Opinion ID: 495466
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: working environment sexual harassment

Text: 8 Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it unlawful for an employer ... to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of such individual's ... sex .... 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000e-2(a)(1).
9 In Meritor Sav. Bank, FSB v. Vinson, the Supreme Court held that an employee may establish a violation of Title VII by proving that the employee's employer engaged in discrimination based on sex, including sexual harassment, which created a hostile or abusive work environment. 1 477 U.S. 57, 106 S.Ct. 2399, 2405-06, 91 L.Ed.2d 49 (1986); accord Henson v. Dundee, 682 F.2d 897, 902 (11th Cir.1982). An employee asserting a claim of hostile working environment sexual harassment by an employer must prove the following in order to establish a prima facie case: (1) that the employee belongs to a protected group, Henson, 682 F.2d at 903; (2) that the employee was subject to unwelcome sexual harassment, Vinson, 106 S.Ct. at 2406; Henson, 682 F.2d at 903; 29 C.F.R. Sec. 1604.11(a) (1985); (3) that the harassment complained of was based on sex, Henson, 682 F.2d at 903; and (4) that the harassment complained of affected a term, condition, or privilege of employment in that it was sufficiently severe or pervasive 'to alter the conditions of [the victim's] employment and create an abusive working environment.'  Vinson, 106 S.Ct. at 2406 (brackets in original) (quoting, Henson, 682 F.2d at 903). 10 The district court concluded that Sparks could survive summary judgment as to these four elements of her prima facie case. The court granted summary judgment for the defendant, however, because it concluded that Sparks failed to establish a necessary fifth element: Pilot Freight's liability for Long's actions under the theory of respondeat superior. 11 The district court based its decision that respondeat superior theory applies to this action on this court's decision in Henson, supra. There we held that a Title VII plaintiff who seeks to hold her employer liable for sexual harassment by her supervisor or co-workers must demonstrate that the employer is liable for the supervisor or co-worker's conduct under the theory of respondeat superior. Consequently, the plaintiff cannot prevail unless she can show that her employer knew or should have known of the harassment in question and failed to take prompt remedial action. 682 F.2d at 905. Applying Henson, the district court concluded that Sparks could not prevail because she had not notified any supervisor at Pilot Freight that she was being sexually harassed by Long. 12 In applying the respondeat superior requirement of Henson, however, the district court overlooked the fact that the Henson court's decision to employ respondeat superior theory rested on its assumption that the plaintiff's alleged harasser was her supervisor but not her employer. Henson, 682 F.2d at 905, n. 9. Here, in contrast, Sparks alleges that Long was both her supervisor and her employer, as that term is defined under Title VII. 13 Under Title VII an employer is directly liable for its own sexual harassment of its employees. See 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000e-2(a)(1), 29 C.F.R. Sec. 1604.11(c). Thus, where the harasser is plaintiff's employer, respondeat superior theory does not apply and plaintiff need not establish that she gave anyone notice of the harassment. 2 Hunter v. Allis-Chalmers Corp., Engine Div., 797 F.2d 1417, 1422 (7th Cir.1986); Horn v. Duke Homes, Div. of Windsor Mobile Homes, Inc., 755 F.2d 599, 604 (7th Cir.1985); see Vinson, 106 S.Ct. 2408-09; Henson, 682 F.2d at 905 n. 9. 14 The Act defines the term employer as a person engaged in an industry affecting commerce ... and any agent of such a person. 3 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000e(b) (emphasis added). Therefore, if Long was acting as an agent of Pilot Freight when he sexually harassed Sparks, Pilot Freight is directly liable to Sparks for Long's conduct--provided Sparks can establish the four elements of her prima facie case outlined above. See Vinson, 106 S.Ct. at 2408; Horn, 755 F.2d at 604.
15 Title VII does not define the term agent. Rather, in determining whether a supervisor was acting as an agent for Title VII purposes, courts must look for guidance to common law agency principles. Vinson, 106 S.Ct. at 2408, citing, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000e(b) and Restatement (Second) of Agency Secs. 219-237 (1958). 16 In the instant case, the district court, concluding incorrectly that this agency determination is simply one way of establishing respondeat superior, 4 held, also incorrectly, that under common law agency principles Long was not an agent of Pilot Freight when he harassed Sparks. Applying the general rule of agency that [a] master is subject to liability for the torts of his servants committed while acting in the scope of their employment, Restatement (Second) of Agency, Sec. 219(1), the district court determined that Pilot Freight was not liable for Long's actions because Long was not acting within the scope of his employment when he harassed Sparks. The district court based this ruling on its determination that Long was not actuated by some purpose to serve the master when he harassed Sparks. 5 Sparks, No. C852941A, slip op. at 8, citing Restatement (Second) of Agency Secs. 219(1), 228(2). 17 Although the district court recognized that an employer may be liable under section 219(2) of the Restatement for its servant's actions even though the servant was not acting within the scope of his employment, the district court concluded that none of section 219(2)'s exceptions to the general rule of section 219(1) apply to this case. Accordingly, the district court granted summary judgment for Pilot Freight on the issue of whether Long was acting as Pilot Freight's agent when he harassed Sparks. Sparks, No. C85-2941A, slip op. at 9, citing Restatement (Second) of Agency Sec. 219(2). 18 In holding that none of the enumerated exceptions to the within the scope of employment rule apply, the district court apparently overlooked section 219(2)(d). This section provides that a master is liable for the torts of his servants acting outside the scope of their employment where: 19 (d) the servant purported to act or to speak on behalf of the principal and there was reliance upon apparent authority, or he was aided in accomplishing the tort by the existence of the agency relationship. (emphasis added). 20 Under this section, unlike under section 219(1), the master is not insulated from liability by the fact that the servant was acting entirely for his own benefit. See id. at Secs. 219(2), 235 Comment E; see also id. at Secs. 262, 265. 21 Interpreting general agency rules, and presumably relying primarily on section 219(2), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has concluded that a supervisor acts as an agent of the employer for Title VII purposes, thus rendering the employer directly liable for the supervisor's actions, where [the] supervisor exercises the authority actually delegated to him by his employer, by making or threatening to make decisions affecting the employment status of his subordinates. Vinson, 106 S.Ct. at 2407-08 (stating, without ruling on, the position of the EEOC in its amicus brief); 6 see Horn, 755 F.2d at 605 (employing the same rule). The EEOC reasoned that agency principles require holding the employer liable because it was the employer's delegation of authority that empowered the supervisor to so act. Vinson, 106 S.Ct. at 2408; accord Horn, 755 F.2d at 604-05; see Sec. 219(d)(2), Restatement (Second) of Agency; see also Henson, 682 F.2d at 909 (applying this analysis to hold an employer strictly liable for quid pro quo sexual harassment by its supervisors). 7 This liability is direct; the employer cannot find shelter in the claim that it neither had notice of, or approved of, the unlawful conduct. Vinson, 106 S.Ct. at 2408; see Horn, 755 F.2d at 604-05; 29 C.F.R. Sec. 1604.11(c); Sec. 219(d)(2), Restatement (Second) of Agency. 22 Adopting this rule and applying it to the instant case, 8 we observe that it is undisputed that when Pilot Freight made Long terminal manager of the Duluth terminal it vested him with both actual and apparent authority to alter Sparks' employment status--including authority to fire her. Moreover, the evidence, considered in the light most favorable to Sparks, shows that Long used the authority delegated to him by Pilot Freight to assist him in harassing Sparks: specifically, Long repeatedly reminded Sparks that he could fire her should she fail to comply with his advances. 9 Therefore, we conclude that, when the evidence is viewed in the light most favorable to Sparks, Sparks has established a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Long was acting as Pilot Freight's agent when he engaged in the alleged sexual harassment of Sparks. She consequently has established a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Pilot Freight is directly liable to her under Title VII. See Hamilton v. Rogers, 791 F.2d 439, 442-43 (5th Cir.1986); Horn, 755 F.2d at 604-05. Accordingly, the district court's grant of summary judgment on Sparks' hostile working environment sexual harassment claim must be reversed. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510-11, 2513-14, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).
23 Pilot Freight contests this conclusion, asserting that it cannot be liable for Long's actions because Sparks did not complain to anyone at Pilot Freight about Long's conduct. Pilot Freight cannot prevail on this claim. 24 To the extent that Pilot Freight's claim is that an employer is not liable for sexual harassment by its supervisors absent notice, its claim is not even colorably valid given the Supreme Court's holding in Vinson. 10 106 S.Ct. at 2408 (employer liable for agent's acts even absent notice); accord Horn, 755 F.2d at 604; 29 C.F.R. Sec. 1604.11(c). 25 Pilot Freight's claim also fails to the extent that it is an attempt by Pilot Freight to benefit from the language in Vinson indicating that an employer may be insulated from liability for hostile working environment sexual harassment where (1) the employer has an explicit policy against sexual harassment, and (2) it has effective grievance procedures calculated to encourage victims of harassment to come forward that the plaintiff did not employ. Vinson, 106 S.Ct. at 2408-09. Pilot Freight has proffered no evidence that it had either a policy against sexual harassment or an effective grievance procedure; Sparks has asserted that Pilot Freight had neither. For summary judgment purposes we accept Sparks' allegation as true. See Liberty Lobby, 106 S.Ct. at 2513-14. We therefore conclude that the Court's suggestion in Vinson that an employer may be able to shield itself from Title VII liability for its supervisors' sexual harassment by enacting an explicit policy against sexual harassment and an effective grievance procedure--so as to divest its supervisors of actual and apparent authority to harass employees--has no bearing on this appeal.
26 Nor are we inclined to accept Pilot Freight's argument that, even if we reverse the district court's conclusion that Long was not acting as Pilot Freight's agent, we nevertheless should affirm the grant of summary judgment by reversing the district court's denial of summary judgment as to the first four elements of Spark's prima facie case. 27 In particular, Pilot Freight asserts that it is entitled to summary judgment because Sparks has not established that Long's harassment was sufficiently severe to be actionable under Title VII. 11 To be actionable under Title VII, the sexual harassment must have affected a term, condition, or privilege of employment within the meaning of Title VII. See Henson, 682 F.2d at 904. The Court in Vinson interpreted this as requiring proof that the sexual harassment was sufficiently severe or pervasive 'to alter the conditions of [the victim's] employment and create an abusive working environment.'  Vinson, 106 S.Ct. at 2406 (quoting Henson, 682 F.2d at 904). This test may be satisfied by a showing that the sexual harassment was sufficiently severe or persistent to affect seriously [the victim's] psychological well being. Henson, 682 F.2d at 904. 28 Applying this test, we conclude that the district court properly found that Sparks could survive a motion for summary judgment on her claim that Long's alleged conduct is actionable under Title VII as it affected a term, condition, or privilege of Sparks' employment. According to Sparks, Long repeatedly sexually harassed her and threatened her job--conduct which she said frightened and upset her, causing her to doubt her job security. See Sparks, No. C85-2941A, slip op. at 6. Accepting these allegations as true, we conclude that Long's sexual harassment of Sparks was sufficiently persistent and severe to satisfy the Vinson requirement that the conduct must have seriously affected the plaintiff's psychological well being. 12 Accordingly, Sparks has established a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Long's conduct affected a term, condition, or privilege of her employment; the district court therefore should have denied summary judgment for defendant on this issue. 13 III. SEX DISCRIMINATION 29 Sparks' second Title VII claim is a discriminatory treatment claim and is based on Connell's decision to fire her but not Turner--an allegedly similarly situated male employee. A. 30 In order to establish a prima facie case of discriminatory treatment a plaintiff must demonstrate facts sufficient for a reasonable jury to infer that discrimination has occurred. Texas Dept. of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 253-54, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 1094, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981); see Delgado v. Lockheed-Georgia Co., A Div. of Lockheed Corp., 815 F.2d 641, 644 (11th Cir.1987) (same under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)); Anderson v. Savage Labs, Inc., 675 F.2d 1221, 1223 (11th Cir.1982) (same). 14 This inference may be established by proof that the plaintiff: (1) belongs to the statutorily protected group, (2) was qualified for the job, (3) was discharged, and (4) was replaced by a person outside the protected group. 15 Garner v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 807 F.2d 1536, 1538 (11th Cir.1987); see Delgado, 815 F.2d at 644. 31 Once the plaintiff establishes a prima facie case, the burden of production shifts to the defendant to articulate some legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for firing the plaintiff. Burdine, 450 U.S. at 253, 101 S.Ct. at 1093. 16 Should the defendant satisfy its burden of production, the presumption raised by the plaintiff's prima facie case is rebutted and the plaintiff now must demonstrate, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the legitimate reasons offered by the defendant were not its true reasons. Id. at 253, 101 S.Ct. at 1093. 32 Applying these principles in the instant case, the district court concluded, correctly, that plaintiff could survive summary judgment as to her prima facie case because (1) she is female and thus is a member of a protected group, (2) she was qualified for the position of billing clerk, (3) she was discharged, and (4) she was replaced by a person outside the protected group. The court nevertheless granted summary judgment for defendant. The court so ruled after accepting Pilot Freight's claim that it had a legitimate reason for firing Sparks because of its work rule requiring employees to call in sick, which Sparks violated on May 10th but which Turner did not violate. The district court rejected, as a matter of law, Sparks' rebuttal argument that Pilot Freight's articulated reason for firing her was not its actual reason for doing so, but rather was pretextual. B. 33 Because defendant Pilot Freight rebutted the presumption of prejudice by proffering evidence of a legitimate nondiscriminatory reason for firing Sparks, the issue on appeal from the grant of summary judgment for defendant is whether the record as a whole contains sufficient evidence from which the factfinder could infer that Pilot Freight was guilty of intentional discrimination. 17 See Chipollini v. Spencer Gifts, Inc., 814 F.2d 893, 898 (3d Cir.1987) (en banc), cert. dismissed, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 26, 97 L.Ed.2d 815, (1987). In the instant case, this inquiry into whether Pilot Freight in asserting its alleged legitimate reason has satisfied its burden of establishing the absence of a genuine issue of material fact as to whether it had a discriminatory motive for firing Sparks, is subsumed under the inquiry into employer pretext. See id. at 896, 898. 34 An employee may rebut a defendant's claim that it had a legitimate reason for firing her indirectly by showing that the employer's proffered explanation is unworthy of credence. 18 Burdine, 450 U.S. at 256, 101 S.Ct. at 1095; see Chipollini, 814 F.2d at 898 (same under the ADEA). Where, as here, the employer's asserted justification is that the employee violated a work rule, the employee must prove pretext by showing either that she did not violate the work rule or that, if she did, other employees not within the protected class who engaged in similar acts were not similarly treated. Harris v. Plastics Mfg. Co., 617 F.2d 438 (5th Cir.1980); 19 see Delgado, 815 F.2d at 644; Savage Labs Inc., 675 F.2d at 1224. Sparks asserts that both grounds for finding pretext apply here; we need consider, and therefore do consider, only one ground. 20 35 Sparks' primary basis for claiming that Connell's asserted justification is pretextual is that she complied with the work rule. Sparks does not dispute that Pilot Freight had a rule requiring employees to notify it if they would not be coming in that day. This rule, however, according to Connell's deposition testimony, was unwritten. Sparks asserts that a reasonable construction of this unwritten work rule is that it constituted a requirement that employees notify Pilot Freight that they are going to be out sick that day prior to the start of their shift. Sparks claims that the record demonstrates that she satisfied this requirement. The evidence most favorable to Sparks shows that several hours before the start of Sparks' shift, Connell's secretary, Hilda Tatum, called Sparks about a request Sparks had made earlier that day to change her hours. During that call, Sparks informed Tatum that she was sick and would not be coming to work that night. Moreover, as the district court observed, the evidence viewed for summary judgment purposes shows that Connell knew that Sparks had reported in sick. 36 Pilot Freight contests Sparks' claim, arguing that under its unwritten work rule an employee is required not only to notify the employer of her intention to be out sick, but also to initiate the call in which the notice is given. It is this latter requirement, Pilot Freight asserts, that Sparks violated, but Turner did not, and which provided the basis for their disparate treatment. 37 We conclude that, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Sparks, Pilot Freight's construction of its work rule--under which Sparks was required to make a separate phone call to re-report in sick despite the fact that she had just told Tatum, Connell's secretary, that she would be out sick--could reasonably found to be implausible and unworthy of credence. The implausibility of the alleged justification is sufficient to create a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Pilot Freight's articulated reason is pretextual. See Chipollini, 814 F.2d at 900 (summary judgment for defendant inappropriate where there is evidence that employer's justification is implausible). 38 Moreover, in this case our conclusion that a genuine issue of fact exists as to whether Pilot Freight's asserted justification is pretextual is supported by the fact that there is no evidence that Pilot Freight had ever before so interpreted its rule; in addition, Connell offered no explanation as to why employees allegedly are required to initiate all telephone calls made to report in sick. Furthermore it is undisputed that Connell had never before fired an employee simply because the employee failed to initiate a phone call to report in sick. Finally, there is no evidence that Pilot Freight had ever before treated a solitary violation of this rule as grounds for termination. 39 Accordingly, because Sparks has raised a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Connell's articulated reason for firing her is pretextual, she has raised a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Pilot Freight had a discriminatory motive for firing her. See Burdine, 450 U.S. at 256, 101 S.Ct. at 1095; United States Postal Service Bd. of Governors v. Aikens, 460 U.S. 711, 717-18, 103 S.Ct. 1478, 1483, 75 L.Ed.2d 403 (1983) (Blackmun, J., concurring) (the McDonnell Douglas/Burdine framework requires that the plaintiff prevail if the plaintiff demonstrates that the legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason proffered by the employer is not the true reason for the employment decision). We therefore conclude that summary judgment for defendant on Sparks' claim of sex discrimination should not have been granted. 21 See Liberty Lobby, 106 S.Ct. at 2510.