Professional Documents
Culture Documents
No. 15-1050
CYNTHIA LEE,
Plaintiff - Appellant,
v.
FAIRFAX COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD; Dr. JACK DALE, former
Superintendent;
Dr.
PHYLLIS
PAJARDO,
Assistant
Superintendent; JAMEY CHIANETTA, Principal,
Defendants - Appellees.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, at Alexandria.
Anthony J. Trenga,
District Judge. (1:14-cv-01116-AJT-TCB)
Submitted:
THACKER,
Decided:
Circuit
Judges,
and
DAVIS,
Senior
PER CURIAM:
Cynthia Lee challenges the district courts order granting
the
Fairfax
County
Public
School
(FCPS)
Boards
motion
for
Lees
and
Fourteenth
civil
her
under
procedural
Amendment,
termination
rights
under
and
Virginia
due
42
U.S.C.
process
1981,
rights
engaged
in
defamation
state
law.
Lee
under
and
argues
1983
the
wrongful
that
her
because
she
entered
the
agreement is unconscionable.
agreement
under
duress
and
the
We affirm.
viewed
party.
(4th
Cir.
in
the
light
favorable
to
the
non-moving
Summary
judgment
is
only
appropriate
when
Fed. R.
Co., 312 F.3d 645, 649 (4th Cir. 2002) (internal quotation marks
omitted).
We first review Lees claim that her settlement agreement
should be set aside because she entered it under duress.
Under
must
be
proven
Pelfrey v.
Pelfrey,
(internal
quotation
defendant
commits
by
487
S.E.2d
marks
a
clear
and
281,
284
omitted).
wrongful
act
convincing
(Va.
Duress
evidence.
Ct.
App.
exists
sufficient
to
1997)
when
prevent
consent.
450,
particularly
452
Goode
(Va.
hesitant
v.
Burke
1993).
to
Virginia
accept
Town
the
Plaza,
courts
exertion
Inc.,
have
of
436
been
economic
right
is
not
wrongful
act,
it
cannot
constitute
duress.); Seward v. Am. Hardware Co., 171 S.E. 650, 662 (Va.
1933) (A contract reluctantly entered into by one badly in need
of money without force or intimidation and with full knowledge
of the fact is not a contract executed under duress.).
We
duress.
have
reviewed
the
record
and
found
no
evidence
of
hardship,
standing
alone,
is
insufficient
to
invalidate
682
S.E.2d
108,
113
(Va.
Ct.
App.
Chaplain v.
2009)
(internal
Id. (quoting
has
Id. at 114.
value
faith
exchanged.
in
concealments,
the
substantive
and
procedural
both
at
113
(internal
alterations
and
accompanying
incidents
misrepresentations,
undue
advantage,
such
as
oppressions
of
necessities,
mind,
and
sickness,
the
like.
old
age,
Id.
at
incapacity,
114
(internal
pecuniary
quotation
marks omitted).
We
conclude
settlement
that
agreement
neither
before
element
this
court.
is
present
In
in
the
exchange
for
for incompetence (for which she could have lost her teachers
license), retained a position at FCPS, wiped her record clean,
received a neutral reference from FCPS, and could resign with
only five-days notice if she were to obtain new employment.
In
As
the
scope
of
her
settlement
our
with
contentions
are
order
oral
we
affirm
the
denying
argument
adequately
agreement,
her
motion
because
presented
in
to
the
the
expedite.
facts
We
and
legal
materials
before
this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED