Opinion ID: 2977202
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Respondeat Superior Liability

Text: To prevail on a quid pro quo claim, a plaintiff must demonstrate the existence of respondeat superior liability. Id. “Under the theory of respondeat superior, employers are held strictly liable for conduct of supervisory personnel who have plenary authority to hire, fire, promote, and discipline employees.” Kauffman v. Allied Signal, Inc., 970 F.2d 178, 186 (6th Cir. 1992). Strict liability, however, is not limited to supervisors with such broad authority. Rather, “all that is required is that the employee have ‘significant control’ of those duties.” Id. In claiming that summary judgment was appropriate, Defendants emphasize that, as a very junior supervisor within QRC’s corporate structure, Kirk lacked the power to hire and fire employees. The record suggests, however, that even if QRC’s policy did not authorize Kirk to 5 Defendant claims that Plaintiff has waived her quid pro quo sexual harassment claim by failing to raise it on appeal. This argument lacks merit, as Plaintiff expressly argues in her brief that “Mr. Kirk was acting formally in his capacity as a supervisor in sending Ms. Howington home, and writing her up as he did. It was the act of a supervisor bringing the official power of the enterprise to bear on his subordinate, and therefore the employer should be strictly liable if the act was illegally motivated.” Pl.’s Br. 11–12 (citations omitted). 9 terminate employees, Kirk exercised “significant control” over personnel matters because of his apparent unilateral authority to discipline his subordinates. Defendants do not contest that, on two separate occasions, acting solely on his own authority, Kirk ordered Plaintiff to leave the restaurant. Further, after refusing to move her car, Plaintiff received a thirty-day suspension from her job, and the discipline form memorializing her suspension lists Kirk as the supervisor approving the disciplinary action. Thus, although Kirk might have lacked authority to fire Plaintiff, he imposed significant disciplinary measures of only slightly less severity than termination. We believe that such unilateral authority constitutes “significant control” over personnel matters, and is thus sufficient to render QRC vicariously liable for Kirk’s actions. See id.