Opinion ID: 9536
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Title VII - Emotional Harm

Text: For purposes of Title VII, § 102 of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 significantly expanded the available remedies for plaintiffs subjected to discrimination under Title VII. 42 U.S.C. § 1981a; and see Landgraf v. USI Film Products, 114 S. Ct. 1483, 1490-1491 (1994). Under this section, “a Title VII plaintiff who wins a back pay award may also seek compensatory damages for `future pecuniary losses, emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and other nonpecuniary losses.’” Landgraf, 114 S. Ct. at 1491 (quoting 42 U.S.C. § 1981a(b)(3)). As such, both § 1981 and Title VII permit awards for intangible loss 27 such as mental anguish or emotional distress. Nothing in the 1991 Amendments to Title VII suggests that we should analyze claims for emotional distress under Title VII using different guidelines than those explained above for § 1981 emotional distress claims.12 Furthermore, Congress treated the § 1981a compensatory and punitive damage provisions as amendments to § 1981. The legislative history of the 1991 Amendments to Title VII also shows that Congress sought to unify the law for employment discrimination cases. H.R. REP. NO. 102-40 (II), 102d Cong., 1st Sess. at 24 (1991), reprinted in 1991 U.S.C.C.A.N. 694, 717. As such, we see no reason to frustrate Congressional intent by fashioning different rules for § 1981 and Title VII claims. Consequently, we read Carey to require a plaintiff to present the same level of competent evidence under a Title VII emotional distress claim as is required to sustain a finding for emotional distress under §§ 1981 and 1983. Carey, 435 U.S. at 255-56, 98 S. Ct. at 1048. We again review the district court’s emotional damage award for abuse of discretion. The district court awarded Patterson $150,000 for emotional damage, and mental pain and suffering. Again, no testimony was presented to show any manifestations of harm listed by the EEOC policy statement. Patterson presented no evidence that she was subjected to sexist or racist comments nor did she testify that she was subjected to a hostile work 12 We also recognize that nothing in the statute suggests that the same standards apply. 28 environment. Instead, Patterson testified that she was terminated by Kennedy for insubordination for hiring another black employee. She also explained that Kennedy created and back-dated a document for use at her T.E.C. hearings in order to challenge her application for unemployment. Patterson also testified that her retaliatory firing emotionally scarred her and resulted in unemployment for almost one year. Patterson explained that she worked in a narrow field as a psychiatric nurse and could not easily attain employment due to the limited number of facilities. Apparently, the district court based its emotional harm award on testimony that Patterson suffered mental anguish during her unemployment, that she endured a great deal of familial discord arising from her acceptance of other jobs in Huntsville and Houston because she was forced to leave her children in the Gatesville area, and that the firing and subsequent moves to Huntsville and Houston to obtain work caused mental distress because she was separated from her children. Obviously, the retaliatory discharge caused a substantial disruption in Patterson’s daily routine. However, this record is void of sufficient competent evidence to support anything more than nominal damages under Carey. Carey, 435 U.S. at 255-56, 98 S. Ct. at 1048. The record contains none of the listed evidentiary factors in the EEOC policy statement. See EEOC POLICY GUIDANCE NO. 915.002 at 10-11. No corroborating testimony was offered to support Patterson’s testimony. No evidence suggests that Patterson was 29 humiliated or subjected to any kind of hostile work environment. Further, no expert medical or psychological evidence exists to support a claim for emotional harm. No proof of actual injury exists in this case. Because Patterson failed to present sufficient competent testimony and/or other evidence to demonstrate the nature and extent of emotional harm caused by her unlawful termination, we hold that the district court abused its discretion in awarding her $150,000 for emotional distress. As we explained above, Carey teaches us that the an award of damages for “distress” “must be supported by competent evidence concerning the injury.” Carey, 435 U.S. at 264 n.20, 98 S. Ct. at 1052 n.20 (emphasis added). Patterson’s testimony alone does not meet this threshold. We therefore vacate the district court’s Title VII emotional distress award and remand to the district court with instructions to award nominal damages for Patterson’s emotional distress.