Mot. to lncl. Cert. ofRecords, ECF No. 61.
    III. LEGAL STANDARD
    Summary judgment will only be granted if the movant can show that “there is no genuine
    dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R.
    Civ. P. 56(a). A dispute is “genuine” only if a reasonable fact-finder could find for the nonmoving
    party, while a fact is “material” only if it is capable of affecting the outcome of litigation. Ana'erson
    v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 
    477 U.S. 242
    , 248 (1986). A non-material factual dispute is insufficient to
    prevent the court from granting summary judgment Ia'.
    Rule 56 “mandates the entry of summaryjudgment, after adequate time for discovery and
    upon motion, against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of
    an element essential to that party’s case . . . on which that party will bear the burden of proof at
    trial.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 
    477 U.S. 317
    , 322-23 (1986). The party moving for summary
    judgment “bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion”
    and identifying those portions of the record that it believes “demonstrate the absence of a genuine
    issue of material fac .” Ia'. at 323.
    Once the moving party has made an adequate showing that a fact cannot be disputed, the
    burden shifts to the party opposing summary judgment to “set forth specific facts showing that
    there is a genuine issue for trial.” 
    Anderson, 477 U.S. at 250
    (footnote omitted) (citation and
    internal quotation marks omitted). The nonmoving party may oppose the motion using “any of
    the kinds of evidentiary materials listed in Rule 56(c), except the mere pleadings themselves, and
    it is from this list that one would normally expect the nonmoving party to make the showing to
    which [the Court has] referred.” Celotex 
    Corp., 477 U.S. at 324
    . “The evidence of the non-movant
    is to be believed, and all justifiable inferences are to be drawn in his favor.” 
    Anderson, 477 U.S. at 255
    (citation omitted). However, “to defeat a motion for summary judgment, the non-moving
    party must offer more than mere unsupported allegations or denials.” Dormu v. District of
    Columbia, 
    795 F. Supp. 2d 7
    , 17 (D.D.C. 2011) (citing 
    Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324
    ). In other words,
    if the non-movant’s evidence is “merely colorable” or “not significantly probative,” summary
    judgment may be granted. 
    Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249-50
    (citations omitted). Summaryjudgment,
    then, is appropriate when the nonmoving party fails to offer “evidence on which the jury could
    reasonably find for the [non-movant].” 
    Id. at 252.
    IV. DISCUSSION
    Acting Chief Shahade’s decision to fire Plaintiff forms the basis of the parties’ dispute.
    Plaintiff asserts that Defendant’s proffered reason for terminating him was a pretext for
    discrimination He primarily contends that Dixon_the disgruntled lrrternal Affairs head who
    dissented from Internal Affairs’ non-action against Plaintiff_was racially biased and that her
    racially-motivated complaint to OIG was the true motivating factor for his termination Plaintiff’s
    theory, put another way, is that Dixon’s racial animus so infected the OIG investigation process
    that Shahade’s decision to fire Plaintiff, regardless of whether she herself was racially biased
    against him, must be considered the product of race discrimination Pl.’s Opp’n, at ll, 19-20.
    Plaintiff also asserts as further evidence of pretext that the APD did not similarly discipline
    Dixon_who also had been accused of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with another APD
    Officer_because she is white. Ia'. at 7-8.
    Defendant, on the other hand, denies that Dixon’s limited involvement in the OIG
    investigation had any material impact or influence on its outcome. lt further asserts that the OIG
    investigation was procedurally sound and entirely independent from the parallel Internal Affairs
    investigation Def.’s Mot. at 16-18. Defendant also contests Plaintiff s assertion that Dixon was
    treated differently from Plaintiff because she is white. Ia'. at 14-16.
    The court now turns to these arguments
    A. The Cat’s Paw Argument
    Plaintiff asserts that his discrimination claims are based primarily on “a combination of a
    cat’s paw theory and circumstantial evidence of racial discrimination.” Pl.’s Opp’n at 19. Under
    what is known as a “cat’s paw” theory of discrimination “an employer may be held liable for
    discriminatory acts by a direct supervisor_even where that supervisor is not the final
    decisionmaker”_if the supervisor’s discriminatory acts or opinions infect the employment
    decision to such an extent that the final decisionmaker is effectively the “conduit” for the
    supervisor’s discrimination Morris v. McCarthy, 
    825 F.3d 658
    , 668 (D.C. Cir. 2016).
    Here, Plaintiff blames Dixon_the then-head of Internal Affairs,2 who refused to sign the
    Internal Affairs Report and then complained to OIG about the decision not to take action against
    him--for his plight. He contends that Dixon was racially biased and that her race-motivated
    complaint so infected the OIG investigation process that Shahade_the final decisionmaker_
    became the conduit for Dixon’s discrimination Pl.’s Opp’n, at l l, 19-20. Plaintiff offers three
    2 Although Dixon was not Plaintiff’s supervisor, the court need not decide, for reasons that will become apparent,
    Whether a cat’s paw theory can apply to a non-supervisory employee who, as here, is alleged to have set in motion an
    investigation that ultimately leads to the termination of another employee.
    8
    pieces of evidence in support of his theory: (1) an affidavit from an Amtrak employee who had,
    years earlier, witnessed Dixon on television refuse to shake then President-elect Barack Obama’s
    hand, Pl.’s Opp’n at 9; (2) affidavits from Amtrak employees detailing rumors that Dixon was
    having an affair with another APD officer who was openly racist, 
    id. at 7-8;
    and (3) deposition
    testimony from another litigation in which Dixon admitted to bypassing the APD chain of
    command when she complained to OIG about the outcome of the Internal Affairs investigation,
    
    id. at 11-12.
    In order to prevail on a cat’s paw theory, a plaintiff must demonstrate that “[l] a supervisor
    perforrn[ed] an act motivated by [discriminatory animus], [2] that [was] intended by the supervisor
    to cause an adverse employment action, and . . . [3] that act is a proximate cause of the ultimate
    employment action.” Staub v. Proctor Hosp., 
    562 U.S. 411
    , 422 (2011). Our Court of Appeals
    has made it clear, however, that a biased supervisor’s indirect or limited involvement in an
    employment decision is not enough to sustain a cat’s paw theory. Summary judgment for the
    employer is appropriate, for instance, when the ultimate decision to terminate was the product of
    an independent investigation See Harnpton v. Vilsack, 
    685 F.3d 1096
    , 1101-02 (D.C. Cir. 2012)
    (rejecting cat’s paw liability where the biased supervisor “was in no way involved in the
    investigation of [the plaintiff’ s misconduct” and the deciding official had “conducted an
    independent review of the evidence”). On the other hand, if the evidence shows that the deciding
    official is “dependen[t] upon [a biased subordinate’s] opinion” and is “[unable] independently to
    assess” the basis for sanctioning the employee, then summary judgment in the employer’s favor
    must be denied. Griyj‘in v. Washington Convention Ctr., 
    142 F.3d 1308
    , 1311-12 (D.C. Cir. 1998).
    Accordingly, to be successful here, Plaintiff must present evidence from which a
    reasonable juror could infer that Dixon was both racially biased against Plaintiff and that, as a
    result, she materially influenced Shahade’s decision to terminate Plaintiff. Plaintiff fails to do so.
    First, the evidence on the record simply does not support an inference that Dixon was even
    racially biased towards Plaintiff. The fact that Dixon did not shake the President-elect’s hand,
    without more, is plainly insufficient to sustain an inference that Dixon was motivated by racial
    animus towards Plaintiff. Refusing to shake the hand of the first African-American President does
    not necessarily make Dixon a racist; she simply may have disagreed with his politics or not liked
    him for some other reason See e.g., Shaw v. McHugh, No. 12-CV-6834 CS, 
    2015 WL 1400069
    ,
    at *10 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 26, 2016) (statements that the plaintiff was “going to vote for Obama
    because he’s your kind” did not support an inference of racial bias). In any event, such ambiguous
    behavior that is completely disconnected from the challenged employment action cannot give rise
    to an inference of racial animus See Kalekiristos v. CTF Hotel Mgmt. Corp., 
    958 F. Supp. 641
    ,
    666 (D.D.C. 1997) (holding that even overtly racist statements made without “a clearly
    demonstrated nexus to the adverse employment action at issue are not alone sufficient to withstand
    a motion for summary judgment”).
    Plaintiff’ s evidence that Dixon’s rumored workplace paramour, Ed Thornton, was an overt
    racist fares no better. Such evidence does not establish that Dixon herself was a racist. And, even
    if Thornton’s racism could be somehow imputed to Dixon, Plaintiff has come forward with no
    evidence that Dixon’s complaint to OIG was racially motivated. Thus, Plaintiff has failed to
    10
    provide evidence to sustain the first element of his cat’s paw theory: that Dixon’s actions were
    motivated by discriminatory animus
    ` Second, and perhaps most important for present purposes, Plaintiff does not provide any
    evidence that Dixon had any influence whatsoever on Shahade’s decision to terminate Plaintiff.
    See 
    Hampton, 685 F.3d at 1101-02
    . There is no dispute that Shahade based her decision to
    terminate Plaintiff on the findings of the OIG Report. ln a sworn affidavit, Shahade stated: “All
    told, based on my assessment of the OIG Report, which I had no reason to question or doubt in
    any way, I made the determination that Mr. Parker’s employment should be terminated.” Shahade
    Decl. 11 9; 
    id. 11 13
    (stating that Shahade “made the determination that Mr. Parker’s employment
    should be terminated” “in reliance on the OIG report”). Shahade explained that “Parker’s false
    statements and omissions to investigators . . . violated several important Amtrak and APD policies
    and procedures,” 
    id. 11 10;
    that “Parker’s reported dishonesty and lack of candor [was] particularly
    troubling given his rank and status within the APD,” 
    id. 11 ll;
    and that “Parker’s false statements
    and omissions irreparably damaged his ability to fulfill his duties as an APD officer,” including
    his ability to serve as a potential testifying witness, 
    id. 11 12.
    Plaintiff offers no evidence to indicate
    that Shahade did not in fact rely on the OIG Report, or that she was motivated by racial animus in
    any way, and thus concedes that Shahade did not terminate him due to her own racial animus
    See Pl.’s Stmt. at 23-24, 1111 51-55.
    Nor has Plaintiff offered any evidence that would create a genuine dispute of fact about the
    independence of the OIG investigation and Shahade’s reasonable reliance on its findings Plaintiff
    asserts that Dixon “was clearly in a position to influence” OIG “to take up the matter of allegations
    already found ‘non-sustained’ by her own Office of Internal Affairs.” Pl.’s Opp’n at 19. The
    record, however, does not support Plaintiff’s position Instead, it establishes that the OIG
    11
    investigation had actually commenced before the Internal Affairs Report issued. Defendant
    presented uncontested evidence_in the form of an affidavit from the OIG officer in charge of that
    investigation, Renee Jackson_who attested that, on September 30, 2011, OIG had received an
    anonymous complaint about Plaintiff s conduct, and that she “opened an investigative file into the
    matter on January 24, 2012”_six weeks before Internal Affairs issued its Report_“at which point
    [she] began to conduct preliminary research and gather background information.” Def.’s Mot.,
    Ex. K, Decl. of Renee Jackson, ECF No. 29-15 [hereinafter Jackson Decl.], 1111 3, 5. The only
    evidence that Plaintiff offers to establish that Dixon was responsible for starting the OIG
    investigation is sworn deposition testimony given by her in another, non-related case. But in that
    testimony Dixon acknowledged that she complained to OIG after Internal Affairs had cleared
    Plaintiff`.3 See Pl.’s Opp’n at ll-12; 
    id., Ex. 15,
    Anderson v. Amtrak, Deposition of Linda Dixon,
    ECF No. 34-18, at 65-67. Thus, the timing simply does not add up. And Plaintiff has provided
    no other evidence to support his contention that Dixon influenced OIG to “take up” the
    investigation of Plaintiff.
    Furthermore, there is no genuine dispute as to Dixon’s limited role in the OIG
    investigation According to Renee Jackson, she first learned of the Internal Affairs investigation
    in June 2012 and thereafter spoke to Dixon “about the scope and status of the [Internal Affairs]
    investigation.” Jackson Decl. 11 11. That conversation, Jackson attested, “did not influence my
    investigative focus and [Dixon] certainly did not impact the investigation’s results . . . OIG carried
    out its own investigation gathered its own evidence, and conducted its own interviews.” Ia'. 11 12.
    The OIG Report itself corroborates Jackson’s statement, as it refers only once to Dixon_it notes
    3 Defendant urges the court to deem inadmissible Dixon’s deposition from the other case under Federal Ru|e of Civil
    Procedure 32(a)(8). Def.’s Reply at 10. The court need not reach that issue, for even assuming the prior deposition’s
    admissibility, it fails to create a genuine dispute of material fact.
    12
    that she sent a memo to then-Chief O’Connor-but otherwise relies exclusively on witness
    interviews and public records to draw its conclusions See generally OIG Report. Plaintiff offers
    no evidence to contradict Jackson’s statements See Pl.’s Stmt. at 23, 11 51; 27, 1111 73-74. Thus,
    this is not a case in which the decisionmaker was “dependen[t] upon 1a biased subordinate’s]
    opinion” and “[unable] independently to assess” the basis for sanctioning the employee. 
    Grifjin, 142 F.3d at 1311
    . Plaintiffs cat’s paw theory is simply unsupported by any credible record
    evidence.
    B. Other Evidence of Discrimination
    As noted, Plaintiff asserts that his discrimination claims are based on “a combination of a
    cat’s paw theory and circumstantial evidence of racial discrimination.” Pl.’s Opp’n at l9. Among
    the “circumstantial evidence” that Plaintiff offers is: (l) the “unprecedented” nature of the OIG
    investigation and other purported problems with the investigation; (2) that other similarly situated
    white officers were treated more favorably; and (3) that Amtrak discriminated against another
    senior-level African-American officer. Ia’. at 6-20. None of this evidence, however, gives rise to
    an inference of pretext.
    1 . T he OIG Investigation
    Plaintiff claims that various aspects of the OIG investigation constitute evidence of
    discrimination First, Plaintiff presents several affidavits asserting that OIG’s effective override
    of Internal Affairs was unprecedented Pl.’s Opp’n, Ex. 12, District of Columbia Office of Human
    Rights Interviews Transcripts of Derrick White, J ames Cook, and Phil A. Arnold, ECF No. 34-15,
    at 5-6, 8, ll. He also argues that .OlG’s investigation was an “outright violation of policy,” as
    waived in_
    - Pl.’s Opp’n at 20; ia'., Ex. 13, William Parker’s Confidential Suppl. Stmt. of Fact, ECF
    13
    No. 36 [hereinafter Pl.’s Suppl. Stmt.]. Finally, Plaintiff contends that OIG committed
    “[w]holesale violations of fundamental tenants of investigative work,” such that those violations
    alone give to an inference of pretext. Pl.’s Opp’n at 20. Each of Plaintiff s arguments falls apart
    upon closer inspection
    To begin, the supposedly unprecedented nature of the OIG investigation in this case does
    not give rise to an inference of discriminatory motive. At a minimum, there is a factual dispute as
    to whether OIG’s parallel investigation of Plaintiff was truly unprecedented See e.g., Jackson
    Decl. 11 ll (“OlG and APD sometimes conduct parallel investigations particularly when it
    concerns matters involving the [APD].”). But even if it was unprecedented, that fact, without
    more, does not give rise to an inference of discrimination Had Plaintiff attempted to show, for
    example, that OIG has not conducted parallel investigations when similarly situated white officers
    have engaged in similar conduct, Plaintiff might then have succeeded in establishing pretext. See
    Burley v. Nat’l Passenger Rail Corp., 
    801 F.3d 290
    , 301 (D.C. Cir. 2015) (“A plaintiff can
    establish pretext masking a discriminatory motive by presenting ‘evidence suggesting that the
    employer treated other employees of a different race . . . more favorably in the same factual
    circumstances.”’) (citation omitted). But he made no effort to make such a showing here.
    Moreover, given that OIG found that Plaintiff had lied to lntemal Affairs_impacting Internal
    Affairs’ decision not to discipline him_it is hardly surprising that its parallel investigation resulted
    in his firing. While it may be true that Plaintiff’s discipline was unusual_even the first of its
    kind-~that fact alone in this case does not create a genuine dispute of fact as to his employer’s
    motive for firing him.
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    a race discrimination case the court must review the record as- a whole in order to determine
    whether “the employee [has] produced sufficient evidence for a reasonable jury to find that the
    employer’s asserted non-discriminatory reason was not the actual reason and that the employer
    intentionally discriminated against the employee on the basis of race”).
    Finally, Plaintiff argues that OGI committed “[w]holesale violations of fundamental tenets
    of investigative work,” which give rise to an inference of discrimination Pl.’s Opp’n at 20.
    Although it is true that an “employer’s investigation that is so unsystematic and incomplete that a
    factfinder could conchide that the employer sought, not to discover the truth, but to cover up its
    own discrimination can also permit a factfinder to find pretext,” 
    Burley, 801 F.3d at 296
    , Plaintiff
    has failed to establish any deficiency in OIG’s investigation He appears to contend that the
    “furidamental” flaw of OIG’s investigation was that it “fail[ed] to record and preserve interviews_
    or even to document the opening of [its] investigatiori,” which he characterizes as the “hallmarks
    of an unprofessional operation.” Pl’s Opp’n at 10. But Plaintiff has presented no evidence to
    support that claim. For example, Plaintiff provides no testimony from OIG’s lead irivestigator,
    Renee Jackson, demonstrating that OIG’s investigation was flawed in the ways that he claims Nor
    has he supported his claim with any expert testirnony.4 Simply saying the investigation was
    fundamentally flawed does not make it so. In short, Plaintiff has failed to show that any aspect of
    the OIG investigation negates or undermines Defendant’s race-neutral explanation for his firing.
    2. Cornparators
    Plaintiff also attempts to demonstrate pretext through “comparator” evidence, whereby a
    plaintiff can demonstrate an employer’s discriminatory intent “by citing the employer’s better
    treatment of similarly situated employees outside the plaintist protected group.” Walker v.
    Johnson,
    798 F.3d 1085
    , 1092 (D.C. Cir. 2015). To succeed under this approach, a plaintiff must
    affirmatively demonstrate “the similarity of the plaintiff’ s and the putative comparator’s jobs and
    job duties, whether they were disciplined by the same supervisor, and, in cases involving
    discipline, the similarity of their offenses.” 
    Burley, 801 F.3d at 301
    (citing Coleman v. Donahoe,
    
    667 F.3d 835
    , 846-47 (7rii cir~. 2012)).
    4 Part of the reason that Plaintiff is unable to show any flaw in OIG’s investigation is that he did not obtain the
    underlying investigative record in discovery. See Def.’s Reply, Ex M, Decl. of Matthew J. Sharbaugh, F£F No. 59-
    2, 1111 3-9.
    16
    Plaintiff’ s argument regarding comparators centers only orr Dixon and her alleged
    workplace affair with Officer Thornton.5 According to Plaintiff, Dixon and Thornton carried on
    an illicit relationship and misused Amtrak funds, but were neither investigated nor disciplined by
    Amtrak because they are white. Pls’ Opp’n at 7 (alluding to “the couple’s open behavior and lack
    of any consequences in their employment at Amtrak”). _
    _
    _
    _
    _
    _ Thus, Plaintiff fails to make the required showing to support
    his comparator theory, See 
    Burley, 801 F.3d at 301
    .
    3. “Me T 00 ” Evl'dence
    Plaintiff also asks the court to infer pretext on a related theory that there is “evidence of a
    similar discriminatory scheme against Deputy Chief Keven Gray effectuated by the [OIG] .” Pl.’s
    Opp’n at 20. While courts may consider evidence of discrimination against other employees to
    support an inference of pretext in certain contexts, Sprint/Uni),‘ed Mgmt. Co. v. Mena'elsohn, 
    552 U.S. 379
    , 385 (2008), courts have held this type of evidence-so-called “me too” evidence-to be
    probative of an employer’s discriminatory intent only if the plaintiff can demonstrate that “such
    past discriminatory behavior by the employer is close in time to the events at issue in the case, the
    same decisionmakers were involved, the witness and the plaintiff were treated in a similar manner,
    5 Plaintiff originally identified a third potential comparator_lnspector Maureen Powers_during discovery, Def.’s
    Mot. at 13-14; Def.’s Stmt. 11 59, but, as Plaintiff has failed to respond to Defendant’s arguments regarding Powers,
    the court will treat them as conceded. See Wilkins v. Jackson, 
    750 F. Supp. 2d 160
    , 162 (D.D.C. 2010) (“It is well
    established that if a plaintiff fails to respond to an argument raised in a motion for summary judgment, it is proper to
    treat that argument as conceded.”); Sykes v. Dudas, 
    573 F. Supp. 2d 191
    , 202 (D.D.C. 2008) (“[W]hen a party responds
    to some but not all arguments raised on a Motion for Summary Judgment, a court may fairly view the unacknowledged
    arguments as conceded.”).
    l7
    and the witness and the plaintiff were otherwise similarly situated.” Nuskey v. Hochberg, 723 F.
    Supp. 2d 229, 233 (D.D.C. 2010); see also 
    Sprint, 552 U.S. at 385
    (2008); Hena'ricks v. Geithner,
    
    568 F.3d 1008
    , 1010 (D.C. Cir. 2009).
    Plaintiff’ s argument that Gray’s treatment supplies evidence to support his discriminatory
    treatment fails for a number of reasons First, Plaintiff and Gray were not terminated by the same
    individual Plaintiff was terminated by Acting Chief of Police Shahade, whereas Gray was
    terminated by her successor, Chief of Police Polly Hanson. See Pl.’s Opp’n, Ex. 5, Affidavit of
    Keven Gray, ECF No. 34-8, 1111 25-26. Second, Gray was terminated nearly one year after Plaintiff,
    Ia'. Third, Gray was not similarly situated to Plaintiff_in fact, he was Plaintiffs immediate
    supervisor, Ia'. 11 7. And, finally, Plaintiff was found to have engaged in far more egregious
    conduct than Gray. He was found to have lied to Internal Affairs investigators and engaged in
    conduct that arguably violated state laws, whereas Gray was accused of receiving outside
    compensation for working with a high school football program. ld. 1111 23-24. Accordingly,
    Plaintiffs “me too” evidence also fails to raise an inference of pretext sufficient to survive
    summary judgment.
    C. Plaintiff’s Remaining Motions
    The court now turns to the remaining motions filed by Plaiiitiff.
    ]. Motion for Ada'itional Discovery
    Plaintiff s Rule 56(d) Motion for Additional Discovery asks the court to defer ruling on
    Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment so that Plaintiff can depose Chief Hanson and John
    Superson, a retired police officer from Howard County, Maryland, who conducts background
    checks Pl.’s Mot. to Defer Summ. J. at 2-3. The need for their testimony, Plaintiff argues, arises
    from his recent discovery of a statement Hanson made to Superson. Former Amtrak Deputy Chief
    18
    Gray now has a position with the police department in Laurel, Maryland. Superson conducted
    Gray’s background check. Superson supposedly told Gray that Chief Hanson had told Superson
    that she (Chief Hanson) had “two commanders,” who “had desks” in OIG’s office, who she had
    terminated Ia'., Aff. of John Racin, ECF No. 37-2, at 2. Plaintiff believes that Hanson’s reference
    to “two commanders” only could mean Dixon and Thornton. Plaintiff now says that he needs to
    depose Hanson and Superson to “show that Ms. Dixon and Mr. Thornton were in even better
    position to influence the course of events iri the [OIG] than the record shows otherwise.” Pl.’s
    Mot. to Defer Summ. J. at 2-3.
    The court denies Plaintiff’s motion because Plaintiff did not exercise the requisite degree
    of diligence required under Rule 56(d) during the discovery period. See U.S. ex rel. Folliara' v.
    Gov'tAcqaisitions, Inc., 
    764 F.3d 19
    , 26, n 5 (D.C. Cir. 2014) (“A district court may find the non-
    movant’s diligence relevant to the requirement that the non-movant ‘explain why he could not
    produce the facts iri opposition to the motion for summary judgment.”’) (quoting Convertino v.
    DOJ, 
    684 F.3d 93
    , 99-100 (D.C. Cir. 2012)). Plaintiff had the opportunity in discovery to obtain
    from Dixon the information that he now indirectly seeks from Hanson and Superson. But he failed
    to depose Dixon during the discovery period. See Order Denying Plaintiff’ s Motion for Leave to
    Conduct Additional Depositions, ECF No. 23, The court will not defer ruling on summary
    judgment so that Plaintiff can obtain evidence that he easily could have obtained through diligence
    during the discovery period.6
    6 Additionally, Plaintiff has not sufficiently demonstrated how Hanson or Superson could supply evidence that is
    “necessary to the |itigation.” 
    Convertino, 684 F.3d at 99
    . Hanson was not involved in Plaintiff’s termination and so
    her testimony would shed no light on Dixon’s and Thorton’s role in OIG’s investigation Superson is even far more
    removed, as his proposed testimony would only concern what Hanson supposedly told him.
    19
    2. Motion for Leave to File a Surreply
    Plaintiff seeks to file a surreply to respond to Amtrak’s contention in its Opposition that
    OIG “created an investigative file and documented its witness interviews during its work on the
    case.” Pl.’s Mot. for Surreply at 1. According to Plaintiff, based on Defendant’s discovery
    responses, he was under the impression that such investigative information did not exist. See 
    id. The court
    denies leave to file the surreply. See Banner Health v. Sebelius, 
    905 F. Supp. 2d 174
    , 187 (D.D.C. 2012) (“[S]urreplies are generally disfavored . . . and the determination as to
    whether to grant or deny leave is entrusted to the sound discretion of the district court[.]”) (citations
    omitted). As already discussed, Plaintiff did not come forward with any evidence to show, as he
    claims, the “fundamental” deficiencies that the OIG investigation suffered from. As a result, the
    court did not need to consider whether the record presented a genuine dispute of fact on that issue.
    Accordingly, the court finds that Plaintiff’s proposed surreply is unnecessary.
    3. Motions to Supplement the Record and F0r Leave to Fz`le Certificate of
    Authenticity of Records
    Finally, Plaintiff s Motion to Supplement the Record orr Summary Judgment also is denied.
    That motion seeks to supplement the record with a “Background Investigation Report” prepared
    by Superson relating to Gray’s hiring as Deputy Chief of Police in Laurel, Maryland, Pl.’s Mot.
    to Suppl. at 1. As discussed above, the court finds that the events concerning Gray’s termination
    do not support Plaintist discrimination claims And testimony from Superson would be simply
    too far afield to be relevant. The court, therefore, denies Plaintiff s Motion to Supplement. lt also,
    accordingly, denies Plaintiff’s Motion for Leave to File Certificate of Authenticity of Records,
    which seeks to establish the authenticity of Superson’s Report.
    20
    IV. CONCLUSION
    For the foregoing reasons, the court grants Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment.
    The court denies Plaintiff’s (l) Rule 56(d) Motion for Additional Discovery; (2) Motion for Leave
    to File a Surreply; (3) Motion to Supplement the Record orr Summary Judgment; and, (4) Motion
    for Leave to File Certificate of Authenticity of Records of the Superson Report.
    A separate order accompanies this Memorandum Opinion.
    /A\-/::“>
    Dated: September 28, 2016 Amit P ta
    U ` ed States District Judge
    21