Opinion ID: 172046
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: First Element of the Ellerth / Faragher Affirmative Defense

Text: First, the uncontroverted evidence shows that CDOT exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct promptly Mr. Martinez's sexually harassing behavior. The parties do not seriously contest whether CDOT unreasonably failed to prevent sexual harassment. CDOT had in place an adequate sexual harassment policy. CDOT's policy prohibits sexual harassment, identifies the complaint procedure, and informs employees that disciplinary action might be taken against those who violate the policy. In addition to having adopted the sexual harassment policy, CDOT requires its employees to take a four-hour sexual harassment course, which identifies what behavior constitutes harassment and highlights the employee's obligation to report harassment. However, the existence of a sexual harassment policy and training alone does not satisfy the employer's burden under the first prong of the Ellerth/Faragher defense because the employer not only must take reasonable care to prevent sexually harassing behavior but also to correct promptly any such behavior. See Ellerth, 524 U.S. at 765, 118 S.Ct. 2257; Faragher, 524 U.S. at 807, 118 S.Ct. 2275; see also Hurley v. Atl. City Police Dep't, 174 F.3d 95, 118 (3d Cir.1999). CDOT's actions reflected reasonable care to promptly correct Mr. Martinez's behavior. Mr. Trujillo immediately began his investigation once Ms. Pinkerton submitted her complaint on February 24, 2003. On March 18, 2003, when Ms. Harding learned from the EEO that Ms. Pinkerton's sexual harassment complaint might be justified, she immediately removed Mr. Martinez as Ms. Pinkerton's supervisor. Ms. Harding received Mr. Trujillo's investigation report on March 21, 2003; held an R-6-10 hearing with Mr. Martinez on April 1, 2003; and demoted and reassigned him six days later on April 7, 2003. In other words, CDOT removed Mr. Martinez as supervisor before the investigation was complete and demoted him roughly two weeks after the final investigative report. These facts demonstrate that CDOT acted promptly to resolve the harassment issue. Ms. Pinkerton, however, argues that CDOT acted unreasonably by failing to remove Mr. Martinez from his supervisory position over her upon her first complaint. In certain circumstances, an employer's failure to remove a supervisor from close working proximity with a subordinate who has alleged sexual harassment against that supervisor might be seen as unreasonable. But here a number of factors persuade us that no reasonable factfinder could see CDOT as dilatory. The alleged harassment took the form of oral statements (not physical abuse) that ceased  without resuming  after Ms. Pinkerton's complaint; Ms. Pinkerton herself did not request separation from the supervisor; CDOT promptly launched an investigation; and the matter was conclusively resolved in a matter of weeks. Given CDOT's quick and effective [5] action on Ms. Pinkerton's complaint, we see no genuine issue left for trial about the reasonableness of CDOT's response.