Opinion ID: 857284
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Workers’ Compensation Discrimination Claim

Text: The first issue for our review is whether the circuit court properly concluded that the petitioner failed to present sufficient evidence of discriminatory conduct to withstand Apex’s motion for summary judgment. The petitioner argues that genuine issues of material fact exist as to whether Apex violated West Virginia Code § 23-5A-1, which provides as follows: No employer shall discriminate in any manner against any of his present or former employees because of such present or former employee’s receipt of or attempt to receive benefits under this chapter. This Court has previously held that [i]n order to make a prima facie case of discrimination under W.Va. Code, 23-5A-1, the employee must prove that: (1) an on-the-job injury was sustained; (2) proceedings were instituted under the Workers’ Compensation Act, W.Va. Code, 23-1-1, et seq.; and (3) the filing of a workers’ compensation claim was a significant factor in the employer’s decision to discharge or otherwise discriminate against the employee. Syl. Pt. 1, Powell v. Wyoming Cablevision, Inc., 184 W.Va. 700, 701, 403 S.E.2d 717, 718 (1991). Having clearly satisfied the first two elements of Powell (i.e., an on-the-job injury and the filing of a workers’ compensation claim), the petitioner contends, in essence, that he also presented prima facie evidence of the third element: that Apex “refused to put 7 him back to work” because he applied for workers’ compensation benefits as a result of his injury. Specifically, the petitioner points to the unemployment compensation form on which Ms. Perry indicated that he was discharged from his employment at Apex because he was injured at work and received a workers’ compensation settlement for the injury. The petitioner argues that this fact alone creates a genuine issue of material fact on his discrimination claim and that summary judgment was not appropriate. Apex argues, however, that the competent evidence clearly shows that the petitioner’s filing of a workers’ compensation claim was not a significant factor in Apex’s decision not to rehire him in May of 2009. Rather, Apex argues that the evidence demonstrates that the petitioner was not rehired because there was no available work at the time he contacted Mr. Keaton in May 2009. Moreover, Mr. Keaton’s undisputed testimony established that the petitioner and many other general laborers were hired “out of the union hall” for the purpose of working on the pipeline project in Boone County. Mr. Keaton testified that as the workers’ jobs were completed, Apex “sen[t] them back to the union hall” and that “[t]here [were] lots of them we didn’t bring back.” The petitioner also testified that he believed Mr. Keaton when he told him there was no available work when he contacted him in May of 2009. Moreover, Ms. Perry testified that she erroneously checked the “discharge” box on the petitioner’s unemployment compensation form, and that, upon learning of her error, she immediately corrected it by personally contacting the unemployment compensation office to explain her mistake. As a 8 direct result of Ms. Perry’s contact with the unemployment compensation office, the petitioner was awarded unemployment compensation benefits.11 Upon careful consideration of the evidence presented, we find that the petitioner failed to establish that his filing of a workers’ compensation claim was a significant factor in Apex’s decision not to rehire him in May of 2009. The undisputed evidence demonstrates that Ms. Perry made a clerical error on the petitioner’s unemployment compensation form and that, as soon as she was made aware of her mistake, she contacted the unemployment compensation office and corrected it in order to ensure that the petitioner received the benefits to which he was entitled. Importantly, the petitioner does not dispute that he was one of many workers laid off when the Boone County project was completed. Based upon all of the above, this Court concludes that the petitioner failed to adduce prima facie evidence giving rise to a genuine issue of material fact with regard to his claim of workers’ compensation discrimination. Accordingly, the circuit court properly granted summary judgment on this issue in favor of Apex. 11 There was a delay of approximately two weeks in the petitioner’s receipt of benefits as a result of the clerical error in completing the form. 9