Opinion ID: 195276
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: The record developed at trial would support factual findings as follows: SER is a non-profit Rhode Island social service agency whose operations are primarily geared to Rhode Island's Hispanic population. Dania Keisling became an associate director of SER in 1984. From 1984 until mid-1989, Keisling's work was supervised by Carlos Pedro, SER's executive director. Keisling also had extensive dealings with Alma Green, who was the president of SER's board of directors. During this time period, Keisling received regular increases in pay, and as SER expanded its services Keisling's job responsibilities increased dramatically. Keisling did not receive formal evaluations of her performance; she testified, however, that [m]any times Green said that I was always there and I was doing a real good job and that I was always actually running that agency. Transcript of Defendants-Appellants (hereinafter T.) 45. -3- In July 1989, Pedro resigned as executive director, and SER began the chore of finding a replacement. Both Keisling and Lynn Trudell, SER's other associate director, applied to fill the vacancy. Keisling testified that after she applied for the position she had at least two conversations with Green in which Green made age-related comments. As recounted by Keisling, the comments were: Sure, you can run that agency but do you want to do that at your age? Sure, you can run this agency and you have done it but do you want to do that and do you want that aggravation at your age? T. 49. Two other witnesses, an independent bookkeeper employed by SER and the executive director of a sister agency, testified that Green made similar comments about Keisling to them during the time that SER was searching for a new executive director. T. 182, 218. In November 1989, SER hired Dr. Lois K. Turner as executive consultant to the Board of Directors, a position in which Turner functioned essentially as interim executive director, supervising the daily operation of the agency in consultation with Green. Among other duties, Dr. Turner was responsible for performing an extensive review of the functioning of SER and for assisting in the hiring of a new executive director. A. 164-65. In reviewing the operation of -4- the agency, Turner purportedly discovered some problems with Keisling's performance. On January 19, 1990, Turner met with Keisling and advised her of matters that had come to Turner's attention. Specifically, Turner told Keisling that staff members had complained that Keisling had yelled at them and had used profanity and obscene gestures. Turner also asserted that Keisling had failed to complete some of her tasks in a timely manner. T. 58-9. Turner memorialized the meeting with Keisling in a memorandum dated February 1, 1990 -- a memorandum that Keisling stated she received on February 9. The memorandum repeated the charges of inappropriate behavior, and also set forth a number of alleged deficiencies in Keisling's performance. In the memorandum, Turner gave Keisling a thirty-day probationary period, beginning February 1, in which to demonstrate appropriate professional behavior and to improve her performance. A. 133, 135. Keisling responded to the February 1 memorandum with memoranda of her own, one to the Board of Directors and one to her personnel file, in which she attempted to refute Turner's allegations. A. 136, 138. On March 2, at the conclusion of the probationary period, Turner and Green met with Keisling and informed her that her employment was to be terminated. They presented -5- Keisling with a memorandum, dated March 2, stating that Green and the Executive Committee of SER had endorsed Turner's decision to terminate Keisling's employment. A. 144. They also presented Keisling with a letter from Turner, also dated March 2, detailing additional instances of alleged inappropriate behavior and inadequate performance. A. 141. Keisling was given an opportunity to appeal her termination to the Board of Directors, which upheld the termination. At the time she was terminated, Keisling was over 40 years old.