Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_18-cv-01474/USCOURTS-cand-4_18-cv-01474-21/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 442
Nature of Suit: Civil Rights Employment
Cause of Action: 42:2000e Job Discrimination (Employment)

---

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

TRINA HILL,

Plaintiff,

v.

GOODFELLOW TOP GRADE,

Defendant.

Case No. 18-cv-01474-HSG 

ORDER DIRECTING 

SUPPLEMENTAL BRIEFING

Re: Dkt. No. 172

Pending before the Court is Defendant’s renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law. 

Dkt. No. 172. In its reply brief, Defendant argued for the first time that “as a matter of law, three 

alleged incidents over the course of Plaintiff’s four month employment are not sufficiently severe 

or pervasive.” Dkt. No. 174 at 4 (citing Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524 U.S. 775, 788 

(1998)). Although arguments not raised by a party in its opening brief are ordinarily deemed 

waived, see Smith v. Marsh, 194 F.3d 1045, 1052 (9th Cir. 1999), the Court may consider new 

arguments raised in a reply brief “only if the adverse party is given an opportunity to respond.” 

Banga v. First USA, NA, 29 F. Supp. 3d 1270, 1276 (N.D. Cal. 2014) (citations omitted). Thus, 

Plaintiff is directed to submit a supplemental brief, not to exceed three pages, addressing whether 

the three alleged incidents are severe and pervasive to support a hostile work environment claim 

under relevant Ninth Circuit caselaw. Plaintiff may not repeat arguments raised in her opposition 

brief. In her sur-reply, Plaintiff should explain how the incidents in this case differ from those in 

Brooks v. City of San Mateo, 229 F.3d 917 (9th Cir. 2000) and Westendorf v. W. Coast 

Contractors of Nevada, Inc., 712 F.3d 417 (9th Cir. 2013), cases in which the Ninth Circuit held 

the alleged misconduct did not establish sufficiently severe or pervasive sexual harassment. 

//

Case 4:18-cv-01474-HSG Document 178 Filed 11/05/19 Page 1 of 2
2

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

Northern District of California

Plaintiff must file the brief by November 15, 2019. No responsive filings will be 

permitted.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: 11/5/2019

______________________________________

HAYWOOD S. GILLIAM, JR.

United States District Judge

Case 4:18-cv-01474-HSG Document 178 Filed 11/05/19 Page 2 of 2