Jordan v. Pfizer Inc.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN
SOUTHERN DIVISION
WILLIAM JORDAN, 	)
Plaintiff, 	)
) 	No. 1:25-cv-1079
-v- 	)
) 	Honorable Paul L. Maloney
PFIZER, INC., 	)
Defendant. 	)
)
ORDER ADOPTING REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
Defendant Pfizer removed this lawsuit from state court and filed a motion to dismiss
and to compel arbitration (ECF No. 2). Plaintiff William Jordan filed a motion to compel
Defendant to produce all exhibits that were part of the state-court complaint (ECF No. 14).
The court referred the lawsuit to the Magistrate Judge who issued a report recommending
the court grant Defendant’s motion to compel arbitration and deny Plaintiff’s motion (ECF
No. 25). 	Plaintiff filed objections (ECF No. 26). 	The court will adopt the report and
recommendation.
After being served with a report and recommendation (R&R) issued by a magistrate
judge, a party has fourteen days to file written objections to the proposed findings and
recommendations. 	28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1); Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(b)(2). 	A district court judge
reviews de novo the portions of the R&R to which objections have been filed. 28 U.S.C. §
636(b)(1); Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(b)(3). Only those objections that are specific are entitled to a
de novo review under the statute.
Mira v. Marshall, 806 F.2d 636, 637 (6th Cir. 1986) (per
curiam). 	"[A]n objection that does nothing more than state a disagreement with the
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magistrate's suggested resolution, or simply summarizes what has been presented before, is
not an 'objection' as that term is used in the context of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72."
Brown v. City of Grand Rapids, Michigan, No. 16-2433, 2017 WL 4712064, at *2 (6th Cir.
June 16, 2017) (unpublished order).
1. Plaintiff objects to the order of reference to the Magistrate Judge. Plaintiff insists
he did not consent to the Magistrate Judge handling substantive and dispositive matters. The
court overrules this objection. 	The order of reference (ECF No. 7) invoked 28 U.S.C. §
636(a) and (b). When a district judge refers an action to a magistrate judge under the statute,
the magistrate judge has authority to resolve non-dispositive pretrial matters.
See 28 U.S.C.
§ 636(b)(1)(A). For dispositive matters, the magistrate judge must propose findings of fact
and conclusions of law with recommendations for resolution by the district judge,
id. §
636(b)(1)(B), which must be filed on the docket and sent to all parties,
id. § 636(b)(1)(C).
Plaintiff has not identified any error of law in the order of reference. 	Plaintiff explicitly
declined to consent to the jurisdiction of the magistrate judge under § 636(c) (ECF No. 9).
The proceedings in this lawsuit have followed the statute and Plaintiff’s notice of non-
consent. The magistrate judge proposed findings of fact, proposed conclusions of law, and
made recommendations for the outcome. This court, not the Magistrate Judge, will make
the final determination.
2. 	Plaintiff contends the report and recommendation erred by elevating the
arbitration provision over federal whistleblower protections. 	The court overrules this
objection. 	Plaintiff’s argument here merely expresses disagreement with the Magistrate
Judge’s findings. 	The Magistrate Judge explicitly addressed Plaintiff’s argument here
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explained why the various statutes Plaintiff identifies do not preclude arbitration of his
dispute with Defendant. 	Plaintiff has not sufficiently connected the specific provisions in
federal statutes carving exceptions to arbitration to his particular dispute.
3. Plaintiff argues that the report and recommendation mischaracterizes his lawsuit
as a simple termination dispute. 	The court overrules this objection. 	First, this objection
does not find fault with any specific or particular finding of fact or conclusion of law and,
therefore, is not a proper objection. Second, the Magistrate Judge accurately described the
arbitration provision and Plaintiff did not specifically object to that portion of the report and
recommendation. The arbitration provision broadly covers “all disputes, claims, complaints,
or controversies (“Claims”) that you have now or at any time in the future may have against
Pfizer” (ECF No. 2-1 PageID.839). The provision does limit arbitration to claims connected
with employment, from the application for employment through termination (
id.). Plaintiff
has not established that his claims fall outside the scope the arbitration agreement.
4. Plaintiff argues that Pfizer’s litigation tactics have been abusive and have attempted
to narrow this dispute to force arbitration before his whistleblower and public safety claims
can be resolved by a court. The court overrules this objection. Again, this objection does
not identify a problem with any specific or particular finding of fact or conclusion of law and
is not a proper objection. Second, by signing the arbitration agreement, Plaintiff agreed that
his disputes with Defendant would be resolved in arbitration rather than in a court. Plaintiff
must bring his dispute with Defendant before an arbitrator.
5. 	Plaintiff insists that public safety and regulatory concerns require judicial review
and not arbitration. The court overrules this objection. Again, Plaintiff does not identify any
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particular finding of fact or conclusion of that as erroneous. Second, the Magistrate Judge
addressed this issue. Plaintiff has not identified any particular statutory provision as requiring
judicial review of one of his claims. Merely referring to a statute does not suffice.
6. Plaintiff has not specifically objected to the findings of fact, conclusions of law and
recommended disposition of his motion to compel production of exhibits. The court notes
that Plaintiff’s motion does not include any affidavit or declaration about a need for the
discovery.
	See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(d). To the extent Plaintiff complains that the record was
incomplete, he has taken the opportunity to add well over one hundred pages to the record
(ECF No. 14).
For these reasons, the court ADOPTS the report and recommendation (ECF No.
25). 	The court GRANTS Defendant’s motion to compel arbitration (ECF No. 2) and
DENIES Plaintiff’s motion for discovery (ECF No. 14).
IT IS SO ORDERED.
Date: 	April 7, 2026 	/s/ Paul L. Maloney
Paul L. Maloney
United States District Judge
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